Noonan Horserace Tourney

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 It appears that the dynasty is not over! For those that thought the run of titles for CH Meili and Joe Fricke had come to an end, they had another thing coming. In another epic finish to the Noonan, CH & Joe outlasted past Noonan Horserace Champ Dan Gorman and rookie Art Collias in a sudden death playoff. Both teams played solidly throughout the competition, but it was a par on the 10th hole that sealed the deal, after CH buried a 7 footer to send it into the extra frame. It was the 6th title in 9 years for the twosome, and CH now has a Noonan record 7 Horserace titles. Tim Botkin and Dave Hastedt finished 3rd (Dave's 2nd third place finish in as many tries), while Neal Bailey and Shayne Fowler grabbed 4th place.

On a side note, Mike Daum grabbed the distinction of earning the Horserace Hickory for the most "Outstanding shot" during the Horserace...he still blames his partner Mike Quam for their elimination, however. 

 2019 Noonan Horserace Results

1st Place - Joe Fricke & CH Meili

2nd Place - Dan Gorman & Art Collias

3rd Place - Tim Botkin & Dave Hastedt

4th Place - Neal Bailey & Shayne Fowler 

 Cal and Gerry have been the bridesmaids forever....they finally were able to step up to the alter and become the brides. In a Horserace that will be remembered forever, Cal Reese (the self proclaimed 10th Fricke) and his pseudo Father, Gerry Fricke, edged out brothers Jim and Bill Fricke for their very first Horserace title. Cal's had a record three 2nd place finishes in the event (including one with Ger) before they outlasted the Fricke brothers on the 8th hole at the Oasis Canyons course. It was the 2nd year in a row that the Jim and Bill lost out a chance to win on the last hole. It was a sentimental victory for the Gerry, who at 86, becomes the oldest man in history to win a major golf event. It was a tremendous finish. Neal Bailey and Tim Botkin, the major corporate sponsors for the event, came in 3rd place. Congrats Ger and Cal on a long awaited but well deserved victory!! 

Tim Botkin was awarded the first Horserace Hickory for his "wonderful" shot in the water in #6.

2018 Noonan Horserace Results

1st Place - Cal Reese & Gerry Fricke

2nd Place - Bill Fricke & Jim Fricke

3rd Place - Tim Botkin & Neal Bailey

4th Place - Joe Fricke & CH Meili 

 The 2017 Noonan Horserace had some familiar faces...both in past winners (Joe Fricke, CH Meili & Jim Fricke) and the fact that the final four had three Fricke brothers in it! Joe Fricke & CH Meili were used to this big stage, having four Horserace Championships as a team. The final hole came down to Joe and CH versus a pair of brothers, Jim and Bill Fricke. Both these teams outlasted Tommy Steele and Dave Hastedt, who came in 3rd place. Joe & CH were heavy favorites, as evidenced by their $750 price tag in the Horserace auction (almost double of any other team). It wasn't an easy road for Joe & CH, as they narrowly won on chip off on the 3rd hole (before besting Cal Reese and Gerry Fricke). The last hole, a blind par 3, was as interesting a finish as the Noonan has ever seen. CH hit his tee shot in the water, and Jim Fricke's slicing/wind aided tee ball went out into the desert. Joe ended up making an 8 footer to seal his team's 5th Championship in the last 8 years! Some great photos below that illustrate this historic event! 

 2017 Noonan Horserace Results
1st Place -  Joe Fricke & CH Meili
2nd Place - Jim Fricke & Bill Fricke
3rd Place -  Dave Hastedt & Tommy Steele
4th Place -  Dan Gorman & Dan Steele 

 The 2016 Noonan Horse Race was the year of the Danny's! Two longtime Noonan attendees captured their first Horserace Championship.

Dan "Stormin" Gorman achieved this championship in his 10th Noonan Horserace attempt, while Steely Dan finally won the Horserace in his 7th year trying! Dan Squared prevented Scott Luinstra from getting his coveted Horserace Championship, with the two Dans holding off Scott and Noonan Rookie Jeff Jones on the final hole. Last year's (2015) Champs, Brian Wagner & Tommy Steele, finished 3rd. Steely Dan was quoted, "Now I don't have to try to borrow my Dad's Horserace blazer....I've got one of my own!!!" Let's see if the Danny boys can repeat next year!! 

  2016 Noonan Horserace Results

1st Place - Dan Gorman & Dan Steele

2nd Place - Scott Luinstra & Jeff Jones

3rd Place - Brian Wagner & Tommy Steele

The 2015 Noonan Horse Race had a surprising twosome capture the Championship. Brian Wagner, no stranger to the Horse Race as a past Champion (2004), was paired with Rookie Tommy Steele. The two of them dominated their way to the Horse Race Championship! Never really in much trouble, they bested 2014's runner up pairing of Mike Daum and Mark Smith. Mark has made the finals in countless Horse Races, but has never been able to close the deal. 

