RANCHO MURIETA, CA (MPG) - The Rancho Murieta Country Club (RMCC) Nine Hole Golf Club opened its annual Invitational Golf Tournament with the Amador Rodeo Queen, Cooper Cheetham, riding her beautiful horse down the center of 64 carts, kicking off the Play for the Roses Invitational. Both beauties caught the attention of the golfers as they readied for the Kentucky Derby- themed golf tournament. A total of 128 women donned their best hats in Derby style to play the finely groomed course on a picture-perfect day.

With the sun shining brightly from first thing in the morning until the conclusion of the event in the afternoon, the weather cooperated nicely. The course was in great shape with agreeable greens and manicured fairways. The tournament scores reflected the pristine conditions of the club’s facilities. Closest-to-the-pin and drive-accuracy contests were also evidence of the good course conditions.

Competition for the ladies occurred on both the front nine and back nine of the RMCC north course links In the competition for closest-to-the-pin, winners were RMCC member Mary Lou Deninger, at 17 feet six inches away from the hole, and guest Julie Grabisch, missing the pin at 9 feet 11 inches on hole number 2. On the back nine, hole number 12, RMCC member Carol Randall landed 46 feet from the pin and guest Sandy VanderPol came within 14 feet, 1 inch. Accuracy-drive competitor and RMCC member Carol Kennobi was only 3 feet, 5 inches away from the center mark on the fairway of hole number 3, while guest Trish Stella was seven feet from the accuracy line. RMCC member Joanna Graf was 6 feet, 10 inches from the center of the fairway on hole 11, while guest Barbara King was but six feet from the mark. All four ladies walked away with cash prizes and a satisfied glow.

The day’s events concluded with a plated luncheon in the Murieta Room of RMCC replicating Kentucky Derby fare, inclusive of Kentucky Browns and Mint Juleps. Surrounded by a festive format, the teams with the lowest scores were announced by Co-Captain and Chair for the event Alison Gomez and RMCC Golfing Professional Brian Little. For holes one through nine, the Rich Strike Flight, in the fewest number of net strokes were Barbara Armstrong (RMCC) and guests Sandy VanderPol (Cold Springs CC), Kathy Konz (Brentwood Nine Tees), and Sue Lagomarsino (Castle Oaks Swingers WGC).

Playing holes 10 through 18, the Secretariat Flight, finishing with the lowest net score were Therese Yannuzzi (RMCC), Frances Aguilar (RMCC), Terry Wilder-Unruh (Modesto Muni Niners) and D’Carla Davis (Valley Hi CC). Both teams left with monetary rewards for their hard work and fun round of golf. 

With many winners in golf skills, those visiting the haberdashery were also rewarded in the best Kentucky Derby style. 

“A moment that stood out to me the most was the hat contest,” explained Chair Gomez. “It appeared all of the ladies truly enjoyed voting for the best hat worn.”  Featured hats boosted of three-foot plumes, colorful feathers, a bounty of roses and miniature racing horses and golfers.

The RMCC Niner Invitational is an annual event. This year, 128 women took part – or 32 teams – representing 23 different golf clubs, some traveling from as far away as Crow Canyon Country Club in Danville. 

“The Niners are a precious group of ladies. We all love golf, but that is not what holds us together,” gushed Gomez. “It’s the friendships that are built, the caring for each other when things go wrong and a willingness to meet new people.”

 For those interested in attending next year’s event or joining RMCC and the Niners’ golf group, contact Victoria Kalman at [email protected] or by contacting the RMCC office at 916-354-3400, [email protected].