Through the Captains' Eyes

Slyder Cup Five Draft

Emperor: Captain Harper would you like to choose first or second?

Captain Harper: Second will be fine

Captain Shaffer: With the number one selection of the Slyder Cup Five draft, I select Terry Seibal, he seems to be playing well of late, he shot 1 over in the six holes Ryan and I played with him at Karsten and I love all the strokes he's getting. I wanted Terry from the get-go but after he played so well at Karsten, was worried Ryan might scoop him and Scott up if I took Kernagis. I didn't want that to happen. He also has the right frame of mind for the grueling 3 day event. Strokes will be a much needed benefit on each course and higher handicaps do not have to score well on every hole, but it's tough to beat the net eagles Terry will post.

Captain Harper: Mike Kernagis. The Terry selection was very unexpected. After I cleaned up the Coors Light I spit out, I regrouped and took the obvious choice. Mike's game and record speak for themselves. Also Antelope North is practically his home course. It was tough giving up the number one selection which I probably would have used on him so having him drop to second was a big bonus.

Captain Harper: Scott 'Bigcat' Seibal. This was a tougher selection than many might think as I fully expected to pick Scott and Alfredo but when Mike fell into my lap I had to pick one of the two. It came down mostly to Scott's former record and his index seems to be better value than Al's right now.

Captain Shaffer: Alfredo 'Al' Castellanos. That is who I expected to be there and who I expected to take. I knew I had taken a chance in letting Kernagis and Bigcat go but Alfredo has been a proven winner and has the right temperament to stay focused and not let a bad hole influence the rest of his round. He was a great winning Captain in Slyder Cup Three and wanted his leadership on my squad as well.

Captain Harper: Mark 'Slo' Slovensky. What the hell was I thinkin? Losing Captain, Emperor Jinx. But wait, my philosophy was to get experience and leadership in every early selection, so I could have that experience in every pairing. Slo does well with new players and knows these courses better than anyone. He also went 3-0 last year so the that jinx may be in the past.

Captain Shaffer: Larry McGuffin, to be honest I did not think Slo would go with the 5th pick and this was a shock that I did not expect. However, the Emperor still carries an unimpressive record on his shoulders along with a nice 3.7 index! Those four strokes may be gone after the first two duck hooks into the Prescott Lakes desert. I think maybe Ryan did me a favor. As for Larry, he is a strong consistent player who likes a challenge as evidenced last year on Sunday when he spanked Paulson when it counted. Larry will most likely find Kernagis or Bigcat once or twice and if the driver is working the rest will fall into place. Another Winning Captain (Slyder Cup Four) can only better our squad.

Captain Harper: Joe Dunphy. What the hell was I thinkin #2? I stayed with my theme of experience and leadership then added a few strokes. Joe also seems to be the most fortunate of any player I've played with. I think it's a combination of his Irish heritage and the confidence he can pull off any shot, right or left handed. Who am I kidding, this pick is a payoff for the 'Immaculate Deflection'.

Captain Shaffer: Alex Mendoza. As Alfredo's bud and because Team Harper had three low handicappers, I wanted to grab another. Alfredo will be able to put the rookie at ease and by looking at some of his scores he appears to have a consistent game and this will hopefully play out through the weekend.

Captain Harper: John 'Tex' Perdue. Record is not everything but 3-0 doesn't suck. Although Tex doesn't always shoot the best of scores, especially at Toka Sticks, he consistently throws down many pars and a birdie here and there, which are daggers in match play with his strokes.

Captain Shaffer: Doug Mercer. Proven competitor as evidenced by deciding Slyder Cup Three. Seems to be consistent and plays within himself. I think he is very good at using his strokes.

Captain Harper: Dale Janisse, eh. Seems mild mannered but as fierce a competitor as anyone in this event.

Captain Shaffer: Glen 'Action' Jackson. Steady and straight - plays the game intelligently which great short game and does not appear to get rattled which is a good thing considering the difficulty of the courses on Friday and Saturday. Always in his match till the end and hopefully this will continue. Pairing with Mercer has historically won plenty of Nomad cash. Behaving on Saturday will guarantee an "A" game come Sunday against...... someone from Team Harper that may be just stumbling back from Whiskey Row.

Captain Harper: Rob Bigelow. Never met him but since I had Slo and Joe, the only two that know him and they claim he has plenty of match play experience and was worth the selection, I went with it.

Captain Shaffer: John Crawford. A clone of Action, steady, focused and plays the game intelligently and passionately. Just need to clear the cobwebs before Saturday's and Sunday's matches, I will do my best to keep Crawdaddy away from Dunphy's influence. If John is at full strength he may be the key to Team Shaffer's success - check the track record! He has never lost a Slyder Cup. I may have to stock up on the Red Bull however!

Captain Harper: Bill Killian. From the little I know, his game seems a little wild but is playing well of late and I think he has potential for a solid sophmore year.

Captain Shaffer: Jerry Pearson. I like how he hung in with Ryan on Sunday of last year and definitely like the strokes! (even more this year). Steady and once again the experience and even temperament will be key at Prescott Lakes and StoneRidge. Really like the strokes on Sunday as Antelope is a second shot course. Maybe because my game is a bit wild but I value the players who consistently are in every hole and don't just hand it away. Jerry was just another having this style which I have selected for Team Shaffer.

Captain Harper: Bryon Reid. I knew neither of these two rookies who were coincidentally similar handicaps, so I flipped a coin, Bryon was heads.

Captain Shaffer: Dustin Semenza. Being the last selection is a motivator and I speak from experience. Last pick one day, Captain the next. This rookie has been playing quite a bit of tournament golf and hopefully will prove he had no business being at the bottom and will be a great asset to Team Shaffer.

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