This Write-Up Brought to You By: Morse & Halbach, MGABoston Chapter Reporters
The 2022 Douche Bag Invitational returned to the target golf Mecca known as The Meadow with a number of intriguing storylines:
The tournament itself was full of twists and turns on the leaderboard. However the most intriguing story of the day turned out to be Boston rookie Dom Luoni, a Peabody native who calls The Meadow his home course. Dom started his MGA career with two solid starts and a couple of top 10 finishes leading into the DBI. No one knows exactly what happened on the course, but on the 18th tee Luoni’s driver took the blame for the “Key To The Red Tee” performance. Subsequent groups found the driver (or at least the remaining fragments of it) on the tee box as they played through. As photo evidence was not captured, we can only assume it was Bo Jackson-esque.
The competition on the whole was fierce with nine players making the turn with sub-50 scores. Greg “Black Widow” Gagnon continued his brief return/flex tour appearance with the MGA in typically impressive fashion. In shooting 33 on the back nine to finish with a 75 and DQ, he proved that his 74 at the FORE! Championship was no fluke.
A smattering of ill-timed double and triple bogeys dropped several contenders out of the Visor race as they made their way around the somehow-even-tighter back nine. Perhaps the worst-timed misstep was for Andy Southgate who put up a 7 on the par 4, 18th hole; eventually leading to his finishing a mere 2 strokes back in 3rd place.
Mike Berk started the back nine strong with a Meagle on the 10th hole. However, a triple bogey on 13 and double on 15 sealed his fate. Berk’s hopes of winning that elusive Neon Visor will have to wait another year as he finished 3 shots back in 4th place.
Dan Morse made a valiant effort to rebound from a quadruple bogey, along with two triples, early in his round. Ultimately he finished in 2nd place just 1 shot behind the winner, and all-time Douche, Mike Halbach. With the victory, Halbach became the first back-to-back winner of the DBI in Boston, having won his third Visor in 2021. In addition to this momentous triumph, he bolstered his sterling resume of douchiness as he remained Boston’s only multiple time winner of the DBI.
The win jumped Halbach to the top of the CML, with Morse, Berk, and Southgate (who all finished in the top 4) still clinging to life in the season-long race.
With the promise of rain and low temperatures to begin October in New England, several Medios decided to bravely run away and not play the 2022 Last Gasp. For the players that showed up and stuck it out, however, the consensus was that the weather “could have been worse.”
The Vegas favorite coming into the event was rookie Dom Luoni, whose impressive meltdown at the DBI had granted him access to play from the red tees for the Last Gasp. With a top-5 already under his belt, it seemed all but assured that Luoni would join the likes of Justin Limoli and Matt McDonough who have previously pulled out victories while playing from the red tees. However, unlike the other two, Luoni is not left-handed. This important difference in orientation over the golf ball explains how Luoni was only able to take home the Golden M for most mediocre, as opposed to the big check and trophy.
In an unprecedented effort to take home all of the individual tournament prizes, the Hunt Brothers (George & Dennison) swept the closest to the pin and long drive competitions on both the front and back nines. Then, to rub our noses in it, Dennison Hunt took home the 50-50 raffle as well. In sum, rather rude.
As always, the Last Gasp would decide the Chapter Money List title. With Mike Berk and Andy Southgate in the brave group that ran away, Dan Morse and Mike Halbach were left to duel it out. If Morse came away with a victory, he would be guaranteed the CML title. If he did not, the odds were heavily in Halbach’s favor.
Morse battled hard, but a few hiccups on the back nine dashed his hopes of victory in both the tournament and the season-long race. While Halbach struggled from the back tees (after winning the DBI) on the front nine, he had a strong push on the back side to finish in 3rd place and capture his 5th straight CML title.
The big check and trophy turned out to be reserved for someone much more intimately knowledgeable of them both when it comes to the Last Gasp…THE COMMISH! Vin Ferraro came storming out of the gates and even a six-stroke Meltdown did not threaten his victory, still finishing three shots clear of Morse in 2nd place. The 9th hole may have been the clincher as Ferraro made a Mirdie, gaining 2.5 strokes on the field average. In all, it was a story that seemed all too familiar…
While the win gave Ferraro an obscene 6TH!!! Last Gasp trophy, and 14th career victory, this win was special. With his first win since 2020, breaking a two year drought which no doubt weighed on him heavily, Ferraro vaulted into 5th place on the CML to continue a streak in which he has never finished outside of the top 5 since the inception of the Boston MGA in 2010. An impressive feat of strength and endurance to be sure.
Thus concludes the 2022 season of the Boston MGA. We are already looking forward to the reintroduction of the indoor offseason event and kickoff of the 2023 campaign. See you all then!
