FORMAT: 36-hole stroke play / 4 rounds of matchplay
Sean David enjoyed a week of late drama and showed remarkable resilience to win the Wales Boys Championship at Cardiff yesterday.
The Pyle & Kenfig player started the week by aceing the 18th in his practice round and during the four rounds of matchplay, across two sweltering days, the closing holes proved to be his good friend. In all bar one of his knockout ties he was behind going down the 13th.
The final went to the first extra hole (1st) with Fleetwood’s Connor Owen failing to find the target with his approach shot and a par would be enough for Sean, who also won the strokeplay championship by three shots thanks to rounds of 71 and 67.
“I played some really good golf,” said the 18-year-old plus one handicapper who had never previously got past the second round. “I was hitting the ball really well and the course suited my game.
“I guess it was just my week.”
Sean started the final in sparkling fashion and was three up after seven but the former North Wales Boys champion fought back brilliantly and went ahead at the 12th.
Delight for Ffion Tynan at Welsh Girls
A birdie for Sean at 14 restored parity before both finalists parred in to set up the sudden death situation. The soon-to-be champion went for it by taking driver off the tee and was able to pile on pressure by smashing it close to the green on the downhill par four. Connor stuck to iron for placement but his approach fell the wrong side of the cart path and he chipped to 10 feet, which was just outside where his opponent had pitched his second to.
The Fleetwood junior then missed his par putt so his playing partner had two for it and he took them.
In the morning semi-finals Sean was one down with two to play in a closely-fought battle with Jamie Dean (Carmarthen).
He got it back to all square with a superb birdie, firing his second shot to two feet and then also won the 18th by holing from 35 feet up the hill for a remarkable two.
The previous day Sean was three down after eight in his quarter-final with Aaron Evans (Bulith Wells). However he responded with four quick-fire birdies at the start of the back nine and won 3&2. In his first-round tie with Brodi Lewis (Morlais Castle) in the morning he birdied the 17th to secure safe passage into the last eight.
On Sunday and Monday 62 boys took part in the strokeplay and Sean birdied the par fives seven times out of eight to help him secure the No 1 seedings.