Trier Overcomes Black Cat and 15th to Win 2014 Chippewa Championship

David Trier (right) and his Dad share in the victory at the 2014 Chippewa Championship on Sunday.

After nine holes on Sunday, David Trier of Stow was fully in command of his game, and fully in command of the 2014 Chippewa Championship.

His front nine score of 2-under par 34 had stretched his lead to a whopping six shots.

He hadn’t missed a shot all day. He was calm and composed. He looked like a walk-away champion.

But then the Black Cat stuff started.

Trier had blown a lead many years ago in this same event when he made a big number at the treacherous 15th hole. Afterwards, his Dad said he was David’s ‘black cat’ for showing up to watch right before the blowup. Even though David has won a number of different events since that time, the nickname (and its derivative, ‘Kitten’) has stuck.

So when David went to hit his birdie putt on the 11th and the ball moved after he addressed it, he took it in stride (and wouldn’t take the suggestion of his playing partners who didn’t see it move). But after replacing it and taking the penalty, he missed the par putt. Bad luck.

Then on the 12th he struggled to a double after hitting his tee shot left.

On the 14th, he made a three-putt bogey.

Suddenly the comfortable lead was down to two shots and he was facing his old nemesis, the dastardly 15th.

A drop-kick pulled tee shot to the left rough made for a tough second shot that hit the green but bounded over the back. A flippy wedge onto the green left 18 feet straight down the hill. An aggressive first putt went further past the hole than where he started. Double bogey. Demons.

Meanwhile, Allen Freeman had pretty much just hung around all day. A bunch of pars surrounded a couple of bogeys and birdies. But suddenly, after all of Trier’s back-nine mojo-mashers, the two were tied. On to 16.

David summoned a great second shot out of the right rough to 4-feet below the hole, a perfect iron that left him with a putt straight up the hill. Freeman answered from the fairway with a gap wedge to 9-feet above. Both players made their birdies. Over to 17.

Allen Freeman hits his tee shot to the 17th green on Sunday at Chippewa.

Freeman hit the green but was 35-feet short-left of the hole. Trier went pin-high left but on the fringe. Freeman rolled his birdie effort to two feet and marked. Then Trier hit his first putt from 30-feet and it went past the hole and rolled out to four-feet. But he center-cut the comeback putt.

That’s when Freeman black-catted himself, talking himself out of the tap-in then missing the four-foot comebacker, too.

Trier and Freeman both made bogey at the stretched-out last, as Trier used his two shot lead to play it smart all the way in. So after dozens of attempts, Trier overcame some bad breaks and mistakes on the back nine to earn his first win in the Chippewa Championship. And earned it was.

Trier finished at 145 for the tournament, three over par.

Mike Simpson tied Freeman for second place, posting a solid 72 on Sunday to finish at 147.

Malone College grad Jon Clark (right) finished solo fourth one shot behind that at 148, and recent Summit County and Cleveland Am champ Howard Clendenin grabbed fifth place by posting a second round 72 to finish at 149.

It was a lot of fun.

Special thanks as always to tournament host Kevin Larizza, who with his staff once again ran a fantastic event. The golf course was set up exactly as Kevin said it would be: tough but fair. Play moved along well, a worthy champion was crowned, and Bernie’s pork expertly prepared by legend Dave Chapple was a perfect end to the summer tournament season.

(And Kevin, good job on showing that wedge who’s boss, too.)

Sunday Photo Gallery here. Complete scores and skins results below…

FINAL RESULTS:
2014 Chippewa Championship
Chippewa Golf Club, Doylestown, Ohio
August 23 – 24, 2014 | Par 71

PLAYER	RD1	RD2	Total	Prize
Dave Trier	69	76	145	$400
Al Freeman	73	74	147	$275
Mike Simpson	75	72	147	$275
Jon Clark	73	75	148	$200
Howard Clendenin	77	72	149	$150
Jim Krivanek	74	76	150	$100
Rob Schustrich	74	76	150	$100
Blake Foutty	75	75	150	$100
Ty Kovach	76	75	151
Chris Okeson	77	75	152
Anthony Yacovazzi	77	75	152
Randy Skorman	73	80	153
Jason Chadima	75	78	153
Mark Thomas	77	76	153
Aaron Crewse	74	79	153
John Kabasky	75	79	154
Patrick Shultz	77	77	154
John Topika	75	79	154
Tommy Li	77	77	154
Mark Schneider	74	81	155
Rick Bryson	77	79	156
Doug Flemming	79	78	157
Bob Berkheimer	81	76	157
Joe Flossie	81	76	157
Timmy Davis	79	79	158
Dan Marr	85	73	158
Brandon Shannon	79	80	159
Drew Thompson	80	79	159
Chuck DeRemer	79	81	160
Mark Hunnicut	84	76	160
Brandon Bell	74	86	160
Ryan Maxwell	79	81	160
Kenny Koprivec	76	85	161
Shane Bishop	81	80	161
Dave Snell	82	79	161
Rob Loomis	81	81	162
Joe McKenzie	88	74	162
Steve Feist	84	79	163
Kevin Sloan	74	89	163
Mike Armour	81	82	163
Jim Niskanen	80	83	163
Raul Mendoza	78	86	164
Adam Lengyel	82	82	164
Todd Rohde	81	83	164
Bernie Chupek	86	80	166
Rick Smith	87	79	166
Mark Hach	88	81	169
Ray McNiece	84	85	169
Eric Vought	86	84	170
Ken Troutman	85	85	170
Chris Helaney	87	83	170
Justin Rosso	84	86	170
Kevin Krotky	91	81	172
Justin McGrath	96	78	174
Steve Kimson	88	86	174
Chris Slates	88	86	174
Kevin Breen	85	91	176
Steve Wilson	89	89	178
Justin Huth	86	94	180
Kevin Larizza	89	92	181
Ander Farr	91	91	182
Tom Markham	95	87	182
Mike Hose	88	96	184
Rich Martin	93	91	184
Kurt Wilgues	96	89	185
Jeff Gainer	91	94	185
Bob Cornelius	94	92	186
Bryan Roth	100	106	206
George Ferguson	107	104	211
Jeff Wenger	90	DNF	DNF
Russel Rybka	81	NC	NC
Mark Rohde	85	NC	NC
Dennis Berkheimer	87	NC	NC

$50 BIG SKINS:
John Topeka #2 Sun (2)- $254
Bob Berkheimer #3 Sun (3)- $254
Tommy Li #5 Sun (3)- $254
Chris Helaney #12 Sun (2)- $254
Shane Bishop #14 Sun (3)- $254
Justin McGrath #15 Sun (3)- $254

Dave Trier #7 Sat (2)- $254
Mike Simpson #10 Sat (3)- $254
Dave Trier #11 Sat (3)- $254
Dave Trier #12 Sat (2)- $254
Randy Skorman #16 Sat (3)- $254
Ty Kovach #15 Sat (3)- $254

$20 TWO-DAY SKINS:
Bob Berkheimer #3 (3)- $315
Tommy Li #5 (3)- $315
Mike Simpson #10 (3)- $315
Dave Trier #7 (2)- $315