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The 2025 tournament schedule is set!

The 2025 season is officially here and features one of the premier courses as the opening event - Fresno's Eagle Springs Golf Club. Eagle Springs played host to the 2024 Match Play Championship and is always one of the most challenging courses on tour. This event is also an important one for members who want to compete in this year's Match Play competition as the top 16 finishers are the only members who receive a guaranteed invitation to participate. As for the remaining 2025 schedule, please below:

Saturday, Feb. 22nd - Eagle Springs (Friant, Ca.)

Saturday, Mar. 19th - Lemoore Golf Club (Lemoore, Ca.)

Saturday, Apr. 12th - Riverside Golf Club (Fresno, Ca.)

Sunday, May 18th - Ridge Creek Golf Club (Dinuba, Ca.)

Sunday, Jun. 8th - Dragonfly Golf Club (Fresno, Ca.)

Saturday, Jun. 21st - Tulare Golf Club (Tulare, Ca.)

Saturday, Jul. 19th & Sunday, Jul. 20th - Master's Tournament (Paso Robles, Ca.)

Saturday, Aug 23rd - 2 Man Friendly (Valley Oaks Golf Club, Visalia, Ca.)

Saturday, Sept. 13th - Playoff Round 1 @ Sherwood Golf Club (Sanger, Ca.)

Saturday, Oct. 18th - Club Championship @ River Island Golf Club (Springville, Ca.)

Kevin matta is your 2024 club champion!

The 2024 season has proved to be a season to remember and a season of redemption for third year member, Kevin Matta. Matta, one of the founding members of FWM, experienced a life-threatening brain injury just before year one of play and as a result, the inaugural year was dedicated in his name while he was still in the hospital fighting to recover. The following year, Matta would join the tour but still in the process of recovering motor skills and his golf swing. Matta would finish his first year well outside the top 20 and no further than the first round of playoffs. The following season of 2023, Matta started to regain form and finished the year inside the top 10, which included a 2nd place finish in Tournament 5. But, it was 2024 that Matta's road to recovery found true redemption! Matta recorded three top 3 finishes, including an outright win at Valley Oaks in June and oh by the way, finished atop the Mafia Cup Points List at the end of the regular season. Now, Matta also holds the top trophy, the Mafia Cup, and claims his right to be named Club Champion. Congratulations to Kevin Matta!

With just 16 members in this year's Club Championship, there were four groups battling for the trophy at Ridge Creek Golf Club in Dinuba, Ca. Heading into the championship round it was Dillon Kelley who held a 3-stroke lead on the field after an unbelievable 2-under 70 (gross) at Tulare in September. Behind Kelley were three other members at 2-under, including 2021 Champion, Brad Pendergast, Club President, Frank Escobar, Kevin Matta and club rookie, Cameron Kelly. In the final pairings, Kelley, Pendergast, Escobar and Matta, the lead never left the group on the day. at the turn, it was Matta and Escobar tied at the top at -3. Kelley had somehow given the three strokes back after a less than average front nine. However, on the back nine, Kelley started to fight back while gaining momentum after a couple of birdies. Escobar dropped a couple of shots after a pair of bogeys and a double on the par 5, 15th. Going into the 17th, Matta was atop the leaderboard by two. But it was on 17 where sparks would fly and Matta would close the door on the tournament. Escobar dropped a six foot birdie putt while Matta sat off the green about 60 feet from the cup hitting his third. Matta chipped in from over 60 feet out for his own birdie. Kelley parred and Matta would need to bogey while Escobar and Kelley birdie for any chance of a lead change. Well, Kelley did his part, birdying from the 13th green where he landed off the 18th tee box. But, Matta did his job too. Another solid drive down the middle, approach to 30 feet above the cup, steady lag to 3 feet and a boring par for the win.

The 2024 Foot Wedge Mafia Season was a great one. New members, new winners, new champions. Can't wait to see what 2025 has in store!

Dillon Kelley shines in 1st Round Playoff

1st Place

Dillon Kelley's season has been light with only 5 starts this year but he has certainly made the best of it. In those 5 starts, Kelley has finished top 3 on three different occasions. However, the one thing he had not done is outright win a tournament. Now he has! Kelley shot a season, club low 70 (gross) at Tulare in the 1st round of the 2024 playoffs. This win and performance now gives Kelley at distinct advantage in the Club Championship to be played on October 26th as this year's playoff system is a progressive score playoff. Dillon's 67.06 (net) gives him a 3 stroke advantage on the field starting the Club Championship.

