Byron Bay member Mat Crandell has claimed the 2016 Queensland Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship at RACV Royal Pines Resort.
Crandell cruised home with an astonishing 11-stroke victory against a capacity field of interstate and international players.
Crandnell opened the tournament with a blistering six birdies and just two bogeys to card a four-under par-68. The second day proved to be tough with early trouble resulting in a two-over par-74.
Despite registering six birdies in his opening round, defending champion Ashley Grosvenor (Keperra Country Golf Club) found himself four shots behind Crandell after adding four bogeys and a double bogey to finish even par. Grosvenor fired another ever par-72 second round to secure himself a place in the final group.
After a triple bogey on the first hole, Grosvenor slowly slid out of contention with additional bogeys on the closing three holes to return a 10-over par-82 for the day, resulting in a third place finish.
David Robinson’s (Lakelands Golf Club) consistent play edged him into second place on 225 (+9) after a closing round of three-over par 75. This followed opening rounds of 74 (+2) and 76 (+4).
Commencing the final round with a two shot lead, Crandell was consistent early, a birdie on the eighth hole eliminated the opening bogey to finish even after nine holes. A further birdie and bogey on the back nine resulted in returning an even par-72 and total of 214 (two-under) for the championship
“Anyone who has played at RACV Royal Pines knows that the new layout is quite difficult. With a bit of pressure on today, I was quite happy with the way I performed and I am stoked with the win,” Crandell said.
“This is my fifth time playing the tournament and I’ll definitely be back.”
Crandell was previously runner-up in 2013 where now professional Damien Jordan took the title.
As part of Srixon's support of the Championship, each player was invited to receive a dozen Z-Star golf balls and compete in a separate nett event. Brett Kurtz from Boyne Island Golf Club was ecstatic to have made this decision as it led to him winning the Srixon 54 Hole Challenge. Kurtz shot nett rounds of 71-76 and a final day nett 73 to take home a year's supply (12 x 12 dozen boxes) of Srixon Z Star Balls. Kurtz was one of 152 players that chose to play the Srixon ball at this year’s championship.
The Upper Mid-Amateur Division (44-54 years) was played in conjunction with the Championship with 2010 champion Michael Neaton (Rockhampton Golf Club) taking out the title with 54-hole score of 230. New Zealand’s John Fearnley claimed runner-up with rounds of 75-81-76 (232).
The Srixon Club Teams Event consists of three players from the same golf club with the aggregate nett scores from the 54-holes counting towards the team’s total. The eventual winners were the team from Calliope Golf Club comprising of Mathew Crossley, Wayne Scarpella and David Evans. The winning Aggregate Nett score left them with a six shot win over the Byron Bay Golf Club team which comprised of Mat Crandell, David Calvert and Glen Llyod.
The Srixon NTP Challenge was held on the Monday afternoon attracting fierce competition. Each player had one attempt at a 60m pitch shot from the clubhouse to the practice green. After a 7-person playoff and numerous close shots, 2015 Mid-Am Runner-up Mark Boulton (Phillip Island Golf Club) was the eventual winner and receives a Srixon Prize Pack.
Golf Queensland would like to extend a sincere thanks to proud sponsors Srixon, RACV Royal Pines Resort and Coca-Cola Amatil for their generosity and support of the 2016 Championship. The Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship continues to grow with numbers exceeding expectations poised by positive feedback received over the three days. The Queensland Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship will return to RACV Royal Pines Resort in 2017 to host the championship for the sixth time.
For full results, visit the event page.
Tournament photos are available on the Golf Queensland Facebook page.