07 Jul 2010 at 08:49 | Published by: Hans | Views: 7459 | News search

BMGA News Release
Supplied by Richard Gottfried

Kent’s Sean Homer became the new BMGA British Matchplay Champion after defeating Luton’s Richard Gottfried 3&1 in the final match of the tournament held at the new 18-hole Splash Point Mini Golf course at Denton Gardens in Worthing, West Sussex on Sunday 4th July.

The tournament was played over five rounds, with 32 players competing for the title. The event format saw each competitor playing five 18-hole matchplay matches through the day, with the player who won all five of their games being crowned the 2010 BMGA British Matchplay Champion. A total of 80 matches were played at the tournament. This was the first year the competition was played out over one-day, with the previous championships decided following a season-long knockout tournament played at multiple venues throughout the year.

In the final match Richard Gottfried gained an early lead, before Sean Homer was able to level-up and then go on to take a four-hole lead. Richard managed to win back three-holes, but with the match at Dormie Two, Homer hit a hole-in-one on the 17th hole to seal the victory.

New BMGA British Matchplay Champion Sean Homer said “I'm over the moon to have won the title. The results in matchplay are always tough to predict but I felt in good form going into the weekend and was confident that I could do well on what proved to be a challenging course for everyone across the five rounds. The format produced some real surprises across each round and it was great to see Adam Kelly and Leo Kukielka in particular pushing for honours and producing some truly memorable giant killings along the way. I thoroughly enjoyed the company of all of my playing partners across the day, Owen, Paul, Richard S, Leo and Richard G, and was of course delighted when the final ace dropped at the 17th to take the title in front of the knowledgeable and appreciative crowd. I would like to thank Peter and Anthony for giving us the opportunity to play the competition as a one-day event at Splash Point, Emily for running the event so seamlessly, my teammates at the Kent Minigolf Club for making it such good fun to play minigolf and of course to Marion in particular for all her support on the day. Roll on 2011!”

Defeated finalist Richard Gottfried said “I’m obviously disappointed not to have won, but Sean beat me with some great play and fine aces, I didn’t lose the match with poor play. My game was solid throughout the tournament and I made some great shots. Before the tournament my singles matchplay record didn’t look that great, but now with four more wins in a very intense competition it looks a lot healthier. The brand new course at Splash Point in Worthing is also very testing, and a perfect venue for a matchplay event. I can’t wait to play there again soon.”

In the third and fourth place play-off match Leo Kukielka from Cwmbran, Wales defeated London’s Brad Shepherd 3&2. Eleven year old Leo also won the Player of the Tournament title, having knocked out Nick Chitty, Trevor Exall and Adam Kelly in his run towards the final, with his only defeat in his five matches coming at the hands of eventual winner Sean Homer, in the semi-finals.

Course owners Anthony Pope and Peter Emmerson were very pleased with how the tournament played out on their new course, despite the fact the two friends were drawn to play each other in the first round!

Anthony Pope said “A great day’s play produced a worthy winner. Sunny Worthing lived up to its reputation by laying on glorious weather throughout the weekend and with the positive feedback from players, we're looking forward to hosting more competitions in the future. I think all the competitors enjoyed their stay in the town and will back for more Crazy Golf action at Splash Point Mini Golf!”

Peter Emmerson said "Splash Point Mini Golf was delighted to hold its first competition at the course. The weekend was a great success and the event has proven that Worthing’s newest attraction not only provides a fun and enjoyable experience for the whole family, but is also a great test of skill for the UK's top minigolfers. We're now looking forward to holding more competitions in coming years and we hope that some of Worthing’s local residents and keen minigolfers will take part alongside the BMGA Tour professionals."

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