Brainerd Golf Course was once home for Taylor Lewis when he played for Boyd-Buchanan. But since those days ended, he's been chasing that elusive Brainerd Invitational title.
It took two playoff holes Sunday, but he finally caught it.
Pars on Nos. 1 and 2 proved to be good enough for Lewis, who had totaled a two-day 7-under-par 137 to tie for first with Steve Johnson (69-68) and Richard Keene (67-70), who could have played in the senior division.
Mike Bennett totaled 9-under 135 to win the senior division.
Lewis (68-69) played in the next-to-last threesome Sunday. When asked as he played his way in if he'd like to know what was going on with the groups around him, Lewis said: "I don't care. I'm trying to birdie every hole anyway."
Brainerd Invitational
At Brainerd Golf CourseSaturday-Sunday resultsOpen Division (39-under)137—Taylor Lewis (won on second playoff hole); 138—Ben Rebne; 139—Matt Crowder, Trent Mansfield, David Watts; 140—Sport Allmond, Matt Hadden, Alexander Riddle; 141—Ricky Honeycutt; 143—Dylan Lillard; 145—Michael Bridges; 146—Jeremy Lawson; 148—Hunter Vest; 150—Brad Beck, Shaan Desai, Josh Ernest, Jimmy White III; 153—Hunter Garrett, Hayden Hunneke, Carson Johnson; 154—Zac Bombassi; 155—Jeff Howard; 157—Chuck Hudson; 158—Jack Wood; 166—Will Sandlin.Open Division (40-over)137—Steve Johnson (runner-up on second playoff hole), Richard Keene (third on first playoff hole), Joe Markham; 138—Jeff Greeson; 140—Chris Hall; 142—Shonn Weldon; 144—Greg Bankston; 146—Jimmy Watkins; 148—Greg Privette; 149—Dee Arnold, Dustin Gill; 151—Jay Potter, Jay Underwood; 153—Dean Hale, Jeff Ott; 154—Michael Kelley; 155—Hiren Desai, Matt Jenne; 158—Wayne Brantley; 159—Gene Lansigan; 162—Alex Geary; 164—Yank Patel; 167—Gil Milton; 170—Stephen Austin.Senior Division135—Mike Bennett; 136—Ronnie Law; 137—Tim Crawford; 138—Mitch Hufstetler; 140—Tom Baird; 142—David McKenna; 143—John Lambert, Coy Mabry, Scott Patton, Johnny Pierce; 144—Bob Rice; 146—Jim Srite; 149—Mark Guhne, Mike Mixson, Billy Weathers; 150—Ches Alper, Frank Hollowell; 151—Bret Douglas, Oscar Scruggs; 152—Jim Schreiner; 153—Mark Cowart, Mike Jenkins, Stewart Lawwill; 154—Steve Stetson; 160—Peter Clement.
Lewis said he felt like he had a great chance to make birdie on the par-5 No. 18. As it turned out, it would have won the tournament. But a chip he felt like he should have gotten closer to the pin stopped eight feet away, and then he missed the putt.
Keene put his drive in a ditch hazard on the first playoff hole. He still had a chance to equal the pars by Lewis and Johnson, but his left-to-right 14-footer went by on the right edge.
"I didn't hit it hard enough," Keene said.
Lewis hit an 8-iron safely on the green on the 173-yard par-3 second hole, while Johnson ended up with a difficult putt from behind a back swale Lewis said he had gotten familiar with in his Sunday round. Lewis got his ball down in two, but Johnson couldn't.
"I think I've been second in this tournament four or five times," Lewis said. "It only took me 20 seasons to do it."
In senior play, Bennett's final round included birdies on the last two holes to give him a one-stroke victory over Ronnie Law, who shot 70-66 for the two days.
But because the two were not in the same threesome - Law was in the next-to-last group, while Bennett as the co-leader at 68 with Tim Crawford after the first day was in the final group - Bennett had no idea his birdie-birdie finish was needed in order to defeat someone other than Crawford.
With Bennett leading him by one at the turn, Crawford birdied Nos. 10, 11 and 12. Bennett gained a stroke back with a birdie putt in the 25-foot range, then made another from about the same distance on the next-to-last hole to get even with Crawford.
Both hit their tee shots in the right rough on No. 18. Bennett then used a hybrid club and reached the green, albeit about 30 feet behind the hole.
Crawford was in front and left of the green and ended up making bogey. Bennett, meanwhile, lag-putted to within two feet, then got that to drop.
"I didn't know that was to win or I'd have probably missed it," Bennett said.
Bennett won the tournament's open division when he was 19 in 1979. He turned professional not long afterward.
Now a caddie at The Honors Course in Ooltewah, he said he played again in a recent Brainerd Invitational, but at 55 this was his first year of eligibility in the senior division.
"I putted it good," Bennett said. "I had one three-putt in two days. It was a bad three-putt today on 5. I was looking at a 15-foot birdie putt. I don't hit it so good anymore. I used to be a good ball-striker.
"Now my putting is the best part of my game. I guess I've come full circle."
Contact Kelley Smiddie at ksmiddie@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6653. Follow him on Twitter @KelleySmiddie.