Swift start, slow grind leads to title
BRIAN KENNEDY
The Daily Mountain Eagle
Published July 30, 2007 11:22 PM CDT
A swift start turned into a slow grind, but as the daylight waned at Musgrove Country Club Sunday evening, Birmingham golfer Will Swift had persevered and was crowned the 2007 champion of the Travis Hudson/Bernard Weinstein Invitational tournament. Entering the final round of the 54-hole tournament, Swift held a two-stroke lead over Jasper native Steve Hudson and a three-stroke advantage over UAB golfer Zac Sucher. The 29-year-old Swift, who captured the prestigious State Mid-Amateur tournament in 2006, quickly extended his cushion to six strokes over the pair of competitors with four birdies in the first seven holes.
The final nine holes of the tournament were a bit more adventurous for Swift, however, as a double bogey on the 10th hole saw the gap narrow. Going into the final three holes, Swift’s lead had vanished as he and Sucher would battle to the final hole before a tap-in par earned Swift the one-stroke victory.
“It feels good, even though I almost let it get away,” Swift said. “I got off to a great start and knew that I was in pretty good shape at the turn. I had a little stretch of tough play there and then I had to grind my way around the back nine holes. I definitely think it was an experience that will help me in the future.”
Swift, who displayed the uncanny ability to bounce back anytime he started to struggle in the tournament, was able to come back from the double bogey on 10 with an 8-foot birdie putt on 11.
“When I look back on it, that birdie on 11 may have been the key,” Swift said. “If I don’t make that putt, Zac is riding a wave of momentum into the closing holes.”
That putt also reassured Swift that he could continue to come back from adversity. He was faced with it again on the 13th hole when his bogey putt lipped out and Sucher’s par tied the two players at 9-under par for the tournament. Swift came right back to hit a 9-foot birdie putt on the next hole to reclaim the lead.
The rollercoaster-style play continued as Swift bogeyed the 15th hole to allow Sucher back into a tie. Both players birdied the 16th and matched pars on the 17th to set up the final hole dramatics.
In fading light, both players found the fairway and made efforts to reach the par-5 hole in two. Swift came up just short, but Sucher went into the one place he had hoped to avoid — the right greenside bunker.
“I told myself over that shot to go left,” Sucher said. “The only place I didn’t want to be was in that sand trap.”
The sand shot was increasingly difficult because of the heavy rains that delayed the tournament by two hours during Sunday’s play. Uncertain of how the ball would come out of the wet sand, Sucher’s play landed in the ankle-deep rough surrounding the green. He would bogey the hole and allow Swift two cracks at a potential par and the victory.
“When we started the 18th hole, I thought if I could make a birdie that we could go to a playoff and see what happened,” Swift said. “Zac ran into trouble in the bunker and although I really wanted to make that putt, I knew that two putts would win the tournament.”
While the finale came down to two golfers, the drama leading into the final holes also included Hudson. As a favorite of the loyal followers streaming alongside play over the final hole, Hudson was only a single stroke from the first-place tie with three holes to play. Unfortunately, a bogey on the 16th and a double bogey on the 17th took Hudson out of the race going into the last hole.
“I’ve known Steve and Tab (Hudson) for a long time and think the world of both of them. That’s one of the reasons I am so honored to win this particular tournament,” Swift said. “I never knew their father (Travis), but judging from his boys he had to be a special person. Because of that relationship, and knowing some of those who have won here over the years, I am both proud and honored to be this year’s champion.”
