Thorpe ousts defending Tamarack champ in playoff

WASAGAMING — Jason Thorpe couldn’t help but laugh when he took his driver head cover off and looked over at Grady Chuback with an iron in hand.

Their difference in ball speeds is nearing their age difference. And while the defending Tamarack golf tournament champion overpowered the 55-year-old on a few holes, the steady lefty hung around long enough to force a playoff and beat the 20-year-old on the second extra hole in their quarterfinal on Thursday.

Thorpe isn’t sure how many more chances he’ll have to win the 93-year-old tournament at Clear Lake Golf Course, and he certainly didn’t expect to have three good chances to defeat Chuback, but he’s having a blast and he’s through to the final four.

“He’s a great player, he’s fun to watch and it just feels good,” Thorpe said, adding the key to success was sticking to his process.

“Just not making too many mistakes, really just trying to play for pars, try to make the odd birdie and don’t make any mistakes, that’s kind of my game.”

Thorpe was 1 up with six holes to go when Chuback’s 180-mile-per-hour drive helped him reach the par-5 fourth green in two and dripped in a 20-foot eagle putt. He added another 15-footer for eagle on No. 5 to take the lead.

“It didn’t rattle your confidence at all because I had a five-footer for birdie still and likely and hopefully would have made it anyway,” Thorpe said. “You’ve got to give him credit, two eagles back to back is great golf.”

Thorpe stayed 1 down until No. 8, their 17th of the match, when he rammed a downhill birdie putt in the back of the cup.

“I needed that, and I was a little more aggressive than I’d normally be on that putt, but I knew I probably had to make that,” Thorpe said.

He had a good look to win it in regulation, and another on the first playoff hole, but capitalized on a rare three-putt by Chuback to advance to a semifinal against Dustin Dyck, who beat Lars Johnston 4 and 3.

“He’s great. I know him well; we’ve played many times, so I’m looking forward to that,” Thorpe said.

Dyck had a steady round going, pulling ahead when Johnston shanked a tee shot from the 16th tee to the 15th green, and going 2 up at the turn by winning No. 18 with a par.

Dyck delivered the dagger on No. 5, lacing a six-iron to six feet for eagle and winning the hole with a birdie when Johnston three-putted.

The 2019 and 2020 Tamarack champ sealed the win with a par on the following hole, and is back to the round Ross Sheard eliminated him in last year, en route to a runner-up finish.

This time, he feels better about his game, thanks to a winter of work at Sheard’s Shanks Driving Range and Grill.

“I’ve put in a lot of work over the winter,” Dyck said. “I was going to Shanks and hitting balls outside once a week and really using the time I had effectively. It feels great to get that validation and see the results out here.

“Me and Lars didn’t play that great today but not bad either. I was 1 under, which was reasonable. I’m hitting the ball really well and feeling good about my game.”

Another past champion awaits on the other side of the draw, as Kody Fawcett went the distance to defeat Joel Matthews 1 up.

“That was not an easy match. He was so solid, man,” Fawcett said after Matthews three-putted the last hole to end it.

“That putt on nine might have been the only putt he really missed all day. He hits it down the middle every time, you think he’s going to make a bogey and then he stuffs it from 60 yards. He’s a very good scrambler but also just a very solid player.”

Fawcett, who won in 2015, 2017 and 2018, is back in the semis today at 8:12 a.m., for the first time since 2022 when he lost to Jarod Crane.

Despite pulling off big shots in bigger moments, time and time again, Fawcett said he’s had some shaky moments in the past few years. But he made a swing change a few months ago and is reaping the benefits.

“I’ve been able to find a shot I can actually hit under the gun, which is nice,” Fawcett said. “I aim left and just hold it, a little cut.

“I’ve always been a drawer, but last year I had a two-way miss and it was horrendous. Being able to free swing it knowing I’m not going to miss left has been huge for my mental state.”

Fawcett and Matthews stayed close all the way. Fawcett went 1 up through 16 but Matthews squared it up with a clutch birdie putt on the next hole.

Behind them was Fawcett’s semifinal opponent, Kurt Martin, who downed Nolan Tutkaluk 3 and 1.

Martin was 2-under par on their first nine holes, and drained a big breaking birdie putt on the tricky 18th green to make the turn 3 up.

Tutkaluk hung around by halving the second and fourth holes with birdies, then added one more on the seventh to avoid elimination.

But both found tree trouble on the eighth, and Tutkaluk was unable to mimic Seve Ballesteros’ infamous kneeling shot in 1997 to stay alive any longer.

After the birdie barrage Martin has been on the past two rounds, Fawcett said he’s planning to come out firing this morning.

“I’m just going to try to make a bunch of birdies, maybe do what Grady did today and make a couple of eagles on four and five,” Fawcett said. “If you go out and shoot 6-under par, you’re probably going to win the match.”

• • •

Three of the top four seeds are still alive in the men’s scramble division. Medallists Dave Newman and Scott Kozoroski play No. 4 seed P.J. and Jarod Crane in the semifinals today at 7 a.m.

Second-ranked Riese Gaber and Scott McCallum play No. 11 Chris Bridges and Derek Cantlon in the other semifinal.

All championship matches are scheduled for Saturday.

» tfriesen@brandonsun.com