HANOVER – After Mitch Cable rolled in a dramatic 20-foot putt to square the championship match of the 36th Tommy Keane Invitational on the 18th green Sunday afternoon it seemed almost inevitable that one of two things was going to happen.
Cable’s teammate Mike Hathorn, who had played solid golf throughout but hadn’t yet found his putting stroke, was going to nail a big one to end the long day.
Either that or Dean Cashman, whose direction finder had gone on the fritz for three holes down the stretch, was going to duct-tape his swing together just in time to win the championship with former Providence College teammate Chris Hynes.
It would take four extra holes before a large, sunsplashed gallery that swelled throughout the match would learn which it was.
Cashman, who hit two trees and then a cart on the rebound at the 15th hole, lost a ball on the 16th and had to punch out of the woods on the 17th, sent his tee shot on the 22nd hole of the afternoon over the pin on the par-3 fourth hole. It parachuted softly to earth 10 feet behind the cup to set up the never-in-doubt birdie putt that finally clinched the match.
“The wheels were off on the back nine,” Cashman, a former Hanover High standout, admitted with a smile. “I played two different games, the front nine and the back nine. I had three or four birdies on the front and nothing on the back. So I was just happy to have a change of scenery.
“On that putt I just kept my head down. I knew if I kept my head down, I had the read. It was as simple as that.”
Cable knew the match was over before the ball plopped into the cup.
“We all had chances to win on the playoff holes,” he said. “Everybody had good putts but they just wouldn’t fall. Dean hit a great putt on four. I knew it was in the second he hit it. I said, ‘Good putt,’ when it was still a foot from the hole.”
The TKI title is the first for Cashman, who made it to the championship match once before, in 2008. “You want to get your name on that list of great players who have won here,” he said. “It’s a tough field and a lot of things can happen.
“I’ve been out of college 10 years now and I think I’ve played every year since then, so to finally win it is exciting.”
Hynes was thrilled to help the friend he roomed with for three years in college finally claim his first TKI championship.
“I know how much this tournament means to him so it was special to help him win it,” he said. “The competition was outstanding. It was three days of great, great golf. You really have to be on your game to win.”
Down two holes through 13, Cable and Hathorn, won the 14th and 16th to square the match. A Hynes seven-footer combined with a Cable miss well inside that left Cashman’s team 1-up on the 18th green.
But Cable made up for the miss with the long putt in front of the clubhouse that forced extra holes.
“Mitch putted great all week,” said Hathorn. “After that it was going to be the first one to make a birdie wins. Dean played great and he got it. You want to win, but he and Chris are great guys so you can’t be disappointed losing to them.”
The eventual champions made it to the final match by knocking off Jim and Andrew Jankowski in Sunday’s semifinals, 1 up. Cable and Hathorn advanced courtesy of a win over Jake Obar and Billy Vielleux by a 3&2 score.
DIVOTS
Cashman and Hynes played with Hathorn and Cable in Friday’s qualifying. Cashman-Hynes shot a 67 while Hathord-Cable were medalists with a 65 . . .
Defending champions Shane and Nick MacDonald won the championship flight consolation with a 4&3 win over Chris Keane and Dillon Sass. . . .
David Farina and Darin Eddy took the first-flight title with a 7&6 win over Hanover High golf coach John Donnelly and Rowley Hazard. Bob Donahue and Tim McCarthy took the second flight in 19 holes over Joe Dalimonte and Don Dunworth. . . .
The pairing of Carlos Cutler and Tom Lombardi, which finished last in qualifying, rebounded to win the second flight consolation.
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