Finals Review Apperly Shield In conditions that would tempt some with the nearby beach, Cronulla GC was presented in excellent condition as it played host the Final of the 2012 Eric Apperly Shield. A good crowd of supporters and locals were on hand to witness some of the State s most talented up and comers put on a display of matchplay golf at its toughest and finest. The number five players were out first and their match would set the scene for the rest of the contest. The Australian s Nick Fuller held the early lead before Mitch Gannon fought back to not only square the match through nine holes but edge ahead on the back nine. Momentum swung again as Fuller birdied the Par 5 16th and then squared the match at the 17th to take the match down 18. With both players finding the green on the par 3 18th Gannon watched as his putt missed by the barest of margins leaving Fuller with a chance to take the match. The final twist came as Fuller s putt caught the edge of the hole and dropped after completing half a lap of the cup. 1-0 to The Australian. The next match featured Adrian Lee from The Australian and Troy Moses representing Bonnie Doon. Moses was the first to make a move quickly establishing a handy buffer through the front nine. When Lee claimed the 15th to get back to 2 down another Aussie comeback looked like a possibility. Lee s luck was to run out on the next hole as he played his second shot from the trees only to find more trouble as his ball rebounded of a sign into the fork of a tree where it came to rest. With Moses playing his second to the green the match was effectively over despite Lee making good contact with his ball in the tree, he needed to chip in with his next which he was unable to do. One match each with three matches to come. The third match featured good mates Ricky Kato and Michael Williams of The Australian and Bonnie Doon respectively. Again it would be the early advantage that proved the difference as Kato jumped to a 3 up lead through the early holes. Williams did his best to get back into the match but Kato s scrambling was at its best with several clutch putts made to deny any chance of retaliation. The match was over at the 17th as Kato wrapped it up 2/1 to give The Australian 2-1 in the Final. The Final was decided after the number 2 pairing s match went the way of The Australian, Grant Booth notching a win. In a match he dominated from the outset Booth continued his recent good form to defeat Bonnie Doon s Ruben Sondjaja 5/4. The match featured some high quality play as both players made the best of the favourable conditions, however in the end it was Booth who proved the most consistent and deserved his victory. The final pairing of The Australian s Daniel Bringolf and Bonnie Doon s Jordan Zunic promised to be a match worthy of two team captains fighting for the title and it didn t disappoint. In a match of swaying momentum and some extraordinary shot making it was perhaps fitting that ultimately the match was halved, as the previous results had gone the way The Australian. With all matches played in great spirits, the win in the Final capped a great season for The Australian as they remained undefeated to take the Pennant. Junior Pennant
Author: Jon Shineberg