Jason Bannister was dialed in, with Cascades Golf Course and with his caddy in Sunday’s Men’s Championship final.
No need to aim and flame or go for the green at every hole. His approach this weekend at the 95th annual City Golf Tournament was to pick his spots and nail them. Like Indiana Jones in the Last Crusade, he chose wisely, more often than not, heeding the advance given to him by Lance Ringler, setting up great approach shots that maximized his chance at winning birdies.
Taking a 3-up lead after the first 18 of the 36-hole final, he kept University of Southern Indiana teammate Jace Day at arm’s length the rest of the way for a 4 and 2 win.
“I definitely felt more comfortable today than I have in the past just because having Lance on the bag was big,” Bannister said. “He’s played here, he knows how to play here. He’d give me a number and I felt like I’d just hit it to that number. We had a number of good-quality wedge shots. From using that approach and bumping it into the green.”
Bannister, the 2022 champ, went up as much as five after the first 16 holes and never let Day, the 2021 winner, any closer than two. When he did, Bannister responded with two straight wins to restore the cushion.
“I don’t think I have the best wedge game from the fairway, but up and around the greens I’ve got pretty good hands,” Bannister said. “I figured, to quote a guy I work with, ‘You can’t be too close.’ I used a little bit of that and laid back and it’s a lot easier to get it close.”
Bannister in rare company
Over the last 40 years of the Bloomington City Golf Tournament, just three names had ever been able to win back-to-back titles in the Men’s Championship flight — Ike Martin (twice), Troy Gillespie and Mitch Oard (2013-14). Martin and Oard were there watching to welcome him to the club.
“It’s hard,” Bannister said. “Repeating at anything is hard. Especially in golf because there are a lot of variables.
“I played well yesterday and I tried to carry that momentum to today and I feel I did my job again of managing my way around the golf course. Not trying to get overly aggressive but knowing when I can get aggressive.”
Day had just three birdies on the first 18 to put himself in dire straits with Bannister having been such a steady finisher all tourney.
“I certainly didn’t make it hard enough on him,” Day said. “I didn’t make my typical amount of birdies, unfortunately. Today was a very winnable day and I wasn’t able to get it done, which is pretty frustrating.”
Gillespie (1999-2001) was the last to win three in a row and Bannister is planning to be back in 2024.
Big lead early pays off
Things got off to a nervous start with a double-bogey by Day giving Bannister a 1-up lead despite a bogey of his own. Bannister picked up three more holes and then went five up with a par on 16.
“Definitely getting a lead early is big in match play,” Bannister said. “Over 36 holes, one hole here and there is really not going to hurt you that bad, but getting up then allows me to apply the pressure. Now, all I’ve got to do is start hitting greens. If he makes a putt , tip my hat to a birdie any day of the week.”
But Day came back to win the next two to give Bannister something to think about as they headed back to No. 1.
“Ending the first 18, I lost 17 and 18 and got into a little mental funk where I kind of got in my own way,” Bannister said. “But we regrouped after the turn and being able to win the first hole of the second (18) was kind of a, relax, get back into it and then from there it was just chip a way. Win a hole and a lot of halves.”
Day’s work on the greens just never gave him a chance to make any kind of run.
“My putting was horrible today,” Day said. “It’s nothing new. He’s a good player. I don’t think either of us played our best, probably, but you can’t make that few amount of putts and compete to win over 36 holes.
More: All-time City Golf champions
“It’s reminiscent of me playing Nick Burris, honestly, in a lot of ways. Just me not really quite having it and just never being able to get anything going on the greens. Never really had that spark or that moment where it flipped. I really wished I could have played a little bit better and given him a better match. I stayed in it and tried to grind it out.”
Decker wins Junior title
Had it not been for 12-year-old Ryan Decker, the Junior division might have been uncontested again this year.
Given his apparently precocious skill level, it was almost a no-contest anyway as Decker flew to a 9 and 7 win over 13-year-old Ike Wilkie in their 18-hole final.
Decker helped bring together Wilkie and the Henry twins (Nash and Lyle), to give the field the required four players to hold the tourney.
BLOOMINGTON CITY GOLF TOURNAMENT
PHIL TALBOT MEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP: [1] Jason Bannister d. [2] Jace Day, 4 and 2
PAUL GRAY SENIOR CHAMPIONSHIP: [2] Jim Alexander d. [1] Gary EuDaly, 2 and 1
ROSS RUSH SUPER SENIOR CHAMPIONSHIP: [1] Rory Brown d. [6] Dan Neubecker, 7 and 6
JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP: [1] Ryan Decker d. [3] Ike Wilkie, 9 and 7.
MEN’S REGULAR FLIGHTS
First: [1] Daniel Melwid d. [6] Devin Price-Presslaff, 7 and 6. Second: [3] Brad McLaughlin d. [5] Matt Newman, 5 and 4. Third: [1] Chris Stedman d. [7] Jason Storm, 3 and 2. Fourth: [3] Eli Prather d. [1] Russ Wilkie, 19 holes; Fifth: [2] Wyatt Birch d. [4] Kyle McWhorter, 19 holes.
SENIOR REGULAR FLIGHTS
First: [1] Joe McWhorter, Jr. d. [3] Bruke Geene, conceded
SUPER SENIOR REGULAR FLIGHTS
First: [7] George Finley d. [4] Steve McDonald, 3 and 2. Second: [8] Gary Walters d. [7] Jim Shea, 2 and 1. Third: [4] Mark Deal d. [3] Rand McKamey, 2 up.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: City Golf: Bannister rises to the occasion again in Men’s final