There were no hard feelings between friends CJ Farber and Brian McGuire at the KRGI Mayor’s Cup at Jackrabbit Run.
The two Kearney residents each finished the 18-hole tournament with a 69, so the two had to settle it in a playoff.
When it was all said and done, Farber won the one-hole playoff over McGuire with a birdie on hole 18 to win the event, which was shortened to one day because of the rain that hit Grand Island Saturday morning.
Farber, a former Nebraska-Kearney golfer, said McGuire got him to participate in this year’s Mayor’s Cup and was glad he did. It was the first time Farber had played in the Mayor’s Cup in a while and it was his first-ever Mayor’s Cup victory.
“He wanted me to come and play in this tournament so I accepted the invitation,” Farber said. “We’ve been playing for 20 years over in Kearney and we just have a lot of fun together. He’s my buddy and my teammate as we play in a lot of scramble tournaments together. It was fun to finish that way with him today.”
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McGuire, who last participated in the Mayor’s Cup in 2019, said he was happy for his friend.
“I’m always happy for him. He’s my best friend so to play against him was fun, especially since we both got to play in the playoff together,” McGuire said.
During the playoff, Farber gained the advantage right away with McGuire hit his tee shot into the bunker on the 18th hole. Farber said he liked his chances even though he knows what McGuire is capable of doing.
“After seeing where his drive ended up, I felt like I had the advantage but it’s still a par 5 so anything can still happen,” Farber said. “Brian’s a pretty good wedge player so he can get it up there so I knew it wasn’t over.”
McGuire said that kind of shot did not go well for him all day as he stated he didn’t hit the fairways well at all. But he had a chance for a birdie but missed it.
“That pretty much described my day,” McGuire said. “But I still gave myself a chance when I hit the ball into a good spot when I had a chance to birdie but I missed it short on that hole.”
For the day, Farber had six birdies but had a bogey and a double bogey on hole 14, which is a par 3. He said chipping was a little bit of a problem for him.
“Chipping is my achilles heel and I felt like I struggled with that today,” he said. “But I was able to overcome it with a couple of finishing birdies.”
However, McGuire had a chance to secure the win on the final hole. He putted the ball a long way from the hole and the ball just missed going in by a few inches.
“That was a good putt and maybe a lot of luck in that,” he said.
While there were no hard feelings with the two friends, Farber did say there was still one thing that still had to be done.
“I still have to give him a ride home,” Farber said with a laugh.
Other flight winners included:
First Flight, sponsored by Dinsdale’s: Craig Badura, 69
Second Flight, sponsored by Island Heating and Air: Jeff Schwieger, 74.
Third Flight, sponsored by Island Welding Supply: Brenden Holling, 83.
Senior Flight, sponsored by Cornerstone Bank: Gross winners: JJ Green and Joe Janky, 73. Net winners: Art Wetzel and Randy Spiehs.