Birdie on 18 makes Hamblin $5,000 richer

Corbett settles for third-place tie at Elkhorn

Twin Falls Municipal Golf Course pro Mike Hamblin birdied the 15th and 18th holes—and had two great up-and-downs in between to save par—to capture the 1998 Cobra Rocky Mountain PGA Section Championship Sept. 2 on the 7,101-yard Elkhorn Golf Course.

Hamblin sank a 5-foot birdie putt on the par-5 18th to finish the two-day, 36-hole tournament with a 5-under-par total of 69-70 for 139. It was his first section championship. He earned the top prize of $5,000 among 61 pros from Idaho, Nevada, Montana and Wyoming. The total purse was $30,100.

In second place, a stroke back, was first-time Senior Division winner Jerry Breaux of Boise’s Hillcrest Country Club. First-round leader Breaux (67-73 for 4-under-par 140) won $3,200 for his runner-up finish and tacked on another $2,000 for his Senior Division title.

Tying for third at 3-under-par 141 for $1,967 apiece were Doyle Corbett (69-72) of Sun Valley Golf Course, four-time sectional winner Jeff Thomsen (69-72) of Boise’s Indian Lakes Golf Club and Buster Whitney (71-70) of Caldwell’s Foxtail Golf Course.

Sun Valley’s Corbett added $1,600 for his runner-up Senior Division finish. He will join Breaux as Idaho representatives in the National Senior PGA Club Professional Championships. Indeed, as last week’s tournament wound down, it looked like Corbett might win.

Corbett left the par-3, 167-yard 14th hole as the leader. He missed a 16-foot birdie putt but stayed at 5-under and assumed a 1-stroke lead over Thomsen, Breaux and Idaho Open champion Hamblin.

Despite outdriving Thomsen and Breaux, Corbett’s approach left him with a long, downhill putt and he bogeyed the par-4, 367-yard 15th. Corbett crushed a 280-yard drive on the par-4, 351-yard 16th and just missed a 14-foot birdie putt. Breaux three-putted and dropped to -3.

On 17—a dogleg par-4, 434-yarder that is Elkhorn’s second-toughest hole—Corbett hit into two sand traps and missed a 7-footer for par. Thomsen bogeyed as well and joined Corbett at -3. Meanwhile, Breaux’s second shot to the elevated green bounced to within 14 inches of the cup and he birdied to go to -4.

The news that Hamblin had birdied #18 and gone to -5 greeted the final group as they started the par-5, 544-yard finishing hole. Breaux played the hole well but missed a 3-foot birdie putt that would have forced a playoff. Corbett and Thomsen ended with pars and settled for a three-way, third-place tie.

Other local scores:

Mark Swift of Elkhorn 75-72 for 147; Tony Blasius of The Valley Club 75-73 for 148; host pro Dave Hardison of Elkhorn 74-74 for 148; Steve Rust of Sun Valley 76-76 for 152; Tommy Sanderson of Elkhorn 78-74 for 152; John Weekes of Twin Falls 77-81 for 158; Scott Syms of The Valley Club 79-81 for 160; and Karen Campbell Shorts of Sun Valley 82-80 for 162.