Headline: It’s A Doggy Life: An Im’possum’able Team Triumph at the 18th Goodboys Invitational

Brewster, MA (UPI) It wasn’t supposed to go like this: A team comprising one Goodboy just weeks away from back surgery and another who hadn’t touched a club in nearly a year, riding a two-day wave of clutch putts, hit fairways, and unbelievable chip-ins to triumph over the rest of field. But that’s exactly what Pat “Doggy Duval” McLaughlin and Paul “Possum” Shepter did this past weekend at the 18th annual Goodboys Invitational held at steamy and sultry The Captains C.C. in Brewster, MA.

“I want to thank my partner for his wonderful play these past two days, and I especially want to thank my back for hanging in there”, proclaimed a tired but triumphant “Doggy Duval” as he held aloft the hallowed Spielberg Memorial Trophy wearing his red-checkered champions retro polyester tweed jacket. “The prize money [$50] will not only help cover my co-pay for the back surgery, but I’ll still have money left for a taco at Jack-In-The-Box!” McLaughlin’s victory was his fourth overall Goodboys championship – one he felt was long in coming. “It’s been quite a few years since I’ve won, and that makes this one all the more sweeter.”

McLaughlin’s partner, “Possum” Shepter, a little more subdued, chose to bask in the triumph of his victory by relaxing with reporters on The Captains’ veranda after the awards ceremony. Nursing a Diet Coke and V8, he explained his approach to the weekend’s matches: “It was really just keep it in play and not try to do too much… “Vegas” [Goodboy Mike Clark] taught me this cool flop-shot and I found myself using it often and leaving me with fairly short putts throughout the weekend. I have to say, this victory is very satisfying.”

For Shepter, it was his second Goodboys Invitational championship.

For the rest of the Goodboys it was a weekend of “woulda-coulda-shouldas” and opportunities lost. Finishing in second place was the team of Mike “Vegas” Clark and Ben “The Funny Guy” Andrusaitis, who, while staying close throughout the front nine on Sunday, could not keep up with the steady and consistent play of the winners. “We just ran out of gas and ran out of holes”, explained a disappointed “The Funny Guy”.

The team of Steve “Killer” Kowalski and Kevin “Goose” Dwyer finished third, continuing Goose’s long drought of Goodboys championships; he retains the title of “Best Goodboy To Have Never Won A Goodboys Championship”.

Finishing a distant last was the team of Doug “The Great White Shank” Richard and Ron “Cubby” Myerow, who dug for themselves a significant hole by a poor Saturday and never got any traction thereafter. “A poor showing”, explained TGWS to reporters afterwards, “we started bad and stayed bad throughout. No excuses.” For “Cubby”, however, there was a silver lining: “Shooting that 50 on the back nine made me feel really good. Unfortunately, by then the horses had not just left the barn, they were already on their way from the glue factory to hardware stores everywhere.”

In the individual competitions, “Possum” Shepter took home an authentic golf towel from Augusta National for his lowest score against handicap, while “The Great White Shank”, for the highest score against handicap, won the book, “Naked On The First Tee – A Beginner’s Guide For Women Golfers”.

All in all, a good time was had by all, and plans are already underway for the 19th Annual Goodboys Invitational to be held in July of 2009 back on the Cape at a location(s) to be determined.