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| Malloch and Jago were dressed by the same fashion outlet for round 4 |
He didn’t.
Malloch completed a clean sweep of the inaugural championship series with another dominant performance on Saturday. This time the location was the picturesque Bowral Country Club.
Away from the over-priced hustle and bustle of Sydney golf courses, Malloch unleashed a blistering display of golfing accuracy to win with 6.5 points.
Anthony Sandrejko finished 2nd, to lock up second place in the championship, with 5 points. Tom Hann came in third with 4.5, and Rod Jago returned to the familiar role of last place with an unimpressive 4.
“It was a magical location, magical atmosphere and a magical event,” said Malloch.
“I was able to play consistently throughout the day and managed to convert most of my opportunities. Once again, the other boys had nothing.”
A crisp Autumn chill greeted players as they rolled into Bowral and it was Malloch who got on the front foot early with a solid par to open the day’s proceedings.
Hole 2 added some spice to the affair though with Tom Hann producing one of the greatest shots in the history of golf.
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| Hann was under an injury cloud for much of the day |
Hann completed the birdie opportunity to receive 2 points and hit the lead.
Sadly for Hann, celebration quickly turned to despair and it would be another eight holes before he would trouble the scorers. He was also bothered by a troublesome groin injury which flared up after a viciously mis-timed stroke.
“After the birdie I started with the trash talk which I think was my undoing,” said Hann speaking with reporters after the round.
"I tried hard but I just wasn’t good enough… again. It didn’t help that Jago nearly killed me."
Indeed, commentators linked the collapse of Hann’s game to a violent incident that took place on course.
On hole seven, Jago was attempting his fourth shot which he sprayed way right. The shot also was on a clear trajectory towards Hann’s head.
“I just got the hell out of the way. I dropped my clubs, and my confidence just disappeared. If I see him again, he’s dead,” warned Hann.
Hann’s press conference was cut short after girlfriend Alexandra Loftus appeared and whisked him away in a Peugeot family transport vehicle. Sources close to the Hann camp believe she was upset after gloating to her friends about Hann’s golfing talent.
However, Hann chose to unleash revenge on the course towards the wrong opponent. On the 16th par three, Hann hit an approach shot that was both far too long and aimed directly at Malloch’s head.
Malloch ducked and covered at the last moment narrowly avoiding a Titleist buried in his head. The shot careened into the nearby housing estate and Malloch saw several lives flash before his eyes before eventually settling in to complete his par putt.
“Hann’s a loose cannon,” said Malloch. “Typical dirty tactics – he couldn’t win on skill so he resorted to dirty underhand tactics like trying to take out the opposition. Shameful stuff.”
For Jago it was another case of ‘what might have been’. After winning hole three and looking menacing on hole four, Jago once again self-destructed with a series of wayward drives, missed putts, ill-advised chips and a bad attitude to life in general.
“Get away from me!” yelled Jago to a throng of fans who had gathered to watch him putt on the 17th.
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| Hann putting for birdie in a rare moment of success |
Jago now faces the three week autumn break with much to ponder. After starting with such promise, he has been mired in mediocrity and left searching for answers.
Despite the self-combustion of Hann and Jago, Sandrejko once again proved to be an unorthodox force to be reckoned with. His style is a mixture of drunken stupor and powerful brilliance.
A prime example of this was hole two where he blasted his drive 310m to within 30m of the green, but was unable to convert and ended up with a triple bogey.
With the first staging of the tournament over, Malloch plans to get some much deserved R and R. However, he expects to face some tougher opposition when play resumes in late April for the second tournament.
“I’m sure those three will be at the driving range, paying for lessons, bribing officials – anything at all to try and get an edge,” he said.
But Malloch also issued a warning.
“Try anything, and you’re dead.”
NOTES
* When queried on the whereabouts of Sefiani Invitational patron, Natalie Gulbis, Malloch was evasive and declined to comment. * Tom Hann once again succeeded in driving to and from the event without incident. *
LEADERBOARD
Dylan Malloch 38pts
Anthony Sandrejko 29pts
Rod Jago 23pts
Tom Hann 22pts
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