FORT STEWART, Ga. -- Marne Soldiers from the Third Infantry Division participated in golf and paintball tournaments as part of the Marne Week activities June 26-27 at Holbrook Pond and the Hunter Golf Course at Hunter Army Airfield, Ga.
A team of four Cottonbaler Soldiers from the 2nd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, 1st Heavy Brigade Combat Team took home the title in the golf scramble June 26, while after a two-day tournament June 26-27 a team from the 4th Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team emerged as undefeated champions in paintball.
Thirty-six foursomes hit the links in the drizzly gray shadow of a tropical storm to compete for the title of best in the Third Infantry Division, said 1st Lt. Jeff Philbin, squadron maintenance officer with the 3rd Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade, and event coordinator.
The teams turned in their scorecards to the clubhouse after five hours of continuous play in blustery winds and intermittent rains. The champions from 2/7 INF holed an 11-under-par 61, edging out a team from Division Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion by one stroke for the title. A team from 6th Squadron, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team placed third with a 9-under round of 63.
Sergeant 1st Class Benjamin Phinney, a tank platoon sergeant with the 2/7 INF, said teamwork helped overcome the challenges of the course and bad weather.
"It was difficult after the fourth hole, especially judging the wind, because it was changing back and forth," said Phinney. "We hit some long putts, and made some tough shots, so it was really a team effort."
Phinney's team overcame a bogey on a par three by holing birdies on three of the harder holes, he said. Phinney himself nailed a long putt on the final hole to seal the victory.
The paintball competition at Holbrook Pond was a bit less cordial, but no less fierce. Thirty-one teams in a tournament-style, double-elimination bracket splattered each other with projectile paint for two days before a team from the 4th BTSB claimed the title.
"It feels good to be champions," said Pfc. Chris Spangler, a communications specialist with the 4th BSTB. "We have a solid team."
Spangler said he and several other of his teammates play in paintball games often, and that experience coalesced into a championship formula.
The Sentinel paintball squad defeated the challenging team from the 3rd Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team in two games. A team from 1st Battalion, 41st Field Artillery Regiment, 1st Heavy Brigade Combat Team placed third.
Social Sharing