Great job by Tommy & Brian staying focused and bringing home this coveted honor. Let's see if they can repeat next year!!

  2015 Noonan Horserace Results

1st Place - Brian Wagner & Tommy Steele

2nd Place - Mark Smith & Mike Daum

3rd Place - Cal Reese & Steely Dan  

 Just when you think the Horserace can't get any more interesting, it does just that. Having to shift teams when one of the players suffers heat stroke on the 2nd hole made this Noonan's horserace one of the most memorable events in the history of the Noonan. Not to mention, the ending of the Horserace was as crazy as the start! As always, it goes down to the last hole, and the last two teams remaining were pretty familiar faces. Joe Fricke and CH Meili once again made it to the finals for the 4th time in five years, looking to become Champions once again. Who stood in their way?.....Mike Daum (2009 Champion) and Mark Smith (no stranger to the Horserace).  After these two teams outlasted Brian Wagner and Dan Gorman on the 2nd to last hold, this foursome (who tussled earlier in the morning round on Friday) continued to the last hole of the Horserace. Joe and CH looked good off the tee as Joe striped one 300 yards in the middle of the fairway, while Mike Daum dumped his drive in the fairway bunker. However, it didn't look good for the 3 times Champs as they had to take a penalty drop after an errant approach shot to the green by Joe. CH chipped their ball on the fringe, but the ball ended up on the side of the 2nd tier of the green and left them about 40 feet from the hole putting for bogey. The Daum/Smitty team had about a 30 feet uphill put left for par. That's when the game changed. Joe hugged the top of the tier with his putt until it fell off into a 90 degree angle and improbably dropped into the cup! After Daum left his 30 footer for par about 15 feet short, Mark burned the edge of the cup, sealing the victory for CH & Joe. Joe told the group he couldn't make that putt again with another 1,000 tries, but he doesn't have to. CH & Joe have now won Four Horseraces in the last Five Years! 

 The 2013 Horserace may have been the strangest in the history of the event but it ended up with a similar ending to the last three years as former Champions once again captured the Horserace title. With only eight (8) Horserace teams, the event was only suppose to last 7 holes, but it went into Sudden Death for only the 2nd time in Noonan Horserace history. The team of Mike Quam and Ryan Hadley cruised to the finals by playing unbelievable team golf for the first six holes. They never threatened elimination and actually were the low score on many of the holes. The same can't be said for any of the other teams. Hole by hole, one team was eliminated with a ballooned score of 9 or higher while the rest of the teams somehow advanced. Former Champions CH Meili and Joe Fricke struggled much of the day, but managed to sneak into the final pairing against the team of Quam & Hadley. Ryan and CH, best friends since high school, seemed destined to finally battle for the crown. Ryan has the dubious distinction of the most Horseraces entered without a title, and was determined to get the monkey off his back. However, the team of Fricke/Meili had been here before, twice winning the Horserace Title (2010 & 2011), and winning it in sudden death in 2011. Joe & CH stepped up their game, and eventually took home their 3rd title in 4 years on the 1st Sudden death hole, when Mike and Ryan both hit their tee shots out of bounds. It was a crazy Horserace, and Ryan & Mike are already screaming for a rematch in 2014! 

2013 Noonan Horserace Results
1st Place -  Joe Fricke & CH Meili
2nd Place - Mike Quam & Ryan Hadley
3rd Place -  Jason Kickhaefer & David Giesy
4th Place -  Mike Mecham & Mike McCoy 

 The 2012 Horserace may have been the most surprising in the history of the event. Two former Champions who were probably the biggest longshots to win the event, delivered a performance for the ages. Ron "The Godfather" Maspero (2004 Champ) and Jason Kickhaefer (2009 Champ) edged out longtime Noonanites Greg Swedenborg & Ted Buck on the Par Three 9th hole at the Oasis Palmer Course in Mesquite to capture the 2012 Horserace crown. Greg and Ted, who have played in every Horserace since it's inception in 2002, were vying for their first elusive Horserace titles. Even though Ron & Jason were past champs, Greg & Ted seemed poised for victory based on their recent Top 4 finishes over the last several years of the event. However, it appears the championship experience played a bigger role as Ron made a convincing 10 foot slider for par, giving the The Godfather & Jason a surprising two stroke victory on the finishing hole.

Kevin Stout & Gerry Fricke had another respectable showing, finishing in 3rd place for the 2nd straight year. CH Meili and Joe Fricke bowed out early on the 3rd hole and fell short of their bid to win a third straight Horserace Crown.

Congratulations Jason & Ron! Not only did they win in 2012, they join an elite group of people who have won multiple Horserace Championships (Andrew Swedenborg, CH Meili & Joe Fricke). 

