The Bendigo Bank Seniors is one of the most popular events on the Order of Merit circuit. Once again the hospitality and organisation for this event were first class and a great time was had by all.
Report From Round One:
Play began with warm weather and a gentle breeze facing golfers tackling the Cobram-Barooga West course. Considering the prolonged drought the course was presented in very good condition and the greens were certainly true - all you needed to do was have the skill to hit the putts on line!
2006 winner Michael Jackson took the early lead with a fine par ound of 72. His round was highlighted by an eagle on the par 4 twelfth hole where he holed a six iron for his second.
In second place on one over par 73 were Cobram-Barooga member Ross Percy, NSW player Vince Clark making his first appearance at Cobram and Victorian Chris Tatt also making his first start in the Cobram seniors. Tatt was an Australian representative "way back then" and his peformance in the senior ranks was watched with keen interest by many of the regulars.
Coolangatta visitor Dave Morrison stormed home with a 2 under par back nine to record a 74 and held down fifth place on his own. Defending 2007 champion Bill Banks was still in contention with an opening 76 after dropping four shots late in his round. He indicated he would need to improve his putting to be a threat in 2008.
Report From Round Teo:
Round two is the moving round as the strength of senior golf is such that it is very hard to make up a large deficit on the final day. All players hit off on the Cobram-Barooga Old course anxious to improve their position or at least maintain it. Again, the course was presented in very good condition considering the lengthy dry spell - players who hit the fairways and greens would have no problems managing a good score.
Chris Tatt showed his obvious class with a flawless round of 70. His round included only one putt over two metres and a neat chip in from very close to the pin. His score gave him a one under par total of 143 and the 36 hole lead from Michael Jackson who followed his opening 72 with another fine round of 74.
Victorian David MacDonald had a par equalling round of 72 and he would be in the last group on Thursday with a total of 147 and four strokes from Tatt. NSW player Vince Clark was also on 147 with consistent rounds of 73-74 and he looked ready to match his good performance at the NSW Senior Championship earlier in the year.
Current Australian Senior Order of Merit leader Rick Oliver was another to break par and his 71 gave him a 36 hole total of 149 and with a great round on Thursday he could hope to make up the six shot deficit.
One of the sweetest swingers in senior golf, Russell Rogers from NSW, equalled his opening 75 with another one and although on 150 he looked in fine form and was ready to improve on the final day. Rogers was level on 150 with Ross Percy who was disappointed with his 77 after his round one 73. Dave Morrison lost ground with a 77 but on 151 he was hoping to record his best performance in an Order of Merit event,
Bill Banks again failed to hole the putts that mattered and he had a pair of 76s to total 152 and was probably too far back. Another regular player "too far back" was the 2006 and 2007 runner up in this event, Denis Dale from NSW, who improved on his opening 78 to record a 75.
Report From Round Three:
All eyes were on the leading two groups and it was expected the winner would be found here. Tatt's three stroke lead would be hard to catch as he was hitting the ball straight and rarely found trouble on the tree lined Cobram-Barooga Old course.
Of course golf does not always follow the script and Tatt's putter decided to desert him and with 21 putts on the first 9 for a six over score of 42 he eventually found himself in a three way tie with just six holes remaining. David MacDonald had his putter working like a magician's wand and he had joined Tatt in the lead with the always consistent Michael Jackson. It looked quite likely that a nail biting finish was ahead.
In the earlier groups only Russell Rogers, Ross Percy and Denis Dale were making a charge up the leader board. Rogers finished with a 73 and a 54 total of 223. Percy dropped 17 and 18 for a score of 74 and a total of 224 while Dale equalled par and his closing round of 72 gave him a total of 225. Rogers would eventually take out equal third place and Percy fifth.
Rick Oliver could not find his form of day two and his 76 gave him a total of 225 - the same as Vince Clark who was disappointed with his closing round of 78. Oliver, Clark and Dale finished in a three way tie for 6th place.
Bill Banks again struggled with his putter and the only encouragement for him was his consistency - he recorded scores of 38, 38, 38, 38, 38 and 38 for every nine holes played. Banks' total of 228 gave him 9th place a shot ahead of Dave Morrison who closed with a spectacular round of 78. Morrison holed his second shot on the par four seventh, birdied two of the difficult par threes but surrounded this scoring blitz with a quadruple and triple bogey. In finishing in 10th position Morrison recorded his best Order of Merit performance.
The anticipated nail biting finish disappeared quickly when MacDonald double bogied and Tatt birdied the same hole while Jackson ran up a few bogies. Tatt then resumed his consistent play and his two under par closing nine of 34 gave him a score of 76 and a three stroke winning margin.
David MacDonald's 75 gave him outright second with Michael Jackson's 77 giving him a share of third with Russell Rogers.
Once again Cobram-Barooga has presented a great tournament with everything running smoothly and professionally. The added touches of daily presentations, the Titleist-Cobra demo day on Wednesday and the Stableford competition for women golfers and longer handicapped males make this event a real winner. All players reported they would love to come back in 2009.
Click here for all the scores (or click the Results button above).
Leading Scores 2008 Championship
1. 219 Chris TATT (73 70 76) Buninyong
2. 222 David MCDONALD (75 72 75) Sandhurst
3. 223 Russell ROGERS (75 75 73) Tura Beach
3. 223 Michael JACKSON (72 74 77) Yarra Yarra
5. 224 Ross PERCY (73 77 74) Cobram-Barooga
6. 225 Denis DALE (78 75 72) Asquith
6. 225 Rick OLIVER (78 71 76) Young
6. 225 Vince CLARK (73 74 78) The Lakes
9. 228 Bill BANKS (76 76 76) Royal Canberra
10. 229 Dave MORRISON (74 77 78) Coolangatta
11. 230 Jack PARKER (78 76 76) Wyong
11. 230 Frank MUSGRAVE (75 78 77) Muree
13. 231 Alan BUCKLEY (77 78 76) Commonwealth
14. 232 Ray WALKER (78 74 80) Chirnside Park
15. 234 Alan EVANS (79 78 77) Royal Melbourne
16. 236 Anthony HYDE (79 77 80) Rossdale
16. 236 Ted JOHNSON (78 76 82) Tura Beach
18. 237 John BEAUMONT (77 83 77) Mt Gambier
18. 237 Richard FROEBEL (83 77 77) Cranbourne
20. 238 Pat GILES (84 79 75) Goonawarra
21. 239 Rod DALE (81 78 80) Coolangatta
22. 241 Ray SMITH (83 77 81) Cowes
23. 242 Stephen CANN (78 84 80) Bright
24. 243 Cameron FRASER (80 83 80) Highlands
25. 244 Noel OLIVE (84 81 79) Coffs Harbour
25. 244 Denis LONG (80 79 85) Metropolitan
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