The Woodlawn Classic couldn't have ended in more dramatic fashion.
After opening the tournament on Saturday with a two-under par 70, Marcus Friess began the final round with a four shot lead over Brendon Grube. Grube bogeyed the 11th hole to fall five shots back with only seven holes to play. The comeback may have seemed insurmountable, but Grube kept hitting the shots he needed.
Over the next six holes he chipped away at Friess' lead until he stood two back of Friess on the 18th tee.
"It was one of those things where I knew where I was the whole round. I was struggling. I didn't make any birdies. I knew I had to make eagle on 18 to tie him, and I was lucky enough to get the putt to go," said Grube.
After the tee shots, Grube hit his approach on the par-5 18th hole with a 7-iron and left himself just 10 feet for the eagle putt.
He said he didn't feel much pressure standing over the putt on 18. Playing in the horse race the day before, with a couple hundred eyes watching every shot, he said was certainly more nerve-wracking.
"Playing the horse race last night, you got a couple hundred people watching you, so you get used to that pressure pretty quick. I knew I had to make it so I just wanted to put a good stroke on it," he said.
"My hat's off to him," said Friess. "That was an amazing shot. He hit his second shot to six or seven feet or something like that. That's a wicked shot to that island green. I can't say that I played too safe because I had a two-shot lead on the tee box. I just thought, you know what, make a par. If he's going to beat you, he's going to beat you."
With Friess parring the final hole, Grube's ensuing pressure putt sent the two golfers back to the first tee for a one-hole playoff.
Both tee shots were wayward, ending up in the right rough. Friess was away but didn't hit his approach cleanly and left it a few yards short of the green.
The advantage went to Grube, but his approach also came up short.
"After he hit his short, all I was thinking was 'get it onto the green.' Obviously, I hit the same shot as him. I hit it a little fat. I drew a good lie on that chip shot, so I was lucky in that aspect," said Grube.
Friess hit his chip first but left it well short of the front pin location, just eking it onto the green. Grube then played a good pitch shot out of the rough to about three feet. He rolled it in, capping off the big comeback after Friess missed his par putt.
"It just wasn't really there for me today. I'm not striking the ball that well. Basically, all that I had this weekend was a hot putter," said Friess after Sunday's round. "That was with me today, but the putts yesterday were for birdie, and today they were for pars."
In Saturday's horse race, starting with all 12 golfers who made the championship flight, one was eliminated after each hole as the golfers play a match play against the field on the front nine. When it came to the ninth and final hole, it was Grube and Friess squaring off.
While Grube got the best of Friess on Sunday, it was Friess who staved off defeat in the horse race. For him, that was consolation enough.
"Since I was 16 years old, all I ever wanted to do was win the horse race," Friess said. "That was a pretty big deal for me. It's my favourite part about this weekend. It's just a lot of fun to be out there in front of everybody to hear the roars and cheers."
Rounding out the championship flight was Joel Bevington in third and Anthony Melle in fourth. Melle finished two shots back of Cody Balon, who was disqualified after admitting to signing an incorrect scorecard.
Winning the senior championship flight was Terry Rohatyn, who would have tied both Grube and Friess had he been playing in the premier men's flight. Clark McClelland finished second in the senior division, followed by Monte Ellington.
