As most of you know, we adopted a change in how handicap strokes will be applied this year. This year players will receive a maximum of one stroke per hole. Several members have asked what happens with respect to how strokes are applied for the 3 point medal bonus awarded in each match. The answer is: players receive their full strokes in the medal portion.
For instance, let's say a Player A has a handicap of 3 and Player B has a 16 handicap. Although the differential in handicaps is 13 strokes, Player B would receive only one shot per hole (or 9 shots) in the match play portion of the competition. However, Player B will still receive all 13 strokes in the medal portion of the match. So, let's say Player A shoots a 42 and Player B shoots a 50, and let's also say that Player A wins 5 holes and Player B wins 4 holes in the match. Player A would receive the 5 points for the holes won, plus the 3 point bonus for winning the most holes. Player B shoots a net 37 (50 minus 13) while Player A shoots a net 39 (42 minus 3), so Player B would earn the 3 point medal bonus. The final score of the match would be 8 to 7 in favor of Player A. (Also, please note that the Low Net Field scoring component has been abolished for this year.) Hopefully, that clears up any confusion on the issue (but I doubt it).
