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Matt's closest challenger in the morning was Tom Burley with a fine 65 but both he and Matt fell away with 73 and 74 in the afternoon. Both were hotly pursued by Andy Rideout who added a level par 69 to his morning 68. Andy's final shot of the day, a 5 iron to the par 5 9th, found it's way into the hole for an albatross 2! So close, but not quite enough to close the gap with Matt winning the Colts Championship by two shots and taking that lead into the second day and the final 36 holes of the County Championship. |
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So, leaving Chippenham who had been fantastic hosts for the first day, producing lightning fast greens and tremendous hospitality, play was continued at Marlborough on the Sunday.
On the warmest day of the year the players found the Marlborough rough and slower greens difficult to adjust to with none of the field able to break par and Matt's challenge faltering with a disappointing 79. Tom Burley, with a steady 74 was able to overtake him and take a 2 shot lead into the afternoon's final round. As the temperature rose so did the quality of the golf. Four sub par rounds including a 69 from local man Paul Green and a 71 from the leader, Tom Burley failed to make any impression though on Matt who was in inspired form again. Starting with a birdie on the par 5 1st and birdieing the other four par 5's, Matt's card, without a dropped shot and including four more birdies was a staggering 9 under par 63, another course record and enough to win the County Championship by 6 clear shots from Tom Burley in second place.
Not often you see a card with no bogies, no fives and only one 2, an eagle on the par four 16th. Well played Matt. A fantastic performance and a worthy winner. Another notable performance, the youngest competitor in the field at 13 years, Ben Amor, son of Marlborough pro, Simon Amor, made the half way cut with solid scores of 72 and 72 at Chippenham but was disappointed with 80 and 79 on his home course. Ben still managed to finish in 14th place, tied with the County Captain who has made a mental note of a star for the future. Full scores are here. |
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