THE highly-anticipated final round of the Blue Lake Golf Cub men’s Club Championships was held on Sunday in ideal weather and all games were hotly contested.
In the premier grade it was the battle of the giants, with arguably the two best golfers at the club going head-to-head.
The big hitting Dan Christian, club greenskeeper, was up against multi-award winner Anthony Williams.
Both at times have been off scratch or better and while Christian has the length on Williams, the latter has the craftsmanship to keep him in the game.
A good crowd was on hand to follow the two champions, even though only one could be crowned winner.
It was expected Christian might get off to an early start and Williams would peg him back, but neither player had the ascendancy after nine with the former 1-up.
With Williams having shot a sub par round the previous day he capitalised on some shoddy play by Christian, finding himself 4-up at the half way mark of 18 holes.
Christian replenished his strength over lunch coming back hard at Williams to be just 2-down and building momentum.
In what proved to be a thrilling outcome to the build up the match went right down to the last hole, with Williams holding a one-shot advantage.
Christian threw everything he had at Williams knowing there was no tomorrow if he did not have a go, but in doing so he gave the advantage back to Williams, who holed out a winner, taking the enthralling game 2-up after 36 holes.
In B Grade the experience of Roger Gale was expected to be too much for Brenton Hodge but Hodge did not let Gale into the game.
Shooting out to a 2-up advantage after nine holes, Hodge had doubled that after nine more to be 4-up at the dinner break.
Hodge did not take his foot off Gale’s throat, seeing out the game 7/6 to add the championship trophy to his handicap trophy.
Gale fought out the game but found Hodge in too good form, but can take consolation in being the second best in the grade.
It was a similar story in C Grade, with the experience of Colin Stratford expected to be too good for the in-form Robert Martland.
Stratford is always in contention, whether it be handicap or club championships, or just weekly games, but he was under the pump early with Martland an incredible 6-up after just nine holes.
By lunch Stratford had only been able to reduce that by one and with Martland easing up over the final nine holes he was crowned C Grade champion with a 3/2 win.
