Hyde captures two Senior golf titles

Published on: 7/16/2013

It seems the older Waukesha's Ron Hyde gets, the better golf he plays. That was never more evident than last week at the Wisconsin State Golf Association's Match Play Championships at Meadowbrook Country Club in Racine.

After tying for eighth place in the qualifying round with a score of 6-over-par 77 and gaining one of the 16 spots in the Super Senior division, Hyde won all four of his matches and walked off with the 2013 championship. It was his first WSGA Match Play title.

Later in the week, Hyde won another title at the Hoffman Senior Championship at Glen Erin Golf Club in Janesville on Sunday. The event was sponsored by the Wisconsin Public Links Golf Association.

The WSGA crown came one year after he lost to John Kaufmann of Tuckaway Country Club in the finals at Reedsburg Country on the final hole at the same tournament.

Hyde worked his way through the match-play bracket in comfortable fashion. In the first round he stopped Bill Tonsfeldt of Maple Bluff Country Club by a 2 and 1 score and then downed David Boyd of Washington County in the second round, 4 and 3.

That vaulted Hyde into the semifinals against Waukesha's Jeff Ausen. Hyde won that match by a 4 and 3 score. Ausen plays out of the Legend at Merrill Hills.

In the title match, Hyde fell one hole down to Bruce Hansen of Meadowbrook and then rallied to take the lead for good with a birdie on the par-4, 311-yard seventh hole. He went 2-up after getting another birdie on the par-5, 470-yard 10th hole. He put the match away with a par on the par-3 17th hole.

'I played pretty good all week at the Match Play,' Hyde said. 'I was fortunate a couple of times but for the most part, I hit the ball well. My iron play was good, and I putted the ball well in all of the matches.'

At Glen Erin, Hyde shot a 36-hole total of 175 (74-76) to tie for the title with Marc Casper of Naga-Waukee. On the first playoff hole, Casper struggled with his first few shots and forfeited the title to Hyde without finishing the hole.

'I guess you could say it was a pretty good week,' Hyde said with a laugh. 'I played in two tournaments and won them both.'