It was with heavy hearts that the women of Eaglecrest Golf Club replaced their pink ball with a blue version and handed the new-look trophy to the men following the Eighth annual Battle of the Sexes tournament last Tuesday in Qualicum Beach.
Teams competed in foursomes made up of a men’s pair and women’s pair. The head-to-head matches were played in a “shamble” format — with each duo choosing to play their preferred drive but playing out their own ball the rest of the way.
The player earning the low net score for the hole claimed a point for his or her team, and the men proved overwhelming victors in a format that seemed to favour long hitters off the tee.
“The result was that only one women’s pair, Nancy Neil and Lillian Houg, actually won their match,” said Elizabeth Marsland of the Ladies’ Club. “There were a few tied matches, and several others where the result was determined on the last hole or even with the final putt. But nevertheless the overall result was a decisive victory for the men.”
The men’s margin of victory may have prevented controversy.
“Some groups kept score differently from others and the scorekeepers, after a valiant struggle, gave up on the attempt to create order out of chaos and declared the men the obvious victors,” Marsland added.
The tourney drew 40 men and 40 women.
— Submitted by Eaglecrest Ladies