And the 2023 Champion is...

Uncle G takes the Triple Dicker in O-Town!

Well, it's been a while since we had a wire-to-wire winner, but G did just that, posting an astonishing net 54 first-round score. He never looked back, as his slow and steady method paid dividends over the remaining three rounds. Or maybe it was just the Sdcally Cap? Who knows?

Here's a look back at some of the shenanigans in South Florida.

The FYMA Cup week led off like many others have in the past, with a full slate of NFL playoff games at the palace of Golden Bear Drive. Stogies and beverages, arguments, and wagers into the evening as each cupper descended into the mayhem. Swag was issued and beers turned into bourbon as night cast across the Orlando cityscape. This evening would set the tone for the remainder of the week, and set the table for some less-than-brilliant play during our warmup round, a revisit to Southern Dunes. But let's get to tourney rounds.

Day One: A newcomer to the Orlando FYMA scene, Royal St. Cloud. We trekked 45 minutes to get to this track and were not disappointed. RSC won the 'best value' award for FYMA '23 and may be of all time. A well-groomed course with a great pace of play, wide-open fairways, and fast greens greeted our cuppers. The TD led off the event as the inaugural "Phantom of the FYMA", a new FYMA feature born from the Tin Cup's pink lady. TD wore it well and smoked his opening drive down the middle. Uncle G was out of the gate fast, very unlike him, parring 5 of the first 8 holes. Vis, Muddy, and PK were paired for this round and fed off one another, scoring birdies and pars for most of the round. Everything looked to be in hand for these three up until hole 17 when some stray commentary caused Muddy to supplant TDs ball seventy yards into the central Florida mangroves. Pandemonium ensued and the triplet limped in. Fortunately, there was little play left to upset what was three good rounds. While this trio went low, it wasn't low enough as Uncle G finished his round with his personal net best, a 54. Maybe unnoticed, but our defending champion, Rivs, overcame the champion's handicap and posted an incredible -10 in the opening stanza.

Round One standings:

Uncle G -18
TD -11
Rivs -10
Fratt -5
Muddy -4
Clarkey -3
PK Even
Espino Even
Chop 2
Kinger 5

Day Two - The Shake Up

The second day of the Triple Dicker put the cuppers back on familiar turf, the Links Course at the Grand Cypress Golf Resort. Formerly known as the "New Course", the Links course offered some of the most interesting holes in the history of this tournament. TD and AssTD love this course and it showed, as both continued to build on their first-round scores. Rivs and Uncle G-G maintained their pace and kept the pressure on the others.

"You're gonna have to score to catch'em!"

Our big mover of the day came from a Big Bear. Clarkie posted the day's best, -7, to climb the leaderboard and get into the mix. PK continued steady play, but it's hard to conquer that fine handicap. Fratt all but vanquished his chances for a run at this year's cup by posting a +5.

Standings after Round Two:

Uncle G -20
TD -17
Rivs -12
Clarkey -10
Muddy -9
PK -1
Fratt Even
Espino 1
Chop 3
Kinger 8

A New Tradition?

It ain't no Tilted Kilt!

May I play through?

Play was slowed to let this guy play through the Conley group.

Day -3 Disney is a Beast!

Day 3 is usually moving day, but this year, it was 'hang on' day. While some say, "Disney is the happiest place on earth," it wasn't that on this day as only two cuppers managed to get into negative numbers and the rest of the field decided it was better to drink for breakfast. The Palms Course for the win.

Champions are forged by competition, and on this day, Uncle G rose to the occasion. Shedding any doubts about a Phantom reprise, TD wasn't going to let our leader walk away unopposed by posting today's best gross score (90) and a net -4. This would have given TD the lead if only G had come in even. But in every run for the FYMA Cup, our champion faces this moment, a moment where he demonstrates why he should raise the Cup, this was no different. On what was by far the most difficult course of the set, Uncle G posted a net -4 to maintain his 3-stroke lead over our Phantom. PK, Rivs, Fratt, and Clarkie all posted respectable scores, but positive numbers on Day 3 won't help your cause on the quest for the Cup. Of our top 5 at the start of the day, Muddy stumbled the largest, posting a +8, and spent the rest of the tourney just having "fun."

Standings after Round Three:

Uncle G -24
TD -21
Rivs -10
Clarkey -6
Muddy -1
PK 1
Fratt 4
Chop 11
Kinger 13
Espino DNF

The Bear built a great course

Should've jumped onbaord

Interesting spray pattern

Shirtless Thursday?

Final Round-Lake Buena Vista

The West Coast boys came to play in the final round. Led by PK, who set the low net score for the day, and tied TD for the lowest gross round all week. Fratt had his best outing of the week, posting a net -5 to make a respectable final score. But all of this was overshadowed by G, posting yet another negative number (-4) to seal up the win and all the ruffles and flourishes fit for an FYMA Champion. His name is now etched into eternity and it is his year to don the fabled plaid-blue jacket. Uncle G has joined his predecessors in the annals of FYMA-lore.

TD kept his hot hand going but fell just short of our champion, just 4 strokes back. Rivs was fighting the champion's handicap and still managed a third-place finish, well done by Johnny Aloha. Clarkie was back and forth all week, watch out next year if he finds consistency in his game. When you combine all his Bon Vivant-ing and the friendly CA confines, Fratt has to be considered a favorite for next year's Cup. Muddy and Chop need to get into their former form, or these are handicap reset years. Kinger is still the best fisherman at FYMA '23! ...And next year's Phatom!

FYMA Cup Final Standings:

Uncle G -28
TD -24
Rivs -13
PK -6
Clarkie -2
Fratt -1
Muddy 3
Chop 13
Kinger 23
Espino DNF