The Matches - Match 18
2009 Fourballs - Dullatur Carrickstone
Lironi/Parker (Team Rush) beat Tonner/Young (Team Tonner) 1up
During the run up to the 2009 Beve this was the game that they were all talking about. Tonner/Young was the type of explosive match up that made the Beve special with one of them likely to blow at any moment. Things started well after Tonner played well to par the first to go one up. After this though Lironi/Parker took control and by the 9th hole the Young/Tonner partnership was 4 down and staring at a pish cup winning defeat that many had predicted.
After a quick pep talk by Joe Kealey half way up the 11th, 'get yer arse in gear boys for f@ck sake' they started to play a little better. A vital half from Young and holes won by the partnership on 11, 12, 13, 14 to draw it quickly back to one up. Two tricky putts for par by Lironi/Tonner led to a half in par 3's on the 15th. Tonner /Young made a mess of the 16th to bring it back level and by this point we knew that victory was vital for Team Tonner to secure an overall draw to ensure that the cup was not lost. All three players had par putts at the 17th with Team Rush putting for victory but all were missed and it was up the 18th again with Team Tonner needing to win. The ever helpful Young topped his drive 100yards so it was left to Tonner to smack a cracker down the fairway. Decision time then, a par was needed to secure the point need to get a draw and avoid defeat so Tonner reached for the three wood: a club he was never hit straight in his life. He sliced it in to the heavy rough on the right hand side of the fairway and the cup was gone. Parker holed a nice putt for the draw and cup victory with Lironi hitting the putt to win the match and a well deserved match win for Team Rush.