YOUNG gun James Gordon defied nerves, a
couple of mis-cued shots and the presence of several more experienced rivals to take out the inaugural Triple C Challenge held at the Cootamundra Golf Club on Sunday.
A new addition to the golfing calendar, the response to this year’s challenge was exceptional and, based on the response to Sunday’s elimination final by players and spectators alike, will only
continue to grow in popularity.
Eight qualifying rounds were held, from which all players had the opportunity to post their three best stableford scores towards an aggregate total.
From an extensive list of qualifiers, the top 10 was finalised following the final round and Steve Johnson, Geoff Manwaring, Peter Heywood, Russell Peck, Mick Campbell, James Gordon, Phil Moon, John Martin, Garry Mason and Wayne Loiterton arrived at the course for Sunday’s nine-hole
shoot-out.
Played in a stableford format, the equation was simple - the player with the lowest score is
eliminated after each hole, leaving just two players standing on the ninth tee.
After Golf Director Graeme Cheshire thanked all players who supported the event and Bruce Carberry from Cootamundra Carpet Care for his sponsorship, it was time for action.
All 10 drives on the first avoided the dreaded out of bounds on the right, however Peck and Campbell did encounter tree trouble on the left.
With an unexpected quiet among the group, which would later transpire to good natured banter, Loiterton and Johnson signal their intentions by hitting the green in regulation, with the former nailing his putt for birdie and Johnson making a rock solid four.
Campbell struggled to recover from his tee shot and was the first casualty for the day.
The second saw the nine remaining challengers all safely off the tee, however this time a couple pushed their drives right and into light scrub.
Loiterton, the lowest of all finalists with a handicap of five, was the only player to hit the green with their second, but surprisingly it was another of the pre-final favourites in Manwaring who bowed out.
The teachers came to the fore on the par-3 third with Mason and Peck finding the dance floor and were subsequently safe for at least another hole.
With three players scrambling to secure one points from the hole, the trio moon, Loiterton and Heywood were faced with a tough downhill chip from the top side of the green.
When Moon, who was playing first, fluffed his chip and was only able to move the ball a metre of so, the pressure was of the other pair and they survived.
Gordon smashed his drive down the fourth to enhance his reputation as one of the most improved players in the club, while Heywood and Peck saw their tee shots drift left.
Martin was playing consistent golf and to this point was in no danger of elimination, while Johnson was also striking the ball well.
Loiterton bagged his second birdie of the day and, while he received two shots on the hole, Heywood’s eight-a-one wasn’t enough to see him continue.
The par-3 fifth was always going to have ramifications as Loiterton, Gordon and Martin all didn’t have shots on the hole.
They made up for that by landing on the dance floor from the tee, with Martin sinking a pressure second putt for two points, while the other two lagged their birdie attempts to the hole.
Mason and Johnson were faced with a chip off, the drop zone giving them the full sideways length of the green to play with, and when Johnson’s shot finished marginally closer than his fellow committee members, Mason’s day was over.
With none of the surviving five players having a shot on the sixth it became a true test of golf.
Martin and Loiterton were pin high on the green for three, 12 and four feet away respectively, while Gordon recovered from a stiff lie to nail a 20 foot birdie putt.
With Martin making par, Peck paid the price for a poor chip and his six-a-one saw him out of the race.
The seventh saw Loiterton uncharacteristically pull his tee shot left, leaving him close to 170m to the green, and he would eventually have to settle for five-a-one.
Gordon’s drive landed well down the 10th fairway but he punched his second to just short and made his up and down, while Martin again stayed out of trouble to make par.
Needing to two putt to continue, Johnson had a rush of blood and pushed his first five feet past and he missed the one coming back to hand Loiterton an unexpected life.
The left-handed Gordon hooked his tee shot on eighth to the bank of the dam, but still had a shot at the pin which he would leave 15 feet from the hole.
Martin was centre of the fairway but a tight lie saw him leave his second just short of the green, while Loiterton was in the mayor’s office off the tee and eventually tapped in for an easy par.
Gordon’s birdie attempted lipped out but he was safe after Martin’s par putt slipped by the hole.
Of all the dramas of the day there were more to follow on the last.
Gordon pushed his tee shot into the trees and it was obvious from the tee that he wouldn’t have a shot due to his stance.
Just when Loiterton looked to be in the box seat he inexplicably sliced his drive out of bounds and had to reload.
That shot went long and left meaning he was literally no chance of scoring on the hole and relieving all the pressure off Gordon who knew one point (or a five) would be enough.
He chipped out of trouble for two, finishing just short of the bunker on the left; on for three and two putted to claim the title and the major prize for the day, while all nine remaining players were also rewarded for making the final.
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