Tennessee Duo Wins Anderson Memorial at Winged Foot

On the most hallowed of golfing grounds—Winged Foot Country Club—it took all 18 holes to finally decide a winner of the 2010 Anderson Memorial, a match play golf event that wrapped up on Sunday.

Parker Smith and Philip Breeding from The Country Club of Morristown, TN defeated Matthew and Peter Meyer of Winged Foot by the score of 2-up.

The tournament was played under match play rules, which means the matches are won by the team that wins the most holes as opposed to the lowest aggregate score.

The Meyers jumped out ahead early in the match, winning the first hole to take the lead. Their lead stayed at one hole after the second.

At the par-3 third, Smith and Breeding won the hole to get the match to all-square, which is where it would stay for next five holes.

On the par-4 ninth hole, Smith and Breeding took their first lead of the afternoon and at the turn led the match with a 1-hole lead. 

Parker Smith talked about the early part of his match and how he and his partner, who is also his brother-in-law, were able to get over the hump at the end of the front nine.

"I think it was just patience more then anything else," he said. "In the matches we played we always would face some obstacles in the first five or six holes and we fought back, and it seemed like we could ride the momentum into the clubhouse."

But the lead would not last for Smith and Breeding as the Meyers got the match back to all square after the tenth hole. The tied match also didn't last as Smith and Breeding once again took the lead back at the 11th hole.

They kept the lead through the 13th hole, until once again the Meyers were able to get the match back to all square at the fourteenth. It stayed through the 16th.

On the par-three 17th, Smith was able to stick a 3-iron onto the green which allowed him and Breeding win the hole. They were able to take the lead going into the 18th and final hole of the day.

With the Meyers' iron play betraying them all day from the fairway and rough, Smith and Breeding were able to hold on to victory and even win the 18th hole and the championship.

They didn't celebrate till the end, though. Smith said, "I wasn't comfortable until both balls were in the middle of the green on 18."

When the match was over, Smith and Breeding celebrated their win knowing they had not only overcome the obstacle of being the underdogs, but had also created another piece of history at historic Winged Foot.

"When you walk into the clubhouse and you see all of the tradition and the history and to know we're a part of it now, just have our names on the Anderson Trophy, it's special," Smith said.