HIBBING—Paul Granning is no stranger to playing in big matches at the Northwest Invite.
The former Dayton, Minn., resident, who now resides in Arizona for six months out the year, won the Senior Division title in 2021, and he placed second the two years.
Steve LaFreniere has won the regular division two times in 1996 and 2002.
He captured the Super Senior title last year.
So LaFreniere was looking for his fourth title and Granning his second as the two squared off in the final of the Super Senior Division at the 97th annual Vern Fryklund Northwest Invitational Monday at the Mesaba Country Club.
With the match all-square after 17 holes, Granning birdied the 18th hole to defeat LaFreniere 1-up in his first season in the Super Seniors.
“I got ahead, but he’s a battler,” Granning said. “He’s a good player. I made some mistakes, and guess what, that’s what us amateurs do. I kept grinding and found a way.”
Granning was actually 3-up on the front nine, which had LaFreniere concerned.
“I knew that I didn’t want to get more than 3-down,” LaFreniere said. “Just from previous experience, once you get 4-down, it’s hard to come back. I was just trying to chip away. He was playing well.
“I had been playing well, too, so I knew I could come back if I started playing better.”
LaFreniere started a comeback on the eighth hole, winning that one to go 2-down. After a halve on nine, LaFreniere won 10 and 11 to get the match all square.
LaFreniere then went 1-up, turning the tables on Granning.
“I went down,” Granning said. “I said, ‘Get your focus back.’ I lost a little focus and tried to get it back. We managed to somehow or another do it. Golf is a funny game. It was a lot of fun.”
LaFreniere was hoping he could hold on the rest of the way.
“I had caught up to him and pulled ahead, but I knew I had to try and hold onto that lead,” LaFreniere said. “I didn’t. We went back-and-forth so it was hard.”
Granning got the match all-square on the 15th hole, then on 16, he stuck his third shot to within five-feet of the hole.
LaFreniere would bogey the hole, allowing Granning to go 1-up.
“I gave that one to him,” LaFreneire said. “He had a close birdie putt, so he probably would have made it. I slammed it (his putt) by. It didn’t help that we were waiting so much.”
LaFreniere had an opportunity to get the match squared on the 17th hole, but his five-foot birdie putt came up inches short.
“That would have meant everything,” LaFreniere said. “I needed to make that. That was a letdown. I hadn’t had too many birdie putts that short the whole round. I needed to make that one.”
On 18, Granning did something he had never done before, which sealed the win. He drove the green.
“It was crucial to get to that last hole with a lead,” Granning said. “I have never driven this green before. “That was the plan. I hit the driver good all day. There were very few mishits off of the tee. There were a couple of mishits from irons.
“He was a better short-game player than I am, but I hit some iron shots pretty close. We had fun.”
That took LaFreniere by surprise. He had to chip up, but he missed his birdie putt.
Although Granning had a longer putt, he ran it up to within a yard, giving him a short birdie putt, which clinched the match.
“I didn’t know that he drove it, but he hit it farther than me,” LaFreniere said. “I haven’t had that shot (his chip) too much. I need more practice with hitting that shot. Being that he’s not a member here, he hit a great first putt.
“A lot of people have trouble with those long putts when the pin is so far back if you’re not a member here.”
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