June 17, 2006
Steve Rico Wins in Overtime.
Because both the women and men were playing their final nines at the same time, we concentrated on the closer match, the women’s. It was after the men had finished four holes that Avery Jenkins, the defending champion, held a four-throw lead over Steve Rico. After watching the drives on the hole, we carted back to the women, but lots of people watched Steve Rico’s incredible comeback, and we’ve quickly pieced it together.
On #22, a steep downhill 321 footer with a “valley of death” on the left, Avery was wide and right, and missed his putt. Steve straddled putted around a tree from 35 feet to cut the lead to three. It was on the next hole that Steve gained a huge amount of momentum, canning a 65-footer to gain another throw. He parked his approach on #24, and was only one down when Avery’s birdie put hit the basket from about 35 feet. On #26, Steve parked his drive, while Avery, eerily similar to Val’s drive earlier, hit on the good side of the bunker before rolling back in. He too made his 3, but the match was tied.
Steve opted to play safe on his drive, leaving it well to the right and some 80 feet from the pin. Avery went for the green but landed in the trap. After Steve safely put his approach near the pin, Avery, facing a 30 foot slightly uphill putt, canned it.
The gallery didn’t have to move because the men were going to play #27 until one of them triumphed. Steve, driving first, put his drive 12 feet to the right and behind the pin. Avery’s drive, like the one five minutes earlier, came in straight but four feet low…in the bunker. After he missed the putt, Steve laid up and tapped in the disc for the 2006 Japan Open Championship.
Rick Rothstein
