By John RittenhouseTim Connell is a man who knows how to roll with the punches.Connell absorbed a few tough blows during what turned into a two-player showdown Saturday with Dan Serie in the championship flight of the Men’s Club Tournament at the Luverne Country Club.But Connell never let his guard down when his chances of winning looked dim.Connell’s patience was rewarded late in the tournament when he was able to overcome a two-shot deficit in the final two holes of play to successfully defend his 2005 club tournament title."This is a blessing," Connell said after the championship."I love this game and I love to compete. I feel really lucky to have won, but it still feels great."Winning golf titles is becoming a common practice for Connell, who drew even with Dick Creeger as the LCC’s only players to win six club championships in the 68-year history of the event.Along with winning the last two Men’s Club Tournament titles, Connell captured his second straight Seniors’ Club Tournament crown on Aug. 6."It really is hard to believe," said Connell, after he was told that he won the last four men’s championships up for grabs at the LCC."There are a lot of great players out here, and I feel fortunate anytime I win one of these tournaments."It was Connell’s undeniable resolve that carried him to victory on Sunday. He never had the outright lead until the 36th hole of the tournament was complete, but it was never out of contention, either.Serie, a five-time LCC champion, set the pace on Saturday.After shooting a one-over-par 37 to open a two-shot lead over Connell, Steve Smedsrud and Nate Golla during Saturday’s opening round, Serie turned in a solid 38 during the second round to finish the day with a 75.Connell, who also shot a 38 during the second round, found himself in second place with a 77. Chris Nowatzki was five shots off the pace with an 80, while Mike Haakenson, Gary Golla and Nate Golla were six strokes back with 81s.With the exception of Haakenson, the remaining members of the 10-player championship flight struggled on the course during Sunday’s opening round.Haakenson shot a three-over-par 39 to draw within one shot of Connell and Serie, who shared the lead after turning in respective 41- and 43-stroke tallies in the third round. Nowatzki was four shots behind the leaders after shooting a 43, while Gary and Nate Golla were five shots behind the leaders.The Gollas never made a push in the final round to climb back into contention, and neither did Nowatzki, who fell back in the field after taking a triple bogey on the 29th hole of play before receiving a double bogey on the 30th hole.Haakenson couldn’t match the effort he turned in during Sunday’s opening round as he shot a 43 on the back nine to finish in a tie for third place with Gary Golla (162s) at tournament’s end.As the rest of the field slipped out of contention, the stage was set for a Connell-Serie showdown.Connell was the first player to blink.When his second shot on the par-4 28th hole found the right rough, Connell delivered a chip shot that slid well past the pin on a very fast green. Three putts later, Connell carded a double bogey that left him two shots behind Serie, who made par on the hole."It was ugly," Connell said, when talking about the only double bogey he carded during the tournament."The interesting thing about this tournament is when you’re two strokes down, you’re still OK. I just wanted to keep hitting the ball because anyone can have a bad hole on championship Sunday."Connell bounced back to make par on the par-5 29th hole, and he made up one stroke on Serie when the leader three-putted for a bogey six.Connell returned the favor on the par-3 30th hole, when he two-putted for bogey after Serie drained a six-foot par putt to regain a two-stroke cushion.The difference remained at two strokes when both men birdied the par-4 31st hole and made par on the par-4 32nd hole.Connell thought he may have gained some momentum when he drained a 20-foot birdie putt on the par-4 33rd hole to trim Serie’s lead to one stroke, but he took a bogey on the par-3 34th hole and trailed by two again when Serie made par."I thought the birdie I made on six (the 33rd hole) was big, then I come back and take a bogey on the next hole," Connell offered."I was in about the same position (on the right fringe) during the first round of the day, and I missed the putt to the left. I missed the putt on the other side of the hole during the second round, and it just wouldn’t stop rolling."It looked like Serie would be able to protect his two-shot lead when he crushed a drive that found the center of the fairway on the par-5 35th hole. From 275 yards away from the green, Serie selected a 3-wood for his second shot, and it proved to be a costly choice when his ball landed in the cornfield that lines the left side of the hole.After incurring a two-stroke penalty, Serie responded well by finishing the hole with a bogey six.Connell, however, seized the moment like a true champion.After striking two solid shots that left him short of the green, he delivered a chip from the rough that rolled 10 feet short of the pin. From there he drained an uphill birdie putt to draw even with Serie.Both men found the fairway with their tee shots on the par-4 36th hole.Connell, who was 125 yards short of the green, lifted the ball onto the putting surface with his second shot, where he faced a 30-foot uphill putt for birdie.Serie, whose drive came to rest well within the 100-yard marker, couldn’t take advantage of his extra yardage. Being hindered by a downhill stance, Serie hit an uncrisp shot that left him 40 yards short of the green. His third shot came to rest on the fringe on the backside of the green, where he needed three putts to finish the hole with a double-bogey six.Connell, on the other hand, left his 30-foot birdie attempt three feet short of the hole, where he calmly sank his putt for par."Dan’s a great player, he just had some tough luck on the last two holes," Connell said."We all hit bad shots during this tournament, and we all try to recover from it. There was a lot of give-and-take out there between us in the final round, and I was fortunate to come out on top."Final scores of the championship flight: Connell 39-38-41-37-155, Serie 37-38-43-39-157, Haakenson 41-39-39-43-162, Gary Golla 41-40-42-39-162, Jamie Stratton 40-42-42-39-163, Nowatzki 41-38-43-42-164, Colby Anderson 43-40-41-41-165, Nate Golla 39-42-42-43-166, Cory Norman 42-39-45-46-172, Corey Nelson 44-39-46-43-172.