Jay Audia and Brad Mombert

BANDON, OREGON (April 20, 2005) -- The amateurgolf.com Two Man Links Championship concluded today at Bandon Dunes, with two of the three divisions producing heated battles all the way 'down to the last' in the 72-hole event.

Jay Audia and Brad Mombert of Bend, Oregon enjoyed a four stroke lead at the start of Wednesday's final round in the Championship Division. They were paired in the final group with amateurgolf.com Founder Pete Wlodkowski of Carlsbad, California and his partner Erik Hallgrimson of Los Gatos, California, a Commercial Real Estate Broker.

Audia and Mombert got off to a shaky start, with a costy three-putt bogey at No. 1 and a missed-green bogey at No. 2, an uphill par-3 with a devilish front-of-green pin placement. Miss the green by just inches, as Audia did, and watch in dismay as your ball accelerates back down the hill, to a collection area 20 feet lower in elevation.

The lead was down to 2, as Hallgrimson and Wlodkowski took pars. Mombert, 24, wedged close from over the green at No. 3 and made birdie, and got the lead back to three. By the 10th, where Mombert chipped in for birdie, the lead was up to 5 strokes and it appeared like the cruise control would be turned on at any minute.

Then Hallgrimson birdied No. 13, a par-5 where he reached the fringe of the green in 2, and deftly chipped over a 'natural' hump in the green to within two feet. That lowered the margin to four, which is where it stayed through No. 15, a tough par-3 where Hallgrimson grinded out an 8 footer to save par. Audia and Mombert weren't on autopilot yet, but they were getting close.

"We were just kind of strolling down the 16th fairway," said Audia, a real estate developer. "And then we started dodging huge bombs from Wlodkowski."

Wlodkowski, waking up from a three hole slumber, drained a 60 foot putt from the back fringe on No. 16, and a 30 footer at the tricky 17th, where the pin was tucked close to the hazard that fronts the green. The margin was just two strokes on the 18th tee, and Audia and Mombert seemed to enjoy having it turn into 'game on.'

Golf World/Golf Digest Writer Jaime Diaz put it perfectly when he discussed playing in the event at the tournament dinner on Tuesday night.

"Playing in tournaments gives me an appreciation for what the pros I cover go through, pressure-wise," said Diaz.

When all players reached the green in regulation at No. 18, a dogleg right par-5, the deal was all but sealed by Audia and Mombert (Audia knocked in a 6 foot par putt to end any question about his partner's ability to 2-putt) but Hallgrimson was able to close the gap even further with a 15 foot birdie. The players shook hands and talked about how great it was to compete on two of the finest links courses in the world.

"This is what it's all about," said Hallgrimson.

Senior Champs Jack Robinson (left) and Gil Wymond

In the Senior Division, Scott Howard and Gordon Pogorelc thought they were even with 54-hole leaders Gil Wymond and Jack Robinson of California coming down the spectacular final three hole stretch, which begins with the 'drive-the-green-if-you-dare' par-4 16th. In fact, they were trailing by one but the error in calculation only made things more interesting as they all faced pressure putts on No. 18. First to putt was Howard, who drained an 8-footer to apparently force Wymond to require a putt of 4 feet for the tie.

Wymond made the putt, and when the cards were checked it was obvious that Wymond and Robinson had won, not tied. To add salt to the wound (and it should be noted that the easy-going-traveling-man Howard smiled through the whole incident), Howard and Pogorelc lost a card off for second place to Rex Massier and Ross Hamilton of California.

The largest overnight lead in the three-division tournament was in the Net field, where Kevin MacGillivray of Portland, Oregon, and Ken Griffith of Rocklin, California took no chances of anyone coming from behind in the final round by posting a solid 8-under-par 64 at Bandon Dunes.

"We wanted to make it VERY hard to catch us," said MacGillivray.

Net Winners Ken Griffith (left) and Kevin MacGillivray

Still, one team came within 7 strokes, the pairing of Greg Leograndis and Steve Janochowski of Mill Valley, California. They could also be called 'most improved' in the entire tournament. Their rounds -- 70-67-66-64.

Golf as it was meant to be, as the Bandon Dunes slogan goes.

Tournament Notes:

-- Bet you haven't seen this happen, part 1: Gordon Pogorelc hit a drive on No. 16, a downwind par 4 of approximately 350 yards, on a straight line to the green which is fronted by gorse, rocks, and a cliff and the ocean on the right. "Didn't hit it too well, better hit another," he said, and his provisional followed the same line. When the players arrived, BOTH balls were on the putting surface. (did we say it's a par four...)

-- Bet you haven't seen this happen, part 2: Charles Mazzola lipped out for hole-in-one at No. 2, and his ball wound up 18 inches behind he cup. At the 12th (a hole he aced two years ago in this event), Mazzola hit another amazing shot, and his ball wound up 12 inches, again directly behind the cup. "I made half of them," joked Mazzola, whose putt at No. 3 hit a patch of poa annua and veered off line.

-- Thanks, kudos, and more: Special thanks to our group coordinator, Jamie Fay, and the entire staff at Bandon Dunes Resort; to sponsors Fidra Golf (Greg Hemphill); UST Golf Shaft (Brian Coates and Skip Pankewich); Jaime Diaz of Golf World Magazine (Jennifer Alexander called Jaime's dinner presentation "the height of the tournament"); and The Golfer Magazine. And not forgetting the wonderful work of Tournament Director Jennifer Alexander, and Art Law, PGA, who managed the 64 player field like the professionals they are.

-- Next year, we'll be back: April 22-26, 2006. Mark your calendars. We are adding Bandon Trails to the rota!

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Final results from the 2005 amateurgolf.com Two Man Links Championship, played at the par-71 Pacific Dunes Golf Links (Rounds 1 and 3) and the par-72 Bandon Dunes Golf Links (Rounds 2 and 4) are listed below: