Occupy The Woody
May 4-6, 2012
The Woody returns to occupy the beautiful grass courts of PGA West, La Quinta for its 21st annual event.
Carpe Wood!
XXI
It's a Revolution!
Don Daniels, one of the first Woody Occupiers, tells us he will be there when the first ball is tossed!
Kells/Horne defeat Hessler/Graham
6-1, 4-6, 6-3
Woody XX Champs
Jack Horne (La Canada, CA) and Andrew Kells (Marin, CA)
Jack and "Drew" enjoy a moment with the Gary Yardumian Man of Wood Championship Trophy. The initial Trophy held nineteen years of champions. A new layer was revealed this year, noting last year's champions Spencer Hing and Matt Bullock above where Horne and Kells name will be engraved. Each champion takes home a custom made, mohagany tennis ball trophy, simply known as the coveted wood ball.
Another young gun, the second "open' junior in as many years, takes home the wood ball: Andrew Kells (Marin, CA & playing with the infamous Dunlop Fort), once a Woody ball boy, member USC national championship team 2009, and today the second youngest champ to wina wood ball. Playing with Jack Horne (La Canada, CA and carrying the Wilson Pro Staff) and five year Woody veteran, were taken to the limit with an atypical match up against the wood veteran and national senior/50's doubles champ Ross Hessler (Orange County, CA - T.A. Davis Imperial), and Mike Graham (Laguna Niguel, CA - Snauweart Gottfried), 20 year man-of-wood who has several semifinal appearances, and his second final.....so close Mike!
The opening set was fairly routine with the early breaks of Hessler and Graham. After three previous Woody finals going the distance, it was starting to look like an early ride home.
After some early nervous errors from both players to start the first, Mike Graham knew he needed to step up his game if wood was in his future. And step-up he did. Pressuring Horne early in the second set with big forehand returns down the middle, and some touch and patience at the net, Hessler was able to fill the gaps and convincingly close out the second set. Make the call, late check-out with rental unit.
About 80 degrees, the grass courts were in perfect shape, soft on the feet and ball, fitness was not going to be a factor for any of these players. At two all in the third set, Hessler had fought off 5 break points over a 14 deuce/ad exchange, holding serve to keep the pressure on (nice hold Ross.) The victory was short lived as Kells seemed to take it up a notch; with a hold, break and hold. 6-1, 4-6, 6-3.
What was most interesting in watching young Kells, 20 yrs., was the contrast, or contradiction of style and racquet. Kells is a complete graphite player; big western forehand, crushing two handed backhands, and conservatively serving 110 mph. (with a Dunlop Fort!) It was a visual spectacle to see a big graphite game player using a 75 square inch wood racquet. Last year champion in contrast is our youngest champion, Spencer Hing, grew up in the classic Hing (father Greg) form having gifted abilities , excellent court sense and an all court game grounded in wood. It would be interesting to see these two together on either side of the net.
*Editors note: So, wait a minute, that's two years in a row we have legacy Woody champions?
Pictures: Thanks Steve
Pictures: Thanks Steve
https://picasaweb.google.com/104535775931680323977/TheWoodyTennisChampionships2011?feat=directlink#
and here: Thanks Joe
http://s920.photobucket.com/albums/ad46/woodtennis/tennis/The%20Woody%202011/
Semifinals:
Hessler/Graham defeat Schartman/Hass
8-7 (7-4)
A. Kells/Horne defeat Bullock/Heinemann
8-4
Joe Schartman - Man of Wood
Finalist in 2006, 2009 and 2010, and a tie breaker away in 2011 from his fourth attempt at a wood ball.
A look at Woody history...
No Wood for You!
Revisit the racquet ruling that rocked the woody world.
As it was... 10 years ago:
Remembering Jack....
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