For the second time in three years, Rob Schustrich of Windham won the Chippewa Championship in a playoff.
Playing one group ahead of the first round leaders, Schustrich fashioned rounds of 76-75 to finish in a three way tie with defending champion David Trier and past champion Aaron Crewse at a 9-over par 151 total.
Schustrich earned his way into the playoff by making par at each of the incredibly tough finishing holes at Chippewa on Sunday, including the 540-yard downhill par-4 18th.
Trier joined the playoff with an improbable par at the last. After hitting a drive far left followed by a recovery shot down the fairway to 100 yards, he wedged to 20 feet then holed the putt.
Crewse shot the lowest final round of the playoff trio on Sunday with a 74; his back nine included an eagle at 11, a birdie at 13, a double-bogey at 14 and two closing bogeys.
Two other players in the final group had a great chance to win or join the playoff headed into the lengthy 18th hole.
First round leader John Kabasky could have won the tournament outright with a par at the last hole, and he put his tee shot into great position to do so. But his second shot from 235 yards out went just a touch left and long, and a tough bounce had the tall grass along the edge of the property interfering with his swing on his third shot. Kabasky hacked through the hay to the side of the green, chipped to about 8 feet from there, but failed to make the putt for par leaving him one shot too many.
Past champion Ken Koprivec also needed a par at the last to join the playoff, having kept his hopes alive after making an incredible chip-in for par on the 17th hole. Koprivec smashed a tee shot to just inside 200 yards on the 18th. But he also went left with his second shot and could not get up-and-down, leaving his tying par putt in the heart of the cup but two inches short.
[See the 2015 Chippewa Championship Photo Gallery for images from those final holes.]
For as exciting as the conclusion to the round was, the playoff was short and sweet.
All three players hit decent tee shots down the par-4 first hole.
Shustrich hit his second shot first, and it was a beauty to about 10 feet past the hole. Crewse and Trier both hit their second shots to about 20 feet short.
Crewse missed right, Trier missed short, and Schustrich center-cut his birdie putt to take the title.
Runner-up Dave Trier can take solace in this fact, though: he won $1,250 in skins over two days. Complete results below…
FINAL RESULTS:
2015 Chippewa Championship
Chippewa Golf Club, Doylestown, Ohio
August 22 – 23, 2015
Par 71
| Schustrich, Rob* | 76 | – | 75 | = | 151 | $ |
| Crewse, Aaron | 77 | – | 74 | = | 151 | |
| Trier, Dave | 75 | – | 76 | = | 151 | |
| Kabasky, John | 73 | – | 79 | = | 152 | |
| Koprivec, Kenny | 75 | – | 77 | = | 152 | |
| Krivanek, Jim | 87 | – | 72 | = | 154 | |
| Simpson, Mike | 74 | – | 80 | = | 154 | |
| Topeka, John | 78 | – | 76 | = | 154 | |
| Okeson, Chris | 78 | – | 77 | = | 155 | |
| Marr, Dan | 80 | – | 76 | = | 156 | |
| Freeman, Allen | 81 | – | 76 | = | 157 | |
| Polick, Brian | 84 | – | 73 | = | 157 | |
