In keeping with our new tradition – WHVgolf.com posed some challenging questions to the winner of the latest event.
Q: Pres, back on the winning trial – you’ve got to be happy seeing off three of the form golfers of the year in Bacon, TD and Noz. And you’ve won another non-conventional event. Do you think your flat track bully game is better suited to these types of events, or does it just come down to the fact you were getting shots all over the place and had some consistency for once?
Interesting question Donk. It’s partly about an individual’s approach to the game of golf, but it runs deeper than that. It is basically a metaphor for life choices in general. Those people, (with no flair), who are happy to broadly play to their handicap with no ambition, use a 5 iron off the tee, dolly it around, with a safety first approach to course management rarely prosper in events that require panache. Whereas a few, myself included, have a no holds barred, full hammer approach to such things. Whether you are a high or low handicapper, you’ve got to stand on every tee aiming for a par or better – so it’s boom, belt a driver off the tee regardless of the how tight it is, (you’ve got to back yourself to deliver), it’s about tiger lines and none of this lay-up nonsense. It’s about living on the golfing edge, that’s the way to win, however it is difficult to put a full round in without incurring a few blobs along the way using this tactic. So events designed for natural champions, with a touch of swagger, such as the Matchplay and the Skins suits a man who goes for his shots. He who dares Donk, he who dares, wins.
As for the victory, I was confident even before the draw – I backed myself to win the Matchplay with GambleGibbon and ultimately did it the hard way. I had the toughest draw possible and beat the current Tour leader and King of the Majors (the TD), 2nd in the OoM (Nozza) and 3rd in the OoM (Juice – the Green Jacket holder, although I for one didn’t see the Jacket at any stage during the day, did you?) on the way to victory.
Q: Did the Corporate Freebie prove crucial in working out any kinks in the Presidential swing? Have you taken your new hat off yet?
Some of our Member’s with limited natural talent have to base their game on the drills drummed into them when they were young and they practice, adopting a conservative approach to the game, such as 5 irons off the tee, whereas my game is built on raw ability, but no practice. So when I do have the opportunity to get a few rounds under my belt, I quickly start to score well – hence the Amy Austin and two day CJ weekenders suit me. Prior to the Matchplay, I had been lucky enough to spend two days at the superb (albeit soggy) Gleneagles complex, so this was effectively day three for me and yes, the 2014 Ryder Cup course and The Kings course at Gleneagles were enough of a challenge to set me up for the test of Stonebridge.
The 2014 hat is currently off, but it has been cleaned.
Q: The Web Donk loves the matchplay and is still fuming after capitulating on a couple of short putts and leaving the door open for Pedro to steam through with some Hollywood putting when he needed it in the morning match. Who are you happy that you didn’t have to face on your road to victory – from those who made it there, and those who didn’t or who were playing in the massive society event at the same time on the same course?
The WHVGS Matchplay Day is a well thought out, asset to the calendar and I was delighted to beat the 3 form men on Tour to take the title this year.
From what I hear, you stormed the last 18 holes with c.45 Stapleforth points and Pete had his match play head on all day, but I was nailing my driver all day and sank a few putts – I was happy to take on all comers.
As for the no shows, Rob is getting closer to a more appropriate handicap these days and when he gets to 18+ he will be more competitive, although he doesn’t really have the required elements to his the game to perform at the more creative events, which must be why he avoids them. It would be good to see Ronno and Coops back on the circuit, but with a mini Ronno due shortly and Coops’ wedding to pay for etc… they have missed a few in 2012, but I hope that they are back for the endurance test that is the President’s in July. Millers only really has the game for the minor Minors, such as the Par 3 half Minor round that patch of waste ground with comedy golf balls, which is why he chose to avoid the man’s game that is the Matchplay event. It was a shame not to see Campo, he is due a good round one of the these days.
