Round 7 of the Simpson Cup was played against Thaxted Park at Thaxted Park. We had to make one change with Alex Hendrick injured, but Alan Xin returned to the side after two weeks away with the State team.
Even though we were playing the bottom side, you never take any team for granted—especially on their home track. The Thaxted Park course was set up for a real test with fast greens and difficult pin positions.
Number 7 – Matt Wilson – 8&6 win
Matt once again led us away and when I first saw him after eight holes, he was 5 up. He ended up with a convincing win of 8/6 and when I caught up with him after the round he said, “I didn’t hit the ball well, but I managed to hit it better than my opponent.” For those who know Matt well, they will know he is always his own harshest critic and probably hit them solid all day.
Number 6 – Declan Nunn – 7&6 win
Declan was once again rock solid at number 6, winning 7&6. I’m really looking forward to seeing what Declan can bring to the club. This was only his 8th pennant match for the club and he has only lost one match. There’s plenty of upside to Declan’s golf, and I’m excited to see what he brings.
Number 5 – Darren Baynes – 1 up
Darren didn’t have the ideal start to the day. We always have a team meeting 20 minutes before our tee time and, under our fines policy, it’s a $100 fine for not making it. So, we all gathered—and no Darren Baynes. Ross rang Darren and he said he was 30 minutes away, as he thought the match was supposed to start at 12:00pm (it had been moved to 11:00am). In fairness, I think I communicated this three or four times on the group chat. So the instructions to Matt and Declan were to not rush your tee shot or second shot. Darren arrived with three minutes to spare; someone had to park his car. He walked to the tee with his driver in hand while Hudson grabbed his bag and headed over.
In fairness, Darren did have time for three practice swings and hit his first shot on the fairway. With a start like this he was a little rattled, and it wasn’t until the back nine that he found his groove. I believe he was 4 under for the back nine and was always in control of his match, winning 1 up.
Number 4 – Mark Demasi – All Square
Mark, unlike his first five matches, was not at his best. I didn’t see him hit too many correct fairways for the first six holes but, to his credit, he hung in all day. I believe the back nine was an arm wrestle and Mark was 1 down on the 18th tee. Mark played the 18th hole superbly and won the hole to halve his match.
Number 3 – Alan Xin – 5&4 win
I had a few concerns about golf fatigue for Alan when teeing off, as he had played so much golf in the two weeks prior to our match. But it pays to be young—and to have golf fitness—and Alan was never headed at all. You could see the two weeks prior were catching up with him at times, but Alan is in amazing form at the moment and cruised to a 5&4 victory.
Number 2 – Ross Steedman – All Square
Having caddied for Ross this week, I truly felt like his swing was as good as I’ve seen it all year. But the one part of his game that is normally so solid—his putting—which let him down on Sunday. I didn’t think he hit too many bad putts; he just couldn’t get anything to drop. His opponent’s short game and course knowledge definitely kept him in the contest. Ross fought all day, coming back from 2 down with six to play to halve his match.
Number 1 – Blair Christie – 5&4 win
Blair just keeps performing week in, week out. He has been a terrific inclusion to the team and we have come to rely on him to get it done each week. Blair did it easily again, winning 5&4 and taking home the $100 Player of the Round award.
This gave us a 6–1 victory, which takes our record to 20–1 over the last three matches and leaves us top of the table after the minor rounds. A huge result for the team.
I want to thank everyone for their efforts—players, caddies, and supporters. We will play the semi-final at The Vines against Royal Adelaide at 7:30am. Any support at The Vines will be welcomed, and as a group we truly believe we can get it done this year.
Craig Brown
Simpson Cup Manager