It was a case of youth and enthusiasm overcoming age and experience at Boscobel as the Texas Two-Man championship needed a playoff to determine a winner.
Jimmy Willson and Rick Cobb are both senior golfers. They spotted their playoff opponents about 60 years as Williams and Cobb ended regulation play tied with the much younger Ron Clontz and even younger Peter Mathiason.
Clontz and Mathiason shot an opening round 59 to hold a 1-shot lead over the full field of 140 golfers.
When all 36 holes were played, both teams finished with 121, but it wasn’t the score as much as the way each team finished that was the story.
Cobb and Wilson were happy, Clontz and Mathiason not so much.
Cobb and Wilson shot an opening round 60 to trail Clontz and Mathiason by a shot and be tied with the team of Brad Sill and Jimmy Shaw for second place going into the final round.
On Sunday, Clontz and Mathiason, a former Clemson golfer who recently earned status on the PGA Tour’s Mackenzie Tour, seemed to be in position to make their one shot lead hold up.
“When we made two straight birdies on the back nine I thought we were right there,” said Clontz. “We were both playing well and had our chances,” he said.
Cobb and Wilson, playing in the group in front of the leaders, were also playing well.
They started their day with an eagle and strung enough good shots together to finish with a 61 for a two day total of 121 and the clubhouse lead.
“We didn’t do anything spectacular, just brother-in-lawed it around the course,” said Cobb. “We did have one chance to pick up a shot or we wouldn’t have had to worry about a playoff,” he said.
The team came very close to a second eagle that could have won the tournament in regulation when Wilson’s third shot on the final hole, dipped into the cup, but popped out.
Waiting for the last groups to finish, it looked like there would not be a playoff as Clontz hit a great shot to the par-5 18th hole green.
But with the win just a putt away Clontz missed the putt that would have secured the victory.
It meant his team shot a second round 62 for their 121 total and a tie with Cobb and Wilson.
The par 4 ninth hole was picked for the playoff. It allowed many of the golfers who played in the tournament the opportunity to see the playoff from the scoreboard area just above the ninth green.
Neither team was in good birdie position the first time the hole was played, but that changed the second time.
Playing #9 for the second time Clontz drove the 270 yard par-4 green to set up another eagle chance and almost certainly a birdie.
Neither Wilson or Cobb could match Clontz’s shot and the team that came into the final round leading won the tournament on the second playoff hole.
Clontz, who blamed himself for putting his team into the playoff, enjoyed the chance to make up for his miss.
“We had the win right there and I let it get away, but it was nice to be able to come back and get another chance,” he said.
The team of Sill and Shaw finished third in the championship flight with a 122 total. Blake Williamson and Whitt Jefferson finished in fourth place.
Flight winners included: First Flight – Steven Reed and Brad Tedstone, Second Flight – Jacob and Jason Lord, Third Flight – Josh Williams and Danny Day, Fourth Flight – Geoffrey and Ken Bail, Fifth Flight – Trent Peoples and Bryson Higginbotham.
The tournament included a full field of 140 golfers.
Categories: Upstate Amateur Golf
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