Crescent-News.com - City golf championship on the line

By JASON STEIN

cnsports@crescent-news.com

While summer winds down and area golfers have had plenty of time to fine-tune their game, it is once again time to find out who's the best golfer in Defiance as the 28th Annual Budweiser/Defiance City Golf Championship tees-off Saturday and Sunday.

"I hate to call it the end of the golf season but it kind of traditionally is now," remarked Budweiser City Beverage owner Tom Sauer. "Hopefully we'll have a couple more months of golfing weather, but after Labor Day it kind of winds down."

Last year saw a new champion crowned on the men's side when Matt Haviland bested the field by seven strokes over two-time champion Bob Switzer Jr. (1987 and 2004) and 1989 champion Ed Spatz, while on the women's side, Lisa Smith racked up her seventh overall title and fifth straight.

Haviland, Smith and a host of other champions and competitors once again fill the field as over 120 golfers attempt to tame and tackle the courses of Auglaize, the site of Saturday's first round, and Kettenring Country Club, the host course for Sunday's finale.

Other champions expected to tee it up in this year's field include 12-time champion Steve Meyer, who finished tied for fourth last year alongside his brother Bill, Dr. James LaLonde, Switzer, Spatz and potentially a few others.

"I really appreciate them coming back year after year, they are all real competitive and darn good golfers," remarked Sauer. "For me it's a chance to reminisce because I only see (some of the participants) once or twice a year. It's just nice they come back to play. I also like to see the variety of different players and how they attack the courses, it's fun to watch. Anyone in the field has a chance at being the city champ."

The men's field is once again wide open and a talented group of veterans and young guns in the Championship Flight all have as good a shot as any to win the event this year, which has seen five different people win it from 2002-2007.

Steve Meyer, who last won the event in 2003, enters play after picking up the club championship at Auglaize back in August and is joined in the field by his brother and Kettenring's 2008 club champion, Bill Meyer, who is still in search of his first city title.

While any of the past champions certainly know what it takes to win, Sauer pointed out that there are a lot of others who will have a say in the tournament this season, including players such as Jesse Scott, A.J. Hench, Tim Leonard, Mark Sanchez, DeWayne Massengale and "many others."

On the women's side it's the saying "to be the best you have to beat the best" and over the last five years, Smith has proven to be the best. Saturday will mark her quest for her sixth straight title, which is the second most in a row for either the men or women, with Martha Mallott's string of nine straight (1987-1995) leading the way.

"She is very competitive and really works at her game, so give her credit for that, she's always trying to get better," lauded Sauer. "Stacy Hinkle every year gets close to Lisa, and I know it's a good friendly competition with them. I think Stacy one year will have a breakout year."

Hinkle finished just five shots behind Smith in last year's tournament and will be out once again in the women's field to see if this is the year she gets to the top. Joining Smith and Hinkle in the women's top flight will be Mindy Liffick, Jenni Saner and Mary Walter, all veterans of the city tournament.

As if playing on the 6,400 yard, par-72 more open course at Auglaize on Saturday and then transferring to the narrower fairways of Kettenring, a par-71, 6,200-yard course wasn't challenging enough, the task this year will be made slightly more difficult thanks to the dry conditions experienced over the past several weeks.

With players typically able to play a more open game at Auglaize, they may be wiser this season to take on a more strategic approach as the roughs are dryer than normal.

"Anything inside the fairways, where the sprinkler system gets, is in pretty good shape, although there are a few areas that are lacking some turf," remarked Auglaize's Course Superintendent, Shawn Golz. "If you're outside the sprinklers, in the rough, it's pretty much a runway. It's hard, the grass is thin and it could definitely be a penalty. I think it's going to play hard and fast (even if we get some rain), which may help some, but not enough."

The same can be said over at Kettenring as well, as it is more important than ever to play on the lush, green fairways.

"We have to soak the middle of the fairways to keep them nice and green all the way to the outside of the fairways," remarked Kettenring's head professional, Robert Truckor. "Beyond that, the water doesn't get to the rough, so it's even more of a price to pay if you're in the rough. If the ball gets just off the fairway even a little bit, it's going to just roll a long ways and that's what you don't want out here. You want the course to play slow and soft so you can hit it to each point and have it stick there.

"There are a lot of holes out here like Nos. 14 and 15 where there are doglegs and you don't need to hit it long," he continued. "You need to hit it short and straight. If you hit it long and crooked, it's going to really penalize you."

Players begin their two-day journey of golfing fun with the first group teeing off tomorrow at 7:30 a.m. and the latest one slated to go off at 1:40 p.m.