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HANOVER TWP. – Eric Williams teamed with John Olszewski for six championships at The McCarthy Golf Tournament.
For the second straight year, they each had different partners.
But the result was nearly the same as during their run. The longtime teammates crossed paths in the finals of the tournament for the first time.
And it seemed fitting that their respective teams went toe-to-toe before Williams and his partner Scott Henry defeated Olszewski and his son, AJ on a playoff hole to claim the title of the tournament, which used to be called the Wyoming Valley Country Club Classic.
“It was different. It was kinda bittersweet because he’s playing with his son,” Williams said. “Win or lose, it was going to be OK.
“We were a good team, but I knew that he was going to be playing with his son at some time, and I’m glad that he did.”
The championship match was close the entire way. Every time one team got an upper hand, the other came right back. They matched each other shot-for-shot the entire 19 holes.
When AJ Olszewski made a chip-in for birdie on the par-4 No. 8 – for the second time on the day after also doing so in Sunday morning’s semifinals – he gave his team a 1-up advantage.
“That was unbelievable, and it was the second time he did that,” Henry said about the chip-in. “It was really neat to play against a father and son team and to be able to watch them have a good time.”
But the lead the Olszewskis got after that chip-in didn’t last long. A par putt from Williams on No. 9 evened things up as the teams made the turn.
On No. 12, Henry sank a birdie putt, but it was matched by AJ Olszewski. Two holes later, Henry hit an unmatched par to give himself and Williams a one-hole advantage.
The match remained in favor of Henry and Williams until John Olszewski came through in the clutch, birdieing No. 18 to force the playoff hole.
“He’s had a lot of really good memories on 17 so I actually thought he was going to make that putt on 17, but he made it on 18, a hole later,” Williams said.
Williams countered with a birdie on No. 1 for his seventh tournament title, and the first for Henry.
“I felt good because it’s a par 5 and with my length, I felt I could capitalize on that,” Williams said about his match-winning putt.
“This was a lot of fun,” said Henry, who had been played in the championship flight before but finally got the elusive title. “I had a great time and it was just fun to be in the whole thing.”
The Olszewskis fell short for the second straight year to the eventual champions. Last year, they dropped a semifinal match to the winning team of Rich Berry and Art Brunn. The father and son avenged that loss on Sunday with a semifinal win over Berry and Brunn.
“It was tough. It was a long day,” John Olszewski said. “We just came up a little short there. …Eric’s a great player. He’s one of the best players in Eastern Pennsylvania and he played great today. We were there with them on extra holes and it was a great match.”