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Air Force sweeps armed forces golf tournament

The Air Force capitalized on its home-course advantage to capture the 2006 Armed Forces Golf Championship on Aug. 11 at the Marshallia Ranch Golf Course here.

Air Force golfers took top honors at the conclusion of the four-round tournament, winning the men's and women's team competitions, as well as the individual men's and women's competitions.

In the individual men's competition, it was Air Force's Jeffrey Scohy from Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., who shot a fourth-round 68. He was able to come back from fourth place to win the championship over the Navy's Rod Frank of Fort Meade, Md.

"(The fourth round) was by far my best round," Scohy said. "I birdied the first hole, but only finished even for the front nine. On the back nine, I birdied three of the last four holes."

Scohy started off the last round two strokes behind Frank and the Army's Pete Mangold of Fort Jackson, S.C. He was two strokes behind Mark Gardiner from Scott AFB, Ill.

In the last group of the fourth and final round were Frank, Mangold and Gardiner. Scohy was in the group just in front of them, which put him in an uncomfortable situation.

"I had no idea how they were doing," he said.

However, this may have ended up helping Scohy in the long run.

"If I was in that last group, I think I would have been swinging a lot more timid," he said. "Instead, I was just swinging like I was behind, shooting for birdies."

Frank finished the first round in first place, then gave up that lead to the Air Force's Arnell Garza from Fairchild AFB, Wash. However, he regained the lead after the third round.

The women's individual tournament ended with Air Force's Linda Jeffery from Little Rock AFB, Ark., finishing nine strokes ahead of her closest competitor and fellow Airman, Maria Gronning of Nellis AFB, Nev.

The Air Force women's team won in demanding fashion. At the end of the tournament, the team finished 125 strokes ahead of the Army and 146 ahead of the Navy.

The men's team competition was a little closer. The Air Force went into the fourth round with a good lead; however, some golfers on the team were having some rough holes in the last round of play.

The fact that the other services came into the tournament having never played at Marshallia Ranch and did so well was a testament to their skill.

"To come here cold and golf the way they were was very impressive," Scohy said. "This is a very tough course."

Air Force golfers had the luxury of golfing their services' tournament here last week.

The top six men and top two women from the tournament move on to represent the U.S. armed forces in the Couceil International Du Sport Militaire, or CISM, at the Galway Bay Golf and Country Club in Galway, Ireland.

The team going to Ireland has a number of members who have been to the CISM championship before. This will be Frank's fifth time at the event. He is really looking forward to playing in Ireland and representing his country.

"I've been to other countries before for CISM," he said. "And when they raise that United States flag for CISM, it's the experience of a lifetime."

Top six men and their scores:
Jeffrey Scohy, Air Force, Maxwell AFB, Ala. - 75, 73, 75, 68 - 291
Rod Frank, Navy, Fort Meade, Md. - 72, 75, 72, 76 - 295
Pete Mangold, Army, Fort Jackson, S.C. - 72, 75, 72, 77 - 296
Mark Gardiner, Air Force, Scott AFB, Ill. - 77, 75, 69, 76 - 297
Charles Scott Johnson, Army, Seoul, Korea - 77, 74, 74, 74 - 299
Arnell Garza, Air Force, Fairchild AFB, Wash. - 72, 72, 80, 79 - 303

Top two women and their scores:
Linda Jeffery, Air Force, Little Rock AFB, Ark. - 77, 84, 83, 78 - 322
Maria Gronning, Air Force, Nellis AFB, Nev. - 86, 79, 84, 82 - 331

Men's team totals:
Air Force 1,817
Army 1,851
Navy 1,903
Marines 1,947

Women's team totals:
Air Force 1,023
Army 1,148
Navy 1,169
The Marines did not send a women's team.

Source: U.S. Air Force