|
|
| |
This is Predator Golf......
Herein lies tales of both triumph and woe experienced on the most prestigious Predator Golf Tour. Reaching out to our growing fan base the Predator Golf Tour travels to many venues throughout Connecticut during the Spring, Summer and Fall months. Come back to this page often for updates on our latest adventures!
Schroeder Takes First Annual Great Pumpkin Golf Classic 2005
Orange, CT (10/21/2005) This afternoon at Orange Hills Country Club, "Iron Man" Chuck Schroeder played well to defeat Matt Kraynak in the First Annual Great Pumpkin Golf Classic. Given the very cool, windy and muddy playing conditions - Schroeder and Kraynak elected to play just nine holes this afternoon. Schroeder quickly emerged as the most consistent player - shooting a respectable 47 to shut out Kraynak by 7 shots. Kraynak never got his game together today - placing a record 7 balls in the woods through his first 8 holes. Kraynak and Schroeder each closed out nicely by nailing a Par on the 9th and final hole this afternoon.
The Predators hope to make the Great Pumpkin Golf Classic a featured event duting next years tour.
Kraynak and Schroeder Co-Champs of Greater Bridgeport Open
Bridgeport, CT (9/23/2005) The Predator Golf Tour rolled into Bridgeport Connecticut today for the first-ever Greater Bridgeport Open. Dain Runestad, Fred Bialka, Chuck "Iron Man" Schroeder and Matt Kraynak of the Predator Golf Tour selected the Black Course of the Fairchild Wheeler Golf Club (a.k.a. "The Wheel") as the host venue.
The course itself was in very rough shape. It was clearly evident that both a lack of rain and a lack of city funding contributed directly to the poor playing conditions. The tee boxes were pitted with a mix of crabgrass and dirt; the fairways looked very much like the tee boxes - and the rough looked like a tall version of the fairways. The fairways also featured a mix of metamorphic rocks and deadpan, as well as dry leaves and grass clippings. Nonetheless - the Predator foursome set out to play the GBO on an otherwise fine Friday afternoon.
The Predator four played a very decent front nine holes - notching sever Pars collectively. "Iron Man" Schroeder maintained a steady pace - being the only man with no holes higher than a score of 6. In the end - it would be Matt Kraynak who nailed 3 pars in the front nine to take a one stroke lead. The first half scores were: Kraynak 47; Schroeder 48; Bialka 55 and Runestad 57.
The foursome showed signs of fatique over the second nine - collecting only four "par or better" holes. After Dain Runestad nailed a Par on the Par 4 10th hole, the group struggled to do any better for several holes. Finally - on the 420 yard 15th hole - Matt Kraynak got things going again. Kraynak blasted a 270 yards tee shot to set up an easy 150 yard hit to the green. Kraynak's approach landed in the left bunker - 30 feet from the cup. Then the shot of the day occurred: Using a sand Wedge - Kraynak popped the ball out of the bunker - rolling it into the cup for his first Birdie in recent memory. Kraynak a Schroeder each landed a Par on the 17th hole - leaving Kraynak with a 1-shot lead heading to the 18th tee.
On 18 - Kraynak's tee shot landed him amongst a set of pine trees. "Iron Man" Schroeder kept his nice steady pace - landing a 6 while Kraynak barely achieved a 7. As a result - both Kraynak and Schroeder were declared Co-Campions of the Greater Bridgeport Open. The final scores were as follows: Kraynak 47-48: 95; Schroeder 48-47: 95; Runestad 57-54: 111, and Bialka 55-64: 119.
 |
Kraynak Holds On To Win Orange Hills Challenge III
 | |  | | King Carl was truly on the rocks today.... |
Orange, CT (8/25/2005) Today the Predator Golf Tour returned to play at the Orange Hills Country Club in Orange, CT. Today's competetors included Dain Runestad, Matt Kraynak as well as Orange Hills Challenge I champion - "King Carl" Malinosky. The weather was absolutely perfect with sunny skies, low humidity and temperatures around 80 degrees.
Today's event was won by Matt Kraynak - primarily on the momentum he built up in the front nine. Kraynak played rather consistently - nailing three pars and just barely missing sticking fourth par in his first nine holes. Kraynak shot a 45 on the front nine, opening a 6 shot lead over Carl's 51 and a 10 shot lead over Dain's 55.
In the second half, Kraynak started off well - nailing his 4th par of the day on the 10th hole. Over the back nine - the trio maintained scores consistent with th front nine - until the 16th and 18th holes where Kraynak faltered badly. Malinosky finished the day 51-50 for a 101; Runestad finished 55-53 for a 108; and Kraynak finished 45-54 posting a 99 and taking his first win on the Predator Golf Tour.
Kraynak's post round comments: "My usually reliable chipping really sucked today....and my usually awful putting was worse than usual.... The only consolation was that despite my very obvious shortcomings today - the combined shortcomings of King Carl was a couple of shots worse! With that - I'll gladly accept the winners paycheck today..."
