USA Captain Announces Last Minute Line-up Change

Palm Beach Gardens, FL

April 11, 2014

It is my great pleasure to inform everyone that Team USA has a new member, Ray "Mundo" Bonilla.  Mundo comes to us by way of the Guvna. They are old friends going back to the days when The Guv

worked for Senator Lloyd Bentsen of Texas and Mundo, having just hunk up his spikes (soft spikes hadn't been invented yet) after making a go of it on what eventually became the Nike Tour, decided he would go back to the best University in America, THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN, for his law degree. While Mundo had to dedicate himself to his rigorous legal studies, he never lost his love for the game and learned he had another secret love, single malt scotch.  In a cruel twist of fate, Mundo is now the General Counsel for the Texas A&M university system where he was most recently successful at keeping the Heisman winning Johnny "Football" Manziel eligible for another year of college ball -- despite his own best efforts to screw up his college career.  Mundo is married and has two lovely teenage daughters that he will never be introducing to anyone on Team Scotland -- especially TTTTony....

When Johnny Football was asked why he sometimes refers to Ray as "Mundo" he replied, and I quote, "Mr. Bonilla has a magic touch whether on the golf course or arguing why the rules shouldn't apply to me in front of the NCAA.  He is formidable, tenacious, focused and clever.  He is never to be underestimated, for those that do are quickly vanquished.  That's why we all him "Reymundo or King of the World" or in our case, just "Mundo" which, being only one syllable, is just easier for us Aggies to handle". 

Despite Mundo now playing to a wee higher handicap, that's just the type of person that Team USA needs to fill T-bones' big, flat footed shoes, so he was quickly signed.  His airline ticket is purchased (arrives on Monday so he'll be appropriately climatized) and I've been told he's already been practicing one of his favorite shots from his old tour days, a knock down 7 iron bump and run.

I know I can speak for Team USA when I say that we are all looking forward to being in Scotland soon and to having Mundo become an important part of securing Team USA's fourth consecutive victory!

Cheers,

Swayze 

T-Bone Out Of Quaich With Back Injury

Tiger Woods T-Bone's future as a major player looks bleak after back surgery forces him to miss Masters Quaich

Woods T-Bone’s pursuit of Jack Nicklaus’ record of 18 major titles a 5^th Quaich point isn’t just on hold. One can argue whether it is finished. His back is the latest body part to fail him.

BY Hank Gola

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Dominance? Intimidation? Those are words no longer associated with Tiger Woods T-Bone. They will play the Masters Quach without him for the first time in 20 2 years this week in June but in essence, the indomitable Tiger Woods T-Bone hasn’t shown up at the majors Quaich for quite some time.

Some insist Woods T-Bone has 10 more good years left. Hank Haney Eric Silagy, his former swing coachCaptain, isn’t so sure.

“Facts and history don’t really support the theory even if he was healthy . . . and he isn’t healthy,” says Haney Silagy. “No matter how much time you think he might have to catch Jack get a 5^th point, the clock is going faster and faster now. Tiger T-Bone is hurt and wasn’t playing well before he had surgery. Maybe his poor play is all related to his back. It doesn’t really matter because he is losing time, the clock is moving.”

It’s an endless cycle, Haney Silagy explains.

“He needs to practice and not rehab but he has to rehab before he can practice and this has been going on since 2008 with regularity,” adds Haney Silagy. “Tiger T-Bone will tell you what he wants you to hear, but that doesn’t mean he can or will do what he needs to do. He needs to get healthy, stay healthy and have the desire to practice like he used to. If he does those things he will catch Jack Nicklaus get his 5^th Quaich point. Those are three big ifs and the one I worry about the most is the last one, does he still have the desire?”

Nick Faldo Jamie Moreland, a six-time major winner Quaich participant who didn’t doesn’t waste much time leaving the golf course for the CBS broadcast booth practicing, points out that players start feeling their age once they hit 40.

“It starts to feel like you’re training hard just to stay even. The 40s can be hard work,” he said. “There’s a lot going on with what’s happened the last years . . . the personal strains, the body strains, the golf strains and now surgery.”

Haney Silagy points out that Woods T-Bone did very little work on his game going into 2014, which began as one of his worst even before he was hurt. And he says he’s seen a decline in desire from Woods T-Bone starting in 2007.

