Albinski takes Australian Senior’s Title

NSW golfer Stefan Albinski has led from start to finish to win the 2008 Australian Men’s Senior Amateur Championship at the Royal Perth Golf Club.
The Mona Vale GC member posted a 73 yesterday for a sensational three round total of four under, the only player to beat par.
Albinski was playing in his first Australian Senior Amateur Championship and came home four strokes ahead of West Australian Alex Cleave.
Cleave also shot one over in tricky conditions in the final round on the par 72 tight and challenging Royal Perth Course.
Leading all the way, Albinski (70-69-73) suffered a hiccup when he bogeyed the 11th hole and then saw Cleave (72-71-73) cut the margin to just two with a birdie on the 12th. But the NSW senior kept his composure to take out the title, helped along by a double bogey by Cleave on the 16th.
Fellow NSW player Tony Gresham (78-71-72) and American visitor Norm Swenson Jr (71-75-75) tied for third. Victorian Ross Percy (72-74-76) shared fifth place on 222 with another American visitor Kemp Richardson (73-75-74).
Incredibly, defending 2007 co-champions Denis Dale and Rick Oliver, both also from NSW, again finished the event dead level, scoring 227 and sharing 11th spot with Mark Meares (NSW), Ross Bockman (NSW) and Mal Roberts (WA).
The NSW team of Tony Gresham, Denis Dale, Rick Oliver and Bill Banks narrowly defeated the Western Australian team by two strokes in the State Teams Championship.

Photo: Championship winner Stefan Albinski (left) and runner up Alex Cleave. (Photo courtesy of AUSOOM)