Kinzler Keeps Championship Close to Home

Kinzler Keeps Championship Close to Home

Kevin & Christine Memorial Tourney a Major Success as '09 Starts off Right

frozenWith temperatures reaching ridiculous lows late last week and throughout the weekend, players teed it up at the first GT tourney of '09 at Flounders Bar and Grill in Chicago. While the name Frozen Open seemed fitting because of the bitter cold, the tournament took on a different name in tribute to both Kevin and Christine Bordelon.

Kevin, a Golden Tee veteran out of Houston, and his wife Christine were killed tragically on Christmas day by a drunk driver. Along with changing the tournament name, everyone involved agreed to donate a portion of the player entry fees to MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving), the desired charity from both Kevin and Christine's parents. Players traveled from all over North America to play, but more importantly to support a cause that was near and dear to their hearts.

A total of fifty-one players competed in the Kevin & Christine Memorial Tournament. Not only was it the first event of '09, it was also the first GT tournament to be played on IT's new Showpiece cabinet. Competitive showdowns between some of the world's best have never looked so good.

The tournament kicked off Saturday afternoon with a two-course qualifier played on Sunny Wood and Woodland Farm. Jacksonville's Ryan McCook picked off where he left off in '08 leading the pack with a qualifying score of –50. Minnesota native and '08 World's runner up Chris Thorbrogger was second with a –49, while Michigan's Stan Razmus was third with his –48.

gamesBracket play began soon after with the top-32 qualifiers going at it head-to-head in the double elimination contest. Those who lost a match were placed in a separate loser's bracket. Winners of both brackets then met up in the tournament finals.

In the regular bracket, the fireworks started in the round of eight as hometown favorite and two-time World Champion Graig Kinzler matched up against Wisconsin native David Crawford. Kinzler bested Crawford by six shots to advance, but Crawford would prove to be a tough from here on out.

While Kinzler waited for his next opponent, Illinois shooters Marc "the Mouth" Muklewicz and Dave "Gibby" Gibson teed off on Bonnie Moor. Marc bested his buddy by four strokes and set up a high profile showdown between himself and Kinzler.

Their match stayed close early, but Kinzler pulled away on the back nine to finish at –27 and cruise to a four-stroke victory. With the win, Graig moved to the semis where he faced top qualifier Ryan McCook.

Playing at Sunny Wood, the two were all square until the 13th, when McCook's ball landed in the hazard. From there Kinzler overcame McCook's brilliant drive on the 18th to take the match by two. With the win, Kinzler earned a trip to the finals and stayed the lone player to keep his tournament slate clean.

gamesWith half of the finals set, the play in the other bracket heated up. In the round of eight, Chris Thorbrogger hit a brilliant all-or-nothing chip on the Sunny Wood 18th to send his match with Michigan's Ryan VanManen into sudden death. Thor later won the match and made it to the quarterfinals where he went up against Muklewicz.

With hole outs on holes one and nine, Mouth bested Thor advancing to the semis where he took on the surging David Crawford. After losing to Kinzler early on, Crawford won three straight matches leading up to his showdown with the Mouth. He kept the hot hand going and took out Muklewicz by three.

Crawford was then given the tough task of playing Ryan McCook, as the two went at it on Grand Savannah in one of the better matches of the tourney. McCook holed out 11 and followed it up with a brilliant tee shot and putt on the 17th. He edged out Crawford –25 to –24 to move into the finals, and gave himself a chance at redemption from his loss earlier in the day. Crawford finished third and went home with $160.

In a rematch of the '08 TOC final Graig Kinzler and Ryan McCook teed it up for yet another title. If McCook wanted to revisit his last tournament win he would have to beat Kinzler twice since Kinzler still had yet to lose.

McCook came out blazing, grabbing an early lead with a long ace on the Black Hills 2nd. At the turn, McCook held onto a one shot lead which Kinzler erased on the very next hole. Kinzler picked up another late stroke and went into the 18th up one.

A sixteen mile-per-hour crosswind greeted the two on an already tough hole. Kinzler held honors and sent his tee shot just long and into the water. With a slight opening, McCook then sent his drive into the hazard, all but sealing it for Kinzler. Kinz chipped on the green, tapped in for par, and won the championship match -23 to -21. For his efforts, McCook won $280.

winners
Third Place Finisher David Crawford, Tourney Director Steve "0verfiend" Moskalin, Winner Graig Kinzler, and Second Place Finisher Ryan McCook

"After he dropped the hole-in-one on me I needed to get back at him," Kinzler joked.

With the win, Kinzler earned his friendly revenge after losing to McCook on a hole-in-one at the TOC. He took home the top prize of $550 along with a set of Callaway irons and golf bag supplied by IT. He also keeps the Frozen Open title in his hometown Chicago for an entire year.

"When you play someone as good as Ryan, you know the game is going to come down to probably one or two strokes, which it did," Kinzler commented on the match. "It was a great match to be a part of and it feels fantastic to win in Chicago at the bar I love to play at."




Congratulations to Kinzler, and thanks to everyone who played and participated in a wonderful weekend for an even better cause.

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