“Even if the desire was there, will his body allow him to practice like he needs to? If you look at the tournament and practice time that Tiger T-Bone has missed, it will amount to two years of the last six if he returns at the earliest predicted time from the back surgery,” says Haney Silagy. “Ben Hogan used to say that the first 500 balls you hit each day gets you back to where you left off yesterday. When will Tiger T-Bone be able to hit 500 balls in a day again and will he want to?”

Quarrayfield: The Player's Home Base During Quaich 2014

Are 8 shower rooms enough for both teams?
Is a two foot seperation between twin beds too close?
Will Wee Mikey use the warming oven for his muffins?
Is the vaulted main room really "magnificent"?
Will Swayze's roommate need to pack Bose noise reduction headphones?

These questions and more can be answered by checking out our spectacular lodging for Quaich 2014 at http://www.lhhscotland.com/properties/detail/?id=23570

Quaich 2014 Itinerary Details Revealed!

The details of the itinerary for Quaich 2014: The Highlands are taking shape. Ross "Rosco" MacCallum has released the follwoing details to whet our appetites:

Wednesday 11 June
Various Times - Pick up Edinburgh Airport Team USA
Evening – Quarryfield beers and catch up

Thursday 12 June
Morning - Practice Round at Inverness Golf Club
Afternoon – Glen Ord Distillery Tour
Evening – Opening Dinner- Allangrange Arms (www.allangrangearms.com)

Friday 13 June
Morning - Quaich Round 1 at Castle Stuart Golf Club
Afternoon – Culloden Battlefield Visit
Evening – BBQ & Drinks Quarryfield

Saturday 14 June
Morning - Quaich Round 2 at Moray Golf Club, Old Course
Afternoon – Quaich Round 2 at Moray Golf Club, New Course
Evening – Dinner – Moray Golf Club

Sunday 15 June
Morning - Quaich Singles Matches at Nairn Dunbar Golf Club
Evening – Closing Dinner at Quarryfield

Monday 16 June
Morning - Travel to Edinburgh Airport or optional replay at Castle Stuart

Quaich Rota Announced

The schedule of courses for Quaich 2014 was announced this morning by Scottish Team Captain Ross "Rosco" MacCallum.  The site selection committee seems determined to build the rota around the strengths of Team Scotland.  It'll be links, gorse and revetted bunkers in 2014!  Captain MacCallum will not repeat the mistake of featuring an American-style course like Archerfield (Quaich 2010) in his line-up.  There will be no Budweisers on ice for Sheets at the halfway house at any of these courses.

Thursday, June 12 - Practice Round

Inverness Golf Club

http://www.invernessgolfclub.co.uk/

Friday, June 13 - Round 1

Castle Stuart

http://www.castlestuartgolf.com/

Saturday, June 14 - Rounds 2 & 3

Moray Golf Club - Old and New Courses

http://www.moraygolf.co.uk/

Sunday, June 15 - Singles

Nairn Dunbar Golf Club
http://www.nairndunbar.com/

Get ready for some action, golf fans --- it's going to be epic!

Team USA Prepare for Quaich Matches in Austin, TX

Team USA Captain Eric "Swayze" Silagy ordered his team to Austin, Texas on October 25 - 27 for a weekend of training.  Swayze plans to bring the most prepared team possible to Scotland in June of 2014.  On the course, Swayze experimented with several new player combinations to determine whether there was some new chemistry to be found.  In a bold move, he paired Chris "Cudman" Van Horne with Chris "Guv'na" Hughes in an afternoon fourball match.  The team started strong, winning it's first seven holes, only to completely collapse on the back nine amidst ugly bickering and finger-pointing.  Will we see this pairing in Scotland?  Doubtful.

Off the course, Team USA enjoyed great Texas barbecue and bonded in the bars up and down 6th Street in downtown Austin.  Austin is being floated as a possible venue for Quaich 2016.      

Quaich 2014 Dates Announced

Rosco and H beside the 18th hole at Moray Golf Club

Quaich 2014 will be held June 13 - 15th in the Highlands of Scotland.  After completing a comprehensive site visit to the area around Inverness earlier this summer, Scottish Captain Ross "Rosco" MacCallum and Vice Captain Kevin "The Riddler" Riddle believe they have found the ideal venue at which to host the biannual Quaich golf matches.  Courses and formats will be announced shortly.