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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend September 5, 2005 Brodie Sullivan tees off during semifinal play Sunday at the Rogue Valley Country Club. Young guns vie for title Sullivan becomes the youngest player to compete for the regular men’s crown since Tony Joyner in 1982 By DON HUNT Mail Tribune Historically, the Southern Oregon Golf Tournament hasn’t been overly kind to teenagers. The young guns often have the physical talent to compete, but lack the mental toughness. Brodie Sullivan is the exception. Just three months removed from South Medford High School, the shaggy-haired 18-year-old displayed nerves of steel Sunday at Rogue Valley Country Club as he became the youngest player in 23 years to earn a berth into the men’s regular division championship match. Sullivan punched his ticket to the finals when he drained a pressure-packed, seven-foot par putt on the second hole of sudden death to eliminate Justin Wise. Sullivan will meet Jimmy White, a 3 and 1 winner over Bret Breeze in Sunday’s other semifinal match, in today’s 36-hole, match-play final that kicks off at 9 a.m.. Advertisement "I definitely didn’t think I’d get this far when the tournament started, but my confidence keeps going up with each win," said Sullivan, who became the youngest finalist since Tony Joyner won the tournament in 1982. "I’ve been playing this course since I was in the seventh grade. I know the greens and I’m comfortable playing here." Sullivan needed that self-assuredness when his match against Wise moved to sudden death. On the first extra hole — the 538-yard, par-5 first — Sullivan calmly drained a six-foot, do-or- die par putt to keep the match going. On the second extra hole — the 393-yard, par-4 second — Wise dropped his approach shot onto the green while Sullivan plopped his into a sand trap. But Sullivan made an excellent out, then made the delicate, downhill, curling putt that put him on the doorstep of victory. Wise could have sent the match to a third additional hole, but he three-putted from 18 feet. "All I was thinking was, get up and down so we can go to another hole," Sullivan said in recalling his sand trap predicament. The 24-year-old Wise, meanwhile, knew he let his first trip to the finals slip through his grasp. "It’s my own fault," he said as he sipped on a beer on the clubhouse terrace after the match. "The kid (Sullivan) has some game, but when you three-putt from 18 feet with the match on the line, that tells the story." Sullivan trailed by two holes with five to play, but won three in a row with pars to take his first lead of the day. The two golfers then halved the 17th with double bogeys before Wise won the 18th with a par, forcing sudden death. Sullivan will have his hands full in today’s title match if White continues to conquer RVCC the way he has all week. The former University of Oregon standout fired a two-under par 35 on the front nine Sunday and then played his final eight holes at one-under before closing out Breeze. White, who dazzled spectators by routinely pounding his drives near, at or beyond 300 yards, proved mortal by hitting an approach shot out of bounds on one hole and three-putting another. But he was lights-out the rest of the way. "I felt like I kept the pressure on him (Breeze) the whole way," the 23-year-old White said. "He did a good job of hanging in there, but I felt