Utah Senior Match Play: Poulsen comes from behind for the victory
SYRACUSA, UT (May 27, 2010) -- Steve
Poulson won the last three holes to edge Jeff
Powars for the UGA Senior Match Play
Championship Friday at Glen Eagle and Brent
Tidwell dug out of a big early hole to come
from behind to win the Super Senior Division
and dash the hopes of ‘upset kid’ Sterling
Larsen, 3 and 2. In the Net Division Val Cahoon
defeated Gus Stribakos, 5 and 4.
Poulson and Powars had parried all day until
Powars took the only 2-up lead of the match
with only three holes to play.
On the 16th hole Powars, hitting from the
rough, came up short of the green, and then
missed a putt to post a rare bogey to cut his
lead to one with two to play. The committee
had shortened the par four 17th hole to a
tantalizing risk-reward situation. Poulson chose
not to take the risk and hit an 8-iron layup
instead of going for the green. Powars went
for the green and knocked it in the water and
that squared the match going into the par five
final hole.
Powars hit his drive in the rough and couldn’t
reach the green in two. Poulson knew that he
could gain an advantage if he could clear the
bunker between him and the hole, but the
bunker was 233 yards away and that required
maximum distance from his trusty four-wood.
This time he took the gamble, cleared the
bunker and made birdie likely. Powars missed
his birdie effort and Poulson sank a three-
footer to win the title.
He reached the title match by defeating Dan
Parkinson, Dave Fischer, Bill Probst, and Mike
Hacker. He also won the title in 2007 at
Wingpointe, defeating Al Simkins in the final
match.
In the Super Senior Division championship
match Brent Tidwell bogeyed the first four
holes and found himself three down against
underdog Sterling Larsen. Realizing that in
match play ’bogeys are losers and pars are
winners’ he settled down and finished the front
nine with five straight pars and squared the
match at the turn.
Tidwell took the lead on the tenth with a birdie
and then won 13 and 15 with pars to close out
Larsen, 3 and 2. Larsen parred his way into the
finals, defeating Greg Fraser 2 and 1, and then
upsetting Dave Hansen and Rich Gibbons with
2 and 1 verdicts.
Tidwell’s route to the title included wins over
John Pappas, 5 and 4; Heber Jacobsen, 3 and
2; defending champion Dick Peacock, 1-up;
and Larsen, 3 and 2.
Val Cahoon won the Net Division with a 3 and
2 win over Lee Garner, 5 and 4 over Al
Krahenbuhl, a forfeit win over Scott Burt, and
the 5 and 4 win over Gus Stribakos.
View results for Utah Senior State Amateur
ABOUT THE Utah Senior State Amateur
Match Play Fields: Championship - 32 Players, Super
Senior - 16 Players, Net - 16 Players, Women - 8
Players. Pre-qualifying
required.
Match Play Draw: The draw for match play will be
based on the lowest handicap differential that was
posted for a players qualifying round for players who
advanced. Net players will be seeded on lowest net
differentials. Ties in differentials will be decided by
lot.
View Complete Tournament Information