Enthusiastic, Nostalgic Challengers Seek Sand Trap Glory - The SandPaper

GAME ON: Taylor Ankudovich (left) and Barbara Crystal (right) signal they are ready to take the challenge of beating not just The SandPaper pro, but also the always tricky Sand Trap in Ship Bottom. (Photos by David Biggy)

When Barbara Crystal approached me at a Stafford Township Council meeting last August and asked to get on the “Can You Beat Biggy?” schedule, I wasn’t sure if she was serious or joking.

“Really? Why?” I asked.

“Why not?” the then-Democratic mayoral candidate asked, most likely rhetorically. “I haven’t played in a while, but I don’t mind the challenge. It will be a lot of fun.”

OK, so she was serious, but my schedule was full. In fact, Season 6 had only a few weeks left to play. “Sorry, Barbara, but you’ll have to wait until next year.”

“No problem. I’ll wait until next year,” she cheerily answered.

Given her enthusiasm, I wasn’t sure if she had some secret weapon or tricks up her sleeve as we neared our June 19 contest, for which she brought along her daughter’s boyfriend, Taylor Ankudovich. I was mildly concerned, especially since nobody during the six previous seasons had ever requested The Sand Trap as the course of choice.

“This is my first time playing on LBI,” she said. “The last time I played was when Kathleen was 12. We played at one of the Old Pro courses in Ocean City, Md. We also played the Viking course in Delaware.”

Turns out it was Ankudovich who selected The Sand Trap – a totally nostalgic choice.

“I played this course a lot when I was younger,” said the 30-year-old electrician. “I used to live on 14th Street in Ship Bottom, and my roommate would play Flamingo all the time and I’d go sometimes, but I wasn’t my favorite. And we played Hartland sometimes, also not my favorite. But Sand Trap is my favorite. It’s the course I’ve played

QUITE THE AUDIENCE: A big shark hangs out in the background as Kathleen Crystal and Taylor Ankudovich watch Barbara Crystal attempt a putt on the 14th green at The Sand Trap.

the most, and I’m familiar with it.”

Fortunately for me, The Sand Trap had new turf on the holes and Ankudovich hadn’t played there in several years, so this match likely was going to come down to who figured out the pace of the fairways and greens first.

Spoiler alert: It was me. I started with a hole-in-one, then dropped three consecutive deuces before carding a 3 on the finicky-as-ever fifth hole. Meanwhile, my competitors struggled a bit through the first five holes, with only Crystal registering a deuce – on the first hole.

After I scored a deuce on the sixth, an ace on the seventh and a deuce on the ninth, I was out front by 10 strokes over Crystal and 12 ahead of Ankudovich. The fact I had some difficulty figuring out the pacing of the turf on the 11th, 12th and 13th holes – the dreaded 10th played slower than usual, but that was actually a good thing, and carding a 3 there is a win in my book – didn’t affect me much. I still was way out in front, even if Taylor cut my lead by a stroke.

Interestingly, Crystal kept pace through the next four holes, and even discovered her hype song, Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger,” which Kathleen played on her phone as Barbara teed off on the 13th hole. She ended up with a 3 as well, keeping my lead at 10. However, things went downhill from there; a 6 on the 14th hole all but sealed the victory for me.

The question at this point was whether The Sand Trap would do me in during the next four holes and give Ankudovich, who began to surge during the latter half of the back nine, a chance to close the gap. I slammed the door shut during the next three holes, carding a pair of deuces and an ace on the 17th, where Taylor ended with a 3.

DOWNHILL FROM THERE: Taylor Ankudovich sends his initial putt down the fairway of the seventh hole at The Sand Trap as Barbara Crystal looks on.

Ankudovich finished big with a beautiful ace shot on the 18th, where I carded a 3, but with a 51 total, he ended up 11 strokes behind my 40. Crystal finished with a 59.

“I thought they played a great round,” Kathleen said, a total glass-half-full statement, considering the scores. “I thought I was a good cheerleader, and they performed well. They didn’t get first, but they kicked butt.”

Had I played like I have in recent years during my charity tournament in November, when my score was in the upper 30s, it certainly could have been worse for them. Nonetheless, Barbara didn’t seem to mind the result.

“It didn’t matter what the scores were. It was a lot of fun,” said the retired Southern Regional teacher. “I’ve learned what this is all about, and I’ll be better prepared for next year. I need to work on my long game a little and play ‘Eye of the Tiger’ at every hole. It’s definitely a daunting task to beat you, but I’m going to work on it until I get better, and I’ll be back.”

— David Biggy

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