| Yacovazzi, Anthony | 78 | – | 79 | = | 157 | |
| Deremer, Chuck | 75 | – | 83 | = | 158 | |
| Miller, Fred | 77 | – | 81 | = | 158 | |
| Dudley, Matt | 78 | – | 81 | = | 159 | |
| Schneider, Mark | 81 | – | 78 | = | 159 | |
| Flemming, Douglas | 78 | – | 82 | = | 160 | |
| Kovach, Ty | 78 | – | 83 | = | 161 | |
| Leyngel, Adam | 80 | – | 81 | = | 161 | |
| Warren, Matt | 79 | – | 82 | = | 161 | |
| Hedrick, Joe | 83 | – | 79 | = | 162 | |
| Honeycutt, Mark | 78 | – | 84 | = | 162 | |
| Armour, Mike | 87 | – | 76 | = | 163 | |
| Cutlip, Dean | 81 | – | 82 | = | 163 | |
| Barbas, Jeff | 84 | – | 80 | = | 164 | |
| Chupek, Bernie | 80 | – | 84 | = | 164 | |
| Heran, Scott | 84 | – | 80 | = | 164 | |
| Berkheimer, Dennis | 79 | – | 86 | = | 165 | |
| Cebula, Tim | 79 | – | 86 | = | 165 | |
| Loomis, Rob | 80 | – | 85 | = | 165 | |
| Augustus, Ryan | 84 | – | 82 | = | 166 | |
| Chapman, Rob | 85 | – | 81 | = | 166 | |
| Lenartowitz, Michael | 84 | – | 82 | = | 166 | |
| Watkins, Tyler | 82 | – | 84 | = | 166 | |
| Niskanen, Jim | 85 | – | 82 | = | 167 | |
| Grosso, Jim | 85 | – | 83 | = | 168 | |
| Kimson, Steve | 82 | – | 86 | = | 168 | |
| Smith, Rick | 89 | – | 79 | = | 168 | |
| Wenger, Jeff | 82 | – | 86 | = | 168 | |
| Hincliff, Tim | 86 | – | 83 | = | 169 | |
| Loftin, Alex | 84 | – | 85 | = | 169 | |
| Griffith, Austin | 87 | – | 83 | = | 170 | |
| Coughlin, Bill | 83 | – | 88 | = | 171 | |
| Flossi, Joe | 89 | – | 82 | = | 171 | |
| Hach, Mark | 84 | – | 87 | = | 171 | |
| Chadima, Jason | 87 | – | 85 | = | 172 | |
| Eggleton, Chris | 87 | – | 85 | = | 172 | |
| Rybka, Russ | 90 | – | 82 | = | 172 | |
| Wypatek, Shane | 92 | – | 80 | = | 172 | |
| Ream, Tom | 83 | – | 90 | = | 173 | |
| Cunningham, Ron | 85 | – | 88 | = | 173 | |
| Cornelius, Bob | 90 | – | 84 | = | 174 | |
| Russel, Larry | 90 | – | 84 | = | 174 | |
| Reusch, Brad | 89 | – | 86 | = | 175 | |
| McKenzie, Joe | 89 | – | 88 | = | 177 | |
| Gainer, Jeff | 90 | – | 88 | = | 178 | |
| Krotky Kenny | 89 | – | 89 | = | 178 | |
| Woldin, Paul | 93 | – | 85 | = | 178 | |
| Helaney, Chris | 88 | – | 91 | = | 179 | |
| Troutman, Ken | 83 | – | 86 | = | 179 | |
| Berkheimer, Bob | 87 | – | 94 | = | 181 | |
| Potolsky, Patrick | 90 | – | 91 | = | 181 | |
| Wilgus, Kurt | 96 | – | 86 | = | 182 | |
| Markham, Tom | 93 | – | 91 | = | 184 | |
| Roth, Bryan | 96 | – | 90 | = | 186 | |
| Larizza, Kevin | 95 | – | 95 | = | 190 | |
| Palay, Landon | 96 | – | 96 | = | 192 | |
| Griffith, Cliff | 98 | – | 95 | = | 193 | |
| Beck, Bob | – | = | WD | |||
| Witmer, Mike | 75 | – | WD | = | WD |
*won in playoff
$50 Big Skins Game
36 skins chances over two days. Skins worth $325 ea:
Scott Heran: Eagle 2 on #14 (Sunday)
Kenny Koprivec 2 on #12 (Sunday)
Jim Krivanek 3 on #16 (Sunday)
Fred Miller 3 on #13 (Sunday)
Bryan Roth 2 on #2 (Sunday)
Mark Schneider 3 on #5 (Sunday)
Mark Thomas 3 on #16 (Saturday)
Dave Trier 2 on #6 (Saturday)
Dave Trier 3 on #8 (Saturday)
Tyler Watkins 3 on #5 (Saturday)
$20 Double-Play Skins Game
Skins on a hole after both day’s play. Skins worth $600 ea:
Dave Trier Birdie 2 on #6
Kenny Koprivec Birdie 2 on #12 $600
