(7 December 2009 – Castle Hill, NSW)
rn
Sunshine Coast&aposs Tamara Beckett survived a three-way playoff to win the Power Ford Castle Hill Country Club Pro-Am in ideal conditions today. It took a superb birdie on the first playoff hole for Beckett to notch her 4th ALPG victory over Western Australia&aposs Nicole Montgomery and Queenslander Leah Hart. All three players fired rounds of 2-under par 72 on the immaculately presented Castle Hill layout to make the playoff. Four players finished just one shot outside the playoff; last-start winner Kate Combes, local Helen Oh, sister of Nicole, Danielle Bowers (nee Montgomery) and Canadian Katie Duke.
rn
rn
Montgomery set the early pace holding the lead after the morning rounds with her 72, which Beckett said she knew before she went out there. She also thought that "five or six under would be needed." With that in mind, she set out on a mission, starting on the 10th hole and recording three birdies in her first four holes. They consisted of a 2-putt birdie on the par-5 10th, knocking her second to 4-feet on the 12th and 2-putting from just off the green on the par-5 13th. After three straight pars she gave one back after knocking it long and left at the tough Club Car sponsored par-3 17th. She was unable to get up and down to save par, however, Beckett quickly recovered, sinking a downhill 10-footer from the back of the 18th for her 4th birdie to make the turn in 3-under 35.
rn
rn
Her birdie run on the par-5&aposs continued at the 1st hole before settling down with a run of pars. She came back to the field a little with bogeys at both the 6th and 8th holes before settling for a par at the last to match Montgomery&aposs morning score. Hart then returned her card with the same score meaning the ALPG Tour had their first playoff since the NRE Gujurat Challenge Cup at Russell Vale Golf Course in December last year.
rn
The playoff started and ended on the 280m par-4 16th hole where Beckett knocked down the pin from 63 metres. She was the only one of the three to use a driver off the tee and it paid dividends as she had a good look at the pin, spinning in back to 12-feet. Both Montgomery and Hart missed the green and were just looking to stay in it with an up-and-down. However, after they both produced fine 3rd shots, Beckett shut the door on them, rolling in the uphill, right to left putt with little pace left on it. The ball found the bottom of the cup however and she was delighted to be collecting the $2,250.00 winner&aposs cheque.
rn
rn
After her round, Beckett said she was "a little surprised my score made it into the playoff but I&aposm glad it did. It means a lot to win when you haven&apost played for a while. I&aposve got to thank my sponsor Autglobe, Power Ford and the great group of guys I played with." Asked what she would do with the money, she commented, "Tony (her husband) said if I win two events I can buy the handbag I&aposve been wanting. I&aposm half-way there."
rn
When asked about the playoff, she said, "I&aposd been hitting my driver well all day so I thought why not. The the putt, well, it&aposs the sort of putt you want for the win, uphill, right to left. It was a nice feeling when it dropped. I thought it might sit on the edge there for a while."
rn
rn
The ALPG Tour continues tomorrow with the Lady Anne Funerals ALPG Pro-Am at the Ryde-Parramatta Golf Club.
rn
Photos by Paul Melville – Tamara Beckett
rn