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| The Fixby Challenge Winner - John Goodland |
Haydock Park's John Goodland found the rolling fairways of Fixby to his liking when he became the first golfer to book a place in the grand final of the 2011 Northern Matchplay Golf Championship sponsored by Golf de la Luz.
The former civil engineer, who took early retirement two years ago but continues to work part-time as an exam adjudicator, carded a fine two-under par nett 69 at
Huddersfield Golf Club on a day when the testing championship course bared it's teeth.
Indeed only three of the 54 competitors bettered their handicap with the majority of scores ballooning into the eighties and beyond.
A stiff breeze greeted early competitors in
The Fixby Challenge and whilst that died down as the day progressed the afternoon players had to contend with a handful of short sharp showers. The weather didn't detract from the course though which was playing at it's imperious best and provided a stern but fair examination for all players.
Goodland, playing in the penultimate group, tied with Scarthingwell's David Williams (14 hcp) on 69 but was given the verdict virtue of a better last nine holes. Early starter Paul Keenan (8 hcp) from Towenely Golf Club had held the lead for most of the day after carding a gross 78 for a nett 70 and was the only player in the field to break 80.
Meanwhile Goodland, who had not made a buffer zone in his previous ten outings, turned the form book on it's head and paid tribute to his driving as the reason for his success.
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| Goodland's chip-in on the 9th captured on camera |
The delighted 11-handicapper said afterwards, "I played out of my skin and drove the ball really well. I can't remember playing a single shot from the rough all day."
However, it wasn't just his long game that was on song. A sublime chip from over the back of the ninth green, when at least one dropped shot looked inevitable, found the bottom of the cup for a momentum boosting par-save.
That moment of magic got the 56-year-old to the turn in 41 which had started with a disastrous double-bogey six before a birdie at the second got him back on track. A dropped shot on the 12th, followed by another double-bogey on the par three 13th, looked to have de-railed his bid but a strong finish of four pars in the last five holes saw Goodland home and dry.
He said, "The double on 13 was a complete nightmare. I had the honour on the tee and couldn't decide if the wind was helping or not. I thought I had done the hard work when I hit my four-wood pin-high just to the left of the green but then I chipped straight over the green and down the hill the other side."
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| Keenan driving off on the1st tee |
The only further blemish, on an inward nine that he covered in just 39 strokes, was to come when a shot was frittered away on the 15th although he could have balanced the books on the last.
"I left myself with a six-foot birdie putt on the last and when that slipped by I thought it might cost me." Said Goodland who lives in Lowton near Leigh and joined Haydock Park five years ago following a twenty year absence from the game.
Goodland will now line up at The Alwoodley Golf Club on the 28th and 29th September, where he will compete against the winners from six regional matchplay competitions and a
lucky ballot winner, to try and win a golf holiday to Spain provided by Holmfirth-based
Golf de la Luz.
Goodland, who hasn't played Alwoodley before joked afterwards, "My wife hates golf so when I get home and tell her I'm off to the grand final I don't know what she'll say. It's just a few days after our anniversary so I'll have to make sure I get her a good present. If I win a golf holiday to Spain I dread to think what she will think!"
A sliver of hope remains for Williams because Goodland is also still in the knockout section of the
Lancashire Matchplay and should he go on to triumph in that at West Lancs Golf Club the Scarthingwell man will take his place. Leeds-based Williams, who teaches I.T. on a part-time basis in primary schools, is still going strong in the
Yorkshire Matchplay so may still make the Alwoodley date via the conventional route. Keenan, a joiner from Burnley, had the consolation of collecting a £200 voucher for the best gross round.
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| Sharp-shooter Jarred Hazelden |
Meanwhile Outlane's Jarred Hazelden bagged a complimentary two-ball with buggy at De Vere Oulton Hall thanks to his approach to seven feet on the par four 7th hole, the closest of the day. And Allerthorpe Park's Mike Walsh was the most accurate on the par 3 8th with a tee-shot to just over six feet for a similar prize.
