Eliot Baker was certainly the man to beat in the DevonGolf Men’s County Championship and the Tiverton player lived up to the billing at Yelverton yesterday.
FORMAT: 36-hole stroke play / 4 rounds of matchplay
The 20-year-old confirmed his immense promise with a 10th-placed finish in the Lytham Trophy last month and he went into the extended tournament as defending champion. Last year there were only two rounds of knockout matches and that was doubled for this year.
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He qualifed from the stroke play in second and then won 5&4 three times and was then never behind as he beat Exeter’s Peter Howell by one hole in the final.
The Hartpury student was one up stood on the 18th tee but a poor drive did open things up for Howell, who led the 36-hole stroke play qualifier with two rounds of 70.
“I said to myself walking off 18, just guarantee the par,” said Baker.
“I just wanted to make sure I forced something from him and if he made a birdie… fair play, we’ll just go back to the first.”
No extra holes were required as Baker gouged his second out of the rough to just off the green while Howell hit an excellent approach and had 15 feet left for birdie.
The Tiverton star then pitched to four feet and watched on as his opponent could not convert before knocking in his par putt for the championship.
Earlier in the match Baker went two up at the par five 11th where he was close in two and Howell just missed with his 15-foot birdie attempt.
The Exeter man did well to avoid going three down at the next, holing a 13-footer for par and then he halved the gap on 14, draining a 35-foot birdie effort.
It got better for Howell at 15 where he levelled the match after firing his approach to inside three feet and both finalists managed excellent up-and-down pars at 16.
There was then a huge moment at 17 where Howell missed his four-footer for par and the champion converted from slighty closer in before the next was halved.
In the morning Baker was in full flow against the experienced Ben Sclater (Warren), birdieing three, four and five to take himself four up. He finished with six birdies in 14 holes while his final opponent beat Saunton’s Stan White in the other semi-final.