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Photo by Drew Fleming Reena Eklund of Medford defended her Rogue Valley Stroke Play championship Sunday, shooting a 3-over par 74 at Cedar Links to finish with a 152. Bills nabs Stroke Play with birdies Eklund eases to repeat women's championship By RANDY HAMMERICKSEN Two former champions relied on their experience and talent to roll to titles Sunday in the Rogue Valley Stroke Play Championships at Cedar Links Golf Course. Brad Bills, 40, won his second men's title, which is regarded as the unofficial Medford city championship, by rolling in birdie putts at the 14th, 15th and 16th holes to overhaul front-runner Kelly Rasmussen for the win. Bills posted his second consecutive round of even-par 70 to win by two strokes at 140. Also matching Rasmussen's 142 total were Ken Hernandez, who had the low round of the day, a 68, and Mark DeBoer, who fired a second-day 70. In the Women's Division, Medford's Reena Eklund, who will be a senior on Oregon State University's women's team, shot a 3-over-par 74 Sunday to claim her second straight women's title and third in four years by 11 strokes with a 152 total. Luneta Ah Sam finished second with a 163 total. In the men's Senior Division, Mike Austin won his first title with a 36-hole score of 146, one shot better than Jim Howe. Rasmussen opened the door for Bills to crash through and take the lead on the par-5, 15th hole during the final round. He pulled his 3-iron second shot through the left rough. The ball stopped in deep grass just in front of blackberry bushes on the left side of the hole near the green. "I came over the top of the shot," said Rasmussen. "I told my caddy (Andrew Rasmussen) that if I can hit this shot in the fairway, I'm going to make birdie and win the tournament. "I would have had a short pitch left, and that's the strength of my game. But I didn't get myself to that point." Meanwhile, Bills' caddy, John Bradshaw, gave his player a pep talk on the 14th tee. "He told me to get aggressive and go for it,'' said Bills, who proceeded to lash a drive more than 300 yards, leaving himself just a short pitch from the green. Bills pitched up to within two feet of the hole and tapped in for his first of three straight birdies, vaulting him into the lead by two strokes over Rasmussen and DeBoer. Bills dropped in birdie putts at No. 15 (a tap-in) and at 16 (from 12 feet). Meanwhile, Rasmussen missed three consecutive makable birdie putts on the final three holes (from 12 feet, 20 feet and 10 feet). "I had my chances," said Rasmussen. "I had never been in this position before, and I didn't know what to do and how to handle being in the lead. "Hopefully, I'll know what to do next time," said Rasmussen. Bills said he hit the ball solidly all day in winning his second Rogue Valley Stroke-Play title. "I had some tough holes, but I played solid overall," said Bills, who will go after his second Southern Oregon Golf Championship title later this week at the Rogue Valley Country Club. "I'm happy with the win," said Bills. "I'm not playing as much as I used to because of my job and family. Several of us are a bunch of weekend warriors out here, and we come out to play for fun more than anything else. "Hopefully, I'll be ready and play well in the Southern Oregon," said Bills. "I'm happy with the way I hit the ball in this tournament." Eklund made one birdie (on No. 15), four bogeys and 13 pars in cruising to the women's championship. She led the tournament with a first- round 78 on Saturday. "I played consistent and hit the ball solid," said Eklund. "I missed some birdie putts today, but I'm still happy. "As the defending champion, you don't know what to expect because every year the competition changes," said Eklund. "You have to see what it's going to take to win and try to play solid." Mike McCann finished fifth in the Men's Championship Flight at 144, Keith Valk was sixth at 145 and Kevin Klabunde seventh at 146. Brett Breeze, Dan Dixon and Glen Clark all shot scores of 147 to tie for eighth place. Today's Sports Index Mail Tribune Copyright� The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, OR U.S.A.