Civil War rivals tee off for disaster relief.

Byline: INSIDE THE OUTDOORS By Mike Stahlberg The Register-Guard

When Mallard Creek Golf Course head professional Eric DeWeese saw what hurricanes had done to the Gulf Coast, he wanted to do something to help. And when he read about how effective teams of doctors and nurses from the Pacific Northwest were in responding to such disasters, he knew what:

Organize a charity golf tournament to raise money for Northwest Medical Teams' hurricane relief efforts.

Big disasters require big relief efforts - and big fundraisers.

So DeWeese asked fellow pros Todd O'Neal of Emerald Valley and Birk Nelson of Diamond Woods if they would be willing to link up with Mallard Creek in putting on a charity event that drew upon the Ducks vs. Beavers rivalry.

"Todd and Birk were real excited. They thought it as a great idea," DeWeese said.

The idea will come to life Saturday and Sunday when the Duck versus Beaver Hurricane Relief Challenge Tournament is played out at the three Willamette Valley courses.

With morning and afternoon shotgun starts planned, there are enough slots for 400 Quacker Backers and 400 Beaver Believers

Entry fee is $100 per player, including cart.

All money collected will go directly to Northwest Medical Teams International, Inc., a non-profit humanitarian aid organization.

"They're rated one of the best charities for actually getting money to the people and not spending it on themselves," DeWeese said, pointing to Forbes Magazine's rating of Northwest Medical Teams as one of America's 10 "Gold Star" charities.

"We like supporting them. We're real confident the money will go to help people, whether it's this disaster or another one," he said.

Golfers have until 5 p.m. Friday to sign up. You can do so online at www.duckrelief.com or at www.beaverrelief.com. Don't have Internet access? Call DeWeese at [phone].

Players can play both days at the same golf course, or "mix and match" courses if they like.

"We'll do everything we can to accommodate where and when you want to play," DeWeese said.

The format is a two-man best-ball. Prizes have been donated by Titleist, Nike golf, Ashworth, Pelzer golf, Page and Tuttle, the host golf courses, and the UO and OSU athletic departments.

The 400 Ducks vs. 400 Beavers competition is also a best-ball event.

"We'll take the best score by a Duck on each hole and the best score by a Beaver," DeWeese said.

That score-keeping will be strictly for bragging rights.

"This is a fund-raiser," DeWeese said. "The point isn't who wins, or what the prizes are. The point is, 'Let's get together to play golf and help out these people who are doing such good things...' "

One final note: this weekend's Duck vs. Beaver charity event is not to be confused with the Second Annual Civil War Tournament that Diamond Woods had already scheduled for Friday, Nov. 18th, the day before the UO-OSU football game.

Last year, the Beavers won the "orange ball" format golf tournament - and the football game the next day.

Bandon courses ranked

It hardly counts as news anymore, but the golf courses at Bandon Dunes continue to earn accolades. The latest are from the Zagat Survey, one of the world's leading consumer survey groups in the leisure field.

In ratings turned in by 6,000 avid golfers who among them played more than a half-million rounds of golf in the past 12 months, Bandon Dunes finished second in balloting for America's "Best Course." It was narrowly edged out for first place by Whistling Straights in Wisconsin. The Pacific Dunes course at Bandon finished sixth, behind Bethpage Black, Pebble Beach, and TPC at Sawgrass Stadium course.

In voting for America's "Most Popular" course, Pebble Beach, Bethpage Black and Spyglass Hill finished 1-2-3. Bandon Dunes was No. 9.

The third course at Bandon Dunes, Bandon Trails, finished atop the "Newcomers" list, for courses that had not been open long enough to be officially rated.

Clubhouse chatter

Jonathan Kellerman of Junction City and Jana Rogers of Bandon are among five caddies from Oregon to earn 2005-06 college scholarships from the Evans Scholars Foundation. The scholarship program, now celebrating its 75th year, was created by Chick Evans, the first golfer to win both the U.S. Amateur and U.S. Open titles in the same year. More than 800 scholarships - based on caddie record, academic record, financial need and character - were given out by the foundation this year. Kellerman and Rogers will both attend the University of Oregon. ...

Brandon Richardson, an instructor at McDermott Golf School before the school's closure last month, is now available for lessons at Fiddler's Green Golf Course. Lessons may be scheduled by calling 689-8464 or visiting the Fiddler's Green Coffee Shop. ...

Former Register-Guard sports editor Blaine Newnham, who recently retired as Associate Editor of the Seattle Times, is to receive the Northwest Golf Media's 2005 Distinguished Service Award at a banquet being held tonight in Seattle. Newnham was chosen for his contribution to the game of golf in the Northwest. ...

Eugene native Ron Plath, now living in the Portland area, last week successfully defended his title in the United States Blind Golf Association's national championship in Raleigh, N.C. Plath won the B3 Division, for legally blind golfers whose vision is in the 20-200 to 20-600 range, or about 10 percent of normal. The United States Blind Golf Association's national championships will be held in Portland next year.

Mike Stahlberg can be reached at [e-mail].