Dan Thomson, a director at main sponsor
Golf de la Luz, sampled the Fixby course for the first time and was pleased with what he found, "I thought the course was top class, in really good condition and proved a true test for competitors trying to reach our grand final. The green's were fantastic and I enjoyed it immensely."
Indeed every player paid tribute to the stunning greens that were served up by head green-keeper Ben Johnson who had them double-cut just prior to play commencing and had selected some testing but accessible pin placements. The putting surfaces were so good in fact one player commented that having played over 30 top courses already this year only Turnberry's matched the ones at Fixby for trueness, roll and quality.
The focus now turns to Pleasington where one pair will book a spot in the grand final by winning the
Pleasington Pairs Pursuit at the Open Championship Qualifying course near Blackburn in August.
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| Fixby Challenge Winner - John Goodland |
Fixby Challenge Scores:
John Goodland (Haydock Park) 80-11=69
David Williams (Scarthingwell) 83-14=69
Paul Keenan (Towneley) 78-8=70
Rob Swales (Moortown) 82-10=72
James Fitton (Towneley) 81-8=73
Richard Buck (Baildon) 85-9=76
Michael Whalley (Marsden Park) 85-8=77
Alan Green (Burnley) 88-11=77
Aidan Willis (Hickleton) 85-8=77
Craig Atkinson (Doncaster) 85-7=78
Carl Gillespie (Halifax Bradley Hall) 84-6=78
John Lawton (Outlane) 83-5=78
Mark Owers (Forest of Galtres) 89-10=79
Clive McFadzean (Halifax Bradley Hall) 82-3=79
Andrew Lincoln (Catterick) 89-10=79
Brent Ashton (Outlane) 91-12=79
Bernard Mahonay (Temple Newsam) 98-18=80
Gary Dunkley (Dewsbury District) 86-6=80
Dean Alexis (Halifax Bradley Hall) 87-7-80
Brett Kuffner (Dewsbury District) 92-12=80
Grahame Barrett (Dukinfield) 84-4=80
Tony Morrison (Halifax Bradley Hall) 90-9=81
Malcolm Gregg (Hallamshire) 92-11=81
Mike Horsfall (Gotts Park) 94-13=81
Nigel Roberts (Otley) 93-11=82
Jarred Hazelden (Outlane) 87-5=82
Terry Gills (Styal) 92-9=83
Neville Stott (Burnley) 100-17=83
Joseph Lincoln (Catterick) 98-15=83
Nick Harness (Hessle) 90-7=83
Graham Sykes (Beacon Park) 98-15=83
David Cryer (Longridge) 96-13=83
Steve Beeby (Outlane) 92-9=83
Connor Millard (Normanton) 94-10=84
Alan Padden (Otley) 96-11=85
Jon Rollinson-White (Temple Newsam) 103-18=85
Christian Archard (Towneley) 97-11=86
David Bailey (Huddersfield) 103-16=87
Neil Kirkpatrick (Mossock Hall) 95-7=88
Sam Wilkie (Mossock Hall) 95-6=89
Paul Clapton (Dewsbury District) 97-8=89
Steve Merrick (Roundwood) 106-15=91
Ian Kirkpatrick (Mossock Hall) 100-9=91
Brian Lodge (Cookridge Hall) 120-18=102
Stephen Greenwood (Ghyll) 97-6=91
Darren Cooper (Outlane) 103-12=91
Steven Broome (Temple Newsam) NR-12=NR
Mark Kirkpatrick (Mossock Hall) NR-12=NR
Mike Walsh (Allerthorpe Park) NR-11=NR
Martin Bielby (Bedale) NR-11=NR
Kevin McLeod (Dewsbury District) NR-9=NR
Jordan Hammond (Dewsbury District) NR-9=NR
Steven Garbutt (Wilton) NR-12=NR
Gary Beresford (Hicklton) WD-3-WD
