Bronson La' Cassie wins at Sunset Hills on fifth playoff hole
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Updated: Mon 5/18/2009 8:37 am
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The Sunset Hills NGA Classic presented by the city of Edwardsville and the village of Glen Carbon had everything you want in a final round of championship golf. There was sunshine, a robust golf course and enthusiastic gallery, impressive golf shots and — most important — lots of drama.
The only thing missing as the show went on Sunday afternoon was a winner. Finally, on the fifth playoff hole, Bronson La' Cassie of Brisbane, Australia, provided the finishing touch. Locked in an overtime struggle with Kelly Grunewald of Grand Prairie, Texas, and playing the 18th hole at Sunset Hills for the fourth time on the day, La' Cassie put a 9-iron shot six feet from the flag. When Grunewald couldn't get up and down from behind the green, La' Cassie had the luxury of two-putting for par to secure his first NGA Hooters Tour victory.
"It's always nice to have two putts from six feet to win," said La' Cassie, 26. "It was a really tough pin location on 18. The first couple of times I had awkward yardages and was in between clubs. That last time, I was a little further down and just had a perfect 9-iron in there."
La' Cassie (67-71-72-69-279) and Grunewald (68-68-73-70-279), playing in the last group, went back and forth down the back nine in regulation, having separated from the pack. Grunewald, 40, spent all of 2001 on the PGA Tour and all of last season on the Nationwide Tour. He had the edge in terms of experience, but he also was looking for his first mini-tour win.
He birdied the par-3 15th hole with a 15-foot putt to pull even with La' Cassie. And when La' Cassie three-putted for bogey on No. 16, Grunewald grabbed a 1-stroke lead with two to play. A former University of Minnesota standout, La' Cassie finished second in his Hooters Tour debut in 2007 but had not been so close since.
Still, he won an 18-hole Pro Am tournament in Australia last year with a round of 60, and he won the prestigious Western Amateur in 2006. He never felt out of place.
"Pressure is pressure," La' Cassie said, "Doesn't really matter what the event is. I didn't really feel nervous today. Sometimes I get nervous just trying to make the cut and then sometimes I don't nervous in these kind of situations. So it's kind of random."
La' Cassie bounced back from the door-opening bogey to birdie No. 17 and create another deadlock at 9 under par for the tournament. A pair of pars at No. 18, a testy 400-yard par-4, forced the overtime. Both got in and out of trouble during the playoff. But the most hair-raising moment for La' Cassie came on the fourth playoff hole.
After both missed the green, Grunewald chipped close for a "gimme" par. La' Cassie's chip was short, leaving him with a 10-footer for par. He rolled it in to stay alive, set up his victory on the next hole and pocket a first-place check for $33,500.
La' Cassie made only two bogeys over his final 41 holes. He praised both the golf course and the galleries.
"It was a great atmosphere to be a part of here; the fans were very supportive of us," he said. "I hit the ball well all week and kept it in front of me for the most part and made a few putts. When you do a lot of good things during the week, it's nice to be rewarded."
As for the group of local pros playing in the event, Mike Suhre of Glen Carbon was the low man with rounds of 73-73-73-73 for 4-over 292. Former University of Missouri standout John Kelly finished at 10-over 298 after rounds of 75-72-77-74.
