After clinching his fifth men's club championship at Old Lyme Country Club, Mitchell Etess posed for the picture on the 15th green with his daughter Piper and grandson Logan on Monday.

Later in the day, Great Neck Country Club men's winner Eric Bergstrom celebrated with his wife Angela, sons Andrew and Josh, and mother Betsy moments after his victory while women's champion Karen Anderson received warm hugs from family and friends after surviving a one-hole playoff.

Etess, Bergstrom and Anderson all appreciated the support from their loved ones while playing pressure-packed club tournament golf on a sunny, comfortable Labor Day.

During and after his match, Bergstrom thought of his father, Dale, who passed away earlier this year.

"He taught me how to play golf," Bergstrom said. "He built all my clubs. And he was like my swing coach. ... I was thinking about him when I was playing. Absolutely. This was definitely for him."

Here's what happened in the club championship matches at Great Neck in Waterford and Old Lyme Country Club:

• In a rematch of last year's final, Bergstrom and Old Lyme graduate Matt Fuller traded terrific shots in the scheduled 36-hole match.

Bergstrom needed to play his best golf to hold off Fuller and capture his seventh club championship, including third straight. He finished out the morning round by sinking a 12-foot eagle putt on 18, taking a two-hole lead. He never trailed in the afternoon round, closing out the win on No. 15.

"I was 2-under on the first round and 2-under in the afternoon, so I was 4-under for the day," Bergstrom said. "That's a pretty good day."

Fuller tipped his cap to Bergstrom, who's from Waterford.

"I was pretty satisfied with how I played," Fuller said. "I don't think I lost, I just got beat. He just had a tremendous day."

• In the Great Neck women's club championship, Anderson, who's from Old Saybrook, needed an extra hole to beat good friend and regular playing partner, Jody Nolda.

It was Anderson's fourth title, first since 2019. She's appeared in nine straight finals.

"It was stressful and hard," Anderson said of the playoff. "And she wasn't missing today. We both played a great game. It could have gone either way."

Despite the pressure, Anderson and Nolda enjoyed playing the 19-hole match.

"She's really one of the nicest people," Anderson said. "She's so easy to get along with and always smiling. She makes it enjoyable to be out there. We both smiled quite a bit with each other, so that made a big difference."

• Old Lyme's 18-hole final featured frequent finalists in Etess and Ken Sweitzer, both previous winners.

"We're friends, so it's cool," Sweitzer said.

Each golfer took turns grabbing the momentum.

Sweitzer won the first three holes, then Etess took the next four, sinking two birdie putts.

At the turn, Etess held a 1-up edge.

The match remained tight until the 14th.

Sweitzer never fully recovered after his tee shot hit a tree, allowing Etess to win the hole and go 3-up.

"I had it teed up a little bit too high and it just went straight up in the air," Sweitzer said. "It was just a bad swing."

Etess, who's from Lyme, finished off his fifth straight championship win on the next hole.

"It does mean a lot," said Etess of winning the title. "Each one keeps meaning as much in a different way."

Etess just played more consistent golf than Sweitzer, a four-time champion from Old Lyme.

"From the fourth hole on, I was probably around even," Etess said. "I never feel comfortable no matter how many holes I'm up with Kenny because he is a ridiculously fierce competitor and an excellent shot-maker."

Sweitzer is already looking forward to a rematch.

"I can't wait for next year," he said. "We both played really well. There were a lot of pars and he made a few birdies. I putted a little bit defensively."

g.keefe@theday.com