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Camel Cup History

It all began back in 2003 when Ben Middlemiss shared the "camel" game he used to play back in England. Some modifications were made (financial pain became physical pain) and it launched an entire series of golfing events including individual (Camel Cup) and team (Resi's Cup) competitions.

In all, over a dozen official Camel Events have taken place over the past five years along with some Camel-Sponsored Unofficial Events. See below for the complete breakdown of those tournaments and the winning player/team, along with a quick summary of the events on the course and off of it.

Note: If you see any errors in the summaries/information below, or would like to add to them, please contact MattG.

Camel Cups

EVENT/LOCATION		SUMMARY
2011 Event #2 Trophy Lake (Seattle)		Winner: Matt Muller Muller gets on the board with his first Camel win at Trophy. A rough day for the competitors overall as two shots worse than his handicap was enough for Muller to take the trophy. For a full recap, click here.
2011 Event #1 We-Ko-Pa - Cholla (Scottsdale)		Winner: Steve Kelly Justice is served as the bachelor takes his last Camel trophy as a single man with 34 points. By taking top honors, Steve joins the multiple winners club. Muller posted the pathetic round of the day with a mere 18 points (I wonder why?).
2010 Event #2 Langdon Farms (Portland)		Winner: Matt Giardina Matt capitalizes on a large handicap and an off-day for most of the competition to take home his first Camel on his home soil. For a full recap, click here.
2010 Event #1 We-Ko-Pa - Cholla (Scottsdale)		Winner: Ben Middlemiss Bennie makes it two in a row in the desert by shooting his handicap.
2009 Event #3 The Reserve - North Course (Portland)		Winner: Dave Cox Not only did Coxy nab the first ace in Camel Cup history, he followed it up by eagling the next hole for a net albatross. You can't say he wasn't deserving of the trophy, tallying 41 points. Ben finished second in his bid for two Camels in the same year with 37 points. For a full recap, click here.
2009 Event #2 Trophy Lake (Seattle)		Winner: Andy Lund Well-Dressed's 81 murders the competition as he posts a Camel-record 45 points en route to his first Camel victory. Tyler and Parker tie for second with very respectable 39s. For a full recap, click here.
2009 Event #1 Eagle Mountain (Scottsdale)		Winner: Ben Middlemiss Another Camel virgin goes by the wayside as Ben Middlemiss becomes the first ever limey to take home the trophy. Once again, playing to your handicap proves to be a winning combination as Ben's 92 earned him 36 points and the coveted leather hood ornament. For a full recap from someone who was there, check out Muller's recap.
2008 Event #3 Langdon Farms (Portland)		Winner: Tyler Smith With only seven Camel members participating, this was a good opportunity for all competitors to take the Camel home for the winter and Tyler Smith did just that. Clearly an omen, on the 2nd hole, Tyler pushed his approach shot to the 3rd tee box and then proceeded to duff his next chip leaving him a good 25 yards over a mound for par. He drained it and never looked back en route to a commanding 7-point win with a Camel Cup record of 42 points!
2008 Event #2 TPC Scottsdale - Stadium (Scottsdale)		Winner: Aran Parker Through 2007, only one man had won multiple Camel Cups - the always dangerous putter-chucker, Chris Hill. That all changed in the Arizona desert as Aran Parker collected his second career Camel win handedly. By taking home the honors in Scottsdale, Parker proved that he's unbeatable in desert conditions. By his own admission, Parker, "couldn't miss a putt on the back 9" and that allowed him to cruise to victory despite admirable performances put up by Tyler Smith, Jon Foley and Brett Pearce.
