By Larry Canning
It was a world golfing first! And I’m not talking about Tiger Woods appearing on Married at First Sight, or Peter Fowler growing a fringe. It was golf’s first international attempt to change the classic 18 hole round and speed things up a bit. I covered World Super 6 Perth Tournament for Melbourne’s home of sport, SEN Radio, and I reckon it was brilliant.
Understandably, there were a couple of pot holes the Aussie PGA Tour guys will have to blue metal up. I was completely overcome with nonchalance when Brett Rumford made three birdies in a row from 15 through 17 on Saturday to move to 17-under. Coming down the 18th (well not so much “down” as up and over that huge hill which resembles of a lovely couch grass covered Uluru) with a 5 shot lead didn’t seem to mean anything in terms of the tournament.
In a regular four round event, Rummy would have a commanding lead to take into the last round and with his confidence up, successful experience in winning European Tour tournaments and a short game which resembles something religious, he was going to be almost impossible to reel in. But in this tourney, he was no better off than the other seven seeded players coming into Sunday’s rounds of match play! I reckon I could have stumbled into the top eight with that lead and one hole to play!! Given, all I needed to do was get my Srixon Z Star into the hole for something less than 9! (I’m not suggesting I wouldn’t have used up at least 2 or 3 shots of that lead though.)
There definitely needs to be a more significant reason to be the number one seed after three rounds. On the other hand, on the same afternoon we saw a ripping sudden death play-off between 8 players for the final 5 spots.
Sunday’s match play began with a rather large glitch as well. The whole reason this event was created was to speed the game up but after the third and fourth matches had to go to extra time, there was a hold up on the purpose built par three tee just slightly smaller than the queue to the Kransky stand in the tented village.
The problem began in the third match when America’s Johannes Verman and Aussie Daniel Fox (interesting combination of names), finished all square after their 6 hole jaunt. The play-off hole used the 18th green, which meant they had to wait until the match behind them (Adam Bland and Belgium’s Thomas Detry) finished the hole before they could have a crack. That match wound up all square as well. When Fox and Verman both parred the play-off hole (you need to concentrate on what Im saying now readers), they headed back to the tee, waited for the next group finishing off their 6 hole match to finish and then took a seat while Bland and Detry played off!
They too couldn’t be separated after one hole so the whole cycle started again. By this point, that queue for a Kransky now looked like a much better option!!
Like I said, this was the first event of its type on the big stage and I have no doubt our Aussie PGA Tour people will make the appropriate changes for 2018.
From a spectator’s point of view, which I always like to get involved in, it was a lot of fun. Now punters have a better understanding of where we need to be to see the action on Sunday and how it’s important to remember there are only 6 holes and none of them are very far from the clubhouse, you can position yourself in some pretty handy places. Plus the PGA endorsed “Yenda Beer Outside Bar” was nothing short of magnificent. That is a mighty good drop readers… The Yenda Hell Unflitered Lager has become my new best mate…. Sorry Hearny!!
By the way, Brett Rumford is a ripping bloke who withstood the pressure of being the overwhelming local favourite and took his 5 shot strokeplay lead all the way through 24 holes of pressure packed match play to claim his 6th European Tour Title!
Like I said, a brilliant week!