like I was in control." Breeze played valiantly in defeat, parring the first six holes before a birdie on No. 7 got him even. It looked as though Breeze would also win the eighth hole with a par after White badly missed a sidehill putt for birdie. The putt sailed 12 feet passed the hole, but White nailed the comebacker to halve the hole and then stuffed his approach shot within 10 feet on No. 9 and won that hole with a birdie. White maintained his one-hole lead until he went out of bounds on the 12th hole. But Breeze missed a five-foot par putt on the following hole that allowed White to go back on top, and White finally pushed his lead to two holes on the 16th when Breeze hit under a spruce tree and bogeyed. White closed out the match in style with a birdie on the 17th. "I misread a couple of putts, but I was pretty happy with the way I played," Breeze, 38, said. "I was one-under on the front nine and still one down. "Jimmy didn’t leave me many openings." In the women’s division, Nettie Morrison and Abby Fowler advanced to the title match. Morrison defeated Trina Rasmussen 2 and 1 while Fowler downed 2001 champion Johnna Nealy 4 and 2. For Fowler, the win was special because it marked the first time she had ever beaten Nealy. "I didn’t start golfing until ninth grade, but she definitely had my number in high school," said Fowler, who graduated from Xavier University in Cincinnati last June and will try to land a spot on the Futures Tour in November when she enters qualifying school. "I played well today — lots of pars." Four-time junior-senior champion David Boals finds himself in familiar territory. He moved to the championship match with a 2 and 1 win over Marshall Holman. Boals will meet defending champ Jay Audia, a 2 and 1 winner over Terry Faulkner. Bob Harrell, a five-time champion in the seniors division, will go for No. 6 today against Terry Anderson, while Carmen Akins and Pam Hubbard will compete for the senior women’s crown. Sunday’s Results REGULAR MEN Championship Flight J. White, Emerald Valley, d. T. Croft, Cedar Links, 4 and 3; B. Breeze, RVCC, d. R. Schaefer, Grants Pass, 6 and 5; J. Wise, RVCC, d. A. Browne, RVCC, 2 and 1; B. Sullivan, RVCC, d. M. Deboer, 6 and 5. J. White, Emerald Valley, d. B. Breeze, RVCC, 2 and 1; B. Sullivan, RVCC, d. J. Wise, RVCC, 20th. First Flight D. Culbertson, RVCC, d. D. Luther, Columbia Edgewater, 6 and 5; J. Klemp, Cedar Links, d. M. Spiegel, Harding Park; 1 up; D. Luther, Whisper Lake, d. J. Ausland, 6 and 5; T. Brink, RVCC, d. J. Barry, RVCC, 1 up. J. Klemp, Cedar Links, d. D. Culbertson, RVCC, 6 and 5; T. Brink, RVCC, d. D. Klemp, Cedar Links, 4 and 3. Second Flight T. Ostenson, Medford, d. B. Barr, RVCC, 1 up; I. Parent, RVCC, d. D. Westbrook, RVCC, 2 and 1. Second Flight Consolation A. Moffatt, Grants Pass, d. G. Sterton, San Juan, 2 and 1; R. Neff, Eagle Point, d. S. Hansen, RVCC, 10 and 8. Third Flight C. Cota, RVCC, d. J. Adair, Laurel Wood, 3 and 2; C. Anderson, RVCC, d. K. Clugage, Tilden Park, 2 up. Third Flight Consolation S. Bernard, Medford, d. K. Harle, Meridian Valley, 1 up; RJ Glover, Stoneridge, d. R. Dyer, Stoneridge, 2 and 1. Fourth Flight B. Foote, RVCC, d. J. Ross, RVCC, 1 up; M. Gallagher, Cedar Links, d. R. Warner, RVCC, 5 and 4. Fourth Flight Consolation T. Boersma, Grants Pass, d. T. Jones, Valley View, 1 up; J. Stark, Broadmore, d. S. Reed, Quail Point, 2 and 1. Fifth Flight F. Schuler, RVCC, d. J. Reed, Rocky