In 2012, six golfers headed for Black Diamond Golf Course in Millersburg, Ohio, for a 3v3 scramble. Under Commissioner Brian Wells, that small outing grew into a standing summer tradition. Today, twenty golfers return each year to compete for the Bronze Lady — the trophy that's been on the line since 2016.
Fifteen years after the first outing at Black Diamond, the Battle finally left Ohio — three courses at Oglebay Resort in Wheeling, West Virginia, four rounds, and a hole-in-one fund big enough to make everyone nervous over the par-3s.
Derek Haury and Ryan Polk did it again, teaming up with Brian Solomon and Logan Burgess to run away with the championship round at −12. It was an early-career win for Solomon and a long time coming for Logan, who finally broke through after years of near misses.
Caleb Halliwell closed out the weekend by assembling a drunken dream team of the top four Gold Putter MVP finishers — himself, Mike Dillon, Brian Wells, and Brian Solomon — and rode it to the Round 4 win. Fittingly, the inaugural MVP race ended in a dead heat between two of that foursome: Wells and Solomon both finished at 36 points, with Solomon topping the money list at $410.
We enjoyed a nice private room steakhouse dinner emceed by Derek, who blew his winnings on a round of tequila shots (ask him about his scenic walk back to the cottages). Here's to another 15 years. 🍻
Craig Ripley was playing his best golf in years, and the rest of the group backed it up with some miraculous putting. The foursome birdied every hole on the back nine to close out an event-record 13-under, four strokes clear of the field. It was Aaron Haney's seventh win, officially making him the most decorated Bronze Lady golfer to date.
With the Commish taking the year off, organizing duties and team assignments fell to Barnes and Hess. The two maintain they did nothing but run a fair event; the rest of the field has their doubts. The pair teamed up with the dynamic duo of Haury and Halliwell. Even so, the match came down to the 18th hole all square, when a tee shot with no business finding the green caromed off the cart path and stuck greenside, setting up the winning birdie.
A three-year reign came to a dramatic close. After a nail-biting 18th hole, the defending champs found themselves neck-and-neck with challengers Dillon, Vargas, Becerra, and Wells through two playoff holes.
On the second, Sam stepped up to a heart-pounding 20-foot putt and drained it without hesitation. The defending champs had one more look at glory, but their final birdie attempt trickled off just an inch from the hole. Mike and Brian claimed the Bronze Lady for the second time; Sam and Rob earned their first.
They did it again — the third Bronze Lady in a row for Polk and the gang. Honorable mention to Jesse Richards, who holed out a miraculous 145-yard punch shot from under a tree for a par-4 eagle.
Polk strikes again. Another year carrying the team as the field came up short on the playoff hole.
Aaron Haney felt zero pressure as he watched his opponents miss their birdie putts on the sudden-death playoff hole. Without flinching, he rolled the long putt into the center of the cup for the win.
A three-way tie after 18 forced a sudden-death hole 19. The boys carded an eagle under pressure and sealed the deal after a rival's putt for the win came in just a touch too hot. Solo eagle. Legend.
Ripley returned in 2018 with just two of his original Rivercatz. Commissioner Wells replaced an absent Jesse Richards with rookie Justin Winkler. Unfazed by the change, the Rivercatz took home the Bronze Lady for the second year running — with rumors that Richards would be back in 2019 as a free agent to take everyone's money once again.
A couple of new guys showed up in 2017 and took all the loot. Newcomers Ripley and Richards grouped up with old studs Haney and Hess to snatch the Bronze Lady away from Commissioner Wells.
Commissioner Wells and his "Matchy-Matchy" boys were led by hot shot Caleb "Hollywood" Halliwell to capture the very first Bronze Lady trophy.