Citizen Staff/James Wold
Racine's Ben Bendtsen III watches his birdie putt go in for the victory on the second playoff hole Thursday in the Wisconsin State Amateur Golf Championship at Old Hickory Golf Club.
Only a few years ago, Ben Bendtsen III could be described as a casual golfer with a scratch handicap.
Perhaps a new friendship, one with Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, will inspire a new career path for Bendtsen, one in professional golf that looks awfully bright after he claimed the 107th Wisconsin State Amateur Championship Thursday at Old Hickory Golf Club.
Bendtsen, who works at his family's 75-year-old downtown Racine bakery that specializes in producing mass quantities of Kringles, shot a final-round, 4-under-par 68 for a four-round total of 7-under 281 and then defeated University of Wisconsin senior-to-be Dan Zimmerman (70) on the second playoff hole for his fourth victory in five events this summer.
Romo, who plays summer golf with Bendtsen around Racine, even sent Bendtsen a text message of encouragement before Thursday's final round.
"He plays with a lot of Tour players down in Texas," Bendtsen said of Romo. "He said, 'If you put a lot of hard work in, you can be just as good as these guys.' He told me I should definitely give it a try and that I'm good enough."
"It's a big deal because he made it," Bendtsen said of Romo's advice. "He came out of a second-tier division in college, was third string at Dallas and worked his way up. He pulled it off the hard way. And if he can do it, I can do it as well."
After not playing many summer tournaments the past few years — the 22-year-old Bendtsen said this was his first State Am in five seasons — Bendtsen decided to take golf more seriously this summer and it's turned out to be a dynamite decision.
Bendtsen won two local tournaments and the Ray Fischer Amateur and finished second in the State Match Play. He won the state's biggest amateur prize after making two birdies in his final three holes of regulation and sinking a 6-footer for birdie on the second playoff hole.
Zimmerman, who shot a back-nine 33, held a one-stroke lead over Bendtsen heading into the 577-yard 18th hole. But after Zimmerman's third shot landed short of the green, Bendtsen lined a low wedge tight — he nearly holed out from 65 yards — for a tap-in birdie.
Zimmerman calmly slid in a 6-footer for par to tie.
After both players recorded par on the opening playoff hole, Bendtsen stuffed a wedge to within 6 feet on the second playoff hole — the 390-yard first. After Zimmerman missed his 15-foot birdie bid, Bendtsen — who needed only 11 putts on the back nine — knocked in his putt for the win.
"You don't ever want to lose," said Zimmerman, a former Middleton athlete. "But if I'm going to lose, to have somebody beat me like that, I guess it's easier to take."
Marquette sophomore-to-be Kelly Kretz was tied for the lead after nine holes, but carded a back-nine 41 for a 78 to take third at even-par 288.
Bendtsen headed the other direction on the back side, forcing extra holes with the amazing approach on the 18th and topping off another victory in extra holes that will surely give him a boost in confidence the rest of the summer.
And in the short term, it appears his amateur status is safe.
"I'll keep making Kringles for now," Bendtsen said. "We'll see."