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Reservist holds his own in top military golfing competition

  • Published
  • By Dean Siemon
  • Northwest Guardian
JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. --  Golf is a sport of opportunity and a little luck for both a top-ranked player and a recreational drop-in at the nearby country club.

Tech. Sgt. Stephan Rude, 446th Maintenance Squadron, didn't have luck on his side during the 2014 Armed Forces Golf Championships Nov. 5 to 9 at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas. The Reserve Airman from Joint Base Lewis-McChord tied for 17th after turning in scores of 80, 77, 76 and 81 for a four-round total of 314.

Only the top six individual men and two women were selected to join Team USA for the International Military Sports Council's Golf Championships Nov. 13-21 in the Kingdom of Bahrain, a competition where Rude had prior success.

Rude admitted challenges with putting was the biggest factor in his scores being higher than his usual 18-hole round.

The greens were pretty difficult and had some tough spots where they were running really fast," Rude said. "At this level when you're playing a bunch of good players, putting always makes a big difference."

The men's Air Force team Rude played for finished second place to Army, who held a combined score of 1,497. Air Force had 1,528, followed by Navy with 1,549 and the Marine Corps with 1,557.

The Navy women's team won their division for the fourth straight year after their three-person team finished with a final score of 627, while the Air Force women took second with 644. The Army (646) and the Marine Corps (788) followed respectively.

Two years ago, Rude finished seventh at Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Florida, with scores of 76, 75, 72 and 74, helping the Air Force beat the Army men's team. But because the top two individuals were unable to stay for the CISM Golf Championships a few weeks later on the same course, Rude became the number five golfer and took advantage of the opportunity.

Rude shot rounds of 69, 72, 79 and 72 to earn a bronze medal among all individuals and Team USA won first place with a 79-stroke lead over Bahrain.

"When you're playing for Team USA, it's either this or the Olympics," Rude said. "Everybody in the world looks up to you in golf. There were some countries who looked like they never played much."

This is the last tournament of the year for Rude, who usually puts his clubs away during the winter months and stays in golf shape until about April or May when the good weather returns in the area.

Although he is a regular golfer at Whispering Firs Golf Course on McChord Field, where he golfs two to three times a week, Rude said he will play in tournaments on the Pacific Northwest Golf Association in Washington state, Oregon and Idaho. Rude said he appreciates competitions like the Armed Forces and CISM golf championships being open to both active duty and Reserve service members.

"I'm an older guy -- not like I can compete with the younger guys in a marathon," Rude said.