By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
BEDFORD – With a colorful fluorescent change to her club grips, and a pink addition to her family on the way, Kori Johnston was definitely in the pink as she added another Bedford Women’s City Tournament championship to her impressive collection.
Johnston, Bedford North Lawrence’s girls golf coach and a former college star, fired an even-par 72 during Sunday’s second round to card a seven-shot victory and record her fifth City title at Otis Park. She capped her comeback from a four-stroke deficit after the first round with a splendid eagle on the par-5 17th while pulling away to a comfortable closing margin.
After struggling with her putter during her opening-round 77, Johnston was on point with all aspects of her game. She posted birdies on the sixth and 12th holes before the punctuation-mark eagle, blasting a long drive and lofting an iron to eight feet below the hole.
“I knew I had to show up,” Johnston said after her two-day total of 149. “That felt a lot more like myself. I just love the City Tournament. There was a lot of competition.”
BNL standout Kinleigh Root and former Orleans star Brooklynn Cromwell finished second at 156, while first-round leader Peggy Taylor settled at 158.
The drama of the day took place in the Senior City. Defending champion J.T. Bellush and former Men’s City winner Craig Reiner were locked in a duel on the back nine, when Reiner’s putter caught fire. He birdied both holes in the infamous Death Valley (14 and 15), then finished his run with a sensational birdie on 17 to create a two-shot cushion.
Reiner fired a second-round 74 for a 36-hole total of 146, edging Bellush (75-148) for his first Senior title.
While Bellush couldn’t convert birdie chances during the closing holes, Reiner leaned on his extra-long weapon on the greens.
“It’s called the Lean Lock putter,” he said. “It’s made a huge difference for me over the last year. My 20 years of yips are gone and I’m actually able to play again.”
No yips were evident when he drained a long birdie putt on the downhill 14th, made a 12-footer on the 15th, then swished a slick 15-footer down the slope for the clincher on 17. His hour of putting practice following the first round paid off.
“I wasn’t sure I really needed it,” Reiner said. “I wasn’t keeping score of everybody, I was just watching what I was doing. It was a very stressful day for an old guy, but we managed to survive.”
Root, playing in simultaneous events, won the Girls Junior City with her rounds of 79-77, easing to a 13-shot win. Evan Tillett, who started the day with a huge working margin, cruised to the crown in the Boys Junior City with scores of 72-82.
