Mitch Calvert
Colin Drombolis exchanged his squash racket for a golf club this past weekend and the decision turned out to be a wise one.
Drombolis is probably more known for winning squash tournaments in these parts than for his prowess on the golf course, but he promptly put the kibosh on that stigma by winning the Kitchen Creek Classic golf championship on Sunday.
Drombolis fired a one-over 73 on Sunday to go with a scorching two-under 70 on Saturday for a two-day 143 to survive a late charge from defending champion Taylor Jorgenson, who finished one shot back for the tournament with a 144 total.
“It was an up-and-down round [on Sunday],” Drombolis admitted. “I’d say the last four holes was probably the most nervous I’ve ever been in my entire life.
“Taylor made a nice couple birdies in a row and I didn’t,” Drombolis said of the final stretch. “He definitely put the pressure on and it came down to the last hole, and I happened to get up-and-down on the last hole [for par].”
Drombolis put extra pressure on himself on the final hole when his errant drive ended up rolling up close to a tree.
“I kind of caught in front of a tree [off the drive], and didn’t have a full shot so I punched a seven-iron up close to the green and got up and down to five or six feet,” Drombolis explained.
He drained the testy putt in convincing fashion—but admitted some surprise afterwards.
“I wasn’t thinking of winning at all,” admitted Drombolis, who usually cards scores in the neighbourhood of 75. “[Jorgenson’s] a player, has me in distance and shot [accuracy], that’s for sure.
“We’re out usually 10-12 times a year and he’s tough to beat, but I guess I just had a couple good days,” Drombolis added.
The 18-year-old Jorgenson repeat bid fell just short, but he gave full marks to Drombolis for the deserved victory.
“Col played really well both days, played two of the best rounds I’ve ever seen him play,” Jorgenson noted. “He made the right putts at the big times, and he made a crucial up-and-down at the end.
“He definitely played like a champion,” Jorgenson lauded.
Rob Crowe finished third in the championship flight with a two-day 147, while Kenora’s Dan Baletki rounded out the top four with a score of 148.
Greg Tighe claimed the win in the first flight by carding a two-day 148, while Gary Skead of Kenora took the second flight (152). Cedo Jankovic (163) and Kevin Bobczynski (168) took the third and fourth flights, respectively.