Notable moments: On the 6th hole - Kraynak's tee shot lined off a tree and ended up in the grass on the opposite side of the 3rd tee. Instead of taking a penalty - Kraynak played that ball - successfully striking it back into the 6th fairway. On the 11th hole - Kraynak was involved in a shot that required a wooden fence to be dismantled to enable a full swing at the ball. On the Par 3 13th hole, Malinosky's 153 yard tee shot landed less than two feet from the cup - setting up an easy birdie. On the 17th hole - Kraynak crushed a 320 yard tee shot, however ended up settling for bogie after a poor chip failed to place the ball on the green.
The next Predator Golf Tour Events are being planned for September dates. It is expected that Fred Bialka and Orange Hills Challenge II champ Chuck Schroeder will rejoin the tour as the season heats up.
 |
Malinosky, Runestad & Kraynak Heading to Orange Hills Challenge III
Milford, CT (8/24/2005) The Predator Golf Tour continues on Thursday August 25th at Orange Hills Country Club when "King Carl" Malinosky takes on Dain Runestad and Matt Kraynak in Orange Hills Challenge III. With the Buick Championship also in the state this weekend - it is unclear what kind of crowds will come to see this classic Predator matchup. The forecast for Thursday calls for sunny skies and moderate humidity with a high around 80 degrees.
"Iron Man" Schroeder Wins Orange Hills Challenge II
|  | | Bialka, Kraynak & Schroeder for Birdie on 9th; Schroeder/Bialka 5th fairway |
Orange, CT (7/15/2005) For the second time this season, the Predators played at Orange Hills Country Club as part of their 2005 tour. Under extreme hot and humid conditions, "Iron Man" Chuck Schroeder toughed out a consistent round of golf to defeat Matt Kraynak and Fred Bialka. Schroeder earned his nickname "Iron Man" from his exclusive usage of iron clubs.
Today's grouping played a very tight first nine - with Kraynak maintaining a one-shot lead over Schroeder and a three shot lead over Bialka heading to the 10th tee. After that - it would be the Schroeder Show through the finish - as both Bialka and Kraynak lost steam and faltered. Schroeder finished 50-49 for a round of 99; Kraynak shot 49-55 for a round of 104, and Bialka finished 52-64 for a round of 116.
Beyond today's heat and humidity, the trio faced greens that were terribly slow. In fact - these were the slowest greens that the Predator tour has experienced all season. Despite this - Chuck, Fred and Matt did enjoy the afternoon - and found the post-round beer to be cold and refreshing.
 |
"King Carl" Takes Monster Win At Tashua Knoll
Trumbull, CT (7/5/2005) "King Carl" Malinosky continued his dominance of Predator Golf Events this afternoon with an impressive 9-stroke win over Matt Kraynak at Tashua Knoll Golf Club in Trumbull. Malinosky had a relatively slow start on the day - shooting a 46 to trail Matt Kraynak's 45 after nine holes. In the final nine holes - Carl put all facets of his game together - and went on to shoot a blazing 4-over-par 40 to finish the day 46-40 round of 86. Matt Kraynak slowed down in the second half of play - completing the day with a 45-50 round of 95 in his first-ever appearance at Tashua Knoll.
The next Predator Golf outing is scheduled for Friday July 15th at a venue yet to be determined.
Malinosky Fends Off Late Charge By Kraynak: Wins Orange Hills Challenge By 1
|  | | Final Results of the Orange Hills Challenge I - June 24, 2005 | |
Orange, CT (6/24/2005) In what was dubbed "Orange Hills Challenge I" - Carl Malinosky continued his reign as Predator Golf King with a 1 shot victory over Matt Kraynak at the Orange Hills Country Club. Dain Runestad finished 7 shots off the pace, while Dave Weiss - making his first tour appearance in several years - bailed out at hole 15 and was subsequently disqualified by official scorer Carl Malinosky.
Malinosky started off well - nailing 3 pars in the first 5 holes of play. Malinosky finished the front nine with four Pars for a 45 - good enough to establish a commanding 7-stroke lead over Runestad's 52; a 10-stroke lead over Kraynak's 55, and a 15-stroke lead over Weiss' 60. In the second half of play in the 90-degree heat - Malinosky's lead quickly evaporated. "King Carl" struggled on the back nine - shooting a surprising 17-over-Par 53 to finish with a 45-53-98. At the same time - Matt Kraynak finally found some consistency and control in his play, shooting an 8-over-Par 44 - finishing the day 55-44-99. Dain Runestad remained very consistent throughout the day - and dropped a 25-foot Par putt on 18 to finish with a 53 and 52-53-105 on the day. Dave Weiss found that he liked "pars" so much that he started to double up on them - getting the most out of his greens fees this afternoon. Weiss was on a double-par pace on the back nine when he cited a "beer-defficiency emergency" at the 15th tee and decided to withdraw from today's competition. Official scorer Malinosky marked Weiss' 15th hole as "Unknown"; the 16th hole as "Quit", and all remaining holes as "Disqualified".
