Sowards wins the CPC and heads toward the Straits

Bob Sowards, an assistant professional at Wedgewood Golf & Country Club in Powell, Ohio, rallied to the front and then held off Univ. of Illinois golf coach Mike Small Sunday to win the 37th PGA Club Championship by a single stroke. Meanwhile a 4-way playoff began to determine who would qualify to go to the PGA Championship.

By Bob Denney

NASHPORT, Ohio (PGA.com) -- In some 23 rounds at Longaberger Golf Club, Bob Sowards of Columbus, Ohio, had gained enough course knowledge to apply for superintendent. He knew where every putt would break, where every hazard was located and could almost predict every change of direction in the wind.

The only missing piece to a championship puzzle, he said, was when to get aggressive and close out a victory. But Sowards was boosted by his caddie Sunday afternoon along with seven one-putt greens to hold off Mike Small of Champaign, Ill., by one stroke and win The 37th PGA Club Professional Championship.

Sowards’ closing 2-under-par 70 gave him a winning total of 12-under-par 276, and bring home a career-high paycheck of $60,000 in the showcase event for PGA Professionals. A hard day’s work also helped provide Sowards with a healthy down payment on a new family home in rural Columbus.

“This is everything I had expected,” said Sowards, the first Southern Ohio PGA member to win the CPC. “My goal was to shoot every round in the 60s, but not having done that, I’m still happy. My mentality this week was to play very aggressive. I get what I call blah, kind of lose my concentration out there.

“I kind of lose my intensity, like I did in the U.S. Open qualifier. But (caddie Ryan Bruncak of Columbus) was very good this week and kept me focused,” he added. “We had to come up with a down payment somehow, and that was one of the reasons I tried to play well here this week.”

Small, making his first appearance in the CPC closed with a solid back-nine 32 and a 69 for a 277 total. Chip Sullivan of Troutville, Va., was third at 280 after a 70.

Four players were another stroke back at 281, including Ron Philo, Jr., of Fernandina Beach, Fla., who had a 68; Tim Fleming of Oklahoma City, Okla., who had a 70; and third-round leader Jeff Coston of Blaine, Wash., who struggled home with a 77.

It had appeared Sowards’ stroll up the 18th fairway would have been a walk in the park, having made three straight birdies on sixth, seventh and eighth holes to build a five-stroke margin over Small, and by six strokes over third-round leader Jeff Coston of Blaine, Wash., who incurred a two-stroke penalty when his caddie lifted a towel on Sowards’ bag to check on club selection on the ninth tee.

Sowards said he was unaware of the infraction by Coston’s caddie, Dr. Mark Askew of Fargo, N.D., until a PGA Rules official informed him on the way to the 10th tee.

“That was unfortunate,” said Sowards. “My caddie and I didn’t know it had happened; it must have been while I was hitting on the tee. We just walked on after we heard and focused on the next hole.”

But, Sowards’ stroll soon became a mountainous shot-by-shot climb to capture the crystal Walter Hagen Cup.

Small trimmed the deficit to a stroke following a four-birdie run from the 13th through 16th holes, coupled with a Sowards bogey at the 17th green. Small nearly sank a 35-foot birdie on the par-4 17th, but the putt lipped out.

“I had a five-stroke lead at the turn and thought this was going to be kind of nice,” said Sowards. “It was going to be a walk up 18 and smile for the cameras. Then, Mike started making birdie every hole and made it a little stressful.

“But I kept making good shot after good shot,” he added. “He played fantastic on the back nine, but I played great all week.”

Small hit a 3-iron approach 205 yards just over the 18th green and on to the fringe. Sowards hit an 8-iron from 162 yards that hit on the back knoll of the green and trickled into the short rough off the right edge of the green. Small faced a downhill chip, while Sowards had what he called “an easy chip.”

Small chipped and the ball rolled to within three inches of the hole, while Sowards followed with a chip that he left three inches behind the hole and made the tap-in for par.

“It was a totally different round from the first seven holes to the last 11,” said Small. “I struggled very poorly the first seven. I thought I was out of it. Then I made four birdies in a row got me back in it. I thought I had made my putt on 17, but it lipped out.

“Bob played well and he deserved to win. He played a solid four rounds. I had some unconscious spurts this week and other times I played poorly. Congratulations to him.”

The low 25 scorers earned a berth in the 86th PGA Championship, Aug. 12-15, at Whistling Straits-Straits Course in Kohler, Wis. For Small, it will be his first PGA Championship appearance.

“I hope that I don’t embarrass myself with that golf course, with that rough,” said Small. “I’ve played in a couple U.S. Opens, but never a PGA. It will be fun.”

The 37th PGA Club Professional Championship was presented by Titleist, FootJoy and Cobra; Buick and Club Car. The Greg Norman Collection, Amstel Light and Buckler are supporting partners, while The Golf Channel is an exclusive media partner and the PGA Tour a contributing partner.

The PGA of America, founded in 1916, is a not-for-profit organization that promotes the game of golf while continuing to enhance the standards of the profession. The Association is comprised of more than 28,000 men and women PGA Professionals who are dedicated to growing participation in the game of golf.

Copyright (c)2004 PGA.com. All rights reserved.