CHAMPAIGN – Wendy Evans found herself in an unfamiliar position after shooting a 45 on the front nine during Wednesday's championship round of the Women's Twin City Golf Tournament at Lincolnshire Fields.

"After the front, I didn't give myself a chance," she said. "I just wanted to go into the back nine and try to work on some things, try not to have the big numbers like I did on the front."

Evans trailed 16-year-old Betsy Holder by 5 shots. The former Illini lost three balls, leading to three penalty shots, and posted scores of 7, 7 and 6. In a word, Evans described her front nine as "ugly."

Holder, a Champaign Central senior-to-be, appeared ready to claim her first Twin City crown after finishing fourth in last year's tournament.

The highlight of Holder's front-nine 40 was a birdie on No. 9, and she headed into the back nine with all the momentum – and the pressure – on her teen-age shoulders.

But in the end, the veteran Evans worked on winning her most unlikely fifth Twin City championship in dramatic fashion, edging Holder by 1 stroke. Evans shot a 39 on the back nine for an 84 and a two-day total of 166.

"I really don't know how I pulled this one off," an exhausted Evans said.

After the turn, Holder attempted to match Evans shot for shot but was visibly frustrated. A double bogey on No. 13, followed by bogeys on the next two holes, opened the door for Evans' comeback.

Evans found trouble on the par-3 16th, when her tee shot landed in the left sand trap. Evans, who said she has a lot of problems with the sand, dug deep into her bag of tricks to find a save. She eventually parred the hole, and her sixth consecutive par on No. 17 brought her into a tie with Holder.

Holder's putt for par on the 18th hole would have forced Evans into a playoff, but the ball grazed the edge of the cup.

"I kind of fell apart mentally," a disappointed Holder said of the back nine. "It was a lot of pressure."

Holder, who shot an 83 to Evans' 82 in the first round at Champaign Country Club, equaled Evans' 84 Wednesday. But she said it was a 2-stroke penalty for playing the ball before the tee block in the first round that really hurt her chances. She finished at 167.

Holder will return to the Twin City tournament next year, looking to achieve this year's goal: a championship title. And those around her, including third-place finisher Cathy Mitchell (170), believe she has the talent.

"She's got a lot of power in her drives and her irons," Mitchell said. "I'm sure at the rate she is going now, in another three or four years, she is going to be dynamite.

"It's nice to see young girls playing competitive golf."

While Evans captured her fifth Twin City title in seven years, along the way she provided young Holder with the one golf lesson she lacked Wednesday: how to win.

"I really like playing with her," Holder said. "She's a good role model."