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6-1-09
MONDAY ROUND-UP
After five top-10s and a few heartbreaking losses, Madison’s Steve Stricker got his first 2009 victory when he won in a playoff Sunday at the Crowne Plaza Invitational in Fort Worth, Texas.
Stricker, who earned $1,116,000 for his victory, led after two rounds with a tournament record 126. After a 69 in round three, he was tied for second with Steve Marino and Jason Day, two strokes behind leader Tim Clark. Stricker moved back ahead with birdies on Nos. 5 and 6 but followed them up with consecutive bogeys.
He missed a 4-footer on No. 16, but his luck turned around when he chipped in from fluffy grass behind the 17th green. In the second hole of a playoff with Clark and Marino, Stricker put his approach just 3 feet from the cup and tapped it right in to win. He finished at 17-under-par 263 (63-63-69-68).
“I feel fortunate,” Stricker said in a post-round interview. “I’ve been on the other end a couple times this year where you feel going to win and end up losing. This feels very good.”
Pewaukee native Mark Wilson tied for 22nd at 8-under 272 (67-71-66-68). He earned $59,520. Madison’s Jerry Kelly and Appleton native J.P. Hayes both missed the cut.
At the Wisconsin State Golf Association Bestball Championship, the Marquette guys beat out the UW guys. The team of Dustin Schwab and Ben Sieg edged Pat Duffy and Tyler Obermueller, 3 and 1.
Schwab and Seig went 1-up with a birdie on the fourth hole at Washington County GC in Hartford and never looked back. They increased their lead to 2-up with an eagle on the eighth hole and went 3-up with another eagle on the 17th hole.
Schwab, who just finished his senior season at Marquette, plays out of Lake Wisconsin CC in Prairie du Sac; Seig just finished his sophomore season and plays out of Osseo Golf and Recreation Center. Duffy (Butte des Morts CC in Appleton) and Obermueller (River Falls GC) both recently finished their senior seasons at the University of Wisconsin.
On their way to victory, Schwab and Seig defeated Jordan Elsen of Kenosha CC and Nick Engen of Yahara Hills GC in Madison – who also are UW players – in 19 holes; K.R. Rucker of Eau Claire G&CC and Max Hosking of Bridges GC in Madison, 4 and 2; Dave Foley of Brown Deer Park GC in Milwaukee and Alan Thompson of Old Hickory CC in Beaver Dam, 8 and 7; and Tom Chambers of The Racine CC and John Staehler of Ives Grove Golf Links in Sturtevant, 4 and 3.
It is the third straight year the WSGA Bestball champions were made up of a pair of Wisconsin college players. In 2007 Garrett Jones and Jeff Kaiser, UW teammates, won the event; last year’s tournament was won by Travis Meyer and Braden Mork, UW-Green Bay players.
On the Nationwide Tour, Wisconsin native Skip Kendall had his best finish since the March 1 Moonah Classic, where he tied for fourth. Kendall finished the Rex Hospital Open in a tie for seventh place at 13-under 271 (65-70-70-66). Kendall earned $15,815 for his finish.
Kevin Johnson beat Jeff Gallagher on the first playoff hole for his fifth career win.
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