The Third Cave Cup

The Third Cave Cup (2017) played at Crystal Mountain Golf Resort in Thompsonville, MI ushered a return to Pure Michigan and the glorified homecoming of two seminal members (now Captains) in Mark Krull and Matt Truesdale – both of whom had missed the previous year’s tournament due to wedding obligations. Tales of the Manistee Cup had rattled in the captain’s heads for an entire year, which made both Truesdale and Krull eager to leave their mark on the tournament. Their vision for the trip (including a new alternate shot format and group housing accommodations) was received with rave results and ushered in a new era for both the camaraderie and competitive landscape of the tournament moving forward. This Cup marked the first appearances of Chris Gill, Kevin Hines, Jack Krull, and Nick Fox. While Gill and Hines have not yet returned, Fox and Jack would serve as Cup staples far into the future.

 

Saturday began with a matchup of the captains, as both Mark and Matt eagerly returned to the tournament and elected to start with a bang. Despite playing some of his career best golf off the tee, Truesdale and his partner Hines would be defeated by Krull and Marks (2 Up) in a battle that ignited a friendly rivalry between Marks and Hines that would last for the remainder of the tournament. Newcomer Fox and P. Marconi were narrowly defeated by a combo of S. Truesdale and P. Hall (1 Up), while J. Spesia and P. Houlihan would win a hard-fought match over E. Nash and M. Spesia (2 & 1). Red Squad would get on the board with excellent play from the now-ascending tandem of J. Houlihan and R. Penders (5 & 4) over M. Taylor/J. Wallace as well as a statement win from the burgeoning superstar partnership of A. Hall / R. Andrichik (4 & 3) against the extremely talented pairing of J. Krull / C. Gill.

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With both teams inspired and seeking to further their momentum, the Cup began the first ever alternate shot round, and the entire roster of golfers did not disappoint! R. Penders and J. Houlihan (2 & 1) won against rivals S. Truesdale and J. Wallace. For the first time in Cup history, alternate shot rounds were halved as the Andrichik/M. Spesia vs. M. Taylor / J. Krull and Nash/Marconi vs. J. Spesia / P. Hall matches were too close to tilt the scoreboard decidedly in either team’s favor. With Black Squad in the lead, the underdog pairing of Fox/Truesdale were able to complete the upset over a much-favored pairing of M. Krull and C. Gill. For the first time ever, the Cup was tied heading into Sunday singles! The jury was in – alternate shot was a smash hit and remains a favorite format of many Cavers to this day.

 

With the Hall Bros. on the jukebox and Joey Toes manning the grill, the Saturday partying began in earnest, with the Cave Cup showing out for a meat party of epic proportions. Notably, “Turtle” Hines would spend the night antagonizing Marks, who had now christened him with a new nickname of “Tortoise” after going 0-2. Hines would take this opportunity to unleash a cocktail of vicious potency – a witch’s brew of still unknown ingredients that seemed particularly effective against his own teammates A. Hall and M. Truesdale and left several Cavers unable to walk under their own power on Saturday night and into Sunday morning. “Tortoise” Hines would later challenge “The Half Wit Polack Called Cactus” Marks to Sunday singles and end the tournament 0-3; at the time of this writing he has retired from golf and spends his days skiing and hiking in the Sierra Nevada mountains.

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The Cave woke to a chilly Sunday morning, with several members waking up late and requiring a slight adjustment of tee times / order for the singles that would decide the Cup including Captain M. Truesdale who awoke with his golf shoes still tied and ready to go. In a moment of immaculate customer service, the staff of the resort would help in moving luggage and groceries of tardy Cavers to their new Sunday lodging – a mansion near the 12th hole green where both teams hoped to celebrate their win later. Morning matches saw several matches that closed without being close, but the Hall brothers put on a showhalving the first match of the day in a brotherly battle for the ages. As the first half of the day concluded, Red held a slight lead after the early closing of P. Houlihan by his brother Joe. Truesdale, outmatched by friend and rival Taylor, would drop his match early on the back 9. Andrichik and Nash closed out S. Truesdale and J. Spesia on the same hole as J. Spesia could not recover from his traumatic bee sting attack on the 10th fairway. With play backed up, several Cavers would recount Nash’s feral yell after his 20 foot downhill sliding par putt dropped on the fifteenth green, “COME…ON…RED…SQUAD!”

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Rumors soon began to spread through the forest however, as the final three active matches (Fox v. Gill, Penders v. Wallace, Krull v. M. Spesia) all showed Red through 9 holes. Unfortunately for the Red Squad, golf is played over 18 holes. With a growing gallery, the threesome of Krull, Wallace, and Gill locked in on the back 9 and mounted one of the greatest runs in Cup history - completing the comeback and winning all 3 of the matches in a gutsy showing of the Black Squad’s will to win. Just like that the Cup was over – and with the momentum of a comeback-turned instant classic – a celebration was in order to commemorate the repeat champions – The Black Squad.

 

Most members of the Cup attended a short but sweet dinner at the resort pub for beer and burgers, however Joey “Toes” Spesia would remain posted as a sleeping sentry on the restaurant’s lobby couch. His sacrifice serves as a testament to a powerful lesson learned: both whiskey and wasps must be dealt with in moderation. As the party continued at the shared mansion residence, repeat winners on the Black Squad celebrated long into the night as Captain Krull put on a display of partying that would make Hunter Biden blush – a display of wanton hedonism befitting a true Black Squad legend. Despite the loss – the entire Cup roster would bond together over hundreds of wedge shots on a nearby golf hole, all retrieved and returned by Jack Krull fastballs in the night.

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The Third Cave Cup should be remembered as a year of growth, for both individual players as well as the tournament itself. It continued the early years of Black dominance as Red continued to evolve and define their identity, as well as introducing new personnel who would continue to define the Cup tournaments of the future. Changes including the introduction of alternate shot and new housing ideas galvanized the group, and the alliances and rivalries introduced at Crystal Mountain would surely help shape the tournament for years to come.

 

With their trophy held high, Black Squad would look to extend their streak into next year’s tournament. Red Squad, meanwhile, would look to the promise of a new year and another first-time captain. And with that – the Cup departed Crystal Mountain – never to return.

 

On second thought – Wouldn’t this place be a great location for a bachelor party?