So close, but so far for Bonnar Cup team in final

Last Sunday our Bonnar Cup team played the final against Royal Adelaide at Glenelg Golf Club on a very foggy morning.

It was a very calm morning and arriving to a heavy fog, it gave the final an extra edge of excitement and also adding to the challenge.

With only one change to the order of matches, the team knew what to do – get four early wins in as the top order faced heavy matches against great golfers. With a shortened sixteen hole golf course it was obvious you needed to start strong in your match to win.

Course conditions seemed harder than our practice match a few days earlier, as heavy rains had softened the whole course, placing extra pressure on player’s short games.

With the new course changes to early holes at Glenelg it doesn’t, take much to fall behind. Through eight holes, my plan was going well, with the first four matches either up or very close. Andrew Kastanos was holding his own in the second match and the outcome was in our favour. But, as we know, in golf it is fleeting. Soon, the top three matches would be heavily behind and we were now relying on our game plan to come though.

With matches four, five and six all won by Grange, and one, two and three in RA’s bag, the winning result was to be decided by the number seven match, which is rare. With both teams and spectators following the match, it might have added to the pressure on the result with Grange having two chances to win, but were missed. On the extra third hole, the long par three surrounded by bunkers, Royal Adelaide struck the deciding blow, hitting the green. With Grange now behind a bunker on the right hand side, and sitting poorly in an old divot, it made the shot even harder for our player. Unfortunately, with that difficult lie, the hole was lost and thus, the result was decided.

Congratulations to Royal Adelaide Golf Club on their season.

Without the time dedicated by the players, there would have be no final appearance, so thank you for your dedication and commitment this year. Thank you to all caddies and families involved. The season for us was over nine weeks, although it starts well before then with pre-season training. Thank you to Ben Layton, Dylan Thomas and Jeff Green for helping all pennant players with coaching and support.

Going forward, the pennant season will be played in the warmer months of the year, from around February to April. We can all be thank full for that.

Individual Results