Behind Kelley was Brad Pendergast who shot a 69.54 (net) at Tulare and puts him in contention for a 2nd Mafia Cup. Pendergast was the club's first year Champion. Rounding out the top 3 in Tulare was Frank Escobar, who shot a 79 (first sub 80 round on the season) who is just behind Pendergast with a 69.67 (net). They will be joined by Season Point Winner, Kevin Matta in the final grouping at Ridgecreek. Matta is in 4th position after shooting a 69.83 (net) in Tulare.

The field is set for 2024 playoffs!

In November of 2023, the Club Members voted to amend the Playoff structure from 3 rounds to 2 rounds starting in September. In this structure, it was determined that it would be the Top 24 players based on points after the 7 regular season events who would make the playoffs. That list is now set and the field for the 2024 playoffs is final. See below who will be competing in the 2024 FWM Playoffs:

Kevin Matta - 975 pts
Frank Escobar - 880 pts
Brenden Doyle - 805 pts
Brad Pendergast - 800 pts
Cole Schieferle - 770 pts
Ron Kelley - 765 pts
Brice Souza - 755 pts
Nick Deluce - 745 pts
Cameron Kelly - 735 pts
Kyran Wiley - 705 pts
Kevin Scharton - 700 pts
Rob Vanderkooi - 695 pts
Cain Castro - 680 pts
Dillon Kelley - 675 pts
Jason Maxwell - 645 pts
Joey Chica - 615 pts
Tim Doyle - 595 pts
David Gray - 545 pts
Jonah Reardon - 515 pts
Albert Rollema - 510 pts
Gunner Seher - 500 pts
Kyle McAlister - 390 pts
Ernie Rodriguez - 360 pts
Blake Edmonson - 320 pts

Cain cASTRO IS YOUR 2024 MASTERS CHAMPION!

First year member, Cain Castro, entered the 2024 season with more pressure than most. His brother, Chad Castro, had been on the FWM Tour for two years already and etched his name in Foot Wedge history by earning both a Green Jacket and a Club Championship in the same year (2022). So for little brother Cain, there were high expectations to represent the family name in strong fashion. A low single-digit handicapper, Cain has all the skills, but winning tournaments and trophies is an all together other story. Well Cain, like brother Chad, now knows what it feels like to wear the coveted Green Jacket and will soon be placing a Master's Trophy right next to brother Chad's in the case.

Cain, now residing in the Central Coast area is no stranger to Cypress Ridge and Monarch Dunes so surely he came in with some advantage on the field in that regard. But, you still have to perform while the pressure is on and Cain certainly did that this past weekend. Day 1 featured Cypress Ridge and Cain played well enough to position himself in the final group for Monarch on Day 2 by shooting a 79 (gross) and just two back of the Day 1 leader, Brice Souza, 2023 Master's Champ. But it was Day two's play at Monarch that carried the younger Castro to the top of the podium. Castro shot a gross-low 76 while finishing the day with a bogey on 18. Castro's steady driving and greens in regulation were the difference at Monarch. When it was all said and done, Castro was up by 4 sitting on the 18th tee box and led by as much as 6 shots during the tournament. The Master's event is meant for the player who plays the best over the two days and that was certainly Cain Castro. We congratulate Mr. Castro on his big win and look forward to seeing how he will perform in the upcoming playoffs.

Rounding out the top 3 were Brad Pendergast (2nd) and club rookie, Joey Chica (3rd). Pendergast, the 2021 Club Champion is no stranger to final group pairings and shot a Day 2 80 (gross) to hold off Chica for 2nd place. Joey Chica, on the other hand, is a first year member and had only played in a few tournaments all season. Surely the cinderella story of the tournament as he played with the "big dawgs" in the final group and held his own.

We congratulate our top 3 finishers in this year's Masters Tournament and look forward to what the 2024 playoffs will have in store for the club members. See everyone within the top 24 in September at Sherwood!

MattA Performs Magic to take Valley Oaks tournament!

After a runner-up finish in early June at Eagle Springs, Matta shoots a magical round to take the podium all by himself at Valley Oaks. Eagle Springs challenged many of the members but after posting a tournament low 78, Kevin Matta thought he had a chance to grab his first win of the 2024 season. However, after it was all said and done, it was Gunner Seher who finished low net at Eagle Springs. It was no secret Matta used some of that momentum and frustration to propel him to atop the podium at Valley Oaks, just two weeks later.

Matta started off strong but hit a bit of a snag mid way through the front nine. Then, locked-in and played flawless on the back nine to secure his first tourney win of the 2024 season and 2nd straight top 3 finish.

Low gross of the day came from Dillon Kelley who shot a 1-over 73. Kelley continues to stay in the hunt of every tournament, despite playing with one of the club's lowest indexes.

