ELYRIA — Worn out and about ready to collapse from the dual effects of a bad cold and a marathon golf match, Frederique Bruell came up with a fantastic wedge shot to within 2 feet of the cup to cap an unbelievable comeback in the 85th Ohio Women’s Amateur at Elyria Country Club on Friday afternoon.
Bruell, 20, of Shaker Heights, defeated Suzi Spotleson, 41, of Canton, 1 up on the 37th hole.
The deciding shot after her drive off the first tee was a perfect sand wedge from about 40 yards out that landed on the green in tap-in range. Spotleson’s second shot, though, went into a bunker and her blast out of the sand could get no closer than 20 feet from the pin. She missed her putt and then conceded the hole and match.
Bruell, an Elon University golfer, was in a seemingly hopeless three-hole deficit with only five holes left after making a double bogey when she bounced a shot off a tree and into the water on the par-3 13th hole.
But then the rally began as she won the 14th, 17th and 18th holes to tie the match and send it to sudden death.
Despite being half the age of Spotleson, it was Bruell who felt drained at the end.
“Before the final hole I told my dad (who was in the gallery following the match) I was physically done for,” Bruell said. “I didn’t think I could take it another hole.”
The champion admitted she had doubts after falling three down with five to go.
“After 13, I did think to myself I was going to lose, but about 10 percent of me had a flicker of hope,” she said. “I made a lot of putts today, I think about 27. That’s an all-time low for me.”
For Bruell, the comeback was also satisfying because in her previous Women’s Amateur appearance last year she lost to Spotleson in a consolation bracket semifinal.
Spotleson, a credit manager for a finance company in Akron, said she wasn’t tired by the long day of golf, but admitted mentally, “I felt like I was playing uphill the last four holes. She (Bruell) made the shots. It wasn’t like I gave it to her. She earned it. That’s golf, that’s what happens.”
In other action, Westlake’s Laurel Friesen lost the first flight title match to Erin Misheff of Silver Lake, 5 and 4, while Jenny King of Akron took the second flight crown over Christina Thomas of Rocky River, 2 up. Maureen Carey of Fairview Park, an Elyria Country Club member, won the third flight over Connie Russell of North Canton in 20 holes.
In consolation matches, Lynn Thompson of Cincinnati beat Kelsey Lindeschmidt of West Chester 1 up in the championship flight; Kelsey Babos of Uniontown topped Sharon Hollis of Rocky River, an Elyria Country Club member, 6 and 5, in the first flight; Kaitlyn Van Gunten of Findlay defeated Natalie King of Powell 2 and 1 in the second flight; and Lauren Eliopoulos of Akron topped Amanda Brindley of Ashland 2 up in the third flight.
Contact Jerry Rombach at 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com.

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