Sydney golfer Stefan Albinski has started the senior amateur golf season with a bang with a magnificent come from behind win in the 2008 Victorian Senior Amateur Championship.

Albinski, the current Australian Senior Amateur Champion, fired a final round 67 to make up for a wayward start of a nine over 80.

He improved every day with a 73, 72 and then the final 67 for a one stroke victory over defending champion and fellow New South Welshman Brian Sams.

Albinski was in sizzling form in the final round and with two holes to play was six under par. As fellow competitor Denis Dale says on the AUSOOM website, Albinski “showed he was human’” with a bogey, bogey finish.

Sams recorded a par, birdie finish to narrow the gap to just one stroke.

Albinski won the Australian Senior Amateur Championship at his first attempt at the title in Perth earlier this year and swept all before him during his initial forays on the over 55 Australian senior amateur circuit in the 2007-2008 season just past.

Taking the Victorian Senior Amateur at the Rosebud Golf Course means he has won at his last four starts in Order of Merit events.

Sams put in an admirable performance to fall just short of his goal of making it three Victorian Senior Championships in a row.

Dale says these two are clearly the current standout players in Australian senior amateur golf.
Third place in the tournament went to Victorian Chris Tatt who also broke par in the final round with a one under 70. Fourth place was shared by Victorians Phil Wood and Greg Welsh with ACT golfer Tony Gover and NSW player Denis Dale in a tie for sixth.

The Victorian Senior Amateur Championship is the only Australian 72-hole Championship for amateur golfers aged 55 and over.

It continues to go from strength to strength with a near capacity field of 154 players competing in this year’s event from 91 clubs, including 32 Interstate clubs. The Championship will head to the Wimmera in 2009 when the event will be hosted by the Nhill and Horsham Golf Clubs from Monday October 26th to Thursday October 29th , 2009.

The strong six man Australian team chosen to compete in the 2008 Asia-Pacific Senior Golf Championship in Malaysia in November is hoping to go one better after previous national teams finished second in the last two championships.

The Australian team includes Rick Oliver (NSW), Denis Dale (NSW), Ross Percy (VIC), Brian Sams (NSW), Nigel Goodall (WA) and Stefan Albinski (NSW).

Oliver and Dale are current winner and runner-up respectively of the recently completed Australian Senior Order of Merit and the rest of the team have been in winning form at various events throughout the year.

In his first year of eligibility for AUSOOM events (Aged 55+), Sydney’s Stefan Albinski has had a major impact and is the current Australian Senior Amateur Golf Championship winner.

Albinski also won the 2008 Queensland Senior Amateur Championship and the North Sydney Seniors Championship in June and recently tested his skills in trying conditions at the 2008 British Senior Open Amateur Championship.

The Asia Pacific Senior Golf Championship will be played over 54 holes at the Karambunai Golf Resort, Sabah, Malaysia from November 11-13, 2008.

See: Australian Wins Asia Pacific Senior Golf Championship

Men’s Senior Match Play returns to Barwon Heads Golf Club

The Australian Men’s Senior Amateur Match Play Championship will return to the challenging Barwon Heads Golf Club for the 64 player match play event to be held from the 5 - 10 October 2008.

The top 64 ranked players on the Men’s Senior Order of Merit (who enter) will be drawn to play for the title of Australian Men’s Senior Amateur Match Play Champion.

Golf Australia says with the guarantee of six rounds (defeated players continue playing all week) of golf at the picturesque Barwon Heads layout and the relaxed feel of the seaside location, the Championship will be a highlight of the Australian Seniors golfing calendar.

Entries for this event close on Monday September 8. For details see the AUSOOM website or for a list of current entries and entry form see the Golf Australia listing here.

State Senior Golf Championships

Also coming up soon on the senior amateur golfing calendar is the 2008 South Australian Seniors Championship to be played at Murray Bridge Golf Club from October 22-24 and the 2008 Victorian Seniors Championship at Rosebud Golf Club from October 27-30.

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