2008 Event #1 Druid's Glen (Seattle)		Winner: Dave Cox View Event Pictures Despite some solid performances in previous Camel events, Cox had never come away with the trophy...including a bitter defeat on the "countback method" at Trophy Lake in 2006. Coxy seemed determined to not let that happen this year but lo and behold, he ended up in a tie with newcomer Andy Lund at the end of the round. The starter at Druid's was nice enough to allow a playoff to happen starting on hole #1 and that was all Coxy needed as he calmly tapped in for par. Unfortunately for the rookie, Andy's second shot put him in trouble and he ended up double bogeying.
2007 Event #2 Trophy Lake (Seattle)		Winner: Steve Kelly Rounding out the 2007 season, the long run of Camel ownership by the Aussie's ended when Kelly played some solid golf to win his first-ever cup. Some speculate that it was the play of his beloved Jayhawk football team that inspired his effort, namely due to him learning of the final score (upset of Kansas State) seconds before sticking a 4-iron within 10 feet from 205 yards out.
2007 Event #1 Superstition Springs (Scottsdale)		Winner: Aran Parker As part of the Pearce bachelor trip to Arizona, the Camel Cup kicked off with a sign of things to come for Parker who had a nice 2007 season. Parker shot mid-80s to take home the Camel. Highlights included: Steve's projectile vomit in mid-sentence the day before the tournament; John Daly at the FBR Open laughing at his partner when his bunker shot on 16 resulted in a resounding, "CAMEL!" call from the Pearce group; and MattG's "one in a million" approach shot from the rough that hit a tree and ricocheted up the middle of the fairway 100 yards back toward the tee box.
2006 Trophy Lake (Seattle)		Winner: Jon Foley The lone official Camel Cup event of 2006 took all year before it was organized but it was better late than never for Foley as he claimed the title on a countback over Coxy. Some whispers of controversy came up, but with no playoff option defined, his victory was legitimized. Other highlights included a stop off at the local dive bar/burger joint near the return ferry station where Amool nearly manned up to the challenge of ordering their massive burger (a couple pounds of meat) and the rest of the group was so interested in the beer, that they nearly missed the ferry back.
2005 Event #2 Port Ludlow (Seattle)		Winner: Darren Hogben View Event Pictures With the two-time defending Camel champ unable to participate, the field was wide open and it was the first breakthrough for the Aussies as Hoggy took home the trophy. Once again the return boat leg turned into a booze cruise before docking downtown Seattle where a post-poker jaunt up the street found the lads in Belltown, where some had difficulty walking and/or talking.
2005 Event #1 Homestead Farms & Shuksan (Bellingham)		Winner: Chris Hill View Event Pictures Two-day tournament which got off to a good start with Ben's quote to the drink cart girl ("Mind your box, it's dripping") and was won yet again by Hill who no doubt was starting to look upon the beloved Camel trophy as a member of his family. Most highlights occurred off the course and included: the food fight and "doo dah" singing in Casa Que Pasa; Pearcer's "how low can you go" and pant's off finish line pose; Tyler coming home to find his bed soaked in ice water and liquid cocaine; and Parker waking up Sunday and trying to figure out who knocked him out the night before.
2005 Indoor* Jillian's (Seattle)		Winner: Chris Hill The first ever non-golf Camel saw Hill defend his title by winning the Ping Pong and Pool competitions. Brett Pearce continued his dominance in Darts by taking that event but his overall points weren't enough to unseat the champion.
2004 Desert Canyon (Wenatchee)		Winner: Chris Hill View Event Pictures Two-day inaugural tournament with serious Camel enforcement. Though a little short on numbers (two foursomes), the group managed to earn a reputation with the course staff for their night-time antics. The trip was highlighted by Steve Kelly being swindled into taking Camels when it was later revealed that Ben threw his ball into the bunker (and blamed Sibley).

