Johnson Adds a Wisconsin Title to His Resume

FOND du LAC, Wis. -- J.T. Johnson has won 21 Minnesota state championships. He has also played in Wisconsin tournaments over the years, but never won any -- until two weeks ago.

The 2022 Minnesota State Senior Publinx champion -- and '22 Minnesota State Senior Open runner-up -- lost the first hole of the Wisconsin State Golf Association Senior Match Play final to Rocky Spreka's birdie, and fell 2 down when he bogeyed the second hole at South Hills Golf & Country Club. Johnson and Sperka tied the 540-yard, par-5 third with birdies, but Johnson trailed for the first 11 holes. He led for only one hole out of the first 18, and trailed 1 down going into the 310-yard, par-4 18th.

Johnson, a master club-fitter who will turn 60 on Aug. 13 (also Ben Hogan's birthday), still has a lot of pop in his driver, and he reached the 18th green with a prodiogious tee shot, and then two-putted for a birdie to level the match -- and force extra holes. He then saved par on the first extra hole and could have ended the match on the second, but missed a 9-footer for birdie. The issue was settled on the third extra hole, a 540-yard par 5, where Sperka's drive hit a tree. His third shot was long, and he ended up lipping out a 7-foot par putt. Johnson, who graduated from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls and is a member at both Olympic Hills and New Richmond GC, was looking at a 4-footer for birdie, and Sperka conceded that putt.

Both players were 1 under par for the regulation 18 holes.

Terry Flesch was the qualifying medalist at South Hills, with a 3-under-68. But Spreka, the No. 17 seed (he qualified with 75), dispatched Flesch 4&3 in the second round of matches (the Round of 16). Johnson qualified with a 74 and was the No. 14 seed. He cruised through the first round of match play, beating the No. 19 seed, John Thorpe, 8&6. After that, he finiished all of his matches before final on the 16th or 17th hole.

This was the second year in a row that Johnson made it to the final. Last year, he lost 1 down to Mitch Bowers. The match was tied going to the 18th tee, and Bowers birdied the last hole to win 1 up.


Wisconsin State Golf Association Senior Match Play Championship

June 19-22

At South Hills Golf & Country Club (Par 71)

Fond du Lac

Qualifying

1. Terry Flesch. 68

T2. Dennis Flipse 71

T2. John Wright 71

T2. Gary Fenzl 71

5. Robert Gregorski 72

T6, Kevin Cahill 73

T6. Mike Smith 73

T8. J.T. Johnson. 74

T15. Rocky Sperka. 75

Match Play

Semifinals

(17) Sperka def. (5) Gregorski 4&3

(14) J.T. Johnson def. (2) D. Flipse 2&1

Final

Johnson def. Sperka 21 holes