Thomas Brennan wasn’t satisfied with finishing second by one stroke during the Men’s Lincoln Highway Championship last year. The Rochelle golfer looked to rebound with a strong performance this year, and he saved his best efforts for the final round.
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DIXON — Thomas Brennan wasn’t satisfied with finishing second by one stroke during the Men’s Lincoln Highway Championship last year. The Rochelle golfer looked to rebound with a strong performance this year, and he saved his best efforts for the final round.
Brennan shot an even-par 71 over the first two rounds of tournament competition at Dixon’s Lost Nation Golf Club this past weekend. Trailing by three strokes with six holes remaining in his final round, Brennan caught fire down the stretch, recording two par-5 eagles and finishing with a 2-under-par 69 to end the 54-hole tournament in a two-way tie for first place with Dixon’s Ryan Harrison at 211.
Brennan and Harrison each parred the first playoff hole, and after a bad drive by his opponent gave Brennan a chance at victory on the second playoff hole, the local player two-putt for par to lock up this year’s championship and his second title in three years. Fairways Golf Course took third out of 11 groups in the team standings with a plus-73 score.
“It’s pretty cool to win for the second time in three years,” Brennan said. “I gave myself plenty of chances in this tournament and it was a really fun tournament… Losing by one stroke last year, I felt like I let one get away, so I was focused on not letting another one get away this time around.”
Brennan took the lead after making his second eagle toward the end of tournament play before recording two pars on his last two holes to enter the clubhouse. He said his driver was the key to setting up quality iron shots for birdie looks this past weekend, and his mental focus allowed him to overcome windy and rainy conditions.
“I’ve played that course a lot over my career so I know what spots to hit or miss,” Brennan said. “I just played smart golf and I was able to convert on a lot of the opportunities I had… I wasn’t totally sure if I had won the tournament or if I was going to a playoff, so I just stayed mentally prepared and I didn’t lose focus.”