Mirdie/better = Par or better
Mmores = Quadruple bogey or worse
Andrew Southgate
CML: 6th Best Finish: 1st (Rebel Beach Am-Am)
Mirdie (or better): 43
Mmores: 0
Christos Christopoulos
CML: 13th
Best Finish: 3rd (Fore!)
Mirdie (or better): 16
Mmores: 10
Bill Cronin
CML: 21st
Best Finish: 8th (Last Gasp)
Mirdie (or better): 12
Mmores: 22
Matt McDonough
CML: 11th
Best Finish: 3rd (The MGA)
Mirdie (or better): 21
Mmores: 11
William T. Gergits
CML: 10th
Best Finish: 2nd (Rebel Beach Am-Am)
Mirdie (or better): 25
Mmores: 2
Liam Supple
CML: 12th
Best Finish: 2nd (FU Open)
Mirdie (or better): 55
Mmores: 0
Justin Limoli
CML: 4th
Best Finish: 1st (The MGA & Bratish Open)
Mirdie (or better): 25
Mmores: 6
Derek Peabody
CML: 25th
Best Finish: 12th (Douche Bag Invitational)
Mirdie (or better): 6
Mmores: 8
Andrew Gordon
CML: 9th
Best Finish: 1st (Fore!)
Mirdie (or better): 10
Mmores: 2
Nat Gordon
CML: 8th
Best Finish: 4th (Rebel Beach Am-Am & Fore!)
Mirdie (or better): 9
Mmores: 1
Alvaro Perez
CML: 23rd
Best Finish: 8th (Rebel Beach Am-Am)
Mirdie (or better): 1
Mmores: 1
Brendon Lynch
CML: 28th
Best Finish: 18th (Rebel Beach Am-Am)
Mirdie (or better): 0
Mmores: 5
George Hunt
CML: 16th
Best Finish: 7th (The Bastards)
Mirdie (or better): 14
Mmores: 13
Dennison Hunt
CML: 7th
Best Finish: 2nd (FU Open)
Mirdie (or better): 25
Mmores: 8
Mark Moriarty
CML: 20th
Best Finish: 11th (Last Gasp)
Mirdie (or better): 13
Mmores: 18
Mike Berk
CML: 3rd
Best Finish: 2nd (Bratish & FU Opens)
Mirdie (or better): 44
Mmores: 3
Vin Ferraro
CML: 5th
Best Finish: 1st (Last Gasp)
Mirdie (or better): 28
Mmores: 9
Eddie Pawlowski
CML: 26th
Best Finish: 14th (Rebel Beach Am-Am)
Mirdie (or better): 2
Mmores: 5
Michael Halbach
CML: 1st
Best Finish: 1st (Douche Bag Invitational)
Mirdie (or better): 44
Mmores: 3
Daniel Morse
CML: 2nd
Best Finish: 1st (The Bastards & FU Open)
Mirdie (or better): 37
Mmores: 4
Colin Quigley
CML: 14th
Best Finish: 7th (Fore! & Douche Bag Invitational)
Mirdie (or better): 14
Mmores: 4
Nelson Carpentier
CML: 19th
Best Finish: 8th (FU Open)
Mirdie (or better): 12
Mmores: 19
Robb Muckle
CML: 22nd
Best Finish: 9th (FU Open)
Mirdie (or better): 4
Mmores: 5
Russell Ward
CML: N/A (Guest from Taylor, AZ)
Best Finish: N/A
Mirdie (or better): N/A
Mmores: N/A
Travis Hardy
CML: 18th
Best Finish: 6th (Bratish Open)
Mirdie (or better): 16
Mmores: 4
Dom Luoni
CML: 15th
Best Finish: 4th (Bratish Open)
Mirdie (or better): 16
Mmores: 10
Bruce Black
CML: 17th
Best Finish: 7th (Bratish Open & Fore!)
Mirdie (or better): 5
Mmores: 0
Terry Boland
CML: 24th
Best Finish: 9th (Bratish Open)
Mirdie (or better): 5
Mmores: 0
Bobby Ferrari
CML: 29th
Best Finish: 17th (Bratish Open)
Mirdie (or better): 1
Mmores: 3
Greg Gagnon
CML: 27th
Best Finish: DQ (Fore! & DBI)
Mirdie (or better): 25
Mmores: 0
| # | Name | "Money" |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | John Lewis (3) | $3.49 |
| 2. | Glenn Person (3) | $3.40 |
| 3. | John Weiher (3) | $3.03 |
| 4. | Matt Moore (3) | $3.00 |
| 5. | Mike Sheffield (3) | $2.93 |
| 6. | Pete "Padre" Bedell (3) | $2.77 |
| 7. | Jonathan DeMasters (3) | $2.76 |
| 8. | Andy Lugo (3) | $2.69 |
| 9. | James Davidson (3) | $2.67 |
| 10. | Brent Riggs (3) | $2.65 |
