Dearden’s Total Triumph
16/05/2014
Family commitments, the hard-working reality of taking a head professional’s post and the desire to satisfy the needs of club members meant that Matt Dearden had to forsake regular playing that he loved.
But the 35-year-old Lantrisant and Pontyclun Golf Club player, above with Total Triumph CEO Neil Mossman, hit on a formula this year before the Total Triumph Classic at Oake Manor which he won by two shots after two superb rounds of five-under-par 65.
“If I wanted to prove to the club that I could still play I had to make time for practice and I have spent the last month getting to the club at 6am and putting in two hours on the practice ground before opening the shop,” he said.
“It’s great to know that my plan has worked as I have now only played eight rounds of golf this year and it’s reassuring that I can still compete to a good standard,” said the winner of the Order of Merit two years ago before he quit playing on mini-tours at home and abroad.
“I will carry on my routine and practice to make another challenge to win the Order of Merit and get to the Play-Offs again.”
He started the second round on another warm sunny day with a one-shot overnight lead and picked up another two shots on the opening three holes. But he faltered by dropping a shot on the fourth and made a double bogey on the eighth when he played a poor bunker shot and three-putted.
Then he charged home with birdies on the four final holes to ease past his good friend Cennydd Mills (Pyle and Kenfig), who went to the same school and also started his career as a junior at Llantrisant and Pontyclun.
He said: “I just had to be patient because I knew the scores would be low in view of the weather and the excellent greens. Those last four holes made all the difference.”
Richard O’Hanlon (St Kew) made eight birdies in a best-of-the-day 64 after going out in 29 to become the early leader. But he three-putted the 13th and dropped his second shot at the par-five 15th when he found water and finished third on 133.
Grant Slater (Trevose) gained four shots over the final four holes to post 66 and Ed Goodwin (Cirencester) finished with five consecutive birdies on 65 and they eventually shared fifth spot.
In-form David Dixon (Enmore Park) threatened to achieve his fifth win in a row until he missed a four-foot birdie putt on the 16th which would have brought a share of the lead. He birdied the 17th to draw level with O’Hanlon but missed a putt on the last and seven-under was never going to be enough.
He said: “It was another good day and I had lots of chances but I temporarily lost it on the very good greens, just over or under reading the breaks, but I was able to score low again and it was another good week for me.”
This left Mills, 31, as a potential winner of his first OOM event. He broke the stranglehold at the top with a run of three birdies from the 15th but left his 12-foot birdie putt a fraction short on the last to lead at eight-under-par after a 66.
He said: “I didn’t do a lot wrong on either day on a course where you have to plot your way round. I just kept it simple and the greens were so good you could hole a few putts.
“I thought I might have done enough at least for a play-off. I have had a couple of seconds and a third in Order of Merit events and won the Welsh Festival last year so I am knocking at the door for my first win.”
The 40 professionals were each accompanied by two amateurs playing in their own competition in the second round. Defending champion Matt Kippen from Enmore Park shot five-under-par 65 with six birdies to beat Josh Butterfield (Burnham and Berrow), Pete Lawrence (Woodbury Park) and Jonny Grace (Bath) by four shots.
Somerset county plus-three handicapper Kippen, 23, recently won the Burnham Salver and chases the county championship at Orchardleigh on Sunday.
