The Sixth Cave Cup

Despite rumblings of cancellation amidst the COVID-19 pandemic that rattled the globe throughout the spring and summer of 2020, the Sixth Cave Cup was slated to be played at Kiva Dunes Resort in Alabama’s Gulf Shores. Plans were set, rooms and flights were booked, masks were up, and the collective excitement was evident. Unfortunately Mother Nature had other plans for the Cavers. The Hall brothers, with Adam captaining the Red Squad and Pat captaining the Black Squad, sent the dreadful email on September 16, 2020 titled “KIVA DUNES CAVE CUP CANCELLED.” The eye of Hurricane Sally was heading directly for Gulf Shores. As the saying goes, “Adversity has a way of revealing character,” and in the face of impending doom, the spirit of the Cave Cup prevailed. Within 12 hours, and with several players on the road already, all 24 players changed their travel plans on the fly and the 2020 Cave Cup found its refuge just beyond the heart of Memphis, TN. Quail Ridge (Saturday) and Mirimichi (Sunday) golf courses were to be the new battlegrounds.

 

As many Cavers had originally planned a one-night stay in Memphis on the road south, two camps started to develop as early as Wednesday night- one on Main Street in Downtown Memphis, and another in the nearby suburb of Southaven, Mississippi. As the Southaven crew closed down the local pub and began to sing fireside karaoke, and with Beale Street largely shut down due to COVID, several among the downtown crew decided to take their talents across the state line into Arkansas to a dog racing track and casino. Panic ensued in the early morning hours when cabs were inaccessible and some of the crew was left behind only to be rescued by some colorful locals. Cavers would later recall using location tracking to potentially file a missing person’s report the next morning. Yes that’s right- the weekend hadn’t even begun yet, and the Cavers were already wreaking havoc across three states.

​

Last minute accommodations for the rest of the weekend became a scramble, forcing the Cavers to divide their ranks between Airbnb’s and hotels. Amidst the shuffle, one Airbnb emerged as the unexpected gem and the main stage for late night debauchery. The house was said to be previously owned by Elvis’ doctor. The story goes that the King himself designed and bankrolled the house for his doctor which was fully furnished with a racquetball court, large sitting room with a bar and an inground pool in the backyard. Once everyone arrived in Memphis including the captain picks which featured return standouts Jeff Johnson, Nick Fox, Jack Krull and Luke Andrade as well as first timers Jake “Koso” Kocenko and Tom Helwich playing for Red and a pair of 21 year old college kids, John Hall and Jack Grove, playing for Black, the Cup weekend was underway.

 

Or so we thought.

 

Things took a turn just as the Saturday AM pairings were announced late on Friday night, just as the racquetball games were beginning to intensify. Jeffie, the racquet ringleader, gashed the top of his head on the unforgiving edge of the woefully low entry door. After Chex and Jwal attempted to nurse him back to health, consulting a list of nurses in their phone contacts, he decided it was time to head to the hospital. Several hours later and with a crown of staples in the top of his head, Jeffie was back at the Elvis house. In epic style, Jeffie would go on to play all 36 holes Saturday, bandaged dome and all.

​

Saturday morning matches kicked off at Quail Ridge. The unsuspecting course staff, blissfully ignorant of the Cave Cup theatrics, watched as the group took the first tee. The scramble matches were as even as they’ve ever been at the Cup, with no single match ending before the 16th hole. Mark Krull and Phall teed off first against Jhouli and Thelwich, ending in a hard fought 2&1 victory, marking the first point on the board for the Black Squad. Other Black wins, both 2&1 finishes, came from Fox and Luke over Fogie and Max (with Fox getting revenge on Fogie from the year prior by holing an iron shot for eagle on 2), and Jwal and Cactus over Jeffie and Nash. The Red Squad, not to be outdone, showcased the chemistry between Ahall and Chex, who extended their all-time winning record as a pair with a 3&2 Red victory over Tiger and Jhall, while Shen and Koso took down Jkrull and Jack Grove 2&1 for another Red point. Pends and Marconi secured Red’s 3rd point to level the overall score by narrowly finishing off Strues and Toes with a 1-up victory led by Marconi’s back-to-back solo birdies on the back nine. As the Cup crew retreated to the clubhouse, course staff found themselves in a whirlwind, as not only did the Cave Crew manage to deplete their stock of golf balls, but the course had to send a runner to the local gas station for more provisions, as it became clear they had woefully underestimated how thirsty this group was. Jeffie would later describe hearing from the owner, “I have to send y’all a picture of all the empty cans y’all produced; y’all drank us out straight out of beer!” The clock had just struck 2:00 PM local time.