Overall - it was a great day for golf (as most Friday's would be). The Predators found Orange Hills CC to be an interesting venue to play at. The Predator golf tour will press on this summer with additional dates of play coming up in July at venues yet to be announced.
 | | Dain Runestad, Dave Weiss & Carl Malinosky (top) - and Malinosky in the Woods |
Malinosky, Runestad, Weiss and Kraynak To Take On Orange Hills
Orange, CT (6/22/2005) Orange Hills Country Club in Orange, CT will be hosting it's first ever Predator golfing event on Friday June 24th. Reigning Predator Golf Champ "King Carl" Malinosky will make his second appearance at Orange Hills in the last two weeks. Joining Malinosky will be Predator Golf "regulars" Dain Runestad and Matt Kraynak. Finishing off the group is Dave Weiss who makes his Predator golf debut.
With temperatures expected to be in the upper 80's, the impact of liquid refreshments during and after this event should not be underestimated. It will be interesting to see who is the last man standing at Orange Hills.
Malinosky Wins "Hangover at Hebron"
Hebron, CT (5/22/2004) At the Blackledge Golf Course in Hebron Connecticut, aging Veteran Shortstop Carl Malinosky defeated Matt Kraynak by 5 shots. Both Kraynak and Malinosky had to overcome hangover symptoms related to a Predator event that occurred the evening before. Interestingly, while Malinosky's score was about 10 shots worse than usual, Kraynak's score was about 10 shots better than usual.
Malinosky Wins Cole Slaw Cup at Tunxis
|  | | Carl with Winning Swing and Dain exploring alternate route to green |
Farmington, CT (4/24/2004) Early this afternoon, aging veteran shortstop Carl Malinosky won the prestigious Cole Slaw Cup at Tunxis Plantation Country Club in Farmington Connecticut. The first official Predator Golf Outing of the year included Predators Dain Runestad and Matt Kraynak. In todays match, Malinosky ran away with the title while Runestad and Kraynak fought through the elements of water, wind and woods in a battle for 2nd place. Runestad eventually emerged as the 2nd place winner.
 | | Matt Kraynak awards Carl Malinosky with Cole Slaw Cup 4/24/2004 |
Kraynak & Schroeder Take On "The Wheel"
Fairfield, CT (10/10/2003) Under partly cloudy skies on this mild October day - Matt Kraynak and Chuck Schroeder represented the Predators on the Red course at Fairchild Wheeler Golf Course (a.k.a. "The Wheel"). Carl Malinosky and Freddy Bialka elected not to play today - favoring their day jobs instead. Were they afraid to compete against Chuck and Matt? Nobody knows for sure - but we have a pretty good idea.... .
Chuck shot a 47-52 for a total of 99 - including back to back Pars on the 3rd and 4th holes. Matt shot a 45-52 for a total of 97 - including a Birdie-Par combination on holes 3 & 4 and a Par on 8, 12 and 14. Matt and Chuck had a terrific front nine. Matt let a golden opportunity go by after he reached the 480 yard par 5 third hole in two shots. Matt left a 9-foot putt for Eagle stop on the left side of the cup - settling for Birdie.
Though Matt finished 2 shots ahead of Chuck - Chuck was the much more consistant golfer today. Matt was cruising along until his unfortunate collapse - finishing the final 4 holes with a 5-7-7-8. Nonetheless - it was a great day to play - even though Carl and Freddy were not around to beat up on...
Tangle At Tunxis: Malinosky Defeats Kraynak & Runestad
|  | | Matt, Carl and Dain "Tangle at Tunxis" | |
Farmington, CT (8/23/2003) In a battle entitled "Tangle at Tunxis", aging veteran shortstop Carl Malinosky scraped by Matt Kraynak and Dain Runestad at Tunxis Plantation Golf Course (Green Course). It was an awesome August day - with clear skies and warm temperatures - although there was some gusty winds that made things interesting.
Dain shot a 51-57 for a total of 108 with a Par on the 8th hole. Matt shot a 46-51 for a total of 97 with a Par on holes 1, 8 and 11. Carl shot a 47-48 for a total of 95 with a Par on holes 7, 16 and 18.
After the match, Matt, Dain and Carl enjoyed a few pitchers of the most expensive beer they ever tasted.
Bialka Book: "One Swing Fits All" Hits Shelves
| |  | | Freddy demonstrates basis for his latest book |
Bridgeport, CT (7/28/2003) Predators catcher, outfielder and now published author Freddy Bialka announced today that he is briefly leaving the team to promote his latest book One Swing Fits All. The announcement was made in the Parking Lot of the Fairchild Wheeler Golf Course in Bridgeport. On hand for the event were Predator Player/GM Matt Kraynak and Reserve Outfielder Chuck Schroeder.
At the press conference GM Kraynak commented: When Freddy told me last week that he was taking the last two weeks of the season off to support his book I knew it was the best thing possible for the team and Freddy of course. Chuck Schroeder said I encouraged Freddy to follow his dreams of becoming a rock star but he just didnt have it in him so I pushed him to be an author instead. Im glad I did. Following the press conference, Kraynak and Schroeder kicked off Bialkas promotional tour with a round of golf, serving as a warm up for the Predator Golf Series that commences in August and runs through Octoberfest.
 | | Chuck Schroeder, Matt Kraynak & Freddy Bialka during round of golf 7/28/2003 |
|
|
|
|
