Beautiful weather, sunny skies, and 118 golfers came together on April 13th & 14th, 2024, for a friendly but competitive 2-day golf tournament at Sierra del Rio Golf Club in Elephant Butte, New Mexico – The Wimberly Cup. Run by Sun County Amateur Golf Association (SCAGA), this annual senior men’s and women’s 4-ball tournament honors two New Mexico golf legends – brothers Herb (1934 – 2023) and Guy (1938 – 2021) Wimberly, both inducted into the PGA Hall of Fame, with each having left a legacy that will continue for generations to come. Guy was instrumental in establishing UNM’s PGA Golf Management Program in 1988, and Herb served as the program’s first director – just a sample of the many contributions these brothers have made to New Mexico’s game of golf.
Many of the Wimberly Cup tournament players took advantage of a warmup round on Friday, April 12th, which was somewhat of a challenge due to strong afternoon winds. But Saturday morning proved to be a perfectly calm, blue-skied morning for the 8:00am shotgun start, with the two-person teams getting tournament details from SCAGA Executive Director, Cory Armstrong, before heading out. For those not familiar with the course, they quickly discovered that the many elevated tees, blind doglegs, deep bunkers, and tiered greens made their rounds both interesting and challenging.
The weather was once again perfect for day two of the tournament, which wrapped up Sunday afternoon with a buffet on the patio and the presentation of awards. Crispin Fuentes (Las Cruces, NM) and Scott Winegar (White Rock, NM) took the Men’s Senior (50+) Championship, finishing eight under to win a $680 purse and 400 points. The Women’s Senior Championship was won by Jodi Copley (El Paso, TX) and Annette Sieben (Albuquerque, NM), finishing eight over to take in a $480 purse and 400 points, and Cyrus Whitney (Oro Valley, AZ) and Bruce Meyer, (El Paso, TX) captured the Super Senior (70+) Gross at nine under, winning a $625 purse. Congratulations to all!
Many of the players commented on the improved course conditions, with several noting the changes since the last time they had played Sierra del Rio. The course, purchased by PreRealTM Investments in January of 2023, has seen improvements that include new bridges, totally rebuilt bunkers, fraze-mowed and reseeded fairways, sculpted tee boxes, and significant clubhouse and pro shop renovations. These improvements are just the first phase of a multi-year project that includes total reconstruction and enhancement of the driving range and construction of world-class amenities, including a pool, fitness center, tennis/pickleball courts, and hotel – all part of a newly-completed master plan designed to put Sierra del Rio and the community in which it is located, Turtleback Mountain Resort, in the national spotlight.
The Wimberly Cup at Sierra del Rio was one of SCAGA’s nine tournaments in their 2024 championship schedule, which takes SCAGA member players all over the state and beyond, from El Paso, Texas north to Espanola, New Mexico and west to Alto, New Mexico. In addition to running tournaments, SCAGA provides a wide variety of services that benefit golfers and golf clubs throughout New Mexico and West Texas, with a wealth of valuable information found at www.suncountrygolf.com/scaga.
