Team Heat Boys Claim Automatik Open Title in Extra Holes

SUNNYVALE, CA (AP)

In a tournament for the ages, Danny Woodhead, Kevin Murphy and Peter Wentworth of Team Heat Boys won the 2021 AutomatikOpen in a playoff last Saturday at TPC Sunnyvale to don the renowned Green Jersey. 

The Heat Boys overcame a slow stretch of holes on the back nine to shoot a seven under 63 on a smoky and sweltering afternoon, which included a birdie on 18 after Woodhead hit his approach to 4 feet to help get his team to -7. “I am so overcome with emotions right now it’s hard to put this into words. I wanted this so bad and I knew we needed birdie on 18 to give ourselves a good chance to win. I have been working a lot on my 130 and in game in the build up to the tournament so I just trusted the process and hit a good shot” exclaimed the teary-eyed Woodhead. 

The Heat Boys had to sweat out the finishing hole for Team Triple Lindy (Casey Lopez, Scott Petersmeyer, Danny Jorgensen and Matt Accola), whose approach shot on 18 bounced off the flag stick to leave a 6 inch kick in birdie to force a playoff. “The ball had a lot of pace on it and if it didn’t hit the flag it might have rolled off the green but I gotta admit, when I saw it tracking and bang off the pole, I sharted myself a bit” pronounced a nicotine-infused Wentworth.

After extended deliberation from the tournament committee and very “helpful, positive and unemotional” feedback from tournament participants, the decision was made to conduct a playoff on the 14th hole, consistent with existing tournament rules. Tournament co-chair Peter Ellsworth was able to convince a group of regular Sunnyvale members to allow a slightly inebriated eightsome to tee off in front of them on 14, and also keep an agitated head pro at bay long enough to enable the teams to conduct the one hole playoff. 

Team Heat Boys calmly hit the green with all four shots on the playoff hole and while they left something to be desired with their lag putt from 20 feet, Woodhead calmly sank a five-footer to clinch the championship. 

Unfortunately for Team Triple Lindy, they missed the fairway with all of their tee shots and could do no better than save par with a tricky up and down on 14, which was not enough to beat the Heat Boys outright who owned the tiebreaker. “No excuses, I hit a Billy Martin (dead Yank) off the tee and really cost my team. This is my first playoff and I got tight. It was disappointing but I was overall very happy with how our team performed and will learn from this pressure experience. Hats off to the Heat Boys, they played great today”, stated a disappointed Scott Petersmeyer. 

Under tournament rules if the tournament cannot be decided on a playoff hole, then the tiebreaker is determined by which team included the winner of the commemorative closest to the pin competition on 18, which this year was won by Murphy who hit his wedge to 14 feet on 18 thus ultimately clinching the title for the Heat Boys. “I obviously didn’t know it at the time that my shot on 18 would clinch the tournament but I wanted to win the closest to the pin so I really dialed in mentally before hitting the shot. I will remember that shot for the rest of my life”, pronounced the jubilant Murphy. 

Team Gym Tanning Nap (Gary Petersmeyer, Justin Usher and Mike Popek) narrowly missed the playoff and finished in third at -6. 

In other tournament news, Usher took the long drive competition with a 212 yard bullet (err lollypop) down the right center of the fairway on the 10th hole and a record 143 White Claws were consumed during the event.

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