It took 6 1/2 hours and 25 holes, but Allie Johnston and Claudia Davis gained their first lead in the title match of the CWGA Mashie Championship at about 3:45 p.m. on Wednesday at Heritage Eagle Bend Golf Club in Aurora.
That coincided exactly with the time when the teenagers became champions of the four-ball match play competition, the CWGA’s first championship of the year.
Davis, a senior-to-be at Arapahoe High School, made a 3-foot birdie — draining her third consecutive pivotal putt — to give herself and Johnston a marathon 25-hole victory in their final against two other teenagers, Kathleen Kershisnik of Columbine Country Club and Patricia Lee of Lone Tree Golf Club.
“I still kind of feel like we should be playing,” said Johnston, a Rock Canyon High School graduate who plays out of Red Hawk Ridge Golf Course. “It was really fun. Mostly I think we were all just wanting to finish and eat.”
Davis (pictured above at left with Johnston), winner of the 2011 CJGA Tournament of Champions, waited until the end to make her major contributions. She made a 10-foot par putt on the 23rd hole to extend the match, holed a 35-foot birdie from behind the green on the 24th hole that Kershisnik matched with a 20-foot birdie of her own, then stuck her tee shot on the decisive 164-yard par-3 seventh hole 3 feet from the flag and won it with another birdie.
“I kind of lost my tempo and my swing for a few holes, but when it really counted, I felt like I stepped up and contributed and helped my teammate,” said the 17-year-old Davis. “It was just exhilarating to make the putt that you know counted to push it to the next hole.”
Kershisnik and Lee (pictured at left), who will play college golf at Wyoming and Georgetown, respectively, could have ended it on the 18th hole, but Lee left a 3-foot par putt short and the match was extended. It was one of several short putts that cost the team as Kershisnik missed a 2-footer on No. 9 and a 4 1/2-footer on No. 14.
But on the extra holes, both teams flourished on the greens. On No. 2, Johnston made a 15-foot birdie and Lee put a 7-footer right on top of her. On No. 4, Lee kept the match going with a 5-foot par. On 5, Davis drained her crucial 10-footer for par. And on 6, both Davis and Kershisnik made bombs. Then Davis closed it out with her 3-foot birdie on No. 7.
“I’m a little frustrated because it was kind of all for nothing in the end,” said Lee, a graduate of Highlands Ranch High School. “We both made crucial putts. We didn’t give any shots away so that’s a bonus, but we lost so that sucks.
“It could have been over a long time ago, but we didn’t give up, so that was good. (Davis) hit a really good shot on 7.”
While a 25-hole match is unusual, Kershisnik played one almost as long last year in the CWGA Junior Match Play, falling in 24 holes to Mikayla Tatman in the quarterfinals.
“All four of us played really well (on Wednesday), but obviously it’s not nice to be on our end,” said Kershisnik, who finished second in a playoff last month at the 4A state high school meet as a Regis Jesuit senior. “We got a few putts rolling (at the end), but it was a little frustrating because we had them around the hole a lot , but we couldn’t get them to fall” earlier in the match.
It was the second CWGA championship for Johnston, who earned CWGA Junior Player of the Year honors in 2011 after dominating the CWGA Junior Stroke Play, winning an AJGA event and qualifying for two USGA championships. The 18-year-old, runner-up in the 2012 5A state tournament, will be playing her college golf at Texas-San Antonio.
Davis, meanwhile, won an CWGA title for the first time. And it was a championship match she won’t soon forget — one in which the biggest lead for either team was 1-up.
“That was crazy,” the golfer from Glenmoor Country Club said. “It was a lot of fun. We really fought. I feel like it was equal. Both teams were trying really hard to just make that one extra shot count.
“I honestly didn’t know when it was going to end. (The scene on the 25th hole is pictured at left.) I thought we might play another 18 out there.”
In the end, Johnston and Davis prevailed in the championship flight of an event that featured 200 players and 13 flights overall. The championship flight included three players who are in the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame — Kim Eaton, Janet Moore and Lynn Zmistowski.
“I felt like there’s a lot of great players here, and to have two (teams) of juniors fighting for first place is really special,” Davis said. “I’m proud of myself and my teammate.”
