Round 6 of the Simpson Cup was played against Mount Osmond at The Grange. We had to make a couple of changes, with Jackson Bugdalski unavailable (injured) and Alan Xin unavailable due to State U/18 commitments in Ballarat.
Number 7 – Matt Wilson – 5&3 win
Matt came up from Bonnar Cup to lead us off this week and was consistent again, as we have come to depend on. He won convincingly in the end, taking the match 5&3.
Number 6 – Declan Nunn – 6&5 win
Declan has been hitting the ball so well this season and today was no different. He went about his match exactly as you would expect and won convincingly, 6&5. Declan was awarded the $100 player of the round award.
Number 5 – Darren Baynes – 1 up
It’s fair to say Darren wasn’t himself today, but he got off to a solid start and was 3 up after 9. His opponent kept responding on the back nine, and Darren found himself 1 up heading down the last. He held on to win 1 up.
Number 4 – Mark Demasi – 4&2 win
Mark found the form we all love to see and continued his winning ways, taking the match 4&2. Mark has got the job done for us all year so far, and it’s been so rewarding to see.
Number 3 – Ross Steedman – 1 up
Ross and his opponent both hit the ball well all day. Even though I thought Ross was hitting it better, his opponent never did too much wrong and was able to get up and down consistently. Ross was 2 down with 4 to play, then 1 down with 2 to play, and a chip-in birdie on 17 had him all square heading to the 18th. Ross won the 18th to take the match 1 up. This gave us five wins so far.
Number 2 – Blair Christie – 6&5 win
Blair just keeps on keeping on. His golf and ball striking are now second to none, and he doesn’t really put a foot wrong. Blair’s golf this year has been nothing but exceptional and today was no different. He once again had a big 6&5 victory. This gave us six wins.
Number 1 – Alex Hendrick – 4&3 win
Alex was welcomed to fatherhood this week, and with that came a not-so-good sleep. Alex said he had all of one hour’s sleep, and to be honest he looked like it on the range. A couple of extra-strong lattes and Alex was ready to go. It got off to a rocky start, with Alex requiring five provisional balls over the first six holes. Considering the lack of sleep and that he wasn’t functioning on all cylinders, he excelled in his match and won 4&3. A big thanks to his caddie and father, Geoff, for his exceptional ball-finding skills and for keeping him awake. A solid effort.
This gave us a 7–0 victory, our second 7–0 victory in a row. A huge result for the team.
I want to thank everyone who came out to watch—the support didn’t go unnoticed. The players would also like to thank the club and Rowan for allowing us to play the beautifully presented LIV course. Feedback from the other teams was nothing but positive, and they enjoyed the experience as well.
Craig Brown
Simpson Cup Manager