Bonnar Cup – Final The Grange versus The Vines at Flagstaff Hill, 15 July 2018
The day had come – Bonnar Cup Final at Flagstaff Hill Golf Club! The Grange versus The Vines! The Grange had been the form team through the regular season and was undefeated. At the traditional Pennant Breakfast at the Grange on the Saturday, the team was given sage advice by guest speaker Tom Bond who said “You don’t know how many finals you will get to play in. Give it your best, but remember to enjoy the day.” We were quietly confident but we still had to win the day on a tight course with sloping fairways, tricky holes and fast, sloping greens.
Team selection this week was particularly difficult. Picking any seven players from our team squad of nine would have led to the same result but two had to be omitted and they were Nick Siegmund and Graham Coleman, both of whom came out and caddied for their team mates. The team was Alex Hendrick, Matthew Wilson, Michael Coleman, Jamie Smith, Jay Miller, Simon Andrew (Captain) and Tyson Settre. The day began bright and clear but the breeze made it cold. The Manager’s first concerns of the day were to find that no pin sheets were available for the players and then that there was only one golf cart provided for the two team managers to share. The latter was, in principle, not a problem as we enjoy each other’s company but, in practice, it means that you cannot get around to your players and you both end up at the other end of the course to where you need to be. So, it was difficult to keep up with the play.
For the first time this season the Manager won the toss and The Grange had the honour. Tyson led us off on the opening tough Par 5 first hole. Many of the players had trouble with this hole and pulled or hooked their tee shots left, being wary of the out of bounds on the right. Apart from the tee shots the only player I saw up close on this hole was Alex, who was in the right greenside bunker for 3. With caddie and Dad Geoff looking on he played out to within a metre and holed his putt to win the hole and go 1 up. Perhaps it was going to be a good day?
The Team Managers (both of us!) got around to the Par 3 third hole with its right-to-left sloping green just in time to see Jamie go through there square. Michael played a great tee shot into the green and his opponent missed way left. Three shots later the opponent was on the green and Michael won the hole easily to go 1 up. Matthew missed the green right but played a deft little chip to just outside a metre. His opponent was on the front of the green and proceeded to hole a 10+ metre right-to-left swinging putt to birdie the hole and go 1 up. Alex won this hole after chipping up to within a metre from in front of the left greenside bunker and holing his putt to go 3 up in his match (is there a pattern developing here?).
I next caught up with the players at the Par 3 seventh hole with the 130+ carry across the dam. Simon, with Matty Lisk on the bag, was 5 up, Jay was 1 up and Jamie, with Graham on his bag, was square. Michael, with caddie Ben, was 4 up and had eagled the Par 5 fourth hole. Matt was 4 down and Alex was 5 up and playing strongly. So, we were up in 4 matches, square in 1, down in 1 and I was not sure how Tyson was going has I had not seen him yet.
After a cross-country hike I got across to the Par 5 10th to see Tyson and caddie Adrian come through. He was 2 down. As the other players came through 10 we had Simon 7 up, Jay 2 up, Jamie 1 down, Michael 3 up, Matt 5 down and Alex 5 up. This had us up in 4, down in 3 with 8 holes to play, time for the Manager to break out the brownies.
The plan now was to get across to the back of the Par 3 14th green and see the players come through there, but we (The Vines Manager and I) thought we would watch the number one players finish the short up-hill Par 4 11th hole. Alex had put his drive short of the green to the right and ended in a terrible lie which was a mixture of hard, rock-like dirt and patches of sand. It was impossible to play a lofted short or directly to the green. His opponent, who was away, was in the second right fairway bunker and played a nice bunker shot to about 3 metres past the pin. Alex played a flat little punch shot and managed to dribble the ball up past and around the right greenside bunker to where he could play onto the green. He still had a hard, fairly bare lie and had to get the ball down onto the front-sloping green a good 1.5 metres below him. Most of us would have tried to dribble a putt down and hope it stopped on the green. Alex, with a gallery of 20 or more, played a crisp little chip to just outside a metre. His opponent, no doubt suffering a bout of sphinctightis, knocked it past the hole and came back for par. Alex dropped his putt for par and halved the hole. This was the best (around and) up and down the Manager saw on the day.
The players were coming through the 14th hole, one of the toughest in Adelaide, as we got over there. Tyson was still 2 down, but confident, Simon halved the hole to win his match 5 up with 4 to play, Jay was 2 up and Jamie was still one down, but there was the hint of a smile. Michael’s tee shot just rolled off the back of the green and his opponent’s tee shot/shank finished hard right, out amongst the trees. His opponent played a great recovery punch shot ending just short and left of the green and he chipped up to finish about a metre above the pin. Michael rolled his ball down to a couple of metres past the pin on the treacherous down-hill green and lagged his putt up to the hole. The opponent missed his putt, Michael’s putt was conceded and he won his match 6 up with 4 to play. Matt’s match also finished on this hole and he lost 5 down with 4 to play.
The last pair were playing into the 14th. Alex hit a nice 4-iron which pitched about 3 metres onto the front of the green and then proceeded roll back down and off the front of the green. His opponent’s tee shot rolled just off the back of the green. Alex was away, chipped up past and right of the pin and the ball checked, rolled back left and down towards the pin to finish within 30 centimetres. His opponent putted on and saw his ball finish about 4 metres past the hole. Alex won the hole with a par and won his match 6 up with 4 to play. While watching this play, the news came back on the bush telegraph that Tyson had lost 3 and 1. So now The Grange had three wins in the shed, The Vines had 2 and the two matches still alive were very close. The Grange needed one more win, or at least two halves! Both team managers were very quiet and hastily made their way to the 17th green.
As the collective managers’ cart approached the 17th green there was a nice gallery, Jay had his cap off and the players were shaking hands. What was the result? Jay was 2 up through 14 but pulled his drive on the 15th. Could he have lost a couple of holes?? Jay turned around and there was a massive grin on his face (and now on the Manager’s). Jay had won 2 and 1. The Grange had 4 wins in and had won the final! Under tournament conditions, Jamie’s match was called off with a half (although the Manager knows he would have won) and The Grange defeated The Vines 4.5/2.5 to win the Bonnar Cup!!
Thanks to caddies Ben, Adrian, Geoff Hendrick and Matthew Lisk. Thanks also to the supporters and gallery that came out today including Michael Siegmund, Kerryn Hendrick, Paul and Lesley Smith and Kerrie Thomas.
Congratulations to The Grange Sanderson Cup team who also won their final against Glenelg and commiserations to the Simpson Cup team who just went down also against Glenelg.
There were many great moments this season but, next to winning the Cup, the two which stand out are Michael Coleman winning all his Bonnar matches and being named the Bonnar Player of the Series, and Matthew Wilson being awarded the Tony Mazzone medal. Congratulations to both players for the well-deserved recognition.
I am immensely proud of the Bonnar Cup players. Throughout the season they have played superb golf and their demeanour and behaviour have been exceptional. They have been a credit to themselves and our Club. I particularly want to thank our Captain, Simon Andrew, who has been a pleasure to work with and a wonderful team leader.
John Thomas
Vice-Captain and Victorious Bonnar Cup Team Manager