Men’s Club match-ups
The last chapter in the Little River Men’s Club Championship has not yet been written as of today, Sept. 4, but will be by the time you are reading this column.
Topseeded Bill Brekhus downed fourth-seeded Chuck Allegrini four down with two holes to play. This win accelerated Bill into the final winner’s circle where he will compete with Zack Brooks for the 2020 Men’s Club Championship.
Zack topped very competent golfer Colin Fling last week three up with two holes left thus winning the opportunity to play Bill in the final match. In the handicap division of the Club Championship, Dapper Don Romelli bettered top-seeded Jim Ellis five holes up, with four to go. Don will play, in the final championship match, the winner of the yet-to-be-decided match between Terry Stratton and Dave Coddington. The best to all.
All the matches played the past couple weeks to decide the winners in both the scratch bracket and the handicap bracket all had their drama, their ups and downs, their crucial bounce of the ball. Lindy Peters described his match with Jim Ellis.
Standing on the 13th tee, Lindy was two down. Both Lindy and Jim hit good drives. Jim’s second shot was heading for the fifth fairway but hit a tree branch and bounced back in the middle of the fourth. Jim went on to land his third shot on the green and birdied the hole. Lindy got par, and was now three down. Jim went on to birdie hole five and hole six effectively ending the match. All Jim’s birdie putts were ten feet or more.
On the sixth hole Lindy said, “Well, you might as well make this one and get it over with.” And that Jim did.
In an earlier run-up match between Dan Barrett and Don Romelli, Dan shared his 15th hole experience: Dan said with his “trusty new Taylor Made D driver” he jerked two tee shots into the woods on the left. Don, he said, suffered a similar fate. Dan eventually found himself laying seven on the green with a 24 foot uphill breaking putt. Don laying six had a 12-footer.
Dan carefully read his putt and drained it for a quadruple bogey. Unphased, Don stepped up and dunked his 12-footer for the triple bogey to win the hole. Dan left this bad experience one up and on hole 16 both players parred then on hole 17 Dan chipped in for birdie. He was now two up with two holes to play thinking this match is over. With his trusty new D driver, Dan hooked his drives into trouble on 17 and 18 resulting in a match tie on 18. On the first playoff hole, number 19, Don sunk a difficult breaking putt to end the match.
Golf, it ain’t over ‘til it’s over!