QUEENSLAND senior golfer Grahame MacDonald has won the 2009 Northern Territory Seniors Championship after a final day tussle with Sydney’s Denis Dale at the Alice Springs Golf Club.
The two players were equal overnight after 36 holes but MacDonald shone through over the closing holes to win by two strokes.
It was his first win on the Australian Senior Amateur Ranking calendar.
MacDonald and Dale were close all day on the challenging and testing Alice Springs layout, which has been rated as one of the world’s top desert courses.
Dale began his round with a string of pars and held a one stroke lead at the turn.
MacDonald lifted on the back nine, hitting every green from ten to fifteen and putting precisely to open a two stroke lead.
MacDonald opened the door when he bunkered on 16 but Dale missed his birdie putt on the very slick Alice Springs greens and ended up bogeying the hole.
was on the green in two but his birdie putt edged over the hole and ran 5 foot past on the very slick greens.
On the difficult 17th the tournament was virtually decided when Dale’s drive finished under the steep lip of a newly renovated bunker. Forced to play well away from the green with his second he could not make par.
MacDonald played the hole safely to avoid the greenside lake and when he matched Dale’s bogey he had maintained his two stroke lead with a hole to play.
The Queenslander finished with a rock solid par on the 18th to claim victory.
Third place was a tie between South Australia’s John Beaumont and Victorian Steve Cann, who had his best Order of Merit finish. West Australian Bob Gamsby rounded out the top five.
Final Results
NT Senior Champion: Grahame MacDonald – Nudgee 229
Runner Up: Denis Dale – Asquith 231
Nett Champion: Robin Jeggo – Palmerston 219
Nett Runner Up: Steve Cann – Bright 219
65 Years Gross: Norm Way – Gailes 242
65 Years Nett: Murray Martin – Palmerston 221
55 Years Gross: John Beaumont – Mount Gambier 234
55 Years Nett Peter Varley – Arundel hills 219 1 229 Grahame MacDonald 79 – 74 – 76 Qld
2 231 Denis Dale 76 – 77 – 78 NSW
3 234 John Beaumont 77 – 77 – 80 SA, Steve Cann 77 – 80 – 77 Vic
5 237 Bob Gamsby 83 – 74 – 80 WA
6 239 Sandy Small 79 – 78 – 82 SA
7 240 Peter Varley 82 – 78 – 80 Qld
8 241 Ken Glasson 85 – 77 – 79 Qld
9 242 Ross Percy 84 – 77 – 81 Vic, Norm Way 79 – 80 – 83 Qld
11 243 Dave Morrison 82 – 84 – 77 NSW
12 245 Peter Wright 86 – 78 – 81 ACT
13 246 Lindsay Elliott 81 – 82 – 83 SA
14 247 Gary Gracie 82 – 85 – 80 NSW, Tony Mazzone 82 – 79 – 86 SA
16 248 Brian Baker 85 – 80 – 83 NSW
17 251 Muzza Martin 84 – 81 – 86 NT
18 252 Cliff Chidlow 86 – 79 – 87 NSW
19 254 Ken Lamb 85 – 86 – 83 NSW
20 259 John McEwen 86 – 86 – 87 NT
21 261 Graeme Altmann 92 – 85 – 84 Vic