By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Ben Moser didn't look at Sunday's championship match against Rachel Stous in the Topeka Golf Association City Match Play tournament as a battle of the sexes.
Instead, he approached it as a match against an exceptional player he knew was capable of beating him or any other player in the city.
"A fantastic golfer,'' Moser said of Stous. "She's unreal. Watching her play, she doesn't really make any mistakes, she hits it down the middle and she makes putts.
"I looked at her as another golfer that can come out here and whoop my butt if I don't play good."
Going into the final two holes of the final at Cypress Ridge Golf Course, it appeared as if Stous, two up at that point, was poised to become the first-ever female to win the City Match Play event.
But after playing virtually error-free golf all day, the former Topeka High star faltered a bit down the stretch and Moser took advantage of three straight Stous bogeys to win his fourth Match Play title, believed to be the most in city history.
Ben Moser (right) exchanges a hug with Rachel Stous after he won the TGA City Match Play championship on the 19th hole Sunday at Cypress Ridge. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Moser, a Washburn Rural and Washburn University product, claimed the final two holes of regulation to force an extra hole and then took the title when Stous lipped out a short parr putt on the No. 1 19th hole.
"I'm happy to win, not happy to win that way, but always happy to win,'' said Moser, who had won three straight Match Play crowns from 2016-18.
Stous holed a long putt on No. 15 to go 1-up and then took a two-hole advantage on No. 16 when Moser lost his ball off the tee, but was unable to close out the win.
"It was just great to be able to come out here and play in the finals in this, just go out and have fun,'' Stous said. "I just didn't quite get it done. I just made a bad couple of shots when it counted.''
Stous is hoping to turn professional in the coming months and said her performance in the City Match Play tournament was another step in that direction.
"This honestly didn't hurt my confidence at all,'' Stous said. "I'm still feeling pretty good. I was pretty solid most of the day until the end, so I'll just work on a couple of things and keep going.''
Scot Duddy won the President's Flight championship with a 4 and 2 win over Dustin Caldwell.
TOPEKA GOLF ASSOCIATION CITY MATCH PLAY TOURNAMENT
Championship flight final
Ben Moser def. Rachel Stous, 19 holes
President's flight final
Scot Duddy def. Dustin Caldwell, 4 and 2
