MATCH PLAY CHAMPIONSHIP POLICY
The following comprises everything you need to know about RPGC's Match Play Championship. If you have further questions, contact the Tournament Chairman.
You can follow the tournament as teams advance by checking out the brackets page.
ELIGIBILITY
This tournament is open to RPGC members who are (a) members in good standing, (b) who have an established low index, and (c) who have competed in at least six RPGC-sanctioned tournaments since last year's Match Play Championship when registration opens. Participation in the same event the year prior does not count as an eligible round.
PLAY-IN ROUND
Stroke play. Maximum 32 players in each flight. The top 16 players in each flight, according to net scores, advance to the knockout stage of the tournament.
Players will tee off according to flight. Championship, then President, then Vice-President.
After the round, if your name is not in the top 16 (net) in Golf Genius, it means you did not advance to the knockout stage.
Tiebreakers for the Play-In round will be determined by a net card off. Back nine, back six, back three, then 18, 17, 16, etc., until a winner is determined. In the rare event that the players are still tied after all tiebreaking procedures have been exhausted, a coin flip shall determine the winner.
KNOCK-OUT STAGE
Once the Play-In round is over, all subsequent rounds will be head-to-head, single-elimination (match play) matches. The last players standing in each flight will get their names on the trophy.
HANDICAPS:
Because this is a Major Tournament, all competitors will be required to use their 12-month low index or "Club Index" - whichever is lower. This index will be frozen from moving up during the tournament, but your index (either Low or Club) can always move down mid-tournament.
STROKES/POPS
If Player A is a 10 handicap and Player B is a 14 handicap, Player A plays to a zero, and Player B plays to a 4. Player B will receive a stroke on each of the four lowest handicap holes.
SELF-SCHEDULED PLAY
Match play shall be played on any 18-hole championship-length golf course. The Championship Flight will play from the back tees (at Rancho, black), the President's Flight will play from the second set of tees (at Rancho, blue), and the Vice President will play from the third set of tees (at Rancho, white).
REPORTING
Report the match results via email to the Tournament Chairman at ranchocards@gmail.com after completion of the round.
POSTING OF SCORES
For the second round and beyond, post your scores as (C) Competition rounds and post your scores IMMEDIATELY AFTER your round. Failure to post your score immediately after the round will result in a penalty score added to your file. There will be no exceptions to this rule, so if you find a penalty score on your record, please don't bother complaining.
DATES
It is the responsibility of ALL players in each match to find a mutually agreeable date, time, and course for the match to be completed by the deadline. Failure to complete your match by the deadline may result in disqualification. Please contact the Tournament Chairman by email if there are any problems or difficulties with scheduling and completing your match by the deadline.
If players cannot agree on a date, time, or course to play, the following tiebreakers will be used:
1. If players cannot agree to play during the week or on the weekend, the weekend takes preference.
2. If players cannot agree on Saturday or Sunday, Saturday takes preference.
3. If players cannot agree on a time to play, the tee time closest to 9:00 am will be used.
4. If players cannot agree on what course to play, the following list is used to select a course in order: Rancho, Wilson, Harding, Encino, Balboa, Hansen Dam, and Woodley.
Because this is a self-scheduled tournament after the first round, it will run from May until August. RPGC encourages players to have a current City of Los Angeles Golf Reservation Card to schedule tee times at any of the city's golf courses.
Failure to effectively communicate with the Tournament Chairman and play your match by the deadline WILL result in disqualification.
RULES OF GOLF
All match play shall be in accordance with the USGA Rules of Golf, including USGA Rule 21. It is the responsibility of each partner to know the rules of match play and how they differ from stroke play.
TIE BREAKER
Before commencing play of your match, all competitors shall agree in advance on how to determine the tiebreaker. Consensus shall be reached prior to the start of your match. Tiebreaker examples include the following:
1. Resume with hole-by-hole play if permitted by the golf course operator until a hole is won.
2. Play another 18-hole match, so long as this match is completed by the posted deadline.
3. A coin flip to determine the winner.
4. Use a CARD OFF method to determine the winner. Back nine, back six, back three, then 18, 17, 16, etc., until a winner is determined. In the rare event that the players are still tied after all tiebreaking procedures have been exhausted, a coin flip shall determine the winner.
If the competitors cannot reasonably determine the match winner by the deadline, the Tournament Chairman will decide how the winner will be determined. The Tournament Chairman's decision will be final.
WHEN THE MATCH IS CLOSED OUT
In the event that the match has been "closed out" before 18 holes have been played, the stipulated round is deemed completed, and each player MUST post net par for any hole remaining to be played. A net par is the assigned par for a hole, plus any handicap strokes which the player would be entitled to receive on that particular hole (based on the current course handicap)
SUBMITTING SCORECARDS
Win, lose, or draw - after completing a match, it is the responsibility of BOTH players to immediately post their scores, and for somebody in the group to email the completed scorecard to the Tournament Chairman. Please take the photo right side up, not upside down or sideways. Do not send the scorecard until you have posted your scores.
POST SCORES AS COMPETITION (C) SCORES
The club will post your score for the first round only. After that, you are responsible for posting scores as Competition (C) scores. Failing to post immediately after completing your match will result in a penalty round being issued to your scoring file. No exceptions. Do not send the scorecard until you have posted your scores.
DEADLINES FOR COMPLETION OF ROUNDS:
Play-in round – May 3
2nd round – May 24
3rd round – June 14
Semi-Final – July 5
Final - July 26
SCRIP PRIZE PAYOUTS ($6,300 TOTAL PRIZE PURSE)
Champions (3): $800
Runner-up (3): $400
Semi-Finalists (6): $250
Quarter-Finalists (12): $100
POINTS (GOLFER OF THE YEAR):
30 points for the Champions
24 points for the Runner-Ups
15 points each for Semi-Finalists
6 points each for Quarter Finalists
+1 participation point for all players
(Points above do not include additional participation points....)
Thor Tandberg
Tournament Chairman