‘BEST WIN EVER’
Frost (finally) Wins Daughter’s Tournament
STUDIO CITY – For 8 years John Frost has, for obvious reasons, bemoaned his inability to win his daughter’s namesake tournament. Saturday, with his family on hand to watch what would become a dramatic finish, Frost’s coveted win was elusive no more. “I’m just really happy to receive this little picture from my daughter, who knew this had to go to the winner. But I really wanted it for myself and it happened.” Frost’s bogey on 4 – in which he holed out from the fringe – proved crucial, as without it he would not have made it into a playoff. “I was playing my game to beat me. I wasn’t concerned about other people’s scores, which made a big difference.” The win was the 7th of his career, and undoubtedly his greatest, even surpassing his legendary 2012 win in Las Vegas. “This is by far the best win ever,” said a beaming Frost.
A Finish Too Good To Be True
Standing in the way of defending champion Patrick Bird’s 2nd straight Charly win was none other than his business partner, rival, and antagonist John Frost. Tied after 9 the two found themselves in just the 2nd playoff in tournament history. Both would bogey the hole but Frost would prevail in the tie break (closet to the pin). Unexpectedly, the normally churlish Bird was gracious in defeat, perhaps emboldened by his round – he matched his career Charly best – and the fact it took not just a playoff, but a tie-breaker to defeat him. “It was a good round. I left a few strokes out there on the course, lipping the cup on some putts. Frost played well. I made a good stab at [winning back-to-back]. It’s all good. At least I’m not the bad guy [to take a win from him in front of his kid].”
2014 CHARLY INVITATIONAL FINAL SCORES
| PLACE | GOLFER | SCORES | HANDICAP | BONUS | NET |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 2 T3 T3 5 6 7 T8 T8 10 11 12 | Frost Bird D. Vargas Crump Grigorian Mann Vaughan Fidler Quiroz W. Vargas Moawad T. Joe | 36 34 34 34 34 38 39 41 46 42 43 44 | -12 -10 -10 -10 -7 -10 -10 -10 -13 -7 -7 -10 | -3 -3 0 0 0 0 0 0 -2 -3 -3 0 | 21* 21 24 24 27 28 29 31 31 32 33 34 |
* – wins playoff tiebreaker
QUICK CHIPS
Tie-breaker again: Armen Grigorian and Chris Moawad played in the only other Charly Invitational playoff (2008). Like this year’s playoff, a tie-breaker (closest to the pin) was needed for the playoff hole… Tweet-tweet: A year after a career worst score, Clint Crump tied for best gross and recorded the only birdie of the day. Armen Grigorian recorded a tournament-high 6 pars… First time for everything: Walter Vargas and Chris Moawad both shot 40-plus for the first time at the Charly. John Mann (38 gross, 2nd most pars) is now the only golfer without a 40+ round. P-Jay Fidler shot 41 for the 3rd consecutive start… Undeterred: After finishing runner-up for Player of the Year for a 4th time, Doug Vargas has opened up 2014 with a victory (Manhattan Beach) and a new personal best score at the Charly (34)… Change of Gears: Frost and Bird now head into the Tour’s next stop (Hooters) as defending champions… Milestones: Walter Vargas made his 75th career Tour start.
