Championship Report 2009

THURSDAY 7TH MAY - QUALIFYING
Another year, another Championships. Leighton Buzzard Golf Club made the county elite really welcome, and special thanks must go to General Manager, Duncan Mutton, and to Ladies Captain, Julie Smith, and their respective teams who ran the event so smoothly, pre-empting all eventualities. This meant that the crowd and players could focus on one thing only: exhibition golf.
In the words of our County Captain, Thursday's qualifying saw "tough course, tough greens, tough weather". Only two players managed to break 80 in the morning, so Laura Collin's level par 74 was pretty special. The afternoon was even tougher, with only Sally Shayler making it into the 70s.
Chalgrave Manor's Sarah Russell managed to tame the course in the morning, posting a very impressive nett 69, while Alison Corke from John O'Gaunt regrouped after a difficult morning. She posted a gutsy nett 75 to win the afternoon nett prize. Click here for all the winners.

FRIDAY 8th MAY - LAST 16
The top 16 gross scores returned on Friday for the matchplay stages of the competition, with Laura Collin, Debbie Pollard-Barnes, Bridie Quinn, Jocelyn Faris, Dawn Glennie, Kate Wright, Elaine Bruce and Sally Shayler all winning through to the quarter finals. Well done, and commiserations to Michelle Fontaine-Geary, who took Vice Captain, Elaine Bruce, all the way, just missing out on the 18th in a real thriller.

The weather got even tougher. A flash hailstorm mid afternoon made putting even more difficult, but this didn't stop the girls producing four quality matches. Kate booked her semi final place with victory over Dawn, who was playing in her first Championship. Well done Dawn for reaching the quarters on your debut! Laura played home player Debbie, and was level par after 7 holes but found herself 1 down. Nice one Debbie! Laura then completed the next 6 holes in 3 under par and snuck home. Bridie and Jocelyn both put in vintage performances, with Bridie just sneaking thorugh. Elaine had her second battle royal of the day, this time with Sally. Sally was 1 up playing 17, when both girls found trouble down the side of the green. How Elaine even took her stance in the trees, we will never know, let alone hit the ball!! But she did, and she managed a miracle shot to just short of the green. Meanwhile, Sally stiffed hers from the deep rough at the side of the green off a hill with a 1 in 2 gradient! Clearly she must be very experienced playing out of cabbage. That shot was enough to seal victory in an excellent match.

SATURDAY 9TH MAY - SEMIS AND FINAL
In the first semi final on Saturday, Laura played Bridie. Laura played stunning golf, and with a swing to die for, she hit every green in regulation. But that wasn't enough to shake off Bridie. A wily campaigner, Bridie battled with all her will. With only about 6 inches of green to aim at, a wonderful up and down on 9 for a half typified the grit with which Bridie plays. Bridie had nothing worse than a 4 on the front nine, but with five 3s on the card, Laura turned 3 up. Eventually holes just ran out for Bridie, and Laura went through to the final to face the winner of what was turning into an epic second semi-final.

There were virtually no halved holes between Sally and Kate, with the girls trading birdies and the lead throughout the match. On 12, Sally produced an outrageous up and down for a birdie to square the match, but Kate was having none of it, and birdied the next for all square. Kate also birdied 14 and took the lead. Caution to the wind, she cut the corner of the dog leg 15th with a driver, so Sally had to go for it too. Both girls made it, but left tricky pitches into the green. Sally was faced with a nightmare downhiller across the break, and managed a 2 putt (the only person to do that all week) to put the match back to all square. Sally holed another slippery downhill putt on 16 to go 1 up, then played a very sensible short iron to the middle of the fairway on the 17th. Kate, playing her home course, gambled on one last throw of the dice, and pulled out the driver. She middled the shot, but it just caught one of the trees surrounding the unforgiving green. She played a fantastic recovery shot from the trees and chipped on to leave herself a tricky 6 foot putt to stay alive. It hit the centre of the hole, but cruelly horseshoed out. A brave battle and a cracking semi-final.

THE FINAL
The final saw numbers 1 and 2 seeds pitted against each other and the crowd was out in force. Who wouldn't be - you normally have to pay good money to watch golf of this standard! Both girls started really well, halving the first two holes in par. Us mere mortals lay up to the bunkers crossing the 3rd fairway, but Laura and Sally both launched drivers over the top of them to just short of the green. Up and down for birdie gave Laura first blood. Mistakes were few and far between, but when they were made they were pounced upon. Laura was still 1 up at the turn in an incredibly tight match. Fairways split, greens hit, it was all coming down to putting with neither girl giving an inch tee to green. Laura slid one in from above the hole on 10 to go 2 up and the next 2 holes were both halved in par. Laura then caned a drive down 13, and Sally followed suit. Sally was first to put the ball on the green, ripping a 3 wood fully 230 yards, and Laura promptly matched the shot. Hole halved in birdie! The 14th was halved in par, and a lip-out on 15 from Laura put Sally back to 1 down. Both players elected to play safe with 3 woods off 16. Both hit them further than the rest of us go on holiday. Not only that, they were splat bang in the middle of the fairway! How do they do that under such pressure? Laura held her nerve on the green to lag a lightning fast downhiller to the edge of the cup and the match moved on to 17, where both girls made solid pars. The 18th is tight, and both girls played majestic fairway woods off the tee to leave themselves in perfect position in the middle of the fairway, but Sally's ball was resting on a twig, and Laura found an unusually bad lie. They played amazing shots to hit the bottom tier of the green, but left near impossible putts. Laura got down in 3 to leave Sally an 8 foot downhill putt to stay alive. She holed it!

The Bedfordshire County Championship final has never gone to extra holes before, but it somehow seemed fitting, with such awesome golf being played. Safety was paramount, as at this stage, any mistake could cost the ultimate prize. Sally took a sensible 3 wood up the par 5 first to leave a 4 iron into the green, while Laura gunned a drive to within a short iron of the green. Both safely dispatched their balls onto the green for 2. Sally rolled her eagle putt up to the edge of the hole, and Laura's just shaved the left lip. Hole halved in birdie. The tension mounted on the second extra hole where both girls held their nerve to hit the green, and both faced 20 footers. They duly rolled them up to about 2 foot apiece, but neither made the other putt. Nice touch! The 3rd hole saw Sally launch an enormous drive dead straight over the bunkers, up the middle of the fairway to about 20 yards short of the green. Amazing! Even more amazing, Laura followed with exactly the same shot. Sally chipped first and stiffed it. Laura knew it was do or die, and hit the hole with her chip. It rolled on, and the putt back just slipped by the edge of the hole. Laura didn't ask Sally to tap in for the match. A sporting end to a cracking match played with great camaraderie. It was wonderful to see the match won, rather than lost, and huge respect must go to both players for producing such fantastic golf under such immense pressure. Congratulations to our 2009 County Champion, Sally Shayler.

Click here for photos of the final day.

Click here for the County Team.

Click here for the full Matchplay Draw.