* not an official Camel Golf tournament, but a an official trophy-eligible event.

Resi's Cups

EVENT/LOCATION	SUMMARY
2011 Newcastle - China (Seattle)	Winner: Americans The Yanks made it three straight to give Captain Kelly the overall lead in the series 6-5. The day was filled with uneven pairings as three groups were sweeps (US - 2 , INTL - 1) and the other two groups saw the losing side only able to muster a halve on one 9. All told, it was the US keeping the Cup with a 9-6 win. For a full recap, click here.
2010 Event #2 Newcastle - Coal(Seattle)	Winner: Americans In need of a win to even the all-time series, the Americans cruised to a comfy win in the first ever Resi's that used head-to-head singles matches rather than teams. Read recap here.
2010 Event #1 Echo Falls (Seattle)	Winner: Americans The Resi's Cup went back to its roots with a mandatory two-man scramble format at Echo Falls. The Americans cruised to victory by winning four groups, drawing one and losing one to route the Internationals.
2009 Newcastle - Coal (Seattle)	Winner: Internationals It was a complete flip of the script from last year as this time the Americans had some late withdrawals from their top few groups, weakening the side. U.S. Captain Kelly remained confident that his squad would prevail but the Internationals were back at full strength including a healthy Gecko and Foley along with Robbings being available. The depth of the International squad allowed them to cruise to victory 11.5 to 6.5, returning the trophy to Captain Pearce.
2008 Newcastle - China (Seattle)	Winner: Americans Preseason concerns that the American team was completely overmatched were relieved by the publishing of the injury report for their International counterparts. Not only were key staples like Jon Foley and Adam Robbings not able to participate, but the potential newcomer of the year, Gecko, also pulled up lame with a shoulder injury. The prospect of facing a slightly depleted side had U.S. Captain Steve Kelly licking his chops that the trophy would return to adorn his kitchen countertop. And the assumption was correct as the U.S. dominated the competition, winning four of the six groups to cruise to an easy team victory leaving International Captain Brett Pearce to ponder "what if?"
2007 Newcastle - Coal (Seattle)	Winner: Internationals The lone Resi's cup of 2007 was an absolute blowout with every single International pairing winning their group. Post-match celebrations and libations in the Wooley Toad were a bit more subdued but the bill was still substantial for the losing Americans.
2006 Event #2 Druid's Glen (Seattle)	Winner: Americans This time the Americans cruised to victory with a crushing win, however not without controversy. One U.S. team member was a known assistant pro at the local TPC course but the claims of "using ringers" didn't stop there. The most controversial Resi's Cup, surely.
2006 Event #1 Newcastle - China (Seattle)	Winner: Americans View Event Pictures With three cup losses on his CV, Captain Steve Kelly was beginning to feel the pressure as the leader of the winless United States. At the turn, every group except one for the U.S. was losing so it looked like another walk in the park for the Internationals, but then the greatest team comeback in Resi history occurred on the back 9 and the Americans ended up with a comfortable win. Highlights included: the U.S. flag folding ceremony and presentation to Kelly; incredible quantities consumed at the Wooley Toad coupled with a high school prom being held at the clubhouse (insert inappropriate comments from the pub deck) which led to both teams being asked to carry on the party somewhere else. (we obliged) Best quote was by Ben to a restaurant patron below, "Oh you're mad cause we're swearing in front of your kid, but you're the one smoking at the table!" (fair point)
2005 Event #2 Newcastle - China (Seattle)	Winner: Internationals Hurricane-like weather couldn't prevent history from repeating itself as the Internationals maintained their stranglehold on the cup. The round was followed by a poker tournament held in the Wooley Toad afterward.
2005 Event #1 Druid's Glen (Seattle)	Winner: Internationals View Event Pictures The tightest scoring in any Resi's cup saw the Internationals hang on for their second consecutive victory. The official Resi's Cup was awarded for the first time and the tradition of the team captain drinking from the cup was born. The competition was tight down the stretch, and the aptly-named "Blame Canada" pairing of Tyler Smith and Mark Donaldson held off a late charge by Giardina/Resch to win their group 2-1 and ensure the win. Highlights included: the first-ever participation by another generation (Chris Hill paired with his dad for the U.S.); and the most patriotic attire ever seen at the tournament with the Karl/Dave group donning Uncle Sam-esque Stars and Stripes hats (see the gallery).
2004 Port Ludlow (Seattle)	Winner: Internationals The event that ignited international tension between foreign-born "residents" of Seattle and their homeborn counterparts. The top pairing for the Internationals, Middlemiss/Foley, set the tone and paved the way for victory for the International side. Tensions grew when the Internationals showed up to Fado for the after-party but only two Americans joined them (Hill and Giardina). Highlights begin and end with International hacker Naz. After it became clear that his claim of being "about a 10 handicap" was grossly exaggerated, Naz performed two things nobody has seen on a golf course. First, he hit driver on a 170-yard par-3 and stuck it within 10 feet. Then on the next tee, he hit the ball so perfectly on the top that it drove like a screwdriver straight down into the ground with the ball still on the tee.

Camel-Sponsored Events

EVENT/LOCATION

SUMMARY

2006 Australia v. The World
Echo Falls (Seattle)

Winner: Australia
View Event Pictures
A slight modification to the team format made this event an unofficial Resi's of sorts. Canadian and English players moved from the International side and left the Australians on their own. Not to worry as the Aussies flexed their muscles en route to a win over the "world."

Highlights included: American Colin Resch's Australian mother serving up kamikaze shots and vegemite on toast for each group as they finished the second hole; and the introduction of the "Naz Memorial Hole" where all players were forced to tee off with a driver on a 135-yard par-3.