This year’s Match Play Champion, Jim Victor, defeated Randy Isaac 5&4 on Sunday,October 16.
Match play is a singularly different format than any of the stroke( medal) play events played at the Club.It is the most basic of Golf formats. Man-to man competition calls for different strategies and mind sets. In stroke play Golf it really doesn’t matter what the other guy does. In Match Play it is ALL about what the other guy is doing.
This was the story of the Linden Match Play final of 2011…..
The angular, energetic Mr.Victor rode a solid tee to green game supplemented by a terrific short game in his Victory.
Mr. Isaac, always a solid competitor gave seven shots over the course of the match to Mr. Victor.
Only three were really needed as Jim played beautiful golf, even when faced with adversity such as on hole #9. After a bad tee shot and a less than perfect approach which found the bunker short and left of the ninth green, Jim took out a 52 degree wedge (not the customary sand wedge of 58 to 60 degrees) and hit the ball to 18 inches, made the putt and won the hole. He was four up on Randy at that point.
He would go on to win the next two holes, half the 12th to become dormy 6 and finally close Randy out on 15. Or as the English would say he won his match”way out in the country”.
A new schedule will be formulated for this tournament in an effort to get the event over and done with in a more efficient, timely manner.