GOLF
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THE semi-finals of the Bathurst Golf Club’s Matchplay Championship will be staged on Sunday and there is still a chance that the tournament could see a brother versus brother conclusion.
It is no surprise to see Scott Matheson in the final four of the A grade competition given his regular status near the top of the leaderboard in club tournaments over the last three years.
But this year his older brother Ben has also found himself in the thick of it. He qualified thanks to a good showing in the Club Championship then won a thriller in the first round of the Matchplay titles last weekend – knocking out Brett Howard on the first extra hole.
He will now face either Darryn Bruce or Todd McIntosh on Sunday, their match having been postponed until today.
Scott Matheson will take on club champion Dylan Thompson in the other semi-final.
“I got a bit of a late call-up into the competition, there were a couple of guys who couldn’t play and I had finished 10th in the championships, so I got brought into the draw,” Ben Matheson explained.
“It would mean a lot to win it if I could get through this week and next week, mainly a bit of family pride, but a lot of other things as well.
“Whoever I play in the semi, whether it is Darryn or Todd, I know I’m going to have to beat someone who finished higher than me in the [club] championships, so it will be a big ask.”
The older of the Matheson siblings is currently playing off a handicap of five, a mark he has reached a couple of times in the past without bettering.
He said he is not quite playing the best golf of his career, but the matchplay format does suit his game more than strokeplay golf. It could give him his best shot at winning one of the club’s biggest prizes.
“I was at five a few years ago and though I’ve had my moments recently, I think my best golf was back then, I played with more consistency,” he explained.
“I think the format suits me perfectly, I tend to chuck in a shocker every now and then and really have a blow-out on a given hole. At worst you lose a hole, whereas in strokeplay that might ruin your entire round.
“Scotty will have a tough battle on his hands against Dylan in their match. Dylan was outstanding in the championships but Scott beat him last year when he was seeded eighth, and he won his qualifier last week very well.”
In the lower grades, Brad Molenkamp meets Jason Writer and Matthew Ryan takes on Ken Gardiner in B grade, while in B1, Steve Darlington plays Danny Gooley in one semi-final with Phil Sutton and Rodney Osborne meeting in the other.
In C grade, Terry Lewis plays Steve Finnerty with Mark Gunning and Robert Booth also doing battle.