Rounding out the top 3 was Kevin Scharton with another respectable tournament and 2nd top 5 placing in the last two events.

Congratulations to all three players. Next up - The Masters! The Master's event is the last event of the regular season and is worth double points. See everyone at the coast in July!

Gunner Seher "Guns" down Competition at Eagle Springs!

Eagle Springs marked the official transition to the season's Summer Swing but it was Gunner Seher who came out "swinging" the most. Second year player, Seher, had not seen a podium finish yet, but with patience comes pay-off. Seher shot a net 68.76 (gross 90) topping his average net score by more than 10 strokes to take the tournament. The club congratulates Gunner on his tournament win!

An always tough course, Eagle only gave up one sub 80 round during the tournament. That goes to Kevin Matta, the now #1 ranked club member. Matta shot a smooth 78 on Sunday and now has two top 3 finishes on the year. Matta's 78 managed a 68.97 net score which was 4 strokes better than the 3rd place finisher, Club VP, Cole Schieferle. Cole's 3rd place finish is his second top 3 finish in back to back tournaments moving him up the Mafia Cup Points List.

With Seher's win, he now moves up to 18th on the Mafia Cup list while Schieferle moves up 6 spots to T-11.

Eagle Spring's also featured this year's Match Play Championship. It was #5 seed, Rob Vanderkooi taking on #11 seed, Frank Escobar. At the end of the day, it was Escobar taking down Vanderkooi for the Championship. Escobar finished solo 10th with a net 78.8 while Vanderkooi posted an 83.8 for a solo 15th place finish.

Escobar now joins Chad Castro ('22) and Kevin Matta ('23) as a Foot Wedge Mafia "Match Play Champion!"

Ron Kelley Takes Tournament Win at Lemoore!

Affectionally known as Big Ron, Ron Kelley is one of the most endeared members in Foot Wedge. A true lover of the game, always rooting for his competition and often willing to share a good tip or two when someone may be in need. It is for all these reasons and more that anyone who knows Ron would agree that it was long over due for Mr. Kelley to reap the rewards of his hard work and good deeds. Ron Kelley is now a Foot Wedge Mafia Club Winner!

But, it was not easy. In fact, due to a slight glitch in the app software, Ron was "not" the Lemoore winner initially. He had finished second after shooting a gross 81, net 69. Though after the discovery of the glitch, Big Ron was announced as the official winner and the celebration was on. Ron would be the first to tell you that it's been a long-time a-coming for his first win. We are all happy for him!

Rounding out the top three were two other FWM committee members (hmmm....), Cole Schieferle (2nd) and Kyran Wiley (3rd). Schieferle also shot an 81 gross and sub 70 net. Wiley shot even par on the front nine but only managed an 80 gross to secure his 3rd place finish. Riverside champ, Jason Maxwell, had another good round placing 4th, continuing to move him up the Mafia Cup points list.

As for the Semi-Finals of the 2024 Match Play Competition, we are now down to two. Playing in this year's Match Play Championship will be Club President, Frank Escobar and Club Rookie, Rob Vanderooi. Escobar knocked out the #2 seed, Brice Souza, with his 8th place finish and Vanderkooi came from behind down the stretch to upset #1 seed, Kevin Scharton.

Escobar and Vanderkooi will face off at legendary Eagle Springs Golf Club on Sunday, June 2nd, the first stop on the FWM Summer Swing!

(5) Rob Vanderkooi vs. (11) Frank Escobar

Best of luck to all members competing at Eagle Springs!

2024 Season Club Changes

1. The "Take the Distance" rule will remain in effect for the 2024 season. This allows members to play their 3rd shot from the line of entry to the out of bounds line after hitting off the tee box (voting results - 94.4% to 5.6%)

2. All 2024 tournaments will use 80% of each player's handicap for all tournament scoring (voting results - 66.7% to 33.3%)

3. The 2024 season playoffs and club championship will consist of 1 playoff round (top 24 members) and the Club Championship (top 16 members from previous round) (Voting results - 55.6% to 27.8% to 16.7%)

4. The 2024 season playoffs and club championship will consist of a cumulative scoring system where both the playoff round 1 and club championship round will be combined for a total score. For example, if Player A scores a -3 in round 1 and a -3 in the club championship, Player A's club championship total score is -6. (Voting results - 61.1% to 38.9%)

5. For the 2024 season, the Master's Tournament will remain as one of the 7 regular season tournaments (not a stand-alone event) and be calculated in the season points (voting results - 61.1% to 38.9%)

