Eagle lands Lee NSW Amateur Championship
IN: News | Australian Ladies Amateur | Ladies NSW State Championship (2007) | Grand Final | by Liz White | 26 Jun 2007
A stunning holed bunker shot for eagle helped Jenny Lee secure the NSW Amateur Championship over Frances Bondad at the Australian Golf Course today.
Down one with three to play the shot swung the momentum the 18-year-old’s way.
“That was the turning point, for sure,” the victorious Lee said. “We both had bunker shots and Frances has put hers within one metre and I am thinking ‘oh my God, my ball is plugged in the wet bunker, just get it close,’”
“Luckily for me it went in to square the match with two to play, it got me going.”
Today’s final was a see-sawing tussle played, yet again, in the rain. The wet weather forced the girls off the course after 12 holes and as a result, the matchplay was reduced from 36 to 18 holes.
“I was two down with six to play and when they said the match was shortened to 18 holes I was thinking I am dead. But then I thought I have nothing to lose, so I just went for it,” Lee said.
The Oatlands Golf Club member got off to a commanding start to be two up after just three holes but Bondad hit back to square the match after six holes. By the ninth Bondad, a national squad member had her nose in front, one up.
On the tenth, Bondad moved to two up with a solid par and looked in control until the match reached the par 3 15th hole. Both girls put their tee shots into the greenside bunkers and while Lee was able to sink a 3m putt for par, Bondad missed the shorter putt to lose the hole and open the door for her opponent.
“My Dad said to me on that green if you sink the putt she will miss it, and he was right,” Lee said.
But as the girls headed to the par 5 16th, Lee couldn’t have guessed what was to happen next and it left Bondad shaking her head.
“When she hit out of the bunker for an eagle I thought you are kidding, you can’t do that,” said Bondad. “But that is what happens in matchplay. We were all square after that and I tried to remain positive but I just couldn’t do it.”
Bondad was clearly unsettled and missed the fairway on the par four 17th while Lee was sitting pretty in the middle. But from 120m out, Bondad showed her class, hitting out of a boggy dirt patch to jam the ball to within two metres of the pin. The hole was squared and it was game on as the girls headed to the par five 18th.
Bondad again missed the fairway while Lee was well placed; her third shot landed five metres short of the back pin, while Bondad was faced with a very long 20m putt. Lee was in for two, leaving Bondad a nervy one and half metre downhiller to force the match to the 19th.
While Bondad was addressing the ball, Lee’s caddy, her dad, Tony wasn’t able to look. The ball did a lap of honour before dropping in. It was enough to make the caddy head for his packet of cigarettes yet again.
“I think he chain-smoked all the way around,” Jenny laughed.
As she sank the putt, Bondad gave a wry assessment: “I think my heart is still in my ribcage.”
On the 19th, Lee was again the steadier of the two, putting her tee shot in perfect position to attack the green, while Bondad found the bunker.
After hitting out for two, she was able to put her third to within four metres of the pin but Lee responded with a perfect chip onto the tiered green. Bondad’s putt disappointingly skimmed the hole, leaving Lee a one metre putt for the championship.
“When I was standing over the putt I was so nervous, my mind was blank,” said Lee. “I couldn’t think of anything except telling myself to just put it in.”
Bondad was disappointed not to win but said Lee was just too steady.
“I hit into the hazards three times and lost all of those holes, I think that was one of the main factors.”
Both Lee and Bondad will have a few weeks break before heading off to the Royal Adelaide golf course to battle it out for the South Australian Amateur Championship, which starts later next month.
