Pictured left to right: First Flight Finalist Shep Slater, First Flight Champion MaryCarol Stearns,
Championship Flight Winner Darin Guffey and Championship Finalist Edmund Fordyce
The second annual Grand Cup was hosted by the Grand Hotel Golf Resort & Spa and The Lakewood Club in Fairhope, Alabama April 24-27, 2025. Prior to the start of the tournament, the festivities kicked off with a morning clinic session and pro-am match play for members and guests which featured eight male and female pros followed by a lovely evening reception at the Grand Hotel.
Championship Flight: Darin Guffey hit a stunning one-bounce jump shot from the baseline to go undefeated in block play before advancing to the Knockout. Darin edged past Marc Stearns in a closely contested semi-final 10-9 to face off against two-time World Champion Edmund Fordyce from New Zealand in the 2-of-3 game final. The final match featured exceptional shot-making and thrilling long clearing shots with Edmund taking the first game 7-4. Darin came back with a solid 7-3 win in the second game to force a third and deciding game. Both players battled to a 6-6 tie to take it to the 13th hoop aka “the hook.” After a few unlucky hoop attempts by both players, Darin sealed the win with a beautiful 21’ hoop shot from the north boundary.
First Flight: MaryCarol Stearns fared well in block play with an even 2-2 record clinching her spot into the Knockout. This is where things got very exciting for MaryCarol where her consistent jump-shots launched her past Todd Russell 7-6 in the Quarterfinals, followed by a close 7-6 win against Susan Koepp in the Semi-finals.
In the final against Shep Slater, MaryCarol led most of the way until Shep was able to tie the game at 9-9 only to have MaryCarol hold on to snatch the 19th point for a 10-9 victory.
Pictured: The Lakewood Club Director Billy Pomeroy with First Flight Champion MaryCarol Stearns and Tournament Director, Cheryl Bromley.
CHAMPIONSHIP FLIGHT
01. Darin Guffey
02. Edmund Fordyce
03. Kent Lovvorn
03. Marc Stearns
05. Debbie Davidoff
05. Cheryl Bromley
05. Matt Griffith
05. Kendall Hendrick
09. Ellie Griffith
09. Helen Covington
FIRST FLIGHT
01. Marycarol Stearns
02. Shep Slater
03. Susan Koepp
03. Laura Hendrick
05. Henry Smith
05. Todd Russell
05. Ron Taylor
05. Rick Hayes
09. Barbara Mudd
09. Sue Sergeant