“There is a tide in the affairs of men
Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune;
Omitted, all the voyage of their life
Is bound in shallows and in miseries.
― William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar
Golfers, when they apply themselves full well to their games, plumbing depths of heart and sinew, nerves and spirit, realize a fulfillment of the first tee’s hopes. On the first tee, every player in The McNabb Cup field dreams of holding the one trophy that proves all others. Each of them, before that initial drive, is a potential champion, each beginning a voyage of discovery that will experience form the essence of human endeavor.
The Stableford format of the McNabb Cup, if the handicaps assigned by the stern Secretary are applied fairly, may find in the culmination of the round a validation of the earnest application of club to ball. The test is to find within oneself the equanimity to survive the ups and downs of a pressure-packed match, to take the tide at full measure and surge toward victory.
Such was the case with Mr. Todd Riker in this year of Our Lord 2026. He who won The Cup in 2012 had come close in succeeding years, hoping to prove that 2012 victory was no fluke, but the sure effort of a champion golfer. A mere handful of strokes separated him from The Cup during these barren years, the most painful being those three years when the great WHO leader Bill Ellington raised the trophy. Mr. Riker, undaunted, took to the field each year, sworn to regain the title and the glory of a McNabb champion. In 2026, he emerged from those shallows of would-be competitors with a solid 40 Stableford points to hold again the title of McNabb Cup Champion.
Crowned during a celebration at the McNabb compound overlooking Lake Michigan, the quiet eye doctor from Muskegon, Mich., accepted the honor with the grace for which he has become known. “It is not the winning of the trophy that matters,” he told the players and the eager media throng, “but the honor of doing so in the company of such players as are here gathered. There is nowhere such a tournament as this. Nowhere such players who are as filled with an appreciation of golf’s great traditions as here represented by The McNabb Cup. It is a truly special company and that makes this an honor above all others.”
These words, spoken from the heart, were seen to bring a few tears even to the eyes of the hardened and jaded media pack, many of whom hurried to the bar to wash away any taint of feeling or emotion.
A Competitive Field
Mr. Bill Geisler, a visiting dignitary from the vaunted Society of Hickory Golfers, placed second behind Riker with a 39, a disastrous double on the 140-yard 7th hole his undoing. (Geisler was awarded second in a scorecard playoff with Mr. Scott Staudacher (2022 McNabb champion) and Keith Hanson.) His consolation was laurels for the low score of the day, an admirable 77, seconded by Staudacher with a 78, decided in a scorecard playoff with the 2026 champion himself. These were the only three scores in the 70s on this day.
Mr. Mike Brown, a popular contender from Wisconsin scored an 80, as well as 38 Stableford points… so near. Wisconsin’s hickory golfers are among the finest in the land so it is not unlikely one of their number one day lands this noble victory.
The McNabb field welcomed eight new challengers in 2026 – Dennis Cavender (Michigan), Jack Crosby (Massachusetts), Sam Griffith (Iowa), Keith Hanson (Wisconsin), Dave Hanson (Iowa), Rob Keeling (Alabama), Michael Nelson, (Michigan), and Tom Presperin (Illinois).
As well, four players , shown above, received the McNabb Cup badge, a blazer patch with three cups on a field of light blue with the McNabb motto “Omnis Timor Abesto.” The badges are worn with distinction by those players who have competed in at least two McNabb Cup championships.
The New Captain
It is a tradition of The McNabb Cup that a captain be appointed who will oversee the competition and lend such gravitas to the conduct of the day as may be within his, or her, abilities. A Captain’s Medal, created for this purpose, is passed from the outgoing captain to his/her selection just before the start of play. It was with great ceremony, then, that our outgoing captain, Mrs. Kris Ellington placed the medal upon the neck of the 2026 dignitary, her husband, Mr. Bill Ellington. The good man, never shy for words, accepted the honor with all the charm he could muster, bolstered by the encouragement of his far better half.
“If it wasn’t for Kris, I would not be here today as your captain,” he told the players. (“Damn right you wouldn’t,” she was overheard to mutter.) “I intend for my captaincy,” he continued, “to be one of magnanimous good cheer and a generous hand with the claret.” This was greeted with much applause and a nod of approbation from Secretary Davis. (“Quite right,” he said.)
Capt. Ellington then officially drove in the 2026 McNabb Cup with a prodigious drive of some 160 yards, (some swear it was farther) and the the competition began in earnest.
Club Presentation
Mr. Rob Julin, the 2025 McNabb Champion, presented the White Lake Golf Club with the gift of a Tom Bendelow golf club. The club’s new head professional, Blake Davis (no relation to the Secretary), was pleased to accept the gift on the club’s behalf. He said it would be proudly displayed within the modest clubhouse, still mostly original to the 1916 origins of this gem of a golf course and club. Bendelow designed the first nine in 1916. A second nine was added in the early 1920s by club member E. E. Roberts. It is as true a gem of a course as you will find anywhere in the country; a delight to play and beloved by McNabb Cup competitors.
A Matchless Gift
For 2026, all players were presented with the gift of author Stephen Proctor’s book, Matchless – Joyce Wethered, Glenna Collett and the Rise of Women’s Golf. The book was the recipient of the 2025 Herbert Warren Wind Book Award, presented annually by the USGA to an exceptional book on golf history. Mr. Proctor is a McNabb Cup regular who, alone, significantly raises the literary IQ of the field whenever and wherever he appears. The McNabb Cup itself was won in 1922 by Miss Isabelle McNabb, the same year that Glenna Collet won her first U.S. Amateur Women’s Championship.
The Visit of Mr. William Reed
The Cup’s August & Ancient Committee were pleased to welcome Mr. Bill Reed upon his second visit to the event. Though he did not play, Mr. Reed accompanied his nephew, Sam Griffith. Reed is a legend of both Society of Hickory Golfers and Golf Heritage Society fame. A keen student of golfiana and the game’s heritage, Mr. Reed has served on the boards of both societies and as the president of the GHS from 2013-14. Many accolades and honors have accrued to him, the latest a bestowal of a McNabb badge upon his first visit.
(Some in the media tent asked McNabb Secretary JH Davis Jr. whether it was true that Mr. Reed had been offered a seat on the legendary August & Ancient Committee. Davis neither confirmed nor denied the rumor, saying only that all such decisions are confidential, known only to the members of that secretive body.)
Honors, Awards, and a Phone Call
Later, following a hearty repast at the McNabb Cottage overlooking Lake Michigan, the scores were announced and the champions duly celebrated. A call was received from a certain British Lord, identified as a junior member of the A&A Committee, selected by that body to address the participants and to offer their congratulations. Capt. Ellington selected McNabb stalwart John Cova, the 2017 McNabb champion, as his vice captain for the year.
The Ed Ronco Spirit of the Cup Award
Mr. Cova, a man of few but well-chosen words, was also selected by the August & Ancient Committee as its choice for the 2026 Ed Ronco Spirit of the Cup honoree. The award honors a McNabb Cup competitor who epitomizes the late Ed Ronco’s generosity, good humor and community spirit. This year $250 was sent to the Wyandotte Scholarship Foundation in Mr. Ronco’s name. He was a lifelong educator whose commitment to the students of his community made a lasting impact toward the successful careers of many young lives. Cova was humble in the acceptance of the award, allowing to the media that it was a significant moment in his life.
There followed a long and memorable celebration in and around the McNabb Cottage, the nature of such which must remain only in the memories of those who lived, or survived, it.
