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WATERTOWN — T.J. Penn’s effort on Sunday in the Watertown City golf championship tournament proved to be a fantastic finish.
Trailing and down to his last shot against Matt Barton, Penn drained a lengthy putt on the final hole to force a playoff at Thompson Park Golf Course.
Penn then edged Barton on the first playoff hole to claim his first Watertown City golf title in the 102nd edition of the match-play event.
“It was wild, it as a roller coaster,” Penn said. “Hat’s off to Barton, he is a stud, he is a great player.”
It was an emotional moment for Penn, who was mobbed by family and friends after he secured the victory as they quickly gathered for a group hug.
“It’s huge, it feels great,” Penn said. “A lot of pressure off of me. “To finally get to the final four and then get to finals and end it in an incredible match is unreal.”
The competition over the last six holes, including the playoff hole, provided plenty of suspense as both golfers went the distance and then some in the two-round final played in sunny and near perfect weather conditions.
“Yeah, a roller coaster, I kind of gave it away, let my mind get ahead of it,” Penn said. “All the support I had today was unbelievable and what a match. It was unreal, up and down.”
Barton, who trailed by three strokes entering the second-round of the day, later was trailing by two strokes with five holes to play in regulation.
Barton then won the next three holes to take a one-stroke lead, a run which was sparked when he recorded an eagle on the par-5 14th hole by draining a putt after he reached the hole in two.
He then birdied the 15th hole and went on to win the 16th hole to take the lead.
Both golfers halved the next hole, as Barton chipped the ball out of a bunker and sank a putt to split the hole.
That set the stage for Penn on the 18th hole, as he calmly connected on a 25-foot putt to force extra time, then letting out a roar of approval.
“I’m not going to lie, I have the best caddy around, Tyler Reardon,” Penn said. “My man, he told me ‘this putt’s yours, this is what you gotta do, you got the line, be confident on it’ and I hit it and it was unreal.”
Then moving on to the playoff on the course’s No. 1 hole, Penn’s second shot landed just off the green, but then chipped the ball just near hole en route to securing the win.
“It’s been a lot of Elite Eights for me here and to get to the final four and then have a finals match was incredible,” Penn said. “It’s what we go for, it’s what we love and I’m just so happy.”
The victory came on the 37th hole of the tournament final as regulation play included a full 18-holes in the morning session and then another 18 in the afternoon.
Earlier, Barton led by one stroke through the first nine holes of the morning. Penn answered by winning the next holes to build a three-stroke advantage.
Both golfers would go on to birdie the 17th hole of the session to help set the stage for the second-round.
Barton defeated reigning- and 15-time event champion Bob Hughes, 4-3, in a semifinal on Saturday. On Sunday he competed in his first Watertown City golf final since 2021.
“He was good, he was hot, he was on fire, he was kicking butt,” Penn said of Barton. “I let a few things go and got in my head a little bit and then on 18 my caddy, the best guy in the world, Taylor, actually I beat Taylor earlier (in the tournament) and we’re two-man buddies, we play two-man together.
“He just said ‘Tom, do your stuff’ and I did.”
Penn, who is from Alexandria Bay, broke through by playing in the City semifinals for the first time as he bested Nicholas McCabe, 4-3, on Saturday.
“It was good, I played really steady,” Penn said. “I just got up and I kept it going and that was the key to it.”
Clearly, Penn hails from a golf-oriented family, with many of them on hand on Sunday.
“I grew up there,” Penn said of Alexandria Bay. “My dad and uncle were here, they taught me golf, basically everything I know about it. So we’re a big golf family, we love every bit of it.”
He added: “I lost my uncle Frank four years ago, a big golfer as well. I talked to my aunt this morning and told her ‘I’m doing this for him,’ so I just went out and did it.”
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Trailing and down to his last shot against Matt Barton, Penn drained a lengthy putt on the final hole to force a playoff at Thompson Park Golf Course.
Penn then edged Barton on the first playoff hole to claim his first Watertown City golf title in the 102nd edition of the match-play event.
“It was wild, it as a roller coaster,” Penn said. “Hat’s off to Barton, he is a stud, he is a great player.”
It was an emotional moment for Penn, who was mobbed by family and friends after he secured the victory as they quickly gathered for a group hug.
“It’s huge, it feels great,” Penn said. “A lot of pressure off of me. “To finally get to the final four and then get to finals and end it in an incredible match is unreal.”
The competition over the last six holes, including the playoff hole, provided plenty of suspense as both golfers went the distance and then some in the two-round final played in sunny and near perfect weather conditions.
“Yeah, a roller coaster, I kind of gave it away, let my mind get ahead of it,” Penn said. “All the support I had today was unbelievable and what a match. It was unreal, up and down.”
Barton, who trailed by three strokes entering the second-round of the day, later was trailing by two strokes with five holes to play in regulation.
Barton then won the next three holes to take a one-stroke lead, a run which was sparked when he recorded an eagle on the par-5 14th hole by draining a putt after he reached the hole in two.
He then birdied the 15th hole and went on to win the 16th hole to take the lead.
Both golfers halved the next hole, as Barton chipped the ball out of a bunker and sank a putt to split the hole.
That set the stage for Penn on the 18th hole, as he calmly connected on a 25-foot putt to force extra time, then letting out a roar of approval.
“I’m not going to lie, I have the best caddy around, Tyler Reardon,” Penn said. “My man, he told me ‘this putt’s yours, this is what you gotta do, you got the line, be confident on it’ and I hit it and it was unreal.”
Then moving on to the playoff on the course’s No. 1 hole, Penn’s second shot landed just off the green, but then chipped the ball just near hole en route to securing the win.
“It’s been a lot of Elite Eights for me here and to get to the final four and then have a finals match was incredible,” Penn said. “It’s what we go for, it’s what we love and I’m just so happy.”
The victory came on the 37th hole of the tournament final as regulation play included a full 18-holes in the morning session and then another 18 in the afternoon.
Earlier, Barton led by one stroke through the first nine holes of the morning. Penn answered by winning the next holes to build a three-stroke advantage.
Both golfers would go on to birdie the 17th hole of the session to help set the stage for the second-round.
Barton defeated reigning- and 15-time event champion Bob Hughes, 4-3, in a semifinal on Saturday. On Sunday he competed in his first Watertown City golf final since 2021.
“He was good, he was hot, he was on fire, he was kicking butt,” Penn said of Barton. “I let a few things go and got in my head a little bit and then on 18 my caddy, the best guy in the world, Taylor, actually I beat Taylor earlier (in the tournament) and we’re two-man buddies, we play two-man together.
“He just said ‘Tom, do your stuff’ and I did.”
Penn, who is from Alexandria Bay, broke through by playing in the City semifinals for the first time as he bested Nicholas McCabe, 4-3, on Saturday.
“It was good, I played really steady,” Penn said. “I just got up and I kept it going and that was the key to it.”
Clearly, Penn hails from a golf-oriented family, with many of them on hand on Sunday.
“I grew up there,” Penn said of Alexandria Bay. “My dad and uncle were here, they taught me golf, basically everything I know about it. So we’re a big golf family, we love every bit of it.”
He added: “I lost my uncle Frank four years ago, a big golfer as well. I talked to my aunt this morning and told her ‘I’m doing this for him,’ so I just went out and did it.”
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