WPGA CLASSIC #3
EVENT PARTNERS
The great golf from Michael Crowley continued on Monday as he earned his first one-day WPGA Classic win since 2005. The Morningstar GC head PGA professional has been on an impressive run for the past three and half years and Monday was another example of his terrific play.
Crowley was one of fifty-three WPGA professionals that made the trek to The Club at Lac La Belle to tee it up in WPGA Classic #3. For a lot of the players, it would be their first look at the layout since Craig Haltom led a redesign of the layout in 2019.
The day would be quite a challenge as the field was faced with windy and drizzly conditions, while trying to successfully navigate the undulating greens and fescue lined fairways.
For Crowley an early tee time would help him set the pace and put the pressure on the field. As the second group out he would make five birdies, tying him for the most on the day. The impressive play would help him card a 2-under-par 69.
He would then be forced to wait and see, as he became a leaderboard watcher. Making the best effort to catch him were Brian Brodell and Josh Grisa.
For Grisa a shot at the title would be derailed after he hit his second shot on the par-4 18th into the back bunker. It would lead to a bogey on the home hole and leave him just one shot short of playoff, alone in third place.
As for Brodell he would close strong and match Crowley’s 2-under score. A big birdie on the par-5 16th would help propel him into the playoff. His steady play of making par or better on sixteen of the eighteen holes were the biggest key to his round.
With player of the year points on the line and $370 more going to the winner, the duo would settle the tie with a hole-by-hole playoff.
The playoff would be settled quickly, as it came to a close on the par-4 1st. After striping a drive down the middle, Brodell’s ball would roll out just a little too far and find the fairway bunker. The miscue would result in a difficult second shot. His attempt to hit the green in two would come up short and find the deep greenside bunker.
Crowley meanwhile would apply the pressure as he would hit the green in regulation and put Brodell in a position to have to get up and down to continue the playoff.
Brodell’s attempt would be unsuccessful, and Crowley would claim the win with a two-putt par.
With the playoff win Crowley would sweep the board and claim the regular division, player’s purse and senior division contests. The victories would be worth $1,765.
The WPGA would like to thank the Wisconsin State Golf Association, Hole-In-One USA, and the PGA Tour for helping to enhance and support Monday’s event.
We’d also like to express our gratitude to everyone at The Club at Lac La Belle. Numerous positive comments were heard from the players about the layout, and several were anxious to make a return visit in the future.