CWGA Mashie Championship
At Heritage Eagle Bend GC in Aurora
Championship Flight
Allie Johnston, Red Hawk Ridge GC and Claudia Davis, Glenmoor CC def.Kathleen Kershisnik, Columbine CC and Patricia Lee, Lone Tree GC, 25 holes
Championship Flight Consolation
Janet Moore, Cherry Hills CC and Sarah Moore, Cherry Hills CC def.Laurie Steenrod, Saddle Rock GC and Lisa Stone, Saddle Rock GC, 2 and 1
First Flight
Vickie Brown, Broken Tee GC def. Sally Lawrence, Broken Tee Englewood def Ruth Van Zee, Canongate Colorado GC and Jessi McVay, Commonground GC, 2 and 1
First Flight Consolation
Kim Gosche, CommonGround GC and Sue Davis, Saddle Rock GC def. Danielle Atkinson, The Pinery CC and Robyn Asbury, The Pinery CC, 3 and 2
Second Flight
Brenda Cook, The Links GC and Marie Driessen, Pinery CC def.Debra Bolke, Saddle Rock GC and Cathy Neistat, Saddle Rock GC, 1 up
Second Flight Consolation
Marti Alter-Cudlip, Denver CC and Beth Hudson, Meridian GC def Mary Jo Deming, Lakewood CC and Sheryl Larsen, Lakewood CC, 2 and 1
Third Flight
Karen Leuschel, Coal Creek GC and Laura Wetzel, Coal Creek GC def. Jenny Elliott, Broken Tee GC and Nina Dulacki, Broken Tee GC, 1 up
Third Flight Consolation
Jeanine Wasielewski, West Woods GC and Darlene Evans, West Woods GC def. Leanna Rosenow, West Woods GC and Patricia Swanson, West Woods GC, 2 and 1
Fourth Flight
Cathy Weber, Perry Park CC and Chris Leger, GC at Heather Ridge def. Debra Shultz, Saddle Rock GC and Mary Repetto, Broken Tee GC, 5 and 4
Fourth Flight Consolation
Krista Overstreet, Glenmoor CC and Jennifer Jacobsen, Glenmoor CC def. Vicki Porter, Commonground GC and Amy Tomlinson, CommonGround GC, 2 and 1
Fifth Flight
Carlene Decker, Kissing Camels and Denise Cohen, Kissing Camels def. Cindy Lantz, CC at Castle Pines and Sharee Merullo, Castle Pines CC, 3 and 2
Fifth Flight Consolation
Patti Godette, Red Hawk Ridge GC and Juliet Miner, Bear Dance GC def Sharon Berglund, The Pinery CC and Barbara Davis, Pinery CC, 3 and 2
Sixth Flight
Theresa Lange, Canongate Colorado GC and Kim Gould, Saddle Rock GC def Jane Anhold, Lakewood CC and Barbara Mcgrath, Lakewood CC, 5 and 4
Sixth Flight Consolation
Jeanette Ali, CC at Castle Pines and Linda Sinsar, CC at Castle Pines def. Jane Anhold, Lakewood CC and Barbara Mcgrath, Lakewood CC, 1 up
Seventh Flight
Debbie Childs, Lone Tree GC and Ellen Thomas, Canongate at Blackstone def. Pat O’Connor, Collindale GC and Irene Stein, Collindale GC, 3 and 2
Seventh Flight Consolation
Karen Bergert, West Woods GC and Mary Smith, Fox Hollow GC def. Patricia Cahill, Patty Jewett GC and Lita Van Cleave, Patty Jewett GC, 2 and 1
Eighth Flight
Laura Laux, Applewood GC and Joann Smith, Foothills GC def. Kimberlee Powelson, Valley CC and Carol Kishiyama, Valley CC, 1 up
Eighth Flight Consolation
Doris Hug, Heritage Eagle Bend GC and Connie Norkoli, Heritage Eagle Bend GC def. Paula Maes, Pradera GC and Billie Dahlbach, Plum Creek GC, 8 and 7
Ninth Flight
Barb Dearing, The Links GC and Cathy Quesnell, Red Hawk Ridge GC def. Nancy Peters, The Courses at Hyland Hills and Marlene Drew, The Courses at Hyland Hills, 23 holes
Ninth Flight Consolation
Dolly Moreno, Broken Tee GC and Jo Honeyman, Overland Park GC def. Jane Videtich, The Links GC and Karen Hendrickson, The Links GC, 20 holes
Tenth Flight
Anne Svec, The Courses at Hyland Hills and Kris Van Bladeren, The Courses at Hyland Hills def. Pat Latta, The Courses at Hyland Hills and Laura Fischer, Willis Case GC, 4 and 3
Tenth Flight Consolation
Linda Brown-Stiller, Broken Tee GC and Cathleen Ryland, Broadlands GC def. Sandra Schnitzer, Murphy Creek GC and Bunny Ambrose, Meadow Hills GC, 2 and 1
Eleventh Flight
Jan Squires, West Woods GC and Jaki Berry, West Woods GC def. Marilyn Hollman, Buffalo Run GC and Cheryl Miller, Riverdale GC, 5 and 4
Eleventh Flight Consolation
Roben Deines, Buffalo Run GC and Susan Elliott, Riverdale GC def. Jan Shoemaker, Twin Peaks GC and Sharla Gambrell, Sunset GC, 3 and 1
Twelfth Flight
Marcia Hall, Overland Park GC and Susie Goldberg, Overland Park GC def. Pamela Ortell, Heritage Eagle Bend GC and Debby Wishmier, Heritage Eagle Bend GC, 20 holes
Twelfth Flight Consolation
Phyllis Finlay, Eagle Vail GC and Marilyn Everett, Heritage Eagle Bend GC def. Jo-El Freyer, Denver CC and Jan Lee Heath, Spreading Antlers GC, 2 up
