Eden Tournament delight for experienced Lincoln GC golfer
Lincoln’s Steve Dines had the week of his life at The Home of Golf as he claimed a sensational victory in the hugely popular Eden Tournament Matchplay Scratch event.
FORMAT: 36-hole stroke play / 6 rounds of matchplay
The annual competitions attracts hundreds of players from all around the world every year to St Andrews and the top 64 from the stroke play bid to make it through six rounds of matchplay. Those who finish 65 to 96th play in the Eden Tankard (nett).
With the ballot coming in at 1.4, the standard was as high as ever and Dines, whose previous best victory came a decade ago in the Linconshire County Matchplay, had failed to qualify for the knockout stages on his previous two visits.
However this time around it all came together for the 49-year-old, especially in the final where he denied local favourite Allyn Dick. The Kingsfield player was bidding for his third successive title success but was four down after six and never seriously threatened to mount a comeback.
“It far exceeds anything I have done before in the game,” said Dines.
“It is a great week away. I treat it more as a holiday while playing a golf with a competitive edge but I was probably as surprised as most people that I managed to win it.”
The Englishman, who qualified for matchplay stage in 48th on seven over playing the Eden and New courses, made a brilliant start in Saturday’s final.
After the first was halved in pars, he capitalised on an excellent tee shot on the par three second, birdieing from 12 feet to take the lead.
That advantage was doubled at the next as he stuck his approach shot to two feet and Dines then drove the green at the fourth to pile the pressure on the reigning champion.
Dick, who was part of the Lothians team who won the Scottish Men’s Area Championship last September, failed to match his playing partner and then his short game could not rescue the situation meaning a three-putt par was enough to put Dines three up.
The fifth was halved in pars before he went four up as the Scottish ace drove into the gorse and could not rescue the situation after taking a drop.
There was some good news for the former champion at the next as he executed a remarkable up and down ay the short par four.
Dines added: “After the round, Allyn told me his chip was in his top five shots of all time.”
Facing the prospect of clearing a slope to a pin on a sharp downslope, Dick somehow managed to cosy the ball to four feet and make the putt.
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However hopes his moment of inspiration might spark a comeback were quickly dashed as his opponent won the eighth. An excellent approach putt up the slope from Dines could not be matched by Dick, who three putted to drop back to four down.
The next three holes were halved before the Scotsman drove the green at the short par four 12th and two putted for the birdie.
But Dines kept the pressure on by churning out the pars and he had a good opportunity to close out the match on 15 as his 10-footer for birdie shaved the hole.
He would not have to wait long though as Dick failed to get up and down for a birdie at the par five and Dines made a solid par to claim the spoils.
Earlier in the week, the Lincolnshire golfer was taken to four extra holes by Balmore’s Niall Lamond in the second round and then in the semi-final was always ahead against 16-year-old Cotswold Hills junior Brandon Skidmore before booking his place in the final on the 16th (4&2).