Yarra Yarra, Victoria in Pennant Final
BY Anthony Powter | Victoria Golf Tour | 2008 VGA Pennant Final | Preview | 24 May 2008
Yarra Yarra and Victoria are set to meet for the second occasion in as many years in tomorrow’s Victorian Golf Association Division 1 Pennant Final. Victoria finished the 2008 qualification season as the top qualifier, after defeating previous leaders Southern, by 4 matches to 3 in the last of the qualification rounds.
Australia’s top ranked male amateur golfer, Matthew Griffin halved his matched against Southern’s Ray Beaufils, to secure the top seeded position and final berth for Victoria.
“It was probably one of the closest pennant games that I’ve encountered,” said Griffin, winner of two National Trial events this season.
“I was in trouble going down the 18th after a few wayward drives earlier in the match and managed to secure the half from Ray [Beaufils] on the last to get the team through. Everyone is keen to make amends, after missing out to Yarra Yarra last year, but we know it’s going to be tough.”
Southern’s loss to Victoria enabled Yarra Yarra, the defending champions, to reach the final after a close 4.5 to 2.5 victory over Waverley. The win was highlighted by Yarra Yarra’s number four, Peter Woodward, with a 3&1 win over Waverley’s Ryan Smits and Woodward heads into the final with unbeaten record for 2008.
Yarra Yarra defeated Victoria in last year’s final by four matches to three to take out the Division 1 title for the first time in 34 years and collect the Club’s seventh Pennant Flag.
Victoria, in contrast, has won the metropolitan club title twenty-three times, since the competition commenced in 1899. The Victorian team includes a blend of youth and experience, with Griffin joined by fellow National Squad member, Josh Younger, joint runner-up at the 2008 Australian Stroke Championship last month at Royal Adelaide.
Yarra Yarra also includes a blend of experience and youth, spearheaded by Daniel Beckmann, winner of 2007 Federal Amateur.
It promises to be a fitting final with arguably the two strongest Melbourne club teams doing battle for the prized flag. The statistics of previous wins tends to favour Victoria winning tomorrow, however, Yarra Yarra have the added advantage of being current title holders, an honour they are unlikely to give up easily.
