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Paynesville Press - August 14, 2002

Johnson, Deyak win club championships

By Andy Jones and Michael Jacobson

close to pin contestDave Johnson and Sally Deyak won the club championships at Koronis Hills Golf Course on Sunday.

Both the women's and the men's championships featured 27 holes, with players starting with a round on the back, then playing nine holes on the front, before finishing with nine more holes on the back.

Pictured at right is Tom Ramler and his fellow competitors on Saturday at Koronis Hills. They are watching Ramler's iron shot during a closest-to-the-pin contest. Ramler won the contest with an approximately 150-yard shot ten feet from the pin.

Both Johnson and Deyak won by three strokes. Johnson topped Tom Notch, the 1992 and 2000 champion, and Deyak bested RaNae Martinson, a five-time club champion, most recently in 1999.

Johnson shot a one-under-par round of 34 on the first nine and had a three-shot lead over Kevin Odell after nine holes. Johnson had three birdies to offset two bogeys in his first round. He birdied #12 and #18, which are both par fives, and #16, a par four, in his opening round.

Johnson shot a 40 on the front nine and was challenged by Notch, who shot a one-over-par round of 37 and trailed by one shot to begin the final round.

In the final round, Johnson built a three-stroke lead over Notch, only to see him birdie #13 and #14 to cut his lead to one. Johnson, who shot 39 to Notch's 41 in the final round, picked up two strokes over the last four holes to win by three.

Johnson said he didn't hit many greens in regulation but had a good short game and putted really well. "I played well. I had very few putts. That was the key," said Johnson.

It was the second title for Johnson, who also won the club championship in 1994 when it was match play. It is the fifth championship for his family, as his father, Todd, is a two-time winner and his brother, Dan, won once.

Johnson said he was glad not to take second place again, which he has done a half dozen times.

Notch wound up in second place with Ryan Mackedanz and Murry Rafferty tying for third.

In the women's championship, Deyak took a three-stroke lead after the first round and built that to a seven-stroke lead going into the final nine holes. Deyak said she made lots of easy pars, putting the ball well on the good-rolling greens, before running into a little trouble on #7 and #8 on the front, hitting a drive out of bounds and taking back-to-back double bogeys.

Still, Deyak led by seven to start the final round, which led her to play defensively, she said.

Martinson made a charge on the final round, playing the first eight holes in three-over-par and cutting the deficit to one stroke with a hole to play. But Deyak parred the last hole, hitting a nervous four iron onto the green in regulation and two-putting to win by three strokes.

"RaNae played excellent golf on the back nine," said Deyak, who won her first club championship in her third year of playing in the tournament. "She played par golf, and I played bogey golf."

Deyak, who placed third last year, two strokes back, and second in 2000, was excited to win. On the last hole, with the championship still on the line, she told herself, "Oh, no, not another letdown." But "I just hung in there," she added. "I'm thrilled I won."

Flights for the men were match plays, with Chris Stanley winning the first flight, Steve Fuchs winning the second flight, and Glenn Thompson winning the third flight.

On Saturday night, Koronis Hills had its second shootout and closest-to-the-pin contest. Tom Ramler won the closest-to-the-pin contest for men and women with an iron shot to ten feet.

In the shootout, whichever golfer had the highest score on a hole was eliminated. If there was a tie, there was a chip-off. Rafferty won the eight-player championship flight on a chip-off on #7, with Notch taking second. Lori Rohe was the women's champion, beating Deyak, also on a chip-off on #7. In the seven-player first flight, Troy Caldwell won with a par on #7, with Steve Fuchs taking second. In the second flight, Ross Amundson won, with Thompson taking second.

Club Championships

Men's Championship Flight
1) Dave Johnson 34-40-39 = 113
2) Tom Notch 38-37-41 = 116
T3) Ryan Mackedanz 40-37-40 = 117
T3) Murry Rafferty 40-38-39 = 117
5) Mike Atkinson 41-38-40 = 119
6) Lee Landsteiner 41-40-39 = 120

Women's Championship Flight
1) Sally Deyak 39-42-44 = 125
2) RaNae Martinson 42-46-40 = 128
3) Dorothy Martinson 43-45-46 = 134

First Flight
First Chris Stanley
Second John Janotta
Consolation Mark Larson

Second Flight
First Steve Fuchs
Second Dave Currens
Consolation Buddy Beier

Third Flight
First Glenn Thompson
Second Chuck Chesness
Consolation Matt Martinson



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