It came down to an extra-hole playoff and a 15-foot birdie putt by Rick Hallberg to win his first-ever Saskatoon Auto Clearing senior men’s golf championship Thursday over nine-time champion Colin Coben at Moon Lake Golf and Country Club.
Last putt wins.
It came down to an extra-hole playoff and a 15-foot birdie putt by Rick Hallberg to win his first-ever Saskatoon Auto Clearing senior men’s golf championship Thursday over nine-time champion Colin Coben at Moon Lake Golf and Country Club.
“Putts need to drop and, today, that one happened to drop,” shrugged the 60-year-old Hallberg, who is headed to Kenosee next to play in the White Moose two-man tournament.
Coben narrowly missed on his downhill putt, from a similar distance, that had much more break than Hallberg’s.
“He was in a better (position),” said Coben, who plays out of the Delisle Golf Club. “I couldn’t stroke it really good. I thought I made a decent putt, but he was in a good spot. Not today.”
Hallberg settled for a 75 in his final round Thursday for a three-day score of 220 (72-73-75). Coben, who entered the day two strokes back of Hallberg, carded a 73 Thursday for his three-day total of 220 (74-73-73).
“I finished second quite a few times. It’s all right. It’s always good to win. I always like coming to this tournament to see all the guys again. That’s what it’s all about: getting up here and seeing all our friends that we’ve made through the years.”
It came down to one final putt.
“Rick played well — he’s a good player,” acknowledged Coben.
Coben was able to force a playoff on Hole No. 17 when he stuck it to within a foot and birdied, while Hallberg lipped out on a par putt. That two-stroke swing left the golfers all squared up coming home.
“On 17, I said to my wife/caddie (Sherry Anderson), ‘I got to get a hole-in-one here. Nothing’s happening and I’m running out of holes.’ And it stops, a little over a foot, from going in. I made 2 and Rick missed a putt, lipped out, so I I got two back that way, anyway. And then we halved the last hole. He doused me on the extra hole. But he’s a good champion to lose to.”
Darren Walls of Saskatoon placed third with a three-day score of 222 after fired an even-par 72 Thursday.
“He was really playing good and then he went out of bounds,” noted Coben.
Rick Hillestad of Saskatoon captured the super senior trophy with a three-day score of 230 (78-72-80). Keith Silvernagle of Biggar was next at 233 (79-78-76). Pat Murphy placed third in the super senior category with a three-day total of 237 (84-76-77).
BUNKER BLASTS: The Saskatchewan senior men’s and women’s championships will be held July 23-25 at the Evergreen Golf and Curling Club in Nipawin … The Golf Saskatchewan provincial championship tournament schedule kicks off with the Saskatchewan junior boys and girls championships July 3-5 at the Deer Park Municipal Golf Course in Yorkton.
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