Russell Tate felt like a man who had snatched victory from the jaws of defeat after his last-hole win over James Pitcher in the final of the ERIF Hampshire PGA Matchplay Championship at Corhampton.
The 28-year-old victor admitted: "Winning just didn't cross my mind over the last few holes. I was just trying to hang on in and the 16th and 17th holes were crucial to my survival chances.
"I had to hole out across the green at 16 after driving into a bush and taking a penalty drop then had to scramble another half at the next after missing the fairway off the tee. And I honestly didn't expect James to miss a shortish putt at the last."
For Tate, it was another major coup after winning the Hampshire Open 11 months ago.
"I've got this ambition to hold all four county majors in the same year, so you could say I'm on schedule," he smiled.
But Pitcher, the 24-year-old surprise packet of these championships, had much to ponder over after missing that four-foot putt on the last green to hand the title to Tate.
The Romsey assistant produced some superb golf at times to take early control of the final. After hooking his drive into the bushes down the third and giving Tate the early initiative, Pitcher left his opponent reeling with a run of birdie, par, birdie, eagle to go three up by the seventh.
The birdies came at the 194-yard fourth, with a five iron and a ten-foot putt and at the next par three, the sixth, where he holed out from 25 feet from the fringe grass right of the flag.
Pitcher's eagle came at the 494-yard par five seventh where he reached the green in two and found the hole from 30 feet.
Another good drive down the eighth set the former Hampshire Young Professionals champion up for another birdie chance, but an unforced error with an eight-iron approach let Tate in for the hole.
When the Lee-on-the-Solent assistant drove the green at the 324-yard ninth and went down in three, the gap between the players was back to just one hole - and it was always close after that.
Tate should have levelled it at the tenth, but shaved the hole with a four-footer. Then he missed out from three feet at the next to allow Pitcher to go back to two up.
The next two holes, though, were pivotal. Pitcher's pushed drive into the rough down 12 and Tate's conversion of a 25-footer from the edge of the green at 13 squared the match and it was nip and tuck from there on.
The next four holes were halved, with Tate scrambling pars at 16 and 17 after errant tee shots. Coming up the 515-yard finishing hole, there was nothing between them.
Both were on the green in two, both had long eagle putts. Tate rolled his up to the edge of the hole, but Pitcher went four feet past and pulled his putt wide.
He sighed: "I'd holed out from all over the place earlier so it was Sod's Law I should miss a short one when it really mattered.
"But I feel my game has moved on to a higher level this week, and that I can now start to compete with the best in the county which is a big step forward."
Pitcher's just passed his PGA trainees diploma with a distinction, and, with that feather in his cap, he can concentrate more on his game.
Could be he'll be challenging Tate's county major ambitions again before the season is out.
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