ROUND ONE REPORT:
A lot of nervous golfers as round one of the championship got underway on a windy and cold morning at Barwon Heads. There was a sense of anticipation as the field was certainly very strong with 15 of the Top 25 players from the Australian Order of Merit contesting the event.
There were no real surprises with most of the round one matches going to the higher ranked player. One match that was a particularly close one was between number one seed Rick Oliver and last seed Ken Lamb. Oliver trailed by two holes with five to go and reported he felt his time had come but he rallied like a champion and clinched a victory on the final hole.
In a fascinating match the two finalists from last year, Chris Coats and Phil Wood, were drawn to meet in round one. Once again victory went to Chris Coats who held on to win at the 18th hole. Semi finalist in 2007, Alan Evans, was a round one loser going down in another close match to fellow Victorian Greg Welsh.
| Rick Oliver | def | Ken Lamb
| 1 UP |
| Chris Coats | def | Phil Wood
| 1 UP |
| Greg Welsh | def | Alan Evans
| 1 UP |
| Ian Read | def | Lindsay Elliot
| 3 and 2 |
| Graham MacDonald | def | Barry Webb
| 4 and 3 |
| Paul Day | def | Steve Cann
| 5 and 4 |
| John Beaumont | def | Roy Vandersluis
| 3 and 2 |
| Mal Roberts | def | Alan Buckley
| 2 and 1 |
| Denis Dale | def | Rob Stevenson
| 6 and 5 |
| Vince Clark | def | Jack Parker
| 4 and 2 |
| Dave Morrison | def | Graeme Altmann
| 3 and 1 |
| Bob Gamsby | def | Denis Long
| 2 and 1 |
| Ross Percy | def | Brian Baker
| 5 and 4 |
| Norm Way | def | Paul Lulofs
| 6 and 5 |
| Bob Macafee | def | John Stephens
| 2 and 1 |
| Alex Cleave | def | Tony Gover
| 6 and 5 |
Click here for the results of all matches
ROUND TWO REPORT:
The match of the day was between the number one seed, Rick Oliver, and the defending champion Chris Coats. In a tough battle it was Oliver who holed the putts that mattered and he recorded a 2 and 1 victory and advanced to the quarter finals.
Day two was a day of close matches - Denis Dale came from behind to defeat Vince Clark at the 22nd hole, Bob Gamsby and Dave Morrison battled until the 20th hole before Gamsby claimed victory and Ian Read battled it out with Greg Welsh until the 22nd hole before Welsh managed to break the deadlock.
| Rick Oliver | def | Chris Coats
| 2&1 |
| Greg Welsh | def | Ian Read
| 22nd |
| Paul Day | def | Gra. MacDonald
| 4&3 |
| John Beaumont | def | Mal Roberts
| 1 up |
| Denis Dale | def | Vince Clark
| 22nd |
| Bob Gamsby | def | Dave Morrison
| 20th |
| Norm Way | def | Ross Percy
| 1 up |
| Alex Cleave | def | Bob Macafee
| 4&2 |
Click here for the results of all matches
ROUND THREE REPORT:
Day three was quarter final day and a chance for four players to claim a place in the semi finals. An added reward for reaching the semi finals was automatic selection in the Australian Senior Team to play New Zealand for the Trans Tasman Trophy at Sanctuary Cove in May, 2009.
Match one saw Rick Oliver in another close battle - this time against Greg Welsh. Once again Oliver holed a couple of important putts to hold on for a 2 and 1 win.
John Beaumont and Paul Day were competitors for a semi final place and Australian selection and they played a high quality match before Beaumont sealed victory on the second last hole- 2 and 1 to Beaumont.
Number two seed Denis Dale also had another close one - leading by three holes with seven to go over West Australian Bob Gamsby who then rallied with a very strong finish and taking the match to the last hole before Dale holed a pressure par putt for a narrow one up victory.
Queenslander Norm Way and West Australian Alex Cleave rounded out the quarter finals. Victory went to the tough match play figher Way who finished under par in recording a 4 and 3 win over the evergreen Cleave. Way is perhaps the form player of the tournament with under par finishes the normal score for this talented Queenslander.
Day four is semi final day with the reward being a place in the final of the 2008 Australian Senior Match Play Championship.
| Rick Oliver | def | Greg Welsh
| 2&1 |
| John Beaumont | def | Paul Day
| 2&1 |
| Denis Dale | def | Bob Gamsby
| 1 up |
| Norm Way | def | Alex Cleave
| 4&3 |
SEMI FINAL REPORT:
The semi finals were played on the best day so far (although all days were virtually rain free and the winds were certainly not up to those of last year). All players have really enjoyed the magnificent Barwon Heads course - if you get a chance play this course!
The first semi final was played between the number one seed Rick Oliver and the number five seed John Beaumont. The match was very tight and after nine holes the match was still all square. The current Australian Senior Order of Merit champion Rick Oliver then played some steady golf to hold a narrow one up lead when playing the par 5 sixteenth. Beaumont's drive found the trees and a few shots later he was back on the fairway and two down. The par 3 seventeenth was halved with this match going to Oliver 2 and 1.
The second semi final was played between the number two seed Denis Dale and the number fourteen seed Norm Way. These long time friends are once again sharing accommodation on a golfing trip and the battle was sure to be a keen but friendly one. Dale played very well early and with a couple of good putts thrown in found himself four up after seven holes. Way doesn't know how to give in and immediately found his normal form and played the remaining ten holes in even par without missing a green. This allowed him to reclaim two of the four lost holes however the match ended with the same margin as semi final one and a 2 and 1 victory for Denis Dale.
The top two seeds will fight out the final on Friday. In an interesting sidelight these same two players were the joint winners of the 2007 Australian Senior Championship at Commonwealth Golf Club. Victory for either player would give them a unique double - title winners in the senior matchplay and senior stroke play championships of Australia.
| Rick Oliver | def | John Beaumont
| 2&1 |
| Denis Dale | def | Norm Way
| 2&1 |
Click here for the results of all matches
THE FINAL:
Played in perfect weather the final of the 2008 Australian Senior Match Play Championship resulted in a comfortable win for Denis Dale who defeated Rick Oliver 6 and 4.
Dale played excellent golf missing just one green in the fourteen holes played and finishing under par. Oliver played solidly but missed a few vital putts on the tricky Barwon Heads greens. Both players look forward to continuing their battle in future Senior Order of Merit events.
| Denis Dale | def | Rick Oliver
| 6 & 4 |
