Golf Special Report: Rain is not the issue... it's the water on the fairways
The Australian PGA Championship ended with its last round today at the Hyatt Regency Coolum on Monday and observed Peter Senior standing at the apex of the leader board after a rain suspended Sunday.
The Coolum-rain rivalry had been the talk of the town since the championship’s inception but since nothing can stand in front of nature, Coolum lost. However, the GC didn’t go without any fight; as rain pounded the grounds hard, the GC decided to wait till
it exhausted.
Eventually, it’s a two week brawl with the weather ended on Sunday and the tournament officials forcefully declared the grounds unplayable. The four round match thus extended for a fifth day when the game stopped at 2 p.m. and had 46 golfers done and over
with their fourth rounds of the championship.
The GC collected a total of 70 golfers for the match and stood as a $ 1.5 million event offering a sizeable bounty to the eventual leader. However, the suspended play still had 12 players left to finish their game and were all ready to pounce at the $ 270,000
prize money.
Among the ever ready line-up, Peter Senior stood at the leading position on the leader board with the fifty-one-year-old golfer holding a minus 12 in his score card. The golfer from Australia held a one shot front over the competition with the likes of Bobby
Gates and his age fellow, Peter Fowler.
The match was announced to begin at 2 p.m. when Gates was through 9 holes and Fowler was over and done with 11 holes of his play. Incredibly, the restart was first rescheduled to 3 p.m. then 4 p.m. and then eventually 5 p.m. and the rain continued to pour
heavily on the ground only to carry the game over to Monday.
The shower was recorded to be 100 cm since 6 p.m. Saturday and only agreed to subdue provided the game begin on Monday at 6 a.m.
“The rain didn’t bother me, not many golfers either, but it became difficult for us to hit shots on the fairways”
Senior said.
With the white flag coming up between 4 and 5 for the suspension, Senior marked it a good decision by the authorities as many players had been unable to play their shots due to the fairways turning water logged.
“‘Rain’ wasn’t the issue” Senior, the tournament winner, said.
With the winner who carded a 71 to grab the title being visibly upset about the delayed suspension, the fifty one year old had a problem with the early start as well. But despite the annoyance and the irritation, Senior bagged the Australian PGA Championship
after a 21 year stint after he won his first at Riverside Oaks.
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