Australian ShootOut Golf Championships 2011 Gold Coast - November 17-19, 2011
The 2011 Australian ShootOut Championships was held in sensational weather with over 100 golfers from all parts of the country competing to be the 12th winner of this prestigious event.
The tournament started on the testing Hope Island Links course where regular shootout participant Geoff Bush shot an outstanding round of 43 points to have the best score of the day.
The ShootOut final started on one of the hardest par 3s in Australia - the 17th with a water carry of 190m to an elevated well bunkered green. Cronulla Golf Club had a record three finalists with other golfers from the Sunshine Coast,Toowoomba and Victoria. After the completion of the first playoff hole, three golfers were left to play the final hole, Matt Leslie from Windaroo, Ben Gauci from Beverley Park and Troy Deakin form Toowoomba City. All three had putts for birdie after playing the par 5 18th superbly with Troy and Ben shaving the hole to just miss their chance at glory but Matt took his opportunity and sank a testing 8 footer to make a great birdie and win Day one of the Australian Championship.
Matt Leslie(centre) 2011 Australian Champion
with Day one finalists Ben Gauci and Troy Deakin
Day two was at the Colonial with another excellent day for golf and the scores indicated that with Matt Leslie high on his success from Day One continued his great form with a round of 42 points to win the Handicap Stableford prize for the day. Interesting to note …Matt had 36 points day one and won the Shootout but could not even make the final on Day 2 with his 42points.
The final again started on a tough par 3 over water with Mark Gillies from Coolangatta Tweed , Mal Kinman from Mackay a former Australian Champion and Gerry Degan from Camden Haven left to play the final hole of the playoff. Mal kept the ball in play with a good drive while Gerry found the water and Mark had to chip out from the trees. Mal was in the box seat until he left his second short of the green leaving himself a difficult chip shot ,while Mark had a tricky 40 footer downhill and Gerry was left with a 20 foot downhiller from the fringe. In the end Mal and Mark made comfortable 5s but Gerry had to hole a difficult 10 foot downhill putt….. to stay in the race for the day 2 title….. he did , and all three then contested a puttoff where Gerry had a 7 foot uphill putt to win the title but failed ….back again for a puttoff and Gerry finally finished off his competitors by sinking his putt to be the day two Champion, a great effort after taking a penalty on the final hole. It was a bitter sweet moment for Gerrys brother John who has made numerous finals over the years but has never tasted victory and here is his brother in his first Shootout winning a Major ….. that is golf and we all loved it. Gerry also…. only had 36points for his round to eventually be champion.
Day three and the tournament finale was to be played out on the magnificent Glades course where latter in the day history would be made. Toni smith continued the good run of first timers to Shootouts posting a superb round of golf of 42 points to beat one of our sponsors David Lorentz from Cherry Tree Hill Wines on a countback. The Shootout was an interesting affair with Max Forest from the PGA , our resident comedian and MC of our presentation Tutti Bonacci and three women Rae Wynn from Cronulla , Helen Gaucci from Beverley Park and Toni Smith from Tewantin Noosa all making the final. In a Shootout First the day three final became an all women affair with Rae Wynn making a solid par three to edge out Toni Smith and Helen Gauci in a pressure packed final on the testing 17th Hole at the Glades to be the Day three Champion and contest the Australian Championship final a few minutes latter on the hardest hole on the course the long par 4 18th Hole. Another interesting fact is that Rae also had 36points….. which meant all three finalists had recorded the same score on the day they won(36pts) ……..also proving that all you have to do…. is play to your handicap to win the Australian title.
It all came down to this ..…three golfers Matt Leslie of 14 from Windaroo who will get one shot on the hole Gerry Degan of 19 from Camden Haven who will get two shots on the hole and Rae Wynn from Cronulla of 28 who will get three shots ( par 5 for women).
Matt sent down a good drive with Gerry finding water again in a shootout with his drive and Rae who hit a poor drive and then went into the water for her second ….after an average second and good third Matt Leslie needed to make a 4 footer to win the Championship.... which he did to have a 1 under total for the three playoff holes he played in the tournament to thoroughly deserve the Title Of the Australian Shootout Champion for 2011.