It may be argued that FYMA Cup ‘20 will be remembered as the “Year of the Meme” or maybe “the Year Chaser brought Corona Virus to the U.S.”, but there no denying that this was P.K.’s year and no meme or virus was gonna deny him from becoming the first two-time champion in FYMA history. Consistency was the name of his game at his hometown tracks. A strong start at Troon North, and consistent good scores across the tournament, P.K. posted the lowest scores of the group at 3 of the four courses in the circuit leading to a tournament best 267 net, a 10 stroke win. First and second losers were Chaser (277) and ASSTD (280) respectively. P.K. was also low gross (351), followed by TD (358) and ASSTD (364).

This was also the year the Champion’s jacket and nametags were introduced. Upon arrival in Scottsdale, the Champion’s jacket was presented to the reigning FYMA Cup Champ, Rivs, amidst a cocktail party and playoff games at the All American Grille.

“Who brings a 13 year old to a cocktail party anyways?!”

In what is sure to be a new FYMA Cup tradition, the past champion passed on the jacket to the new champion after the final round of the FYMA Cup. Enjoy your jacket P.K., check the left breast pocket, there’s a 14 handicap waiting there just for you.

FYMA Cup ’21 post game:

This was “A Cup for the Ages!” From the house to the swag to the courses, this year’s Cup was special in many ways. It led off with maybe the best season of banter yet. It began all the way back in on July 6th with the Cup still 6 months away. Hash tags and memes have been around for some time, but this was the year #’s and memes described the emotions of our Cuppers in the run up to what would become a classic FYMA Cup tournament week. We were definitely….

#hyped

After several years of observing the FYMA banter and texts, a noticeable pattern has emerged. Usually the conversation begins with the “where and when” questions. Once that is location and dates are determined, then there are the repeatable annual texts; TD will rant how he’s not doing the TD thing ever again, a thousand pics of Fratt golfing at some god forsaken goat ranch (who knew Cali had such shitty golf courses), PK is sending pics of how bad his golf game (we know better), G remembering all the crap the rest of us forgot, and “wakey, wakeys” from ASSTD nearly every day. Then someone will suggest moving the tournament to San Diego or changing the date…that’s nearly sends TD/ASSTD off the deep end. But then the banter gets a serious tone…ASSTD posts the handicaps and all hell breaks loose. Those who were just deleting the previous texts, sense the need to jump into the conversation. Fratt dismisses the ASSTD’s handicap science as voodoo and he’s “getting screwed”. Ant complains that his is too low. Rivs unblocks the group and reveals his most recent step in his evolution of becoming a full-fledged golfer. Similar to Sasquatch, someone will post a fleeting pic of Whitey. Has anyone heard from Kinger and Chop? Maybe an FB update from Chaser on Kon Tiki? And that pretty much sums up August. Then the TD drops one of his classics “from the TD” messages that gets everyone #hyped. FYMA CUP is ON.

Adding to this year’s dialog was the class of 1994’s 25^th reunion. Clarkie, Rivs, TD, and Begs pledged to make it, but only TD and Begs showed up…I’ll leave that there. Suck Balls. TD and ASSTD did manage to win the Bear Open and take home some sweet Championship Beer mugs. I jest; the mugs were crap just like the tournament. The organizers could learn a thing or two from the TD.

Three months from the start of FYMA and the memes started showing up and no one was immune (well, maybe except Chaser). I can see many of these showing up at future FYMA Cup festivities. They speak for themselves.

#hyped

Late to the party was Ant, but he received his kitchen pass and rounded out the 2020 FYMA Cup roster at 10. As we descended in to Phoenix’s Skyport, the excitement grew. G was first and met the TD and ASSTD at their gates to capture the “WooHoo” moments. It was NFL Conference Championship Sunday and that was our rallying point, but since the proposed meet up bar in the airport couldn’t accommodate, we had to change plans on the fly (not a strong trait for this group). We managed and PK suggested the All-American Grille in Scottsdale. So the Cuppers, clubs, and luggage jammed into the 15-pack van and headed the short 27 minutes to the Grille to grab dinner, watch football, and wait for the stragglers. As we took over an entire section of the facility, Clarkie and Rivs had arrived and the TD graciously volunteered to go back and retrieve them. It was fitting that these two arrived last and rounded out the group as the current Champion arrived to the fanfare of all Cuppers and, to everyone’s surprise was promptly fitted into his FYMA Champion’s jacket complete with nametag. What really made the day was that Brady and the Pats weren’t playing, so we didn’t have to stomach that. Suck Balls Pats fans!

