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Sky high hopes as 12 golfers book their places in Egypt in South qualifier
 The presence of the Sky Sports cameras helped twelve golfers raise their game sufficiently to qualify for the grand final of one of Europe’s most prestigious amateur tournaments – at a luxury five-star resort in Egypt.
In a tense regional final of the Matchplay Championship at Marriott St Pierre, Chepstow, father and son John (aged 42), and Samuel Hall, 16, from Dewstow Golf Club, led home the field by three Stableford points.
Click here for full results
John, 42, a seven handicapper and the minister at Caldicot’s Bethany Baptist Church, said: “This competition was the first time we’d played together and we were surprised that we were quite clear at the end. It was quite tight behind us.
“We were third out so we popped up the road to the garden centre after we’d finished our round and had lasagne and chips and chilled out. We couldn’t face sitting in front of the screen with the scores on all afternoon.
“We came back and the guys said ‘we need you for an interview – you’re the clubhouse leaders and there are only a few games left out there’. We were amazed.”
But there was much chewing of fingernails after that as just five points separated the next 12 places!
The Somerset pairing of Jody Wells and Martin Ashton (Wells GC), qualified second, three points behind the Halls, but only on countback from Sussex duo Roger Davey and Michael Moore (Crowborough Beacon GC) in third.
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| From l to r: John Hall recovers in style, on the way to victory - John & Samuel Hall, winners of the Regional Mens qualifier - Roger Davey & Michael Moore putt out and qualify in third place for Egypt |
The final qualifying place went to Laleham GC pairing Stephen Buckell and Max Phillips, from Middlesex, who secured their spot, again on countback, from the unlucky Kent pair of Stephen Bootes and David Ralph (Sittingbourne & Milton Regis GC) who missed out completely.
Buckell, a supervisor on London Underground, admitted it was tense in the clubhouse as he and his 20-year-old partner – who is hoping to take his PGA assistant pro qualifications soon – waited for the competition to finish.
He said: “We were very nervous as we were the first group out on the day and had to then watch ourselves slide down.
“We thought if we could match the pair we were playing we would do OK and we managed it. But it was nervy.
“The Matchplay Championship is a great event, really well run. And the day itself was really well run too. We’re really looking forward to the trip to Egypt as we’ve heard it’s a fantastic place. We’ve never been to Egypt before.”
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| Mixed winners Sandra Shield & Mike Rowley, with John Woosey, MD of The Golfer's Club |
Things were a little more clear-cut in the mixed event where Mike Rowley and Sandra Shield, from Ealing, who play at Fulwell GC, secured top spot eight points ahead of Hampshire-based husband-and-wife team Simon and Angela Gosling (Chilwell GC). Click here for full results
Shield admitted her pairing had a little ‘local knowledge’ on which to fall back.
She said: “I hadn’t played St Pierre before but my partner, Mike, played there about a month earlier on a stag weekend, so we had a little bit of prior knowledge.
“I thought the course was really good; it’s quite up and down. I particularly liked the holes which ran down to the water.”
She also explained that their success came as something of a shock.
“I didn’t expect us to qualify, so I’m actually really excited about the trip to Egypt,” she smiled.
“We have played golf in Egypt before but not at the Taba Heights Marriott Beach Resort. I know the scenery is very beautiful there.
“The whole competition has been really enjoyable and very professional – a whole new experience for me. It’s allowed us to meet a lot of nice people and play on different courses. But because it’s been spread out over several months it’s not been pressurised.
“There was some added pressure on the day because of the presence of the Sky Sports cameras, but they’re all really nice people and put you at your ease. But it was a completely new experience for me.”
It is an experience she will be getting used to. Sky Sports will also be present at the grand final in Egypt as 16 pairs – eight men’s and eight mixed – do battle for the title of Matchplay champions in the 54-hole grand final at the luxurious Taba Heights Marriott Beach Resort, with a week-long expenses-paid trip, from May 9-16.
Rowley and Shield and the Goslings’ will be joined in Egypt by Adrian and Lesley Ball (Dainton Park GC) from Paignton, and Brett Vale GC’s Garry Clark and Hannah Breen, who live in Ipswich.
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 the regional final.
Now the eight pairs are looking forward to competing for the title of Matchplay Champions in the 54-hole Grand Final at the luxurious Taba Heights Marriott Beach Resort, in Egypt, with a week-long expenses-paid trip to play against other regional qualifiers from across the UK & Ireland, from May 9-16.
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. And this year they faced the added thrill of playing before the TV cameras of Sky Sports, which is covering both regional finals and the grand final in Egypt.
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 Taba Heights Marriott Beach Resort, with the final having moved there in 2008 from its original home in Jamaica.
John Woosey, managing director of The Golfer’s Club which promotes the Matchplay Championship, said: “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 April.”
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. Full 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 South Regional Qualifying
April 8, 2009
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