In a surprise that rivals the Miracle Mets, the Sidney Daily News team of Bryant Billing, Luke Gronneberg, Ryan Harless and Anna Edmiston finished first in Sidney Alive’s Downtown Putt Around on Saturday.

The paper’s four editorial staffers, which competed under the team name “Caddy Issues,” beat out second place Fore Eyes and third place Fairway to Heaven.

There were 19 holes placed at businesses around downtown Sidney. Team scores were determined by the best nine holes.

“Thankfully that was the setup, because if it was a total cumulative score, we may have been in trouble,” Billing said.

There was a four-stroke maximum on each hole. The SDN group managed a whopping nine hole-in-ones on the 18 holes it played.

The first-place finishers were given a $200 prize, sponsored by Landon’s Lawn Care. The second-place team earned a $125 prize, sponsored by Moonflower Effect, and the third-place team earned a $75 dollar prize sponsored by Ron & Nita’s.

Billing, whose only athletic accomplishment ever was being named “most improved player” in a youth putt-putt league 20 years ago, had the best score of the group’s four players with a 45.

He definitely did not gloat over his victory on Saturday.

Amazingly, Gronneberg, who a couple of years ago surpassed 70 on the 18 holes at Vandemark Farm, finished second with a 46. In a true example of, “even blind squirrels can find nuts,” he led the group four hole-in-ones, which helped make up for five holes he shot a 4 on.

Harless, the paper’s new sports editor and far and away the most golf-experienced of the group, edged out Edmiston to stay out of last place. He shot a 51. Harless was leading the group until a disastrous finish in which he shot 4’s on six of the last seven holes the group played.

Edmiston, the paper’s least golf-experienced of the group, finished strong and nearly edged out Harless. On the last three holes the group played, she made two hole-in-ones and had a 2 to finish with a 52.