​

The afternoon foursomes started with a jolt from Red. Ahall and Shen bested Cactus and Luke 1up. Pends and Max routed Jkrull and Toes 6&5, finishing early enough to circle back and witness JHouli and Fogie close out Phall and Tiger on the 15th. Red took the first 3 points, taking a 6-3 lead with 3 matches still in progress. In true Cup fashion, the competition tightened with a strong afternoon finish by the Black Squad. Jwal and Jack Grove defeated Helwich and Marconi; Mkrull and Fox were victorious over Jeffie and Koso in a match where MKrull and Jeffie’s years long rivalry would begin; and finally, Strues and Jhall would secure a half point against Chex and Nash after Nash’s match-clinching par putt fell short on the 18th green as 23 jolly Cavers stood greenside, staring into the sunset and hanging on to every last rotation.

 

With Red holding a slender 6.5 to 5.5 lead after the first two sessions, the scene shifted to the Elvis house. Talking Heads provided the soundtrack to a night that blended intense racquetball matches inside and belly flop contests outside. As the Toes and Nash vodka pours accelerated, the Talking Heads made their way to the living room projector, and the Cavers had themselves a night not soon to forget.

​

Sunday began with Red’s captain, Ahall, teeing it up against his brother and opposing captain, Phall. Adam would go on to win that match 4&3- securing a flawless 3-0 weekend record and 6-0 streak in his last 6 Cup matches. The pendulum, however, swung in favor of the Black Squad for the remainder of the afternoon. Jkrull set the tone with a big win over Jhouli 1 up. Luke added to the Black tally by finishing off Fogie on 17, while Jhall and Jgrove secured victories over Nash and Marconi, respectively. Fox put a beatdown on his best man, finishing off the rookie Koso 8&7, and Krull sealed the Cup match of the week with a 3&1 win over Pends. Red showed resilience with full points from Shen (over Tiger) and Max (over Toes), and half points from Jeffie and Helwich. Strues and Chex were the last to play as the Cavers gathered on the clubhouse deck overlooking the 18th green. As Strues and Chex came up the 18th fairway, it was already being circulated that the Cup was over - since M Krull and Pends were not playing, that meant that M Krull had secured the final point to achieve Black’s victory. That was, until MKrull was seen getting out of his cart to intensely coach up Strues with a club in hand on his approach shot. Confusion ensued- was MKrull still playing? Did Black in fact need the final half point from Strues? They did not, and as Strues failed his up and own, Chex’s two putt par secured the match 2 up, but it didn’t matter- Black had won the Cup back. The final tally- 12.5-11.5- a narrow one point victory for captain P Hall and the Black Squad, their fourth Cave Cup.

​

The celebration took place back at the Elvis house Sunday night with more bellyflops, racquetball and finally a game of late-night dodgeball. The Cavers who went the distance were rewarded with Sir Nicholas Foglton’s telling of ‘The Tale of Mirimichi’ in Chex’s upstairs suite during the early morning hours, a memory that many of us will keep near and dear to our hearts forever.

 

Legend says that Mirimoto Mirimichi still haunts the upstairs suite at Elvis’ Doctor’s House to this day.

​