6. For the 2024 season, there will be no minimum tournament requirement in order to qualify for playoffs. Members may play as many or as few tournaments throughout the season but must be in the top 24 of season points after the 7th tournament in order to qualify for the playoffs. (voting results - 72.2% to 27.8%)

7. For the 2024 season, there will be no implementation of policy for "pace of play" (voting results - 44.4% to 33.3% to 16.7% )

2023 FWM Club Champion - Nick Deluce

2023 Club Championship

It was a dramatic finish for Nick Deluce's road to the 2023 Mafia Cup. Having played well enough the entire round to be in contention, it was the 17th and 18th hole that made the difference for Deluce. Standing on the 17th tee box, Kevin Matta held a 1-stroke lead over Deluce. But, after a crushed tee shot down the middle, short wedge iron onto the green, Deluce two-putted for an easy par on a challenging hole. Unfortunately, Matta bogeyed the hole and found himself 1-back of Deluce going into the 18th. Both players parred the 18th with a great putt from off the green for Deluce to seal the deal. We congratulate Nick for is awesome finish to the 2023 season as well as all the amazing competitors!

Round 1 Playoff Winner

Club VP, Cole Schieferle takes his first podium of the year in Round 1 of the playoffs at Eagle Springs Golf Club. Congratulations to Cole!

Round 2 playoff winner

2022 Club Champion, Chad Castro, comes into form just in time for this year's Club Championship by taking the round 2 playoffs. Congratulations to Chad Castro!

2024 Club Members

Kevin "Kevo" Matta (Honorary)
Kyran Wiley
Cole Schieferle
Chad Castro
Frank "Esco" Escobar
Ernest "Rod" Rodriguez
David "DC" Clements
Jason Cain
David "D-Gray" Gray
Brice Souza
Brad Pendergast
Dillon Kelley
Ron Kelley
Kevin Scharton
Victor De La Cruz
Nick Deluce
Albert Romella
Blake Edmonson
Kyle McAlister
Gunner Seher
Jarrod Jones
Brenden Doyle
Joey Chica
Darren Crisp
Rob Vanderkooi
Jason Maxwell
Tim Doyle
Cain Castro
Jonah Reardon
Cameron Kelly

The Inaugural season (2021) of the Foot Wedge Mafia Golf Club was dedicated to one of our founding and honorary club members, Kevin "Kevo" Matta. Just before the holidays, Kevin endured a tragic fall which required several Cranial surgeries and is now recovering in rehabilitation. kevin is one of the great lovers of the game of golf and we all know that he would do anything to be out here on the course with us. We are praying that he will make a swift and full recovery so that he will soon be able to join us during this inaugural season. We miss you Kevin and can't wait to have you out here with us soon. This season is dedicated to you buddy!

Club DetaIls

Member Eligibility

* Men and Women welcome

* Must have established handicap to compete in tournaments

* Must keep established handicap current for each tournament

* Must adhere to all Member expectations

* Must remain current on all club fees and event dues

Club Tournaments

* Held once a month at various courses

* Some tournaments may be multi-day events

* Each event may entail different competition formats

* Fees are $15.00 per member/per tournament (in addition to course green fee)

- $10 goes toward the "monthly tournament" purse

- $5 goes toward the "Club Championship" purse

* All Monthly Tournament Payouts are as follows:

1st Place = 60%

2nd Place = 30%

3rd Place = 10%

* Members must be within the top 24 points in order to qualify for playoffs

* Each participant receives points based on their tournament placement

Club Ranking & Point System

* Each club member will earn points based on tournament placement:

* Points are provided in increments of 5 based on placement

- Example: If there are 20 competitors in an event...

1st Place = 100 pts

2nd Place = 95 pts

3rd Place = 90 pts

(and so on....)

* The annual Club Master's Tournament (2-day event) is scored at 10 point increments being worth double points compared to all other regular season tournaments

* Club members are ranked based on tournament points earned

* Club member ranking may be used for various tournament formats

(Example - Match Play events)

* Club member points ranking will determine playoff eligibility (top 24)

Club Playoffs

* Playoffs will occur during the months of August and September with the Club Championship taking place in September

* Members will be eligible to participate in playoffs based on club ranking after the July Master's Tournament and being within the top 24 points list

* There are no payouts for playoff rounds and playoff competitors are not responsible for paying the $5.00 playoff dues during the playoff rounds

* The top 24 of club member rankings shall advance to 1st round of playoffs

* The top 16 of 1st round competitors will advance to the Club Championship

* The winner of the Club Championship will be named the

"Club Champion of the Year! "

* The "Club Champion" payout will be as such:

1st Place = 60% of playoff pot

2nd Place = 30% of playoff pot

3rd Place = 10% of playoff pot

Visalia, Ca.