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7-10-08
WSGA SENIOR MATCH PLAY
 Stu Grendahl, left, and Ron Hayek walk off the 18th green at the end of their match
“Two-for two, that’s pretty good,” Grendahl, 57, said afterward. “I’m very pleased.”
Grendahl, who lives in McFarland and plays out of Cherokee CC in Madison, won his second WSGA Senior Match Play at West Bend CC on Thursday morning, 1-up, in see-saw championship match against Ron Hayek of Waukesha.
Hayek, a member of Morningstar GC in Waukesha, led through the first five holes. But the lead changed hands three times after that before Hayek squared the match once more with a par at the par-3 17 hole as Grendahl made bogey.
The match was finally decided when Hayek’s approach shot on the par-4 18th hole rolled off the bank in front of the green and into a pond. After briefly thinking about blasting it from the water’s edge, Hayek took a drop and chipped to the edge of the green with his fourth shot. After missing the putt from the fringe, Hayek conceded Grendahl his short par putt and the match.
“I used to think I was a terrible match play player – actually, I shouldn’t say I thought I was, I was a terrible match play player,” Grendahl said. “But over the years I’ve gotten better at it. I don’t know, it’s a different mentality. You just have to grind it out.”
A prime reason Grendahl had to grind related to his struggles in reading the greens at West Bend CC. While admitting it his was his problem and had nothing to do with the true-running putting surfaces, Grendahl admitted he never got the speed right on the uphill and downhill putts he attempted. But he made just enough putts to win his matches.
In the Monday stroke-play qualifier that precedes the match-play portion of the tournament, Grendahl emerged as the medalist with a score of even-par 73. Steve Johnson of Ozaukee CC in Mequon was second with a 75, and there was a four-player tie at 76.
In the Super-Seniors division for players 65 and older, Tom Bast won the title on his home course over Jim Bakken of Blackhawk CC in Madison on Wednesday by the score of 5 and 4.
Bakken was the medalist of the Super-Senior qualifying round on Monday with a score of 75. Bast was second with a 77.
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