Q: Talk us through your view of the controversy at the crucial 8th hole. It was noted that your view of the ruling was backed up by Curt and Bacon, both noted experts on golf and not at all blokes who can’t remember one shot from the next. Are you expecting a long campaign of recrimination from the (ex-)captain? He was certainly massively confident during the morning round.
The 8th was a shame and put a bit of an dampener on things, but there was no real drama. I was one up with two to play. Nozza drove off first – putting his 140 yards short into some long stuff before a brook. I took out the driver, (obviously), but drifted one into a bush in the middle of a yellow staked water hazard. Noz suggested that I take a provisional, but I said there was no need, I was in a hazard and so would take a drop. On inspection, (not unexpectedly), the ball could not be found within the hazard or in the surrounding area, but I was happy that it was within the yellow stakes, hidden in the bush or the drink. Curt and Bacon were consulted as independent adjudicators (one of which is a Board Member) and they were both happy that it was in the hazard. Therefore not requiring an R4, I dropped for a one-shot penalty, behind the hazard, at the point where the ball last crossed the margin of the hazard, as agreed. I then put my 3rd on the edge of the green. Nozza, put his third into a green side bunker and it was still game on, but unfortunately he then thinned one over a hedge and lost it. Which was effectively game over. Not ideal and under the circumstances it felt like was a slightly hollow victory, but it was all above board and I had been playing well on most the holes, belting drives and draining putts – Nozza had mentioned during the round that I was in “Unplayable form”, so I am sure that everything is okay now. However, the next event is the President’s when the President’s Team takes on the Captain’s team, so the rivalry will be stoked again…
Q: Finally, Matchplay Champion is a proud title, but it comes without a trophy or responsibility. Even Noz gets to try and remember the Spitfire for next year. Do you feel that your victory was cheapened a little by there being just an 8 man field -no Aust to defend his title, no Ron to decimate the opposition, no Coops to smoke his way round, no mercurial Millers to delight with his filthy mind – I could go on, but I like leaving Rob out as he doesn’t seem to like playing the matchplay events, it’s probably not proper golf according to him. So, yeah, Matchplay Champ of half the society, in the words of every single post sporting interview that we’ll hear all summer from inane BBC Olympic interviewers – how does that feel?
Quite right – Reigning Matchplay Champion is an important title and has a nice ring to it. It could do with a Trophy of some sort, but to be quite honest I don’t need any “quality antique glassware” which seems to be the current order of the day, so it all worked out quite nicely.
As for the event being cheapened by the lack of some jokers, utter nonsense. To be clear, the field contained;
All of the past OoM winners (the Star / Flame holders),
The last 5 Green Jacket winners,
The top 5 Ranking Points winners of all time
The 2012 Tour leader, The current King of the Majors, 2nd, 3rd and 4th in the 2012 OoM, and I beat 1st (and current KoTM), 2nd and 3rd head to head – What more could I do?
I know Aust loves the Matchplay, but his general performances have been consistently mediocre of late and his commitment has gone. The lure of a Hodgesonless West Brom, holidays timed to miss Majors and attendance at summer garden parties with his new mates in the Home Counties timed to clash with the Matchplay seem to have taken hold. I fear we have lost him. He was once a stalwart, but he has only played 2 of the 6 events thus far in 2012, so I doubt that we will see him much in the future. If he can’t be bothered to spend some time with his mates whilst he lives locally, I doubt we will see him much when he’s got a bit of a commute to each event…. Let’s hope Aust bucks his ideas up!
Q: Actually, do you think I need to ask the TD some questions about winning the Horn, he seemed a little upset that I missed him out? These will go into the Tour Souvenir as part of the record of the day, so capturing his frontier gibberish to match up to that of Millers could be important historical details.
Yes, get the TD involved, perhaps you could ask him what he thought of the current Green Jacket holder’s attire prior to the Brissle (minus the Green Jacket, again), or the dude on the Harley and are you going to ask Miller for some insightful words on the morning Half Minor, round the “Water Garden”/ quarry area, or whatever it was?
