Dine Snatches Victory As Young Guns Fall At The Final Hurdle

With the Sarazen Classic never having been successfully defended, Antony Dine opened proceedings hoping to re-write the record books. Indeed, after the morning’s golf, only David Kelly had scored better and a successful defence was very much on the cards.

David Dine finished two off the lead, joined in third by Matt Moore, ominously closing his round with a birdie at the final hole. Derek Horn had birdied the seventh and ninth to take an early lead, but undid all his good work to finish four shots adrift after a poor finish. Amongst the late starters, the surprise package of Bill Jones faired best, finishing just one shot off the pace and forcing his way into the last group of the final round.

As the morning’s drizzle was finally replaced by sunshine, it was Matt Moore who made the first move of the final round. Rookie of the year in 2011, Moore edged ahead at the third, a lead he was not to relinquish until the very last hole.

With Moore having finished first and second in his previous starts, the odds were firmly in favour of a second Major title, especially after he pulled two shots clear at the turn. Moore’s lead then doubled to four shots after a birdie at the short eleventh and the title seemed to be heading only one way.

While David Dine was playing steadily, if unspectacularly, in second, David Kelly, Antony Dine and Bill Jones had all struggled to the turn, leaving what appeared to be a two horse race over the closing holes.

But suddenly the tournament came to life. Mark Greatorex had recovered from a disappointing morning and was piecing together an impressive round, Andy Jones was giving a putting master-class in an attempt to stay in touch with the leader, while Derek Horn had finally found some consistency and was making progress up the leaderboard. This seemed to inspire Moore’s adversaries in the final group as Kelly, Jones and Dine Jnr all found another gear as they began to sense Moore’s frailty.

Moore was undoubtedly beginning to feel the pressure, but with no-one able to fully capitalise, the tournament leader was still enjoyed a four shot lead over Antony Dine and the resurgent Bill Jones with just five holes to play. Antony Dine reduced the deficit by one at the long fourteenth before parring the uphill par three fifteenth to close to within two of the lead, but Moore still remained the odds on favourite to lift the trophy.

It was here that the tournament turned on its head. David Dine raced a chip at the hole at the sixteenth only to hit the pin and leave a fortuitous tap-in par, while Moore and Dine Jnr found trouble at the narrow dog-leg to record double bogeys. Now only two down with two to play, Dine Snr still had a mountain to climb and his chance of victory seemingly disappeared as he closed with bogeys at the seventeenth and treacherous closing hole. Not quite enough it seemed.

But with Moore simply trying to hold off his closest rival, Dine Jnr, his concentration lapsed and his game went to pieces. A consecutive double bogey at seventeen left Moore needing a bogey at the last to secure victory, but his nerve failed to hold and his tee shot veered out of bounds, so ending his chances. That left Dine Jnr needing a birdie to steal the title. Two monster hits to the edge of the green gave him hope, but chipping from the rough to a sloping green is never and easy shot and his chances were slim. Despite Dine executing the shot perfectly, the ball stopped eighteen inches from the hole and the tournament was over.

With a record fourteen golfers within ten shots of the winner, many may consider the Sarazen Classic a tournament they could have won. But David Dine will care not. He heads to The Masters seeking the final leg of a career slam, knowing that the title is well within reach, especially given that he won the Sarazen without ever reaching top form.

2000 - Brian Norris

2001 - Matt Norris

2002 - Arran Squires

2003 - Keith McMahon

2004 - Bill Kenny

2005 - Marc James

2006 - Brian Blanchard

2007 - Marc James

2008 - Martyn Whitman

2009 - Marc James

2010 - Mark Greatorex

2011 - Antony Dine

2012 - David Dine