Posted online: September 30, 2004 12:17 AM
Print publication date: September 29, 2004

Where columnist resides, Hasley Cup does not

Golfers and fans alike said the annual Hasley Cup competition got exactly what it needed this past weekend when Team Illinois beat its Iowa-side counterparts for the first time.

I'm fairly sure, though, I have it figured out how Team Illinois won the Ryder Cup-style matches for the first time in seven tries. Sure, it boils down to great golf by the Illinois players. And you have to give credit to captain Brian Soucinek for matching Iowa captain Greg Rios' lineup, which on paper appeared to be stronger and deeper. Some could claim home-field advantage, but the beautifully manicured Oakwood Country Club course was a fair test as it featured many of the 1995 Quad City Classic weekend pin placements.

Still, I think there's more to it than that, and my conclusion doesn't even factor any golf elements into the equation.

I'm going to be very bold here and say that it all boils down to me. It had nothing to do with what I wrote about the matches and I surely wasn't rooting for either side. But given the facts, I don't see any other explanation. For the first six Hasley Cup matches, I resided in Illinois. Over the summer, as many of you know, I moved to Bettendorf. See where I'm going here?

OK, maybe that's a stretch and it is just coincidence that I have never resided in the state that has won the Hasley Cup. No matter, last weekend's Illinois victory was just the shot in the arm this event needed -- even the Cup's namesake said so.

``I think the interest was waning,'' said Jim Hasley, long-time golf professional and advocate for the sport, noting Iowa's previous dominance.

I'm not sure I'd go that far, but those involved agree that Illinois' 16 1/2-15 1/2 victory was much needed.

``Illinois had a good team and played tough,'' said Iowa's Tim Flaherty. ``I'm not disappointed we lost; I think it was good for the Cup.''

You could almost see this coming after a 16-all tie in the 2003 event had the ebb flowing.

``After six years, it starts to look dimmer and dimmer,'' said Soucinek of Team Illinois' chances of finally winning the matches. ``This is great; we needed this. I think the Iowa players even thought that as well -- they don't want to lose, of course, but this makes the rivalry that much stronger.''

I'm sure it also made Sunday's celebration that much sweeter for Soucinek, Steve Schwabe, Tyler Pitlik, Joe Irwin, Jim Mowen, Dave Holmes, David Johnson, Tom Miler, Duane Stelly, Dan Fisher, Dan Senatra, Bruce Allison, and seniors Darrell Reynolds, Bill Brewster, Gene Lebo and Ron Johnson.

It left Team Iowa's Chris Wilkins -- a four-time winning captain -- looking forward to 2005's matches.

``We're all going to be equally fired up,'' he said. ``Next year, we're going to have something to prove to get this thing back.''

I can't wait to see how this changes the complexion of the 2005 Hasley Cup matches. Here's my offer to the guys who make next year's Hasley Cup team. My bags can be packed and I'm willing to relocate for the right price. Just don't tell my lovely bride-to-be or I may be moving in with one of you!

Tom Johnston welcomes your comments at 757-4969 or tjohnston@qconline.com