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After sticking his approach to the par-4 second hole within a few feet of the flag Sunday morning at Foxchase Golf Club, Kliewer never did get to reap the reward.
For that, you can thank Gast, Kliewer's teammate, who chipped in for birdie before Kliewer even had a chance to putt.
Just that kind of weekend.
Not that Kliewer was complaining, of course.
Coming off a blistering, 9-under 61 Saturday at Overlook that gave them a five-shot lead heading into the final round, Kliewer and Gast closed with 2-under 69 Sunday at Foxchase to win the Lanco Bank of Lancaster County Better Ball Championship by three shots.
The Meadia Heights tandem — who opened with an 8-under 64 Friday at Crossgates — finished with a three-day total of 19-under 194, which was well clear of John Barry and Eric Buck (197), who took second after a final-round 65.
Deryl Denlinger and Rick Wise, who also closed with 65, finished alone in third at 198.
It was the first Lanco title of any kind for 48-year-old Kliewer and the second for 22-year-old Gast, who also teamed with Ron Weaver to win the Lanco Scramble in 2004.Equally rewarding for Kliewer, perhaps, is that a lifetime spent playing competitive golf is finally starting to pay some dividends. After winning the Meadia Heights club championship for the first time in 2006, he defended that title last year. Based on his performances in Lanco events during that time, he also earned himself a spot on Lancaster's last two War of the Roses teams.
"It's amazing, but I think I've finally learned how to play this game the last four or five years," Kliewer said with a grin. "In the past I've been a little bit in awe of the better players, but now I'm much more confident I can play with these guys, and winning something makes it even more so.
"You have to play well to have confidence and you have to have confidence to play well."
Having a partner like Gast on his side certainly didn't hurt.
In fact, despite a six-birdie effort from Kliewer in Saturday's second round, it was Gast who did even more damage at Overlook, shooting a competitive career-best 7-under 63 on his own ball that gave the twosome a commanding five-shot lead with one round to go.
Not that Gast, acknowledging the quality of the field, was ready to take his foot off the pedal.
"I'm always under the theory that you play to play great … don't come out and play (hoping) not to play bad," said Gast, a Lampeter-Strasburg graduate who played golf at Millersville University, from where he earned a degree this spring.
"I came into (Sunday) with the mindset that I wanted to go Tiger-like and win by 10 or 12 shots. I think that's the mindset you have to have because there are so many good players out here."
(291) (74) (19) (16) (15) (15) (7) (7) (5) (4) (3) (3)But shortly after the duo gave back Gast's birdie at the par-4 second Sunday with their only bogey of the tournament at No. 5 — where Kliewer three-putted from 40 feet and Gast lipped out a two-foot par-saver — it started to become clear that everyone else was playing for second.
Especially when Kliewer and Gast both birdied the par-5 seventh and Kliewer added another at No. 12 that got them to 2-under for the day, where they stayed.
Perhaps the biggest threat came from Barry and Buck, who strung together seven birdies in an eight-hole stretch from Nos. 7-14, including five straight to start the back nine.
Problem was, no one was getting any help from Kliewer and Gast, who refused to take anything for granted until their final putt was in the hole.
Well, almost.
"Once we hit our tee balls on 18 and we were both sitting in the fairway," Gast said, "it was like 'OK, let's enjoy this.' "
Needless to say, on this weekend, there was plenty for both of them to enjoy.
E-mail: jfulginit@lnpnews.com
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