552nd OSS captures small squadron golf championship Published Aug. 10, 2007 By John E. Banks Tinker Air Force Base Public Affairs TINKER AIR FORCE BASE -- The intensity of a major golf tournament was evident at the Tinker Golf Course for the small squadron championship between the 522nd Operational Support Squadron and the first-place team of the 38th Engineering Installation Group on Aug. 2. The match-up pitted the No. 1 seed 38th EIG with a 93-3 season record against the No. 2 seed, 552nd OSS with an 84-12 record. "When you get to this point of the season, both teams deserve to be here, and it will come down to one or two shots that determine the outcome of the match," said 38th EIG golfer Bobby Tims. Both teams paired off in two-man teams on the front nine. Team No. 1 pitted the 552nd OSS side of Trevor Anderson and Rock Rieef against Tims and Jon Ide. The foursome battled hole after hole with the 552nd side taking a one-up advantage over the first nine holes. Tims nailed a 35-foot birdie putt on hole nine to get them back to a closer score. The second group to tee of on the front nine was the 552nd OSS duo of Michael Harlow and Rick Villarreal and they experienced the same success versus the No. 2 team from 38th EIG of Mike Brock and Vinh Phung. On the second hole, Villarreal sank a 35-foot putt to save par, which eventually was the difference in the match. That gave the 552nd OSS an advantage of one-up, which in turn led to a two-up advantage over the first nine holes of competition. On the second hole for each team, the scoring was very much of the same. Each team was consistent and on their game. Each group of four sank key putts to keep the match close thru 15 holes. Team No. 1 from the 552nd OSS squad held a one-up advantage. A key bunker shot by Michael Harlow kept the opponents at bay. Although, the 552nd OSS team won the match decisively 12-0, it was a lot closer than most will realize. Each team from the 552nd OSS won their respective matches by a score of one-up. "We are a little short-handed today due to TDY's of some of our players, however we played our best and we came up a little short today," said Phung. "We all played at the top of our game, however, missed putts, and few miscues by our side gave the advantage to the 522nd OSS. I believe it was a great competition and I am sure whomever the 522nd OSS plays will definitely have their hands full," said Tims. The 552nd OSS awaits the winner of the large squadron championship that pits the group from Strategic Communications Wing FOUR versus the 552nd Component Maintenance Squadron.