Karen Fey (middle) won her fourth consecutive and 16th overall Women's Club Tournament championship at the Luverne Country Club Saturday. Paula Lammert (left) placed second, and Melissa Kopp (right) finished third.
By John Rittenhouse
The Luverne Country Club's version of Tiger Woods came up big again during the 51st version of the Women's Club Tournament Saturday.
Karen Fey, who had won 15 Women's Club Tournament titles since 1976 heading into Saturday's competition, added a 16th title to her credit.
Fey had to fight off challenges by three hungry contenders during the 18-hole event's final round, but she answered the challenge without trailing at any time.
In the end, it was Fey's consistent play that clinched her fourth consecutive club championship.
Fey shot a pair of five-over-par 41s for an 18-hole total of 82 strokes, which wasn't bad considering strong winds and cool temperatures were a factor for all players to deal with.
Paula Lammert made a charge during the final round of the event, but she ended up one stroke behind the winner with an 83.
Melissa Kopp, a standout Luverne High School player, finished her first club tournament in third place with an 84.
While Lammert and Kopp finished right behind the champion, it was Mary Jo Graphenteen who applied the pressure early in the tournament.
Fey's 41 on the front nine featured one birdie and three pars. Graphenteen, who won the Club Tournament in 1992, matched Fey's 41-stroke performance during the first round. Graphenteen had one birdie and two pars over the first nine holes of play.
Fey and Graphenteen shared the lead heading into the final round of play. They were joined in a final-round foursome with Kopp and Lammert. Kopp was one shot back with a 42, and Lammert three shots behind with a 44.
The second round started with Kopp recording a par on the 10th hole to move into a deadlock for first place with Fey, who bogeyed the same hole along with Lammert.
Graphenteen, who had a double bogey on the 10th hole to fall one shot out of the lead, dropped another shot when she made par on the 11th hole while Fey completed a birdie. Kopp's double-bogey seven on the 11th dropped her into a second-place tie with Graphenteen, while Lammert fell four shots off the pace with a par.
The contenders each made up a shot on the 12th hole by making pars, while Fey recorded a bogey. The hole left Fey sporting a one-shot lead over Kopp and Graphenteen, and a three-shot cushion over Lammert.
Fate dealt Graphenteen a cruel blow moments later as her tee shot off the No. 13 box rolled into the hazard next to the pond on the left side of the fairway. Graphenteen found the ball in the heavy rough, but the one-stroke penalty for removing it out of the hazard led to a double-bogey six. Her bad luck continued the rest of the way as she was unable to make par over the next five holes, which knocked her out of the title-chase.
Fey, on the other hand, made par on the 13th and 14th holes. Bogeys by Kopp on the same holes left her four shots back. Lammert bogeyed the 13th hole and made par on No. 14, joined Kopp in a tie for second place.
Kopp shot par in the 15th hole to gain a stroke on Fey and Lammert, who registered bogeys.
It looked like Fey might ice the title when she was the lone player to put her tee shot on the green of the par-3, 16th hole, but her first of three consecutive three-putts opened the door for the challengers.
Both Kopp and Lammert scrambled to make par on the 16th green, leaving them two- and three-strokes off the pace.
Three putts by the leader on the 17th and 18th holes led to bogeys, but the best Kopp could do was bogey the same holes. Lammert shot par on the final two holes, surpassing Kopp by one shot while finishing one shot behind Fey at the same time.
Susan Schneekloth, Amber Top, Joan Kindt and Deone Hemme join Fey as flight winners during Saturday's tournament.
Schneekloth took top honors in the president's flight, which consisted of five players who played the first round of the event as members of the championship flight. After the first nine holes of play, six players with the lowest scores remained in the championship flight. The remaining five formed the president's flight.
The president's flight was tight entering the second round as three strokes separated the top three players.
Schneekloth and Lori Witt shared the lead with 48s, while Lisa Dinger was one shot back with a 49. Melissa Sterrett and Mary Aukes were two- and three strokes off the pace with respective 50- and 51-stroke rounds to open the tournament.
The second round turned into a two-player shootout between Schneekloth and Witt, which Schneekloth won by one shot. Schneekloth made birdie on the par-3, 12th hole to open a two-shot advantage and never lost the lead the rest of the round.
Schneekloth added four pars during the final round for a 44-stroke effort that gave her a 92 for the tournament. Witt countered with a 45 to finish with a 93. Aukes, who turned in a 50 in the second round, placed third with a 100.
Top, another member of the LHS girls' golf program last spring, staged a late rally to nip Faye DeBoer for the championship in the first flight.
Top and DeBoer both shot 49s during the first round to share the flight lead. Nancy Frakes was two shots back with a 51.
DeBoer gained a two-shot lead with a bogey on the 10th hole and a par on No. 11 (Top had a double bogey and a bogey on the same holes), and she led by four strokes after Top took a seven on the par-4, 13th hole.
The difference remained at four strokes heading into the 16th hole when Top made par and DeBoer a double bogey to pull within two strokes. A bogey on No. 17 was good enough for Top to move into a first-place tie with DeBoer, and she won the flight by one stroke after bogeying the 18th hole.
Top shot a 49-48-97 for the tournament, while DeBoer finished with a 49-49-98. Frakes came in third with her 51-50-101.
Kindt won the second flight by a five-stroke margin.
The eventual champion shot a 46 during the first round to open a four-stroke lead over Sandy Vrtacnik (50) and six-stroke cushions over Lorna Anderson and Wendy Evink, who both shot 52s.
A flight-low 48 during the second round gave Kindt a five-stroke win (94-99) over Vrtacnik, who shot a 49 during the second round. Anderson shot a 53 during the final round to place third with a 105.
Hemme had to come from behind to win the third flight.
Glenda Vande Griend shot a 52 during the first round to sport a one-shot lead over Hemme (53) and a three-shot advantage over Lori Martinson and Roxanne Holtrop, who carded 55s.
Hemme, however, shot par on the 10th hole to set the stage for a 49-stroke second round, which gave her a four-shot (102-106) win over Martinson.
Martinson shot a 51 during the final round. Vande Griend recorded a 55 for a two-round total of 107 strokes, which was good for third place.