Tim Belden repeats as city golf champion

SANDUSKY — On the final two holes of the city championship, Tim Belden found himself in spots he liked — just off the green, a wedge in his hands. Both times, he put his chip on the money near the cup, which resulted in two final hole wins and a repeat city championship. "With 36 holes, you're gonna hit some bad shots, but I was very steady," Belden said. Belden needed the entire 36-hole slate Sunday to edge Tim McKenna after they were all square through 34. It's the fifth Mills Creek open title for Belden, who also came out on top in 2007, 2014, 2015 and 2022, with each of the last two victories coming over McKenna. "It never gets old," Belden said. "I love competing, and winning, even better." Belden, rocking a Lady Pirates Golf shirt from his role as the Perkins girls golf coach, never trailed in the city final. But it was far from easy. His biggest lead was 3-up, midway through the morning. McKenna never went away, though. McKenna, 70, is a two-time city champ and 11-time senior champion at Mills Creek. He's been playing the course since his teenage years growing up in Sandusky, and so he knew a path back into the match. The elder Tim birdied No. 9 the third time through the course, the 27th hole of the championship, to send it to the final nine holes all square. "He just started making putts," Belden said. "He just keeps coming back fighting. I love playing him. We have similar games." The final nine didn't disappoint. The finalists only halved one hole, No. 3. Otherwise, they each had their moments. Belden, 39, put up two solid pars on Nos. 1 and 2 (28 and 29 on the day) to win both holes and go 2-up. McKenna had a major response on No. 4, when he drilled a 25-foot putt for birdie. He knew he drained it before the ball was even halfway to the hole, lifting his left leg into the air and willing it home before raising his right hand in the air when it dropped. "I knew I was going to make it," McKenna said. "Inner confidence. I just had a good eye for it and feeling." McKenna won the putting battle on the next hole, too, to make it all square with four to play. "It's fun competing and everything," McKenna said. "I did the best I could, just missed a few out there. There's a reason Tim has won it five times." Belden's third shot on No. 6 was superior, setting up a short putt and another one-shot lead. McKenna answered on No. 7, sending his first swing on the par-3 right at the flag and about 10 feet past the hole. He nailed the putt heading downhill for one more all square. "Same feeling on 7 (as 4)," McKenna said. Neither player hit the green on No. 8, but McKenna was in rougher straits out near a bush left of the green. Belden executed the up-and-down from the right side of the green to go dormie. On No. 9, the 36th hole of the championship, Belden hit a straight-enough drive and a good-enough second shot toward the green. McKenna's second shot placed him awkwardly behind a tree, forcing him into a difficult, low punch shot that didn't have enough run. Belden's chip rolled inside of five feet, and when McKenna couldn't sink his fourth, he conceded the match. "I love it," Belden said. "I like good matches where we're both playing well. We both made a ton of birdies. It's fun to play in a match like that. To win as well is even better." It was a bit more relaxed after the match for Belden than last year, when he and his family were hustling off to a vacation in South Carolina. This time, he could sit and appreciate the moment a bit longer. After 36 holes, a few deep breaths were certainly warranted. The way Belden and McKenna play each other in these finals, it could've been a 72-hole showdown and they still likely would've made it to the final hole. As one spectator put it late in Sunday's match, "They sure know how to put on a show." Belden had one special on-looker on Sunday: his father, David. "He taught me everything I know about the game when I was 8," Belden said. "And now my daughter is 8, and she's just starting, which is awesome. Just trying to continue the family tradition a little bit."