Combs Wins Lilac Needs Every Bit Of His Five-Stroke Lead To Hold Back Fast-Charging Mack Jr.

The perch was wobbly and nearly broke but the eagle landed.

Michael Combs used two eagles and a putt of “a million feet” in the dark Sunday evening to win the 36th annual Washington Trust Bank Lilac Invitational golf tournament at The Fairways.

Combs, who entered the final round with a five-stroke advantage, had three double bogeys but never lost the lead despite shooting a 2-over-par 74. His 17-under 271 total for the four rounds was enough to hold off George Mack Jr., who birdied the final two holes, by one stroke. Combs won $5,5000 and Mack earned $3,500.

Eric Rustand matched Mack’s 68 and finished at 15-under 273 for $2,000. Todd Pence, low amateur for the third time, tied for fourth at 275 with Dan Koesters and Casey Martin. Pence shot a 70, Martin a 69 and Koesters, who began the day in second, had a 73. The two pros picked up $1,250.

“Get in, sit down, hang on and shut up,” was the way Combs, a 28-year-old assistant pro at Horn Rapids in Richland, described his round. “It was a roller coaster. It wasn’t as big of emotional roller coaster as it was a scoring roller coaster.”

Combs held his emotions in check, follow ing every error with a clutch shot. His last shot was a 6-inch tap-in on No. 18, after he lagged a big-breaking 50-footer on the deadly green.

He made his first error early, hitting his initial drive out of bounds for a double-bogey 6 on the first hole. He had a birdie on No. 4 just before a 1-hour, 45-minute rain and lightning delay. After the break, he hit driver-driver on the 525-yard fifth hole and drained a 10-foot eagle putt. A 3-putt bogey on No. 7 gave him a an even-par 36 on the front side.

On No. 11, he hit an ill-advised drive into the water, though he escaped with a bogey. He was about to drop in the weeds, following the line of flight of his ball, when he was told by playing partner Craig Gronning he could drop on the other side of the lateral hazard.

Combs rallied with a great drive and birdie on No. 12. Then on No. 13, a 172-yard par 3 into the wind, he landed in the edge of the water right of the green. Standing in the water with his right shoe off, he popped out short, then chipped to the edge and twoputted for double bogey.

However, he responded with a monster drive on No. 14, a 493-yard par 5, and hit a sand wedge from 130 yards to within 4 feet for an eagle. But he promptly hooked his drive on 15 into the trees and had to punch out before three-putting for a double-bogey 6.

Meanwhile, Koesters, who got within two after a birdie on No. 2 and one after 13, three-putted No. 17 and hit his approach on 18 into the water.

“In crunch time I didn’t execute,” the University of Idaho pro said. “He kept opening the door so many times it wasn’t funny and no one wanted to take charge. If anyone wanted to take charge they could have got the job done.”

Mack tried. He had a 34 on the front but was still five down. Birdies on No. 11 and 12 pulled him within three but on No. 13 “my ball ballooned on me,” dropping into the water short of the green. The double bogey all but ended his chances.

“Three back, you’ve got to go for it,” said Mack, a Portland pro. “You know me, I only know aggressive.”

He made another costly mistake on the next hole, blocking a 6-iron to the right and ending up with a par 5 on the easy birdie hole.

“Besides that, I played pretty flawless,” he said. “I felt like I had to birdie the last two holes to have a chance. I’m satisfied because I made the mistakes on 13 and 14 but I performed down the stretch, when I felt pressure. It just felt good to play well in pressure all four days. That’s something I haven’t done and that’s what you have to do to go to the next level.”

Rustand was charging early, with birdies on Nos. 2, 3 and 4. Then came the lightning.

“I got off to a great start and came back out after the delay and three-putted twice,” he said. “That was disappointing.”

Birdies on the backside par-5s put him 15 under with four holes to go. But he couldn’t get a putt to drop. On 18, needing a birdie, he left himself 213 yards to the green. He drilled a 4-iron to within 3 feet but he missed the slick side-hill putt.

“I can honestly say I hit the best shot of my life so I can take that away from here,” said Rustand, who plays the Hooters Tour from Tucson. “I made a run. I don’t know how but I made a run. What a day.”

Low amateur was special but disappointing for Pence, who works at The Fairways.

“It started yesterday, I hit shots that hurt me,” he said. “It just didn’t happen. I didn’t put myself in good position enough.”

Defending champion Gary Lindeblad shot a 70 and finished six back at 277. Chris Mitchell, a six-time winner, was at 283 after a 72. Craig Schuh, who won in 1987, had a 73 for 287 and Scott Geroux, the 1993 champion, was at 289.

, DataTimes MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: Leaderboard Final results of the Lilac City Invitational: Michael Combs……………..64-65-68-74-271 George Mack Jr…………….69-64-71-68-272 Eric Rustand………………68-69-68-68-273 Dan Koesters………………67-69-66-73-275 Casey Martin………………70-68-68-69-275 a-Todd Pence………………66-67-70-72-275