Tight finish again decided on countback in North qualifier
 The final 16 pairings have secured their places in next month’s grand final of The Matchplay Championship to be played at the Marriott Taba Heights Beach Resort, in Egypt – but only after another titanic battle in the northern final at Marriott Hollins Hall, in Yorkshire.
In the presence of the Sky Sports cameras the Lancashire-based pairing of John Hughes and Gary Byrne (Rossendale Golf Club) led home the qualifiers with 46 points, but once again, in a repeat of the situation in the southern final at Marriott St Pierre, the fourth and final qualifying place was decided on countback.
Click here for full results
Three pairings finished level on 41 Stableford points, five adrift of Hughes and Byrne. So it all came down to who had the best return on the back nine – and that was the Hampshire pairing of Mark Parsons and Sean Byrne (Meon Valley Golf & Country Club), who were playing in the event only because they were unable to make the date designated for the southern final.
They scored 21 points on the back nine, while Scotland’s Iain Smith and Stephen Brown (Pumpherston Golf Club) scored 19, and Yorkshire’s Gareth Whiles and Ian Backhouse (Rudding Park) just 17.
John Woosey, managing director of The Golfer’s Club which promotes the Matchplay Championship, said: “We’ve experienced two incredibly tight grand finals – the tightest we’ve seen in the event’s history and you have to feel for the three pairs in the two finals who missed out by virtue of countback. It must be heartbreaking for them.”
It was a lot more comfortable for Hughes and Byrne at the top of the leaderboard, however, and they are now eagerly awaiting their week-long, expenses-paid trip to Egypt from May 9-16.
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| Left: John Hughes and Gary Byrne of Rossendale Golf Club, winners of the Regional Mens qualifier, with The Golfer's Club MD John Woosey - Right: Fine style off the tee at Marriott Hollins Hall |
Hughes said: “What a fantastic result! And now we’re off to Egypt to play in guaranteed sunshine…
“Regardless of what happens in Taba, this is going to be a trip to remember.”
His partner, Byrne, added: “Today was great. It’s a nice course and we played well. I was a bit concerned that having the Sky Sports’ cameras here might be off-putting, but if anything it helped us raise our game.”
He will be hoping the cameras have the same effect Marriott Taba Heights Beach Resort, as Sky Sports is covering the grand final in addition to both regional finals.
In total, 16 pairs – eight men’s and eight mixed – will do battle for the title of Matchplay champions in the 54-hole grand final at the luxurious resort, with Hughes and Byrne, and Parsons and Byrne being joined from the northern final by fellow qualifiers Gordon Livingston and Ian Brandon (Vale Royal Abbey Golf Club), from Cheshire, and Yorkshire’s Jack Taylor and Neil Moseley (Birley Wood Golf Club).
The 2007 Matchplay champions James Lightfoot and Michael Brockbank managed a creditable 36 points, although with the high quality of golf played at Hollins Hall this only earned them 14th spot in the qualifier.
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| Mixed winners Lesley Mifsud & Steve Aylott, with John Woosey, MD of The Golfer's Club |
Things were a lot more straightforward in the mixed section with Cheshire’s Steve Aylott and Lesley Mifsud (Carden Park GC) scoring 40 stabelford points for a six-point advantage at the top of the leaderboard (full results here).
The overjoyed duo were almost speechless as the enormity of their success sank in, but Mifsud said: “I still can’t believe we’re going to Egypt. We played well throughout the competition … but this still seems extraordinary.”
Aylott smiled: “A week out in Egypt will be fantastic. I didn’t think I’d be needing sun cream this early in the year, but I’d better get a supply in now…
More than 2,300 golfers entered the prestigious championship and all the finalists had already produced a series of impressive performances merely to make it to their respective regional finals.
Now they are all looking forward to competing for the title of Matchplay champions in the 54-hole grand final at the luxurious resort against other regional qualifiers from across the UK & Ireland.
The Matchplay Championship, which costs just £20 per person to enter, is one of Europe’s biggest amateur competitions with more than 1,150 teams from the UK & Ireland competing.
The Marriot resort, nestled on the Sinai Peninsula on the Red Sea cost, is famed worldwide for its luxurious surroundings, championship golf course and stunning scenery.
It is the second year that qualifiers will have been able to enjoy the sumptuous surroundings of the Marriott Taba Heights Beach Resort, with the final having moved there in 2008 from its original home in Jamaica.
Woosey, added: “The Matchplay Championship not only offers players a tremendously exciting and competitive tournament of golf but the chance to play in one of the most stunning golfing locations on the planet.
“These 16 golfers have done extremely well to get to the grand final because more than 2,300 golfers entered the tournament. I wish them all the best and I’m sure that, whatever the result, they will enjoy playing golf and relaxing in the luxurious surroundings of Taba Heights in May.”
The 2008/09 Matchplay Championship is sponsored by American Golf, rewards4golf and Today’s Golfer.
Golfers are now able to enter next year’s event and details are available on www.matchplaychampionship.co.uk
About the Matchplay Championship:
- All rounds up until the regional finals are knockout stages using a better ball matchplay format at the home team’s course over 18 holes. The winning team qualifies for the next round.
- The regional final is played using a combined Stableford format over 18 holes
- The Grand Final is played over three days using an accumulative Stableford format.
- The first Matchplay Championship took place in 2003 and has grown in popularity ever since. The first four Grand Finals took place in Jamaica and the event moved to Egypt for last year’s final.
Click here for the full results of the North Regional Qualifying
April 20, 2009
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