|
Monday-Saturday, July 26-31, 2004 | |
| Bemidji Town & Country Club, Bemidji, Minnesota | ||
| ||
| Birchmont Home | Bemidji Town & CC Home | The Vandersluis | ||
| 2004 Men's Championship | ||
 |  | | ||
| Spectacular Finish | ||||
| | | ||
|
BY JOHN J. McRAE The Pioneer of Bemidji BEMIDJI, Minn.
It was one of the most incredible finishes to a championship match seen at Bemidji Town and Country Club in a long time. Derek Rolle of Grand Rapids took a 1-up lead in the match with a key birdie on 16. From then on, however, fate turned in Brink's favor – in a major way. Both players hit their approach shots on the 17th green – Brink's settling 25 feet left and past the hole with Rolle about 12 feet behind the hole. Putting first Brink lined up the putt and calmly sank it, the ball on line the entire way, dying at the lip and falling in. Needing to make his to halve the hole, Rolle just missed and the match was even. "After he made a great putt on 16, I was expecting Derek to make his on 17 as well," said Brink. "I thought I'd be going into 18 down one. When he missed and the match was even, I thought, ‘OK, it's a whole new ball game.'" As he has done all week, Brink hit three wood off the tee on 18, his drive settling in the right of the fairway about 160 yards out. Rolle hit his drive wide right and faced tree trouble to get to the green. Rolle's approach flew the green and settled about 60 feet from the hole, requiring a deft chip shot to get it close. He chipped to within six feet. Brink's approach rolled through the green and settled with a nice lie just into the tall fringe about 15 feet away. "The ball jumped a bit more than I expected on my approach shot," said Brink. "But with the pin way back I wasn't unhappy with the outcome." Rolle sat six feet away from par, Brink looked over his chip for birdie. "The shot set up really well and was the kind I thought I could make," Brink said. "The line was pretty much straight in." Brink hit the perfect shot at the perfect moment – the ball slowly rolling across the green and into the hole to win the title. The partisan crowd erupted into cheers as the local boy Brink won his first Birchmont title in many tries. The final match was tight and well-played from the start. Rolle took a early 1-up lead before Brink rolled in a birdie on eight to even the match. Both made birdie on nine and 10 to halve the holes, Brink from six feet on 10. Brink made another testy eight footer on 11 for part to halve the hole. The 12th hole was halved as well with pars, Brink lipping out on a 20-foot birdie try. After another halve on 13, Rolle regained a 1-up lead on 14, rolling in a 15 footer for birdie. The Grand Rapids native then made one of his few mistakes of the match, hitting his second shot on 15 into the hazard in front of the 16th tee. Forced to take a drop, Rolle had a 12 footer to salvage par, while Brink was 30 feet away from Eagle. Brink got his putt to tap in range and Rolle conceded the hole. Brink was 1-up with three to go. Rolle didn't wilt, however, and quickly evened the match with the fine birdie on 16. But that just set up the closing heroics for Brink. "What can you do," Rolle asked with a smile after the match. If a player is to lose a tournament final, getting beat by great shots takes the sting away a bit. Brink said the entire Birchmont week was extremely special. "I think that maybe I should retire from the Birchmont right now," said Brink after the emotional win. "I've never had much luck in this tournament. Everything this year just lined up perfectly for me. "I got a good draw when I wasn't playing well, neither was my opponent. Then when my opponent played well in the quarterfinals, so did I. In my semifinal I was fortunate to catch (Tom Jenkins) when his putter was working well for him and he hit a couple untypical shots at the end. "Then, with the finish of this match it was almost like it was meant to be." View 2004 Men's Championship Brackets |
