There”ll be no area showdown in the desert

What was shaping up as a semidramatic Palm Springs “Duel in the Desert” between a pair of Spokane-area golf professionals fizzled out this week because of a scheduling conflict.

Trevor Fox and Kyle Kelly, former teammates on Eastern Washington University’s since-mothballed men’s golf team, were scheduled to meet in the semifinals of the Southern California PGA Desert Chapter’s annual match-play event.

But Fox, who has been working at Rancho LaQuinta Country Club during the winter, had made a previous out-of-town commitment and won’t get back to Palm Springs in time to play his semifinal match against Kelly before having to return to the Pacific Northwest, where he will work this summer as an assistant at The Club at Black Rock.

Kelly will be leaving his winter job at Tamarisk Country Club early next month to start his new job as a teaching professional at Hayden Lake Country Club.

“The big Spokane match play showdown isn’t going to happen,” Kelly said over his cell phone Friday afternoon, just prior to teeing off – in bright sunshine and 85-degree temperatures, no less – on the 14th hole at Tamarisk, where he has worked under head pro Jon Shelden the past three winters.

“Trevor’s heading out of town tomorrow, so we’re just going to split the third-place money and call it good.”

By Kelly’s admission, there wasn’t much in the way of pressure leading up to his ill-fated semifinals match against Fox. The Desert Chapter match-play tournament plays out over the winter months, with matches scheduled at the convenience of the competitors. Kelly, who has played in the event each of the last three years, came in as the No. 10 seed after losing in the semifinals last winter.

Fox, who was entered for the first time, was seeded No. 24.

In addition, the two are close friends and winter roommates, who both seem to prefer the way their participation in the match play tournament ended.

“This way, we each end up with about $700,” Kelly explained. “Just a little extra beer money, I guess.”

Kelly and Fox each won four previous matches in advancing to the semifinals.

“I’m actually playing pretty well right now,” said Kelly, who teamed with Shelden to finish second in the Southern California PGA Section four-ball championship earlier this spring. “I don’t know why. It’s not like I’m practicing a lot.”

More raves for North Idaho

When it comes to golf in Idaho, it doesn’t get any better than right here in our region – at least if Golf Digest is to be trusted.

In its May 2005 edition, GD published its list of the best courses in each state, and three of Idaho’s top five – the only five to make the list – are within a 45-minute drive of Spokane.

Heading the list is at 1-2 are the ultraexclusive The Club at Black Rock, followed by Circling Raven, a public access layout near Worley that officially opened last spring, and the Coeur d’Alene Resort Golf Course at No. 4. BarBury Golf Club in Eagle is ranked No. 3, and the Sun Valley Resort Golf Course is ranked No. 5.

The Spokane area was shut out of the Washington rankings, which put Sahalee Country Club at No. 1. The top-rated public access course in the state was Semiahmoo Golf & Country Club’s Loomis Trail.

According to Golf Digest, both private and public access courses were rated on shot values, resistance to scoring, design variety, memorability, aesthetics, conditioning, ambience and walkability.

Love at first drive

In case you’ve been waiting for a scoring update, Golfmates.com produced its first perfect match during the winter when Robert Evans and Penny Chin were married after meeting through Omaha-based entrepreneur Scott Kroeger’s online dating service.

According to a press release trumpeting the event, Evans and Chin exchanged vows at sunset Dec. 31 on the grounds of the Stadium Course at PGA West, La Quinta, in Palm Springs, Calif.

Golfmates.com’s first couple said they set up a “get-to-know-you” dinner after chatting on the website and met the next day for a friendly round of golf that, according to Chin, “was the beginning of a growing relationship.”

There was no word, however, on whether the couple went Dutch treat on greens fees.