Mountain, 5 and 4; D. Clark, Tapps Island, d. D. Richards, RVCC, 1 up; Fifth Flight Consolation S. Byrd, Stoneridge, d. D. Lorenz, RVCC, 2 and 1; K. Curtis, Medford, d. JP Moore, Black Rock Creek, 2 and 1. Sixth Flight M. Gorman, The Plateau Club, d. J. Essany, Eagle Point, 1 up; M. Van Sant, Eagle Point, d. S. Knight, RVCC, 1 up. Sixth Flight Consolation L. Knight d. R. Hauck, 4 and 3; T. Hamlin, RVCC, d. J. Stormo, Lake Oswego, 1up. JUNIOR-SENIORS Championship Flight J. Audia, Broken Top, d. T. Faulkner, Grants Pass, 2 and 1; D. Boals, RVCC, d. M. Holman, RVCC, 2 and 1. First Flight K. Klabunde, RVCC, d. D. Street, RVCC, 1 up; G. Loeb, Tuscon National, d. E. Doolen, Corvallis, 3 and 2. Second Flight B. DeForest, Oak Knoll, d. G. Wood, Franklin Canyon, 2 and 1; S. Wood, Dayton Valley, d. S. Boldish, RVCC 3 and 2. Third Flight J. Mulhall, Estrella, d. J. Engleson, Quail Point, 5 and 4; B. Adolph, RVCC, d. G. Kilroy, Meadow Lark, 6 and 5. Fourth Flight B. Brigham, RVCC, d. G. Glass, RVCC, 2 and 1; S. Cuthertson, Stewart Meadow, d. J. Works, RVCC, 3 and 2. Fifth Flight T. Trower, Stewart Meadows, d. M. Siliga, Cedar Links, 1 up; D. Pinkham, RVCC, d. T. Mort, RVCC, 4 and 3. Sixth Flight L. Thompson, RVCC, d. R. Holcom, Stoneridge, 1 up; J. Johnson, Jacksonville, d. J. Palazzolo, RVCC, 3 and 2. Seventh Flight J. McCoy, RVCC, d. D. Dow, Eagle Point, 1 up; B. George, RVCC, d. R. Skinner, RVCC, 2 and 1. Eighth Flight T. Hornecker, River Ridge, d. B. Muir, Grants Pass, 1 up; T. Nieto, RVCC, d. S. Skinner, Arrowhead, 19th hole. Ninth Flight C. Prewitt, Stewart Meadows, d. S. Warrington, Mission Viejo, 3 and 2; K. Aguirre, McNary, d. F. Moran, RVCC, 1 up. SENIOR MEN Championship Flight B. Harrell, RVCC, d. T. Newsom, Columbia Edgewater, 5 and 4; T. Anderson, RVCC, d. K. Valk, RVCC, 1 up. First Flight J. Smith, RVCC, d. F. Clugage, Pastiempo, 1 up; L. Garvin, RVCC, d. R. Dixon, RVCC, 2 and 1. Second Flight B. Hodapp, RVCC, d. G. Klouda, RVCC, 1 up; H. Tomlinson, Lost Plantation, d. S. Weaver, RVCC, 2 and 1. Third Flight H. Phearson, Reames, d. H. Myers, Montery, 3 and 2; J. Camp, Spokane, d. TA Watson, River Crossing, 2 and 1. Fourth Flight B. McDonald, Tacoma, d. G. Redden, RVCC, 1 up; S. Smith, Eagle Point, d. J. Stough, RVCC, 2 up. Fifth Flight L. Collins, RVCC, d. L. Flinchpaugh, RVCc, 3 and 2; R. Perry, Riverview, d. D. Sorenson, Waverley, 2 and 1. REGULAR WOMEN Championship Flight N. Morrison, Bend, d. T. Rasmussen, RVCC, 2 and 1; A. Fowler, d. Johnna Nealy, Grants Pass, 4 and 2. First Flight M. Nealy, Grants Pass, d. K. Pauck, RVCC, 2 up; Josie Nealy, Grants Pass, d. C. Crenshaw, Arrowhead, 3 and 2. Second Flight D. Stuart, RVCC, d. M. Metzger, Meadowmeer, 4 and 3; H. Kaplan, Gresham, d. M. Mason, Medford, 4 and 3. SENIOR WOMEN Championship Flight C. Akins, Stone Creek, d. P. Faurote, Bear Creek, 6 and 5; P. Hubbard, Yakima, d. N. Breitenstein, Bend, 1 up. First Flight C. Dunlap, RVCC, d. K. Louis, Riverview, 5 and 4; J. Entinger, RVCC, d. G. Jones, RVCC, 1up. Second Flight P. Turnipseed, RVCC, d. J. Crenshaw, Arrowhead, 1 up; M. Skinner, RVCC, d. C. Edwards, RVCC, 4 and 3. Third Flight B. Barry, RVCC, d. J. Simms, RVCC 1up; P. Tomlins, RVCC, d. A. Petrich, Twin Lakes, 1up. Reach reporter Don Hunt at 776-4469, or e-mail Young guns vie for title ">[email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. 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