 2012 Noonan Horserace Results
1st Place -  Ron Maspero & Jason Kickhaefer
2nd Place - Greg Swedenborg & Ted Buck
3rd Place -  Gerry Fricke & Kevin Stout
4th Place -  Ryan Hadley & Chip Horrell 

  The 2011 Noonan Horserace was the most exciting in the history of the Noonan. For the first time in history, the Horserace went into "sudden death" by going extra holes. Newcomer Mike Mecham was paired with longtime Noonan attendee Cal Reese, and together they gave returning champions CH Meili and Joe Fricke everything they could handle. There were more side bets on the course from the Noonan attendees than at a Michael Vick dog fight. 

It appeared Mike and Cal had the Champs beat on the Par three 9th hole as CH's tee shot went 100 yards dead right off the tee. However, the defending Champs battled back and after CH almost holed an impossible chip shot, Joe calmly drained an 7 footer to send the match into extra holes. Mike 

Mecham, a Noonan Rookie, putted amazingly well throughout the entire round. With the entire Noonan gallery watching, the two teams tied the 10th hole and headed to the Par 3 11th. Finally, the Defending Champions shook off Cal & Mike to earn the first Back to Back Horserace Title in Noonan History. Gerry Fricke & Kevin Stout finished a respectable 3rd Place and Dan Steele and Ted Buck captured Fourth Place. Cal "Bridesmaid" Reese has vowed that after finishing 2nd to Joe & CH each of the last two years that he will earn his revenge in 2012....we'll wait and see. Could 2012 bring us a "Three Peat"??? Stay tuned!!! Congrats Joe & CH! 

  2011 Noonan Horserace Results
1st Place -  Joe Fricke & CH Meili
2nd Place - Cal Reese & Mike Mecham
3rd Place -  Gerry Fricke & Kevin Stout
4th Place -  Dan Steele & Ted Buck 

  The 2010 Horserace made history, with one man winning for a record tying 2nd time, and his partner finally getting a Horserace victory after 10 years of Noonan play. Usually a team is eliminated by making double or triple bogey, but there were several holes this year that if you made BOGEY, your team was knocked out. 

CH Meili and Joe Fricke withstood the pressure to capture the Championship, barely edging out Cal Reese and Gerry Fricke on the final hole. Noonan regulars Mark Smith & Greg Swedenborg captured third place, while Noonan rookie Mark Homlish and Dave Rueter got in the money by finishing in fourth place. It didn't look good for the Meili/Fricke team on the 3rd hole, as Joe blew their approach shot over the green. The ball ended up under a tree and next to a junction box about 40 yards behind the green. CH, a 26 handicap, barely had a backswing and had no view of the green. However, he hit one what will be one of the most storied shots in Noonan history by smacking a wedge from this jailed position to within eight feet of the cup. Meili was quoted, "That was the turnaround point. You have to overcome some sort of adversity in the Horserace, and that was ours." Spoken like a man with his eyes closed...Congrats to Joe & CH, who will look to defend their title in 2011.

 2010 Noonan Horserace Results
1st Place -  Joe Fricke & CH Meili
2nd Place - Cal Reese & Gerry Fricke
3rd Place -  Greg Swedenborg & Mark Smith
4th Place -  Mark Homlish & Dave Rueter 

 The 2009 Horserace was another one to remember, with the least likely pairing coming out victorious in the end. 

The team of Mark Smith/Big Swede and Ted Buck/Dan Steele were in the competition, but they come up just short, finishing 3rd and 4th respectively. The final hole came down to two teams, with former champions Brian Wagner and Ron Maspero playing against the biggest longshots on the board, Mike Daum and Jason Kickhaefer. 

Mike wasn't playing his best early in the day as he carded a modest 134 in the morning four ball competition, but his game came around in the Horserace. With Jason's calming words of encouragement, the team of Daum/Kickhaefer bested the former champions (Brian/Ron).
 

2009 Noonan Horserace Results

1st Place - Jason Kickhaefer & Mike Daum

2nd Place - Brian Wagner & Ron Maspero

3rd Place - Mark Smith & Greg Swedenborg

4th Place - Ted Buck & Dan Steele

  This year, it was once again a highly contested Horserace, with the "mid-level" handicappers taking center stage for the event. Big Swede and Little Swede were picked as the favorites this year, and did not disappoint until the end. Everyone was curious to see if they would fight more as partners than they have as competitors over the years, but they held their bickering to a minimum. That is, of course, until they were eliminated and then blamed each other for their 3rd Place effort.

In the end, the team of Kurt Blankenburg & Kris Londahl prevailed, edging the team of Ted Buck and Neal Bailey on the final hole.  

2008 Noonan Horserace Results

1st Place - Kurt Blankenburg & Kris Londahl

2nd Place - Ted Buck & Neal Bailey

3rd Place - Andrew Swedenborg & Greg Swedenborg

4th Place - Scott Luinstra & Gerry Fricke