Sweet revenge for Bree at NSW Matchplay
IN: News | Australian Ladies Amateur | Ladies NSW State Championship (2008) | Grand Final | by Liz White | 27 May 2008
Recently dumped national squad member, Bree Arthur has given the selectors some food for thought with a solid 2 and 1 win over Rebecca Flood at the NSW Amateur Matchplay Championships today.
And to make the victory even sweeter, the win at Sydney’s Ryde Parramatta course, was over one of the girls who replaced her in the team.
“It was a bit of disappointment to be dropped but life goes on and I am doing it for myself now,” she said.
“I wasn’t really out for revenge because Bec and I are good friends, I consider her a sister. But like I said, I was just out there for myself, although being dropped was a motivating factor for me.”
The lead in the 36 hole event changed several times, with the 19-year-old Flood getting out of the gates early after the Queenslander put her approach shot on the first into the hazard.
“I hit a great drive and it unfortunately landed in a divot and with those shots you are either going to hit it fat or thin, you rarely hit it perfect,” she said.
“Bec hit a great shot into the green so she deserved to win the hole, I just thought it’s only the first hole, there are 35 to go.”
It was an emotional day for both girls as they are great friends.
“Bree stays with us all the time, she has been with me the last couple of weeks,” Rebecca said.
“It was tough out there for us because we both wanted to win.
“You could have cut the air with a knife over dinner last night!” she laughed.
Flood held a two shot lead after four holes, but Arthur was able to claw back with a great birdie on the sixth.
Another birdie on the par five 14th and the smooth swinging 19-year-old had retrieved the match to square only to hand it back on the 14th when she hit her approach shot into the bunker, while Flood sunk her putt for birdie.
Both girls hit some quality shots from some often difficult lies, but for Rebecca it was a case of Flood and water don’t mix.
Holding a one shot advantage after 14 holes, she pulled her approach shot on the short par four fifteenth into the water. Two holes later and Flood put two consecutive shots into the water on the 132m par three 17th.
“Over 35 holes we played today you are going to hit a couple of bad shots here and there so you have to manage them and hope you get away with them,” she said.
“In some cases I got away with them and some I didn’t.”
After conceding the 17th the pair finished the first 18 with Arthur one up. Flood said it was disappointing to take the turn one down.
“I would have liked to have gone through 18 at least square, one down it’s not bad, but all square would have been better, it’s just going into the back 18 knowing you are one down, it’s a bit harder.”
Making Flood’s day even more trying was Arthur’s great chip in for birdie on the 20th hole. This was just after Flood birdied the 19th to get the match back to square.
“There were no real momentum swings out there, but Bree’s chip in on the 20th that hurt a bit, especially after I had just made birdie, but that’s match play and that’s the way it goes,” Flood said.
“Then she holed a great putt on 15 to square it, she holed some great putts out there and all week at Concord and this week here, I just couldn’t get a putt to drop.”
Arthur believes her birdie on the par five 27th hole was what set her on course for the victory.
“That was a pretty important hole because it got close where I was only one up after being three up at one stage,” she said.
“When I won that I was then back up to two and from there I was just telling myself: ‘it’s just fairways and greens,’ because it is quite a tough finish on this course,” she said.
Flood would certainly agree. After driving into the fairway bunker on the par four 31st hole, she then found the water yet again with her next shot. The match went out to three up and although Rebecca showed tremendous pluck to dig out a birdie on the next hole, Arthur was able to maintain her two shot lead through to the 35th hole.
“It’s been a while since I won. I knew it was going to be a good match and I just hung in there and stayed patient and I am very happy,” she said.
And with more solid wins like today’s, the big hitting Queenslander might find herself wearing the National squad logo yet again.
