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Krahe emerges in playoff
NKU golfer gets past Reisenbeck

Mark Krahe was so disappointed with his first-round score in the Northern Kentucky Stroke Play Championship that he practiced driving and putting until it was too dark to see Monday night.

His extra effort paid off in Tuesday's final round. Krahe shot 3-under 69 at Kenton County Fox Run to finish in a tie for first place with a 144 total and then won a four-hole playoff with co-leader Ben Reisenbeck to take the title.

"I was real upset with what I shot (Monday)," Krahe said. "I've played here before and I knew I left some shots out there."

The 21-year-old Northern Kentucky University golfer's best shot came on the final hole of the sudden-death playoff. His tee shot went 182 yards to the green, rolled off the edge of the cup and came to a stop about four feet away.

It took Reisenbeck two shots to get on the green. After he missed a long putt for par, he conceeded the title to Krahe without either golfer finishing the hole.

"I figured somebody might play good and catch me," said Reisenbeck, who was the first-round leader. "I had my eyes on two or three guys, and Mark was one of them."

Reisenbeck, a 20-year-old NKU student, shot even-par 72 in both rounds, but he was able to hold off a late charge by Krahe.

After shooting 3-over 75 in the opening round, Krahe trimmed six strokes off his score in the final round by carding five birdies, 11 pars and two bogeys.

"They played the course a little shorter than usual (Monday) and I had to adjust some of my shots," he said. "Playing from the back tees is how I'm used to playing here and that's what we did (Tuesday)."

In the final round, Krahe shot 2-under 34 on the front nine and 1-under 35 on the back nine to overtake Reisenbeck, who needed a birdie putt on No. 18 to finish in a tie for first place.

Reisenbeck still had a chance to win the tournament on the second playoff hole, but he missed a short birdie putt.

"I had a three- to four-footer on No. 2 and lipped it out," Reisenbeck said. "I thought I made a good putt, it just didn't fall."

After both players bogeyed No. 3, Krahe won the playoff with his tee shot on No. 4 that came close to being a hole-in-one.

"I hit an 8-iron just to the right of the hole and it lipped out," Krahe said. "I had about a four-foot putt, but Ben missed his par putt and he told me to pick it up so I didn't have to make it."

Krahe, who transferred to NKU from Thomas More College, said he won golf matches in college but this is the first time he came out on top in a local men's amateur event.

"Transfering to NKU really made a difference as far as getting tournament experience," he said. "There's really no off-time in college golf and that really shows up on days like this."

There was also a first-place tie in the Stroke Play Championship handicap flight with Rob Williams and Dan Maher posting low net scores of 146. Williams took the first-place trophy because he had a lower score than Maher on the final hole.