By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
BEDFORD – Mariners traditionally track time with bells, ringing one every half-hour during a four-hour shift of duty. When Nick Bellush’s four-round watch ended on Sunday afternoon, the bells rang to signal a new champion at Otis Park.
Bellush sailed to a smooth victory, walking off the 18th green to a family reunion while adding his name to the legacy of victors in the Bedford Men’s City Tournament. Sparked by an electric eagle on the fourth hole, leaving all the challengers in his wake, Bellush capped a dominant second weekend with a title that was celebrated by all those who share the surname. And there are a lot of those who have made the golf course a second home for the family.
Carding a super 6-under 66, threatening to match the course record before running out of holes, Bellush finished atop the leaderboard with a four-round total of 15-under 273, posting a six-shot win over defending champion Colten Girgis. He celebrated with a hug from father J.T., then lined up to greet a gallery that included grandparents, his aunt and uncle, cousins and all those who form the tight family unit.
His game was tight, too. In between bookend bogeys on the first and last holes, Bellush blasted away with an eagle and six birdies, including a sizzling 5-under stretch covering four holes on the front nine. His lead exploded to seven shots at that point, granting him safe passage through any turbulence. There was none.
“This was a tournament on the bucket list,” Bellush said. “It was something I really wanted to do. It’s an honor.”
Starting the final day with a four-shot advantage, Bellush rang the bell on the fourth hole. After a thunderous drive on the par-four test, he lofted a 58-degree wedge from 80 yards. It bounced once, settled into a soft roll and clanked into the cup for a kickstart eagle. He followed that with three straight birdies, then finally relaxed once he safely completed the tee shot on the eighth hole (the last one with the threat of a boundary wall).
“The eagle definitely got me going the right direction,” he said. “After that, I kept it in gear.”
He wasn’t done showing off his power skills. He birdied the 13th with a booming drive and a pitch to three feet, feathered a wedge to eight feet for birdie on 14, then tamed the par-five 17th. That left him 7-under for the day, and the course record of 64 was within reach, one more birdie. Alas, he pulled his tee shot on the 18th, leading to short-sided trouble and a bogey.
“I knew it was a possibility, but I wasn’t worried about it,” he said with a shrug. “It was just a bad shot. That was my day, giving myself a lot of short opportunities. That’s crucial for going low.”
Girgis was solid with a final-round 68 and four-day total of 279. His scorecard included red numbers all four rounds. There was simply no defense for Bellush, for whom the bells tolled.
“When I’m down, I don’t want the guys ahead of me to play bad,” Girgis said. “I want to play better.
“I dodged a lot of higher numbers during the first couple of rounds because I made a lot of putts. I just felt like, this weekend, I couldn’t get anything going – until too little, too late.”
Girgis carded birdies on the fifth and 11th holes but bogeyed the 13th when his wedge approach leaked into a bunker. He closed with a champion’s flourish, rolling in birdie putts on holes 15-17.
Five-time champion Aaron Harrell settled for third place with an even-par 72 (with five birdies) on Sunday and a 1-under 287 total.
For Bellush, who originally bucked the family tradition with baseball as his first love until switching in the seventh grade, his championship completed a father-son moment. J.T. won the Senior City in June. And it was a perfect summer sendoff to his next stops – the city tournament in Fort Wayne and his senior fall campaign at Purdue Fort Wayne.
“I think it’s really cool,” he said. “My dad won the Senior this year, and it’s awesome having my family out here. All the support I have is really amazing.”
Other flight winners included Craig Reiner (298 to take the First), Tyler Bellush (309 while claiming the Second) and Drew McKee (Third winner with 336).
