Former champions vied for both the men’s and women’s match play golf championships at The Crossings last weekend.
In the men’s championship final Sunday, Jason Rongstad won his fourth club championship, beating defending champion and three-time winner Kevin McFarland 1-up.
Carol Mulder captured her 10th ladies’ club championship with a 3-and-2 win over two-time champion Kathy Ward on Saturday.
Rongstad wins 4th
Rongstad, who was the medalist in Saturday’s qualifying round with a 2-under-par 70, advanced to the championship match with wins over Chuck Vien, Dennis Larson and Bryce Nordaune.
McFarland reached the finals with wins over Tyler Sachariason, Steve Beals and Paul Teichert.
The nine-hole title match was contested on the course’s back nine.
Both players birdied the par-4 10th hole, and they halved the par-3 11th with two-putt pars.
Rongstad took the lead when he reached the par-5 12th hole in two shots and made birdie.
Both men made pars on the double dog-leg, par-5 13th.
McFarland nearly tied the match on the par-4 14th when his birdie pitch shot from in front of the green caught part of the hole, but lipped out.
Both players just missed birdie putts on the short par-3 15th, leaving Rongstad one shot ahead with three holes to play.
It appeared that Rongstad would take control of the match on the par-4 16th. After hitting a booming 320-yard drive, Rongstad flipped his second shot within four feet of the cup.
After McFarland missed the green with his second shot and made bogey, Rongstad also made bogey when both his birdie and par putts spun out of the hole.
The short par-4 17th and 18th holes are the epitome of match play golf, presenting potential eagle and birdie opportunities, but plenty of trouble, too.
Rongstad’s 3-wood tee shot on the 17th landed just over the green and bounced into the river. Not realizing his opponent was in trouble, McFarland went for the green with a driver, but he his drive also ended up in the river.
After having to hit from the tee box again, both players wound up making double bogeys, sending the match to the final hole with Rongstad still holding his 1-up lead.
Rongstad’s drive hit one of the trees guarding the 18th green, while McFarland’s tee shot wound up in high, but leaving him with an extremely delicate second shot to a lightning fast, sloping green.
Rongstad had to hit a low punch shot under the trees from below the green. His second shot ended up on the back of the green, leaving him a very delicate downhill putt.
Although he was just 15 yards from the green, McFarland had a second shot that was virtually impossible to keep on the green and his ball wound up just off the fringe.
McFarland was unable to make the birdie he needed, and Rongstad was able to two-putt for his par, giving him his fourth club championship.
“I just made a lot of pars. It was a grind out there,” said Rongstad, who previously won the club championship in 1999, 2001 and 2002.
“He’s (McFarland) a great player, a three-time champion. It was just my day, I guess.”
Mulder wins her 10th
Playing virtually error-free golf on a sultry Saturday, Carol Mulder won her 10th Montevideo ladies’ club championship.
After receiving a first-round bye, Mulder defeated Barb Huntley to reach the finals, while Kathy Ward advanced to the title match with wins over Brianna Nordaune and Kathy Gordon.
Ward, a two-time ladies club champion, won the first (10th) hole with a par, but Mulder came back to win the 11th hole with a bogey and the par-5 12th and 13th with pars to take a 2-up lead.
After both players parred the 14th hole, Mulder took a three-hole lead by parring the par-3 15th.
The match ended on the 16th hole when both players made par.
“I just didn’t get in trouble. That was the best part (of my game), I guess,” said Mulder.
Greg Mulder defends
senior championship
Greg Mulder defended his men’s senior flight championship, edging Paul Gervais in a sudden-death playoff hole in the final.
Fourty-two men and 16 women competed in the tournament.
Men’s Flight Winners
Championship
1. Jason Rongstad
2. Kevin McFarland
3. Paul Teichert
4. Bryce Nordaune
C. Phillip Ward
1st Flight
1. Doug Strei
2. Ken Olson
C. Chuck Vien
2nd Flight
1. Joe Rongstad
2. Todd Golden
C. Robb Sachariason
3rd Flight
1. Stacy Tufto
2. Todd Hay
C. Mike Salisbury
4th Flight
1. Dan Westby
2. Matt Sather
C. Jeremiah Ergen
5th Flight
1. Ben Nygaard
2. Jamey Thompson
C. Doug Sampson
Seniors Championship
1. Greg Mulder
2. Paul Gervais
C. Vern Teichert
Seniors 1st Flight
1. Pete Rongstad
2. Bob Nordaune
C. Roger Lauritsen
Ladies’ Flight Winners
Championship
1. Carol Mulder
2. Kathy Ward
3. Barb Huntley
1st Flight
1. Jan Sachariason
2. Sheryl Mann
3. Gretchen Reeves
Men’s Championship
Flight Qualifiers
Kevin McFarland DC
Jason Rongstad 70
Bryce Nordaune 75
Phillip Ward 75
Bill Gordon 78
Ken Olson 78
Paul Teichert 78
Steve Beals 79
Brian Berget 79
Dennis Larson 79
Tom Reeves 81
Mitch Collins 82
Doug Strei 82
Mark Jaspersen 83
Chuck Vien 83
Tyler Sachariason 83