We wanted desert golf and we got desert golf. As we arrived at the Casa de FYMA, TD tested the van’s suspension on the dirt whoop-d-doos. It was time to throw your luggage into a room, grab a beverage, and head to the man soup to decompress the back after TD’s wild ride. As we all settled in to the evening, strange headlights came down the driveway. Unbeknownst to us all (except for Fratt), Chaser shows up unannounced, energy level back to #hyped. Now 11 Cuppers now on board, Arrival night descended into the morning of Day 0 as stories, old and new were told, wisecracks abound, jazz juice flowed, and the anticipation for the next day’s round grew. The boys were back together.

#HYPED

This year’s golf tourney took our Cuppers to only two facilities, but what great facilities they were: Troon North (last played in 2012) and We-Ko-Pa. Desert golf at its finest and We-Ko-Paw is #1 in Arizona and a favorite of the TD. An unforeseen advantage was that our bags could stay at the facilities overnight , thus more room in the van for ASSTD to spread out, and a guarantee that there would be a mad scramble trying to find the van keys (usually left in someone’s golf bag).

Anyway… aged bodies need a warm up. TD selected Verde River for this purpose and it was a pleasant surprise. Cuppers teed up and just made the pain and stiffness of round three arrive a day early. So much for getting the body ready! Of course this doesn’t include you, Fratt.

HYPED#

Day 1 – Troon North Monument

Tuesday - While P.K. came out strong (net 69), he didn’t exactly separate himself from the field. Although FYMA hadn’t been to Scottsdale and Troon North since 2012, the course had a familiar feel. Chaser, obviously unaffected by his 54-hour trip to Arizona, was only 1-stroke back of the lead, with five more cuppers within 8 strokes. Muddy, Vis, Chop, and Clarkie with an exceptionally strong Day 1 were with 4 strokes of the lead. Clarkie, after taking a year off to enjoy the snowfall in Camden, NJ, came out strong on Day 1. Kinger with a solid performance rounded out the front runners on North Troon’s Monument course. Round 1 went to P.K., but there was plenty of golf left to play!

Day 2 – Troon North Pinnacle

Wednesday – More of the same for P.K. (net 67) as he tried to separate himself from the pack. Unfortunately, Chaser would have none of that and posted a strong 68 to remain only two strokes back. Along with P.K. and Ant, Chop tied for the low gross round on this day, moving to third, 5 strokes back. ASSTD stumbled in the heat of the desert, but past champion, Fratt netted a 64 and was the big mover on the leader board. Steady eddie for the first two rounds, The TD shot a pair of 92’s (gross) that left him 10 back. Kinger bettered his day 1 round by six strokes and was hanging with the lead pack. Ant rebounded from a first day disaster and posted an impressive 88, worthy of including the bloke in this paragraph. Clarkie tripped, stumbled, and threw out his back and was to be never heard from again during this round. G’s game never translated to the desert, and reigning champion Rivs rounded out the group soaking in the glory of his champion status and playing the Honey Badger, cause the Honey badger doesn’t give a …

Day 3 – Moving Day at We-Ko-Pa Cholla

And boy was there a shake up on the leader board. ASSTD posted the lowest score of the tournament (so far) with an 83 (gross), putting him at the top. P.K. and Chaser posted their lowest rounds for the week (92 & 103), but it was good enough to keep them in second (2-back) and third (5-back) respectfully. The TD surged on this day, posting an 86 to stay within 10. For the rest of our cuppers, it was time for phallic cacti and LBYs!

Day 4 – Final Round at We-Ko-Pa Saguaro

Championship Day at the FYMA Cup is always special, as the front runners are paired up. This format along with We-Ko-pa Saguaro turned up the heat on the competitors and had the potential to leave them battered and broken as the battle raged for 18 holes. It could be the pressure of the competition, the Jazz Juice, or the shear robustness of the golf course that gets to them (or a combination of the three). This time it was P.K.’s round to enjoy as he flew out of the gate with a birdie on the first hole and never looked back. ASSTD’s overnight lead evaporated like hand sanitizer in the Arizona sun. By the second hole of the final round, P.K. had the tournament lead and never looked back. ASSTD continued to stumble and was quickly erased from competition. Chaser and TD had strong rounds, but neither could catch P.K. who in the end posted a tournament best 81 gross. Chaser and Vis would settle for 2nd and 4th respectively. Muddy assumed the 3rd spot, but barely hung on for the show. Fratt surged late to grab 5th… Not bad for a guy that played 80 practice rounds in the build up to the tournament.

Back at the clubhouse, Riv and the TD presented P.K. with the coveted blue jacket. Clarkie continued with his back exercises, and the boys celebrated another FYMA Cup season. With the Cup safely strapped in for the long voyage across town, the Cuppers all headed back home to dream about FYMA glory past, present, and future. Who knew the Corona Virus would hit Phoenix on that same day and spread through the country for months after? Stay safe Cuppers and see you at FYMA Cup ‘21!

See you FYMA Cup '21 - Until next year, CHEERS!