Wicked winds and a torrential downpour didn’t deter players competing in the Niagara-on-the-Lake Golf Club’s annual club championships on the weekend.
The competition was top-notch and some excellent scores were posted despite Sunday’s rain-interrupted finale.
The two-day, 36-hole tournament featured several close-fought matches, late-round drama with two playoffs, plus the ecstasy and agony of great shots made and plenty more that coulda been.
Mother Nature threw the golfers a curve with a slashing thunderstorm and rain blowing sideways early Sunday afternoon, interrupting play as the top competitors were just getting underway.
The nasty tempest hit hard just before 1:30 p.m., closed the course and delayed play for about 45 minutes.
When it blew over, the sun was beaming but gale-force gusts out of the northwest continued to wreak havoc.
And through all that adversity, the marquee competitions — the men’s and women’s open divisions — were both decided by a single shot.
Former club assistant pro Ricky Watson duelled all weekend with golf buddies James Grigjanis-Meusel and Devon Neudorf, before surging ahead on the 16th hole on Sunday to win by one shot, with a two-round total of 152 (75-77) to 153 (77-76).
Neudorf finished third in the three-man race with 159 (79-80).
In the women’s open, Louise Robitaille held off nine-time champ Martha Cruikshank to earn her fourth open title.
Robitaille’s 89-90 score for a two-day total of 179 was one shot better than Cruikshank (89-91).
Cruikshank’s double-bogey 5 on the final hole was the difference. Another former women’s champ, Yolanda Henry, was close behind with 183.
Cruikshank’s performance landed her in a playoff for the Senior women’s crown with Ginny Green (91-89).
Green two-putted from the back of the green on the first playoff hole to win. With the loss Cruikshank took the Super Seniors title.
There was plenty of drama on the men’s side as well.
Through two days of competition, Watson and defending champ Grigjanis-Meusel were seldom more than a shot apart, with the lead sliding back and forth.
The 16th hole played a major role in deciding the men’s open — again.
The par-4 is a sharp dogleg left with a green backing onto the Lake Ontario shoreline. With both players less than 100 yards out, Grigjanis-Meusel landed his approach on the top of the two-tier green but it scooted across the surface and out of bounds.
Watson had done the same thing on the front nine and made bogey, but this time he parred it and went ahead by one shot when Grigjanis-Meusel made 6.
It was almost an identical scenario to the 2020 open when Joe Doria was tied with Grigjanis-Meusel but scorched his approach over the embankment on the same hole. That led to the first of three champion crowns for Grigjanis-Meusel.
Doria was unable to play this year but watched the final round and witnessed the out-of-bounds shot. “I know how that feels,” he said.
Watson and Grigjanis-Meusel closed with pars on the final two holes.
The drama continued in the men’s Super Seniors flight (over age 70) as 2022 and 2023 winner Gary Stuggins (80-83) and Rick Janes (84-79) both finished at 163. Ted Carmichael was right behind at 164.
In the playoff, both Janes and Stuggins ripped long drives on the first hole and made par.
But on #2 Stuggins’ drive clipped a large tree on the right side of the fairway, leaving him some 200 yards to the green.
Janes was in the middle of the fairway and hit a short iron to about 12 feet and a chance for a birdie.
Stuggins was three to the back of the green and conceded after his fourth shot skittered past the hole.
Patrick Craig celebrated winning the Senior men’s title, shooting a stellar second-round 75 after an opening 84 (159). Stephen Warboys followed with 78-84 (162) and defending Seniors champ Jon Taylor was third with 80-83 (163).
In the men’s D flight, John Kozik sank a 20-foot par putt on the 18th hole Sunday for what proved to be the winning margin over Bill Smethurst.
Other Top 3 finishers on the weekend were:
Women’s A flight: Maria Townley (183), Susan Gagne (189), Cathy Murray (197).
Women’s B flight: Margot Richardson (186), Judy Mantle (189), May Chang (202).
Women’s C flight: Cathy Taylor (206), Robin Foster (211), Sharron Marlow (221).
Women’s D flight: Carolyn Porter (216), Marg Ketcheson (219), Sandie Boyer (226).
Men’s A flight: A.J. Harlond (166), Mark Chapman (175), Nick Elia and Rob Reimer (176).
Men’s B flight: Kevin MacLean (167), John Sobil (171), Rob Chubey (177).
Men’s C flight: Brian McKillop (174), Paul Jacot (177), Ted Baker (179).
Men’s D flight: John Kozik (171), Bill Smethurst (172), Mike Henry (177).
