Day 2 at the Fox Puss Invitational

Guest commentary, analysis by

Chal Nunn MD, Boonsboro Member and President of the Vermont Seniors Golf Association

Play was halted due to heavy rain during Saturday’s second round of the Fox Puss Invitational at Boonsboro Country Club. Nick Brediger leads the field at 6-under through 10 holes. Luke Libbey sits one stroke back at 5-under. Boonsboro member Jeb Burton V is also in contention after completing his round earlier in the day, finishing at 4-under.

Day 2 at the Fox Puss

Day 2 is usually where the men are separated from the boys, but in the case of a golf tournament with this level of talent being young and strong, similar to last year's tourney it is the boys that are who are separating from their elders.

Talon Dingledine found a glimpse of his game today, firing a 70. He wasn’t completely satisfied, saying he left several shots out there. One of his playing partners noted that Talon had 166 yards left for his second shot on the par-5 10th hole—which plays 509 yards from the black tees. That’s a 343-yard drive. Most average golfers can’t hit it that far in two shots. His scorecard showed 5 bogeys and 6 birdies. He parred No. 10, though he had eagle in mind after that monster drive. His disappointment is understandable.

These “how-far-can-they-hit-it” stories are becoming routine. In the lead group, Jake Albert—a young gun himself—hit a hybrid out of the rough from 250 yards out, flying the pin and landing off the back of the green.

Lynchburg’s own Jeb Burton V turned in a 69 during the morning round, including 7 birdies. He was tied for the lead before the afternoon wave teed off and remained just a couple shots back at the rain delay. According to his playing partners, his score could’ve been even better. It’s encouraging to see Boonsboro's young players performing so well. They’re as impressive off the course as they are on it. I suspect more asphalt may be poured soon—perhaps to help fund the future golf game of Jeb Burton VI.

Luke Libbey started strong by birdieing 1 and 2.  He then had to play the treacherous 8^th hole where every person in the group ahead of him hit a 3 or 5 wood to hit it straight and in the fairway, taking out of bounds which is the road on the left out of play.  Luke’s group all hit the driver and blew it into the trees between 10 and 1 and no one reached the green in two. 

Nick Brediger is the leader after the rain delay.  He showed his short game and putting prowess by getting it up and down on 8 with the pin on the front, its most difficult location. Luke, meanwhile, hit it past the hole and three-putted—something most of us have done there. He missed a makeable birdie putt on 9 and another on 10 for eagle. If his short game catches up to his long game, he could still be a serious contender. He bounced back to 5-under—just one behind Brediger.

 Rain, thunder and lightning came around 4PM and stopped play. 

 At the rain delay Jeffrey Klatt was still in the Senior Division lead at even par and Jason Landes who sells concrete was the low Boonsboro member at 5 over.  There must be something in the water in Lynchburg that mixes concrete and asphalt and golf.

Through 14 holes David Partridge had a solid lead of 1 under 4 shots ahead of Emmett Clougherty in the super senior's division.  Bert “the putter” Allen was the low Boonsboro member at 7 over.

Boonsboro Sets the Stage

None of this happens without the behind-the-scenes effort. Boonsboro CC’s Director of Golf, Aaron Marks, came from Charlottesville, where he was an assistant at Farmington CC. As the tournament's architect, he sets up the course with tough pin placements on Days 1 and 2. Day 3 is usually set for scoring—encouraging players to go low instead of playing defensively. The philosophy: let the winner earn it with great play, not survival.

David Phillips, the head golf professional at Boonsboro Country Club, has been the steady hand behind the Fox Puss for 15 years. His work begins as early as February, setting up the tournament in Golf Genius—the software that powers the event behind the scenes. Once entries close, David presents the field to the Fox Puss committee, which decides who will be accepted into the prestigious event.

The real grind begins tournament week. Days start before 5:30 a.m. and often don’t end until after 8:00 p.m.—though for an event of this size and complexity, it’s essentially a 24-hour operation. David manages it all with a detailed five-page outline that spells out who does what, when, and where. Thanks to his leadership, the tournament runs like a well-oiled machine.

No Fox Puss weekend would be complete without what some affectionately call “swing lube”—in this case, the Bloody Marys served up by longtime locker room legend William Riley. For 38 years, Riley has been the unofficial host of the Boonsboro men’s locker room, keeping spirits high and glasses full.

His favorite player? David Brogan, a past champion. Among his most memorable stories is one about Larry Loving, a skilled player who often struggled on Sundays—thanks, in part, to Saturday’s enthusiastic social scene.

Then there’s the tale of a regular who never brought a date to the tournament but always managed to find one for Saturday night—sometimes in unexpected places around Lynchburg, including, yes, the laundromat.

When asked William why he has done this for so long. He said it is not work for him but rather it is sharing time with family and friends. He said he wouldn’t trade it for anything else.  He treats everyone like they are his best friend and others return that friendship.  William is one of the best people I know, and he is good at his job. When I performed his colonoscopy, he recalled our conversation as he drifted off to sleep — and picked it right back up, surprised that everything was already finished. It wasn’t just a medical procedure; it was a moment of friendship and trust between two longtime colleagues.

Another example of the culture at the Fox Puss has to do with chocolate chip cookies.

Who doesn’t like chocolate chip cookies? When the cookies went missing it was noticed. Sally Blosser with her husband Steve Blosser, who has passed away, have always been big supporters of the Fox Puss. They and now Sally have hosted Steve Liebler, a two-time winner and his wife every year for as many years as they’ve participated. 

Sally would make hundreds of the beloved chocolate chip cookies for the players.  Once, a Fox Puss participant who had also played in a state senior amateur event at Boonsboro asked where the cookies were, as he was accustomed to this Boonsboro staple. Since then, David Phillips has worked with the Boonsboro Women’s Golf Association, who will bake the cookies to be sure there are plenty of them available to the delight of the players.

This culture also attracted Boonsboro’s newest assistant pro Zack Limmiatis who played golf but had never worked in the golf business. He worked in finance in Boston and wanted to make this change. When you meet him, you can understand why he came and how he fits right in. He is living downtown in a loft close to Point of Honor.

Stay tuned for day 3, Championship Day, to see how this all plays out. The best spot to watch may be 12^th green. There were quite a few 4 putts there today and with the tees up you may see the ecstasy of a hole in one or the tragedy of a 4 putt and a double bogey.

Photo Gallery

Photos by Chal Nunn