Drew Greenwood needed unlikely par saves on back-to-back holes to stay alive against Beau Glover Monday in the finals of Arkansas State Golf Association Match Play Championship.
Then Greenwood won the match with a 2-foot birdie on the first extra hole at the Greens at North Hills in Sherwood, and it erased disappointment that has lingered inside Greenwood for a year.
Victory finally came on the 19th hole of a match that started 26 hours earlier and was delayed twice by lightning and thunderstorms.
For Greenwood, who lost 4-and-3 to Stan Lee in the finals of the 2013 ASGA Match Play Championship, it was worth the wait.
"After last year, all I got asked about was, 'You got second place in Match Play? You got second place in the Match Play,?' " Greenwood said. "This year I got to come back and finally get revenge, so it's a great feeling."
A par for Glover on the par-3 15th was enough for him to pull all-square with Greenwood. Both golfers parred No. 16, but it appeared Glover was about to go 1-up with one hole to play on the par-3 17th.
Greenwood's tee shot missed to the left on 17, leaving him a tricky chip from thick grass with little green, all downhill, between his choice of landing zones. He managed to put it on, 5 feet away, and sunk the putt to remain all-square.
Glover, who made a 7-foot par putt of his own, was impressed.
"The up and down he made on 17 was a 1-in-10," he said. "Out of the thick rough to that pin, he hit a great shot to get up there. And then he made a good putt, as well."
"That par was the biggest turn of events for me," Greenwood said. "That putt, and then the putt on 18, I felt really got me going to where I felt like I could win it early in extra holes."
Glover hit the par-5 18th green in three, and Greenwood in four with about 15 feet left to save par.
Glover's 20-foot birdie putt to win hit the edge of the cup and rolled 3 feet past.
Greenwood, 20, of Hot Springs, was left with a putt of 15 feet to extend play.
"I put so much time and effort into my putting," Greewood said. "I'm always on the putting green at home practicing, giving myself putts to win a tournament, so that was an opportunity to have everything I've worked for pay off."
His putt hit dropped in the center of the cup.
Glover, 29, of North Little Rock, seemed unsurprised.
"In match play, I always assume they're going to make it," he said.
"That putt was huge," Greenwood said. "It gave me a lot of momentum, so it helped me a lot with No. 1."
Both players were near the fringe of the par-5 hole in two shots.
Glover chipped from 90 feet away, and the ball rolled to within 3 feet of the pin before hitting a slight downslope. It stopped 45 feet away.
Greenwood chipped to 2 feet. Glover missed his long putt, and Greenwood sunk his for victory.
Greenwood gave credit to his caddie, Jamie Barker. "He does a great job of keeping me level," he said. "He helped me the entire tournament."
The gallery included Glover's grandparents, parents, wife, and two sons. Glover said his children, including a third son due in two weeks, help him tolerate losses more than he once did.
"Years ago this would've really been hard, but there are more important things in life now," Glover said. "Obviously I wanted to win, but I'll go home tonight, play with the kids, go to bed, and then get up and go to work. I had a fun week. It was grueling, but it was fun."
Sports on 08/19/2014