Decatur Golfers Take Battle of Berlin

BERLIN- Stephen Decatur’s varsity golf team topped neighborhood rival Worcester Prep in the final leg of the annual Battle of Berlin, a Ryder Cup-style series between the two schools, taking back the cup it relinquished to the Mallards last year.

For the fourth straight year, the Decatur and Worcester Prep varsity golf teams have competed for the annual Battle of Berlin cup with a series of friendly but intense matches loosely based on the Ryder Cup format. The brainchild of Worcester Prep Coach Kevin Gates, the annual Battle of Berlin has become one of the highlights of the fall golf season at both schools.

Decatur won the competition and the coveted trophy that goes along with it in the first two years. However, Worcester Prep rebounded in 2011 and snatched the cup from the Seahawks last year. This year, however, Decatur used a strong performance on Tuesday at Lighthouse Sound to secure the win and take back the cup, and bragging rights, for the next year.

The contest began back on August 24 with the teams competing in an 18-hole tournament, the first nine of which were played in an alternating shot format and the second nine of which were played in a scramble format. After those early matches, Decatur led Worcester, 4.5 to 3.5, heading into Tuesday’s big finale at Lighthouse Sound.

Tuesday’s event included straight match play with ten points at stake as Worcester’s 10 varsity golfers faced off against Decatur’s eight varsity golfers with the help of a couple of reserves from the Seahawks’ junior varsity team. At the end of the day, Decatur took 8.5 of the 10 possible points to secure the win and the Battle of Berlin Cup by a final score of 13-5. The two junior varsity call-ups contributed heavily for Decatur with George Eppard-Annis winning his match and Adam Melson tying his.

Decatur Coach Jim Krall praised the contributions from JV Coach Scott Lenox’s crew and the team at Lighthouse Sound including Head Pro Scot Dailey. Krall also praised Worcester Prep for its valiant effort.

“My hat is off to the Worcester team,” he said. “They played hard and with dignity. We were very fortunate to come out on the winning side. The funny thing about golf is that it can go either way when you least expect it.”