Matt Robertson piddled around the Brainerd Golf Course clubhouse for three hours waiting to see how the rest of the field played in windy conditions.
He made a run to Arby’s for lunch. He followed Twitter updates from the course, texted with friends knowing that only one golfer had a legitimate chance at tying his two-day score of 6-under 138.
Brendon Wilson did just that with a final-round 70 to follow up a first-round 68. And he forced the playoff in dramatic fashion by scoring a birdie on the final hole of regulation to force a two-man playoff.
“I didn’t want to go back out,” said Robertson who had two 3-under-par rounds. “Especially with my success in playoffs, which is that I lost my last three, all in 2007.”
Robertson finally won. He beat Wilson with a par on their only playoff hole.
Wilson — who played at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in the late 1990s — missed a three-foot par putt one inch left, and Robertson sank his two-footer into the heart of the cup for the victory.
“I feel a lot better being on this side of a playoff than the other side,” said Robertson, who took most of 2009 off from competitive amateur golf. “I putted well all morning, and I didn’t want to drag it out.”
Jay Potter finished third at 1-under 143. Neil Spitalny won the senior division with a 145. Potter, Wilson and Robertson were the only golfers to break par, and five tied for fourth place at even 144.
“I had a great time and I’m happy,” said Wilson, who spent time on professional mini-tours in early 2000s. “I know I lost, but I haven’t played in anything a while. It felt good to get the nerves behind me.”
Wet and dangerous conditions on Saturday forced half of the field to finish Sunday morning and for all golfers to play in the same grouping once again and with a 30 minute delay from Saturday.
So Robertson finished about the same time Wilson made the turn which left Robertson with plenty of time to ponder his final round, and with Wilson headed to the back nine knowing the exact number he needed to match.
“He was missing competitive golf and I walked him into coming out and playing,” said 2007 champion Matt Mathis who was a roommate with Wilson at UTC. “He’s always hit it great, and he didn’t disappoint here.”
Robertson’s adventurous 3-under final round included a hole-out from the fairway — on the wrong hole.
He stood in the middle of the fairway on the par-4 No. 9 with 209 yards to a back left hole location. Robertson pulled a 4-iron, tried to draw it in to the left. But it went too far left.
“It lands on the front right edge of 18 green and proceeds to go in the hole,” Robertson said. “The ball was in the bottom of the cup.
“I took a drop and got up-and-down for par.”
Robertson’s round included four birdies, one bogey and required only 29 putts due to his recovery and short-game skills.
“If you took a picture of my card and a picture of my round, they would be way different,” said Robertson, a former Lee University golfer. “The card looks pretty good.
“But the wind and the pin placements made this course a lot harder today than I’ve seen it.”