Bonners Ferry wins back the Kootenai Cup
Mirror Lake Golf Club wins the Kootenai Cup against Creston Golf Club in July. From left: Brion Poston, Jamie Porter, Frank Plantz, Cyle Young, Paul Hazdovac, Matt Pluid, Travis Blackmore, Osa Orison, Mike Halford, Steve Nelson, Ed Moe and Junior Porter.
Courtesy photo
Mirror Golf Course Club team members finished their round on day two of the Kootenai Cup contest. From left: Jamie Porter, Mike Halford, Matt Pluid and Osa Orison.
For the first time since 2013 and returning from a four-year COVID-induced hiatus, Mirror Lake Golf Club won the Kootenai Cup over the Creston Golf Club for the 30th anniversary of the event.
The competition has been taking place between the two clubs since 1993 when Steve Nelson started the competition. Each year, the two golf clubs have qualification rounds for team members two weeks prior to the contest. The top 12 golfers from each club are then invited to the competition to play for their respective team.
The Kootenai Cup is a two-day golf competition between the two clubs, with both clubs hosting a day of golf. The contest is a Ryder Cup-style format, where teams compete and earn the majority of 18 points in order to win. In the event of a tie at nine points each, the defending champion would be named the winner.
On the first day of competition, Mirror Lake hosted and players were set in six teams of two, competing for six points. On day two, Creston Golf Club hosted and players competed as individuals, with 12 points up to grab for each team.
Mirror Lake won with 9.5 points to Creston’s 8.5.
“After a six-year losing streak, we won,” said Ed Moe, tournament organizer and player. “Prior to 2013, we did well.”
Moe said it is always hard to win when hosting on the first day, since there are fewer points up for grabs. The team that hosts the second day has an advantage since they know their own course very well and have the opportunity to score more points.
On the second day of the contest, Mirror Lake needed four points to win and players Jamie Porter, Mike Halford, Matt Pluid and Osa Orison went on to win their second round, defeating the Creston Golf Club and reclaiming the Kootenai Cup.
“It’s a good fair and close contest every year. It is a great time out on the golf course in July,” Moe said.
This was Moe’s first year organizing the tournament. He said he wanted to “rekindle” what Nelson started.
The 12-man Mirror Lake team included Brion Poston, Jamie Porter, Frank Plantz, Cyle Young, Paul Hazdovac, Matt Pluid, Travis Blackmore, Osa Orison, Mike Halford, Steve Nelson, Ed Moe and Junior Porter.
Competitors thanked the staff at Mirror Lake and Creston for the excellent condition of the golf courses and the great dinners they hosted. They also gave a special thanks to team captain Ed Moe for his hard work making the international event happen and to Steve Nelson for inventing the event.
