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68 °F Forecast | Road Cams Wednesday, September 22, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Rogue Valley's Finest EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend September 7, 2004 Brooks Newsom watches his tee shot during the championship match on Monday. Mail Tribune / Andrew Mariman Newsom triumphs Portland resident subdues Spiegel in men’s title match to claim his second crown in six years with a 7-and-6 victory By DON HUNT Mail Tribune The quality of the field in the men’s regular division of the Southern Oregon Golf Tournament might have been down a bit this year, but Brooks Newsom’s run to the championship was hardly a fluke. The 35-year-old Portland resident put the finishing touches on a brilliant week of golf by steamrolling to a 7-and-6 victory over San Franciso’s Mike Spiegel in Monday’s 36-hole championship match at sun-baked Rogue Valley Country Club. After qualifying with a 2-under-par 70 on Tuesday, Newsom mowed through his six match-play opponents without seriously being challenged. Usually, the champion is pushed to the brink at least once, but Newsom’s closest contest was a 4-and-3 victory over Bret Breeze in Sunday’s semifinal round. Advertisement Newsom played at or under par in all six matches, starting with 7-and-6 romp over Jerry Sessions in which he was 6-under through 12 holes and ending with a workmanlike, one-under effort against Spiegel. "It’s disappointing not to see guys like Scott Tuttle and Tommy Smith in this tournament, but I don’t have any control over that," said Newsom, who won his second title in six years. "The field probably wasn’t as strong as it’s been, but it’s still not easy to win six straight matches. "I feel good about what I accomplished this week." Newsom took control early against Spiegel, playing even-par through the morning round to build a 5-hole lead. Spiegel hung tough for a while in the afternoon round, keeping his deficit at five through the first five holes. But then Newsom birdied the sixth hole thanks to a 320-yard drive and a short chip that rolled to within 4 feet of the cup. Newsom followed with another birdie on seven to go 7-up, and when Spiegel lost his ball in a patch of trees on the eighth hole to go eight down with 10 to play, the match was effectively over. "We should have been able to find that ball — I think maybe it got stuck in a tree," Spiegel said of the eighth-hole fiasco. "It’s frustrating to have something like that happen when you’re already reeling, but there’s nothing you can do." Spiegel’s woes continued on the ninth hole of the afternoon session when he again hit his tee shot to the left and into another grove of trees, leading to a bogey and another loss. Now Newsom was dormie — meaning Spiegel had to win the final nine holes just to draw even. He took the 10th with a par and the 11th with a birdie, but Newsom put his approach shot on the par-4 12th to within 1½ feet of the hole for a give-me birdie, and that was the match. "I think the struggle of getting here took a lot out of me," said Spiegel, a 3.9 handicapper who had several close matches on his way to the finals. "I did my best, but I just couldn’t get into any type of rhythm today." "I had a great week, though. I got my money’s worth and I’m going to leave here with good memories." Newsom didn’t stick around for the awards ceremony. With a son and daughter set to enter kindergarten and the first grade today in Portland, he and his family needed to get on the road as soon as they could. Asked how he was going to celebrate, Newsom laughed and said, "We’ll probably stop at Dairy Queen and get everyone a ‘Blizzard.’" Reach reporter Don Hunt at 776-4469, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities