|
Competitor |
Points |
1 |
Brent Kearney |
35 |
2 |
Craig Grigson |
30 |
3 |
Stephen Kennedy |
27 |
4 |
Paul Faulks |
25 |
5 |
Janez Hozjan |
24 |
6 |
Brendan Moylan |
23 |
7 |
John Noble |
22 |
8 |
Matt McDonald |
21 |
9 |
Mark Bylsma |
20 |
10 |
Brad Thompson |
19 |
|
Competitor |
R1-Jacobs Creek |
R2- TAS |
R3- MLB |
R4- SYd |
R5- SA |
R6- QLD |
Points |
1 |
Stephen Kennedy |
13 |
10 |
25 |
20 |
5 |
|
73 |
2 |
Craig Grigson |
10 |
15 |
20 |
11 |
|
56 |
|
3 |
Janez Hozjan |
17 |
17 |
14 |
|
|
51 |
|
4 |
Brent Kearney |
25 |
|
|
20 |
45 |
||
5 |
Paul Faulkes |
|
25 |
|
13 |
5 |
|
43 |
6 |
John Noble |
15 |
14 |
|
14 |
|
43 |
|
7 |
Mark Bylsma |
|
|
17 |
25 |
|
42 |
|
8 |
Brad Thompson |
8 |
13 |
|
8 |
11 |
40 |
|
9 |
Brendan Moylan |
20 |
|
15 |
35 |
|||
10 |
Matt McDonald |
12 |
|
17 |
5 |
|
34 |
|
11 |
Andrew Botten |
|
20 |
|
9 |
|
29 |
|
12 |
Ben Dyer |
14 |
|
12 |
|
26 |
||
13 |
Jason Gruber |
|
|
15 |
10 |
|
25 |
|
13 |
Julian Conlan |
|
|
13 |
7 |
5 |
25 |
|
13 |
Peter Shaw |
|
|
|
|
|
25 |
25 |
16 |
Jason Atkins |
|
|
|
|
|
17 |
17 |
17 |
Karl Walther |
|
|
|
15 |
|
15 |
|
| 18 |
Sefita Polata |
|
|
|
|
|
14 |
14 |
19 |
Garry Tozer |
|
|
|
|
|
13 |
13 |
20 |
Richard Denholm |
|
12 |
|
|
|
12 |
|
20 |
Mark Wohlers |
|
|
12 |
|
|
12 |
|
20 |
Ricky Ashwood |
12 |
12 |
|||||
23 |
Heath Lewis |
11 |
|
|
5 |
|
11 |
|
23 |
Ben Pintarich |
|
11 |
|
|
|
11 |
|
25 |
Adrian Barandowski |
9 |
|
|
|
9 |
||
26 |
Makato Takahashi |
|
|
|
6 |
|
6 |
This is the final standings prior to the finals playoffs. The top 10 make it through to the finals.
(*Note: Paul Faulks 5th based on rolldown process).
A fantastic day for the last Tour event of the year. Newcomers Jason Atkins and Rick Ashwood were really making their presence felt.
Brent Kearney looked the one to beat after cruising through round 1 with 331.2m and then the semi with 332.1m. Jason Atkins was unlucky to meet him in the semis hitting extremely well with 305m. In the other semi Brendan Moylan went up against Peter Shaw. Brendan unfortunately hit a no-score and Peter hit a good 300.4m to advance through to the final.
The final was the in-form Brent Kearney against his coach Peter Shaw. Peter hit first and posted first a 282m and then later a 304m. Brent was unable to hit one of his monstrous drives and by the end of his 6 balls, Peter was the winner of the QLD round.
Well done to everyone and a big welcome to the newcomers.
|
Competitor |
Distance |
Semi |
Final |
Points |
1 |
Peter Shaw |
304.2 |
300.4 |
304.0 |
25 |
2 |
Brent Kearney |
331.2 |
332.1 |
285.0 |
20 |
3 |
Jason Atkins |
294.4 |
305.0 |
|
17 |
4 |
Brendan Moylan |
298.3 |
0 |
|
15 |
5 |
Sefita Polata |
286.7 |
|
|
14 |
6 |
Garry Tozer |
281.3 |
|
|
13 |
7 |
Ricky Ashwood |
280.3 |
|
|
12 |
8 |
Brad Thompson |
271.1 |
|
|
11 |
9 |
Julian Conlan |
0 |
|
|
5 |
Unfortunately due to extremely bad weather conditions the tour event at SA was washed out.
|
Competitor |
Distance |
Semi |
Final |
Points |
1 |
Heath Lewis |
|
|
5 |
|
2 |
Stephen Kennedy |
|
|
5 |
|
3 |
Matt McDonald |
|
|
5 |
|
4 |
Paul Faulks |
|
|
5 |
13 competitors lined up in 2 pools for the NSW round of the Australasian Tour. One of the original long drive competitors Karl Walther was making a comeback so along with the new faces and the current ranked players it was going to be an interesting competition.
Pool A got underway with Karl Walter leading the charge. He was not headed then until the last hitter of his pool Stephen Kennedy who is renowned for good placings in tour events.
Pool B had Mark Bylsma and Matt McDonald making it through to the semi's as they do in nearly every event they compete in.
Semi final 1 had Karl up against Mark. Although a great effort first event back, Karl wasn't able to match it with the very much in form Mark Bylsma who made his way into yet another final.
Semi final 2 had Matt McDonald and Stephen Kennedy. Matt lead early, but Stephen pushed past to take the win.
Then it was number 1 and 2 from last years tour final up against each otherIn a replay of the final Mark won out over Stephen in a good battle.
|
Competitor |
Distance |
Semi |
Final |
Points |
1 |
Mark Bylsma |
293.5 |
300.2 |
317.1 |
25 |
2 |
Stephen Kennedy |
285.0 |
307.6 |
305.9 |
20 |
3 |
Matt McDonald |
292.6 |
290.3 |
|
17 |
4 |
Karl Walther |
276.7 |
268.3 |
|
15 |
5 |
John Noble |
288.1 |
|
|
14 |
6 |
Paul Faulks |
284.1 |
|
|
13 |
7 |
Ben Dyer |
273.5 |
|
|
12 |
8 |
Craig Grigson |
273.2 |
|
|
11 |
9 |
Jason Gruber |
269.5 |
|
|
10 |
10 |
Andrew Botten |
259.9 |
|
|
9 |
11 |
Brad Thompson |
238.8 |
|
|
8 |
12 |
Julian Conlan |
223.0 |
|
|
7 |
13 |
Makato Takahashi |
203.0 |
|
|
6 |
A small but high class field contested the Victorian round of the Australasian Long Drive Tour. A single pool with the top 4 going through to the playoffs.
The pool round was very close with only 15 metres seperating the top 4 finishers. Janez and newcomeers Julian Conlan and Mark Wohlers also hit well but just missed the semis.
In the first semi Craig Grigson continued his great form to move straight into the finals with a huge 333.0m which was to be the longest hit of the day. This pushed Jason Gruber out of the finals but still finished a great 4th place.
In semi-final 2 Stephen Kennedy edged out Mark Bylsma with a 297.5m drive.
This put Craig Grigson up against Stephen Kennedy in the final. Stephen Kennedy hit first. After 3 balls each Craig was leading with 271.3m. This wasn't to be enough however as Stephen took the title on his 5th ball with 284.3m. A great effort to everyone.
|
Competitor |
Distance |
Semi |
Final |
Points |
1 |
Stephen Kennedy |
298.0 |
297.5 |
284.3 |
25 |
2 |
Craig Grigson |
288.0 |
333.0 |
271.3 |
20 |
3 |
Mark Bylsma |
283.8 |
273.4 |
|
17 |
4 |
Jason Gruber |
288.9 |
266.2 |
|
15 |
5 |
Janez Hozjan |
281.3 |
|
|
14 |
6 |
Julian Conlan |
272.0 |
|
|
13 |
7 |
Mark Wohlers |
269.3 |
|
|
12 |
A bit warmer than last years winter competition. Paul Faulkes would be leading the charge from a strong contingent from Tasmania.
The first surprise was when John Noble just missed the playoffs.Craig Grigson qualified in first position with Paul Faulkes, Janez Hozjan, Craig Grigson and Andrew Botten making up the rest of the final.
In semi final one local hero Paul Faulkes continued with his great form beating Victorian Janez Hozjan who is also in great form at the moment. Janez's finish in 3rd place gives him 2 third out of 2 events this year and now has him leading the Tour!!
In semi final two, "The Animal" (Craig Grigson) hit all 6 balls out to give Andrew Botten a place in the final. Andrews hit of 305 metres was always going to be hard to beat.
In the final Paul Faulkes used his experience (and a massive hit of 320.9m) to win the Tasmanian round of the Australasian Long Drive Tour.
|
Competitor |
Distance |
Semi |
Final |
Points |
1 |
Paul Faulkes |
308.4 |
306.8 |
320.9 |
25 |
2 |
Andrew Botten |
297.5 |
309.9 |
309.9 |
20 |
3 |
Janez Hozjan |
305.1 |
288.1 |
|
17 |
4 |
Craig Grigson |
310.1 |
o/b |
|
15 |
5 |
John Noble |
296.1 |
|
|
14 |
6 |
Brad Thompson |
295.7 |
|
|
13 |
7 |
Richard Denholm |
286.8 |
|
|
12 |
8 |
Ben Pintarich |
279.1 |
|
|
11 |
9 |
Stephen Kennedy |
278.6 |
|
|
10 |
A great crowd turned up to watch the start of the 2007 season. Unfortunately it was 39 degrees C, which made difficult conditions for both the competitors and spectators.
In pool 1, Brent Kearney and Brendan Moylan made it through to the finals by hitting 332.4m and 315.1 m respectively. Ben Dyer, Stephen Kennedy and Matt McDonald were unlucky to just miss out. Newcomer Adrian Barandowski also hit well at his first official outing.
In Pool B, Janez Hozjan and Australian Champion John Noble made it through to the final playoffs. This meant that all 3 of the podium finishers from last years Australian Champs have made it through. Heath Lewis, Craig Grigson and Brad Thompson were not far behind.
In the first semi, John Noble went up against Brent Kearney. Brent hit the best ball of the day so far to edge John out and make it through to the final.
In semi 2, Brendan Moylan just edged out Janez with a 310m drive to take the other final spot.
In the final Brendan was leading until about half way through. Brent then bettered his previous best ball of the day to hit a massive 337.4 metres
Well done to everyone and thankyou to everyone at the Jacobs Creek Open and to Tuohey and Associates.
|
Competitor |
Distance |
Semi |
Final |
Points |
1 |
Brent Kearney |
332.4 |
335.6 |
337.4 |
25 |
2 |
Brendan Moylan |
315.1 |
310.0 |
325.7 |
20 |
3 |
Janez Hozjan |
317.9 |
303.1 |
|
17 |
4 |
John Noble |
308.1 |
279.9 |
|
15 |
5 |
Ben Dyer |
314.6 |
|
|
14 |
6 |
Stephen Kennedy |
312.7 |
|
|
13 |
7 |
Matt McDonald |
310.8 |
|
|
12 |
8 |
Heath Lewis |
303.9 |
|
|
11 |
9 |
Craig Grigson |
302.9 |
|
|
10 |
10 |
Adrian Barandowski |
267.0 |
|
|
9 |
11 |
Brad Thompson |
259.0 |
|
|
8 |


Click here for finals playoff results:
Final Results:
Position |
Competitor |
Points |
1 |
Mark Bylsma |
35 |
2 |
Stephen Kennedy |
30 |
3 |
Matt McDonald |
27 |
4 |
John Noble |
25 |
5 |
Jason Gruber |
24 |
6 |
Craig Grigson |
23 |
7 |
Heath Lewis |
22 |
8 |
Ben Dyer |
21 |
9 |
Harley Trevaskis |
20 |
10 |
Janez Hozjan |
19 |
Mark Bylsma and Stephen Kennedy who finished number 1 and number 2 after the completion of rounds in the Pinnacle Australasian Tour worked their way through to make the top 2. In a close fought match Mark managed to take his second Pinnacle Australasian Tour title in 3 years. Stephen Kennedy finished a good second after being the first competitor through to the final playoff.
In the earlier rounds, there were a lot of sudden death finishes. Places 6 to 10 played off for one spot in the finals. Jason Gruber successfully made it through this heat and then managed to beat Craig Grigson. His luck ran out however when he met the defending champion John Noble. In this match he bowed out and finished in 5th place. John then succumbed to Matt McDonald to finish in 4th place. Matt was then knocked out by Mark Bylsma the eventual winner. Some great high pressure matches highlighted the depth of talent in long drive in Australia.
Congratulations to Mark and all the finalists. A big thank you to the Acushnet company for sponsoring this event throught their Pinnacle brand.
Pre Final pointscore:
|
Competitor |
R1 |
R2 |
R3 |
R4 |
R5 |
R6 |
|
Total (best 5) |
1 |
Mark Bylsma |
14 |
25 |
11 |
|
25 |
25 |
|
100 |
2 |
Stephen Kennedy |
20 |
8 |
17 |
20 |
7 |
20 |
|
85 |
3 |
Matt McDonald |
13 |
15 |
15 |
15 |
20 |
17 |
|
82 |
4 |
John Noble |
15 |
20 |
9 |
17 |
15 |
14 |
|
81 |
5 |
Craig Grigson |
10 |
14 |
25 |
14 |
7 |
15 |
|
78 |
6 |
Janez Hozjan |
|
13 |
8 |
25 |
14 |
|
|
60 |
7 |
Ben Dyer |
17 |
17 |
13 |
7 |
|
|
54 |
|
8 |
Jason Gruber |
|
11 |
12 |
|
9 |
7 |
|
39 |
9 |
Harley Trevaskis |
|
|
|
13 |
12 |
13 |
|
38 |
10 |
Heath Lewis |
25 |
|
|
12 |
|
37 |
||
11 |
Wayne McDonald |
10 |
|
|
7 |
11 |
|
28 |
|
12 |
Darren Beck |
11 |
|
10 |
|
|
21 |
||
13 |
Rob Emond |
|
|
20 |
|
|
|
|
20 |
14 |
Gary Lindner |
12 |
|
|
8 |
|
20 |
||
15 |
Brendan Moylan |
|
|
|
|
17 |
|
|
17 |
16 |
Kurt Barnes |
|
|
14 |
|
|
|
|
14 |
17 |
Lee Cousins |
|
|
|
|
13 |
|
|
13 |
18 |
Aaron Davison |
|
12 |
|
|
|
|
|
12 |
19 |
Paul Faulkes |
|
|
|
12 |
|
|
|
12 |
20 |
Sefita Polata |
|
|
|
|
11 |
|
|
11 |
21 |
James McDonald |
10 |
|
|
|
|
10 |
||
22 |
Murray Wilson |
|
10 |
|
|
|
|
|
10 |
23 |
Brad Thompson |
|
|
|
|
10 |
|
|
10 |
24 |
Ian Devlin |
|
|
|
|
|
10 |
|
10 |
25 |
Hans Luna |
|
|
|
|
|
9 |
|
9 |
26 |
Sam Isaacs |
|
9 |
|
|
|
|
|
9 |
27 |
Chris Thomas |
|
|
|
|
8 |
|
|
8 |
28 |
Brent Kearney |
|
|
|
|
7 |
|
|
7 |
29 |
Wayne McDonald |
|
|
|
|
7 |
|
|
7 |
30 |
Paul Wormald |
|
|
|
|
|
6 |
|
6 |
|
Competitor |
Distance |
Semi |
Final |
Points |
1 |
Mark Bylsma |
283.4 |
299.4 |
285.0 |
25 |
| 2 |
Stephen Kennedy |
274.4 |
285.5 |
250.0 |
20 |
3 |
Matt McDonald |
261.0 |
265.9 |
|
17 |
4 |
Craig Grigson |
266.5 |
240.0 |
|
15 |
5 |
John Noble |
263.1 |
|
|
14 |
6 |
Harley Trevaskis |
260.0 |
|
|
13 |
7 |
Heath Lewis |
253.3 |
|
|
12 |
8 |
Wayne McDonald |
252.6 |
|
|
11 |
9 |
Ian Devlin |
250.4 |
|
|
10 |
10 |
Hans Luna |
241.5 |
|
|
9 |
11 |
Gary Lindner |
237.0 |
|
|
8 |
12 |
Jason Gruber |
215.1 |
|
|
7 |
13 |
Paul Wormald |
211.7 |
|
|
6 |
In Pool A the lead and second place kept changing almost with each hitter as we moved through to the higher rankings. Newcomers Hans Luna and Ian Devlin hit well as did Senior competitor Wayne McDonald. Harley Trevaskis from the Gold Coast then took the lead with 260.0 metres. Craig Grigson then improved this to 266.5 metres but both would have a nervous wait with reigning tour champion John Noble and Australian Champion Mark Bylsma still to come.
John Noble could only manage 263.1m to put him into second place. This meant Craig would make it through, but Johns fortunes lay with how big Mark would hit. Mark soon answered this question with 283.4m to win the pool. Mark and Craig through to the semis.
In Pool B Paul Wormald and Gary Lindner hit first, but were soon outgunned by the in form Heath Lewis who hit 253.3m. Jason Gruber couldn't pas this mark, but Matt McDonald hit a convincing 261.0 metres to ensure his place in the finals. Last hitter Stephen Kennedy hit 274.4 metres to take first place in this pool (on his last ball). Stephen and Matt through!
Semi final 1 had Craig Grigson up against Stephen Kennedy. Stephen hit consistantyl well to win this heat and move into the final.
In semi final 2, Matt McDonald had a hard task being up against Mark Bylsma. Mark hit an early 299.5m (the longest hit of the day) to make Matt have to go all out to chase him. He couldn't quite match it though and Mark went through to the final.
Number 1 ranked Mark Bylsma up against number 2 ranked Stephen Kennedy. Mark continued with his blistering form to win this final in a well fought match. Stephen finished up second with Matt third and Craig fourth.
The final pointscore results are now in. The top 10 make it through to the playoffs at the Australian Championships in September. The higher in the pointscore the easier the path through to the final. Click here for finals format:
|
Competitor |
Distance |
Semi |
Final |
Points |
1 |
Mark Bylsma |
314.9 |
310.8 |
322.2 |
25 |
| 2 |
Matt McDonald |
300.7 |
303.2 |
300.8 |
20 |
3 |
Brendan Moylan |
287.6 |
304.8 |
|
17 |
4 |
John Noble |
292.8 |
294.3 |
|
15 |
5 |
Janez Hozjan |
287.0 |
|
|
14 |
6 |
Lee Cousins |
274.2 |
|
|
13 |
7 |
Harley Trevaskis |
273.6 |
|
|
12 |
8 |
Sefita Polata |
272.5 |
|
|
11 |
9 |
Brad Thompson |
268.4 |
|
|
10 |
10 |
Jason Gruber |
266.4 |
|
|
9 |
11 |
Chris Thomas |
261.1 |
|
|
8 |
12 |
Brent Kearney |
0 |
|
|
7 |
12 |
Wayne McDonald |
0 |
|
|
7 |
12 |
Ben Dyer |
0 |
|
|
7 |
12 |
Craig Grigson |
0 |
|
|
7 |
12 |
Stephen Kennedy |
0 |
|
|
7 |
Redland Bay is always a great event. A deceptively strong cross wind down on the grid caused a lot of problems and resulted in quite a few all ball outs!
In group A 4 out of the 8 competitors hit all 6 balls out. The experienced Mark Bylsma (314.9m) and John Noble (294.3m) however made sure of their place in the finals with great controlled hitting. Brad Thompson and Jason Gruber hit well and were in with a chance until Mark and John asserted their authority.
In group B, having learnt from what happened in group A, only the well fancied and usually very consistent Stephen Kennedy failed to hit the grid. Matt McDonald (300.7m) and newcomer Brendan Moylan (287.6m) in his first long drive event made it through to the finals. Janez Hozjan, Lee Cousins and Harley Trevaskis were very unlucky to miss the finals.
In Semi final 1,Matt McDonald just managed to keep ahead of John noble with 303.2m to 294.3m. These 2 seem to be forever in the finals!
In semi final 2, newcomer Brendan Moylan was always going to have a tough job up against number 1 ranked player Mark Bylsma. On Mark's first ball he hit 310.8m which really made it hard for Brendan. He however came very close with 303.2m, but not enough to overtake big Mark.
Then in the final, Mark continued with his great form. His first hit was 320m followed by 322.2 metres on his second ball. John Managed 300.8 metres to finish in a well fought 2nd place.
There is now only 8 points separating the top 5 competitors.
|
Competitor |
Distance |
Semi |
Final |
Points |
1 |
Janez Hozjan |
279.0 |
278.6 |
277.4 |
25 |
| 2 |
Stephen Kennedy |
282.2 |
287.5 |
272.2 |
20 |
3 |
John Noble |
280.0 |
287.1 |
|
17 |
4 |
Matt McDonald |
284.0 |
276.9 |
|
15 |
5 |
Craig Grigson |
278.9 |
|
|
14 |
6 |
Harley Trevaskis |
276.6 |
|
|
13 |
7 |
Paul Faulkes |
265.5 |
|
|
12 |
In a big upset win, Janez Hozjan who only started competing in long drive this year beat the big guns to take out round 4 of the Pinnacle Australasian Long Drive Tour.
In the first elimination round Janez made it through to the top 4 along with Stephen Kennedy, John Noble and Matt McDonald. The other 3 are all ranked in the top 10 in Australia and have been at the top at just about every event they compete in. It was always going to be a tough call for Janis.
In semi-final 1 Stephen Kennedy closely beat John Noble 287.5m to 287.1m
In another close semi final Janez Hozjan beat Matt McDonald 278.6m to 276.9m.
This put Janez in his first final up against the super consistent Stephen Kennedy. In a breakthrough win Janez won the final 277.4m to 272.2m
Well done to everyone!
|
Competitor |
Distance |
Semi |
Final |
Points |
1 |
Craig Grigson |
302.9 |
349.0 |
285.0 |
25 |
| 2 |
Rob Emond |
303.5 |
314.4 |
0 |
20 |
3 |
Stephen Kennedy |
327.4 |
332.7 |
|
17 |
4 |
Matt McDonald |
318.5 |
309.1 |
|
15 |
5 |
Kurt Barnes |
316.0 |
|
|
14 |
6 |
Ben Dyer |
312.9 |
|
|
13 |
7 |
Jason Gruber |
310.0 |
|
|
12 |
8 |
Mark Bylsma |
300.4 |
|
|
11 |
9 |
Darren Beck |
288.0 |
|
|
10 |
10 |
John Noble |
285.1 |
|
|
9 |
| 11 |
Janez Hozjan |
274.0 |
|
|
8 |
A top class field for the Melbourne leg of the Pinnacle Australasian Long Drive Tour.
In Pool A, Rob Emond took an early lead with a good 303.5m Fellow Victorian Craig Grigson came close with 302.9m to put him in second place. With only 2 places in the finals there was now a nervous wait as top performers John Noble and Mark Bylsma hit. John missed taking a qualifying spot which ensured Rob a spot in the finals. Craig now had to wait to see if big Mark could get past his 302.9m Marks best was 300.4 just missing out on the finals so Rob Emond and Craig Grigson both went through to the finals.
In Pool B, top Australian PGA professional Kurt Barnes showed that he is a top performer at long drive as well as traditional golf. He hit a fantastic 316.0 metres to get things under way. Jason Gruber came close with 310m, and Ben Dyer with 312.9m. Matt McDonald then secured his spot in the finals with a great 318.5 m. The always consistent Stephen Kennedy then managed a 327.4m on his last ball to proges through.
In semi final 1, Craig Grigson hit off against Stephen Kennedy. Stephen had what looked like a convincing lead with 332.7m. Craig then blasted one 349 metres which was long enough to win his place in the final.
In the second semi final, Rob Emond 314.4m just edged out Matt McDonald 309.1m (using a club he borrowed from Matt!)
In the final Craig did enough to win over Rob Emond to win his first Pinnacle Australasian Tour round.
|
Competitor |
Distance |
Semi |
Final |
Points |
1 |
Mark Bylsma |
311.9 |
327.7 |
317.7 |
25 |
2 |
John Noble |
296.7 |
298.7 |
300.3 |
20 |
3 |
Ben Dyer |
287 |
302.9 |
|
17 |
4 |
Matt McDonald |
291.3 |
293.3 |
|
15 |
5 |
Craig Grigson |
285.5 |
|
|
14 |
6 |
Janez Hozjan |
284.8 |
|
|
13 |
7 |
Aaron Davison |
284.7 |
|
|
12 |
8 |
Jason Gruber |
269.7 |
|
|
11 |
9 |
Murray Wilson |
269.2 |
|
|
10 |
10 |
Sam Isaacs |
260.1 |
|
|
9 |
11 |
Stephen Kennedy |
0 |
|
|
8 |
Pool A started off with first timer Janez Hozjan from Melbourne hitting a great start with 284.8m. This was almost enough to get him through to the finals in his first attempt. Ben Dyer who came 2nd at last years Australian Championships just crept past him with 287 metres. Craig Grigson also just managed to outdo him with 285.5m Then the ever consistent Matt McDonald blasted one 291.3 metres to take the lead and ensure a place for himself in the final. Ben now had to wait and see what Stephen Kennedy could do. Unforturnately for Stephen he hit all six out so Matt and Ben made it through to the finals.
In pool B Jason Gruber started things off with 269.7m, then Aaron Davison hit one 284.7m. Australasian Tour champ then took the lead with 296.7m only to be passed by Australian Champ Mark Bylsma with the longest hit of the day at 327.7m
In the first semi, John Noble managed to get past Matt McDonald on his very last ball to make the final playoff. Mark Bylsma won through over Ben Dyer in the other semi.
In the final John Noble was leading until Marks 5th ball where he hit 302 metres to gain a 2 metre advantage over John. He then cemented his win on his last ball with 317.7m.
Another good win for Mark, and a great and very close competition with the top long drivers in Australia. Next event will be in Melbourne.
|
Competitor |
Distance |
Semi |
Final |
Points |
1 |
Heath Lewis |
355.7 |
348 |
375 |
25 |
2 |
Stephen Kennedy |
359.7 |
359.7 |
345.5 |
20 |
3 |
Ben Dyer |
339 |
347.5 |
|
17 |
4 |
John Noble |
347.3 |
346.1 |
|
15 |
5 |
Mark Bylsma |
336.1 |
|
|
14 |
6 |
Matt McDonald |
335.1 |
|
|
13 |
7 |
Gary Lindner |
321.5 |
|
|
12 |
8 |
Darren Beck |
311.7 |
|
|
11 |
9 |
Wayne McDonald |
0 |
|
|
10 |
9 |
Craig Grigson |
0 |
|
|
10 |
9 |
James McDonald |
0 |
|
|
10 |
Again a great crowd came to watch Australia's elite long drivers in action. The event was held on Sunday afternoon immediately following the presentations of the Jacobs Creek Open. The grid was a bit narrow at about the 300m mark but then fanned back out to 40 meters. A big tailwind and a hard flat grid ensured that the distances were going to be good.
It was also good to have 2 of our top seniors, Wayne McDonald and Australian Champ Garry Lindner competing with the open competitors.
In the first pool local Heath Lewis set an early mark of 355.7m. John Noble came close at 347.3m, but no-one could get past Heath in this pool. Current Australian Champion Mark Bylsma just missed the semi's with 336.1m after having hit over 400metres with a ball that went outside the grid.
In the second pool senior champ Gary Lindner started things off with 321.5m. Ben Dyer (Australian runner up last year) jumped into the lead with 339m. Last years winner Matt McDonald couldn't quite get his best on the grid and finished with 335.1m. This left 2004 Australian Champion Stephen Kennedy with 335.1m to get past to get in the semi's and push Matt out. A good hit of 344.6m kept Stephen alive and put Matt out.
Semi one was Heath Lewis (SA) up against Ben Dyer (NSW). In an extremely close contest Heath made it through to the final with 348.0m to Ben's 347.5m.
Semi two had Stephen Kennedy against Australasian Tour Champion John Noble. In another close finish Stephen again made his way through with 359.7m to Johns 346.1m
The final then came down to South Australia's Heath Lewis against NSW Stephen Kennedy. With the support of the local crowd Heath won through with the longest hit of the day at 375.0 metres. Stephen ever consistent finished 2nd with 345.5m
Another great event and thankyou to the competitors, the great crowd of spectators down at the Jacobs Creek Open and to also Bob and Ben Tuohey (and Associates).
A big thankyou also to our "Grid Gods" Gus and Dillon and to Tim Allison from "The Range" at O'Halloran Hills for all their help getting the event organised and runing it.
John being congratulated by Tim Snow from the Acushnet company.
The 5 finalists. Stephen Kennedy 3rd, John Noble 2nd, Mark Bylsma 5th, Matt McDonald 2nd and Simon Abbott 4th.
Another successfu year for the Pinnacle Australasian Tour. John went through the finals without loosing a match. He first beat Simon Abbott with a 323.9 metre drive and then beat Stephen Kennedy 341m to Stephens 347m to make it to the final. In the final he edged out Matt McDonald 354.5m to 354m on his second last ball.
Matt had also been in great form having to win matches against Mark Bylsma, Simon Abbott and Stephen Kennedy just to make the final. At one stage he had hit 8 drives in a row all over 300 m.
Stephen Kennedy finished in 3rd place after finishing as the tour pointscore winner.
Congratulations also to Simon Abbott (4th place) and Mark Bylsma the defending champion finishing in 5th place.
1st - John Noble
2nd - Matt McDonald
3rd - Stephen Kennedy
4th - Simon Abbott
5th - Mark Bylsma
Place |
Competitor |
R1 |
R2 |
R3 |
R4 |
R5 |
R6 |
R7 |
Points |
1 |
Stephen Kennedy |
8 |
14 |
20 |
6 |
15 |
20 |
25 |
108 |
2 |
John Noble |
13 |
17 |
12 |
12 |
25 |
7 |
10 |
96 |
3 |
Simon Abbott |
25 |
20 |
6 |
20 |
|
13 |
11 |
95 |
4 |
Matt McDonald |
25 |
13 |
14 |
12 |
13 |
77 |
||
5 |
Mark Bylsma |
11 |
|
17 |
13 |
|
25 |
5 |
71 |
6 |
Sam Isaacs |
20 |
|
11 |
6 |
|
15 |
12 |
64 |
7 |
Dallas Brooks |
|
9 |
8 |
15 |
13 |
10 |
8 |
63 |
8 |
Lee Cousins |
5 |
12 |
6 |
|
17 |
17 |
5 |
62 |
9 |
Rob Emond |
|
|
|
25 |
|
14 |
15 |
54 |
10 |
Aaron Davison |
15 |
|
14 |
|
|
|
20 |
49 |
11 |
Andrew Hough |
6 |
|
25 |
|
|
|
|
31 |
12 |
Craig Grigson |
|
|
|
17 |
|
7 |
5 |
29 |
|
Sefita Polata |
|
|
6 |
10 |
|
7 |
6 |
29 |
14 |
Troy Austin |
17 |
|
9 |
|
|
|
|
26 |
15 |
Brad Rowe |
|
15 |
|
9 |
|
|
|
24 |
16 |
Wayne McDonald |
|
|
|
8 |
|
8 |
7 |
23 |
17 |
Heath Lewis |
|
13 |
|
|
|
7 |
|
20 |
|
Neil Yates |
|
|
|
|
20 |
|
|
20 |
19 |
Brad Fasher |
|
|
|
|
|
|
17 |
17 |
20 |
Peter Josephski |
|
|
15 |
|
|
15 |
||
21 |
Aaron Smith |
|
|
|
|
|
|
14 |
14 |
|
Allister Martin |
|
|
|
|
14 |
|
|
14 |
|
Davyn Nola |
14 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
14 |
24 |
Mark Stone |
5 |
8 |
|
|
|
|
|
13 |
25 |
Daniel Butler |
12 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
12 |
|
Geoff Jennings |
5 |
|
|
7 |
|
|
|
12 |
|
John Kelly |
|
|
|
|
12 |
|
|
12 |
28 |
Aaron Southern |
|
11 |
|
|
|
|
|
11 |
|
Brent German |
|
|
|
11 |
|
|
|
11 |
|
Adrian Zoppa |
|
|
|
|
|
11 |
|
11 |
29 |
Dean Smyth |
|
|
10 |
|
|
10 |
||
|
Sheridan Vining |
|
10 |
|
|
|
|
|
10 |
|
Kurt Barnes |
10 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
10 |
32 |
Ian Devlin |
|
|
|
|
|
9 |
|
9 |
|
Chris Sarkas |
9 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
9 |
|
Jason Gruber |
|
|
|
|
|
|
9 |
9 |
34 |
Hayden Pace |
7 |
|
7 |
|||||
|
James McDonald |
|
7 |
|
|
|
|
|
7 |
|
Mitch Hurley |
7 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
7 |
37 |
Robert Dowman |
|
|
6 |
|
|
|
|
6 |
|
Chris Thomas |
|
|
6 |
|
|
|
|
6 |
39 |
Darren Beck |
5 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
5 |
|
Paul Jordan |
5 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
5 |
|
Ashley Green |
5 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
5 |
|
Joe Kack |
5 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
5 |
|
Brad Thompson |
5 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
5 |
|
Chris Knowles |
5 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
5 |
|
Mark Harris |
5 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
5 |
|
Luke Baguley |
5 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
5 |
|
Ben Dyer |
|
|
|
|
|
|
5 |
5 |
Current Australian Champion Stephen Kennedy finishes the year ranked number 1 in the Pinnacle Australasian Long Drive Tour with a great win at Bonnie Doon in Sydney. This was the last round before the finals and had 8 competitors who could possibly take the 5 spots available. After the event the top 5 competitors still remained in the top 5 positions, although the order changed.
Stephens hit of 371.3m in the semi was huge and only a couple of metres from the bunker at the green. Aaron Davison always seems at his best in the tour events and again finished high up in the placings with a good second place.
At his first tour event Brad Fasher finished 3rd well ahead of many of the more experienced long drivers and has shown he'll be a force at the Aust. Champs. The ever consistent Rob Emond finished in 4th place.
The top 5 now proceed through to the eliminations and finals to be held at the Australian Championships.
Place |
Competitor |
Distance |
Semi |
Final |
Points |
1 |
Stephen Kennedy |
335.7 |
371.3 |
329.0 |
25 |
2 |
Aaron Davison |
336.7 |
338.1 |
305.5 |
20 |
3 |
Brad Fasher |
321.3 |
333.4 |
|
17 |
4 |
Rob Emond |
329.9 |
302.6 |
|
15 |
5 |
Aaron Smith |
327.6 |
|
|
14 |
6 |
Matt McDonald |
321.0 |
|
|
13 |
7 |
Sam Isaacs |
320.9 |
|
|
12 |
8 |
Simon Abbott |
319.1 |
|
|
11 |
9 |
John Noble |
310.4 |
|
|
10 |
10 |
Jason Gruber |
308.4 |
|
|
9 |
11 |
Dallas Brooks |
291.8 |
|
|
8 |
12 |
Wayne McDonald |
291.4 |
|
|
7 |
13 |
Sefita Polata |
281.2 |
|
|
6 |
14 |
Ben Dyer |
0 |
|
|
5 |
14 |
Craig Grigson |
0 |
|
|
5 |
14 |
Lee Cousins |
0 |
|
|
5 |
14 |
Mark Bylsma |
0 |
|
|
5 |
Newcomer Ian Devlin got things underway with a very solid 281.4m. Big guns Sefita Polata, Heath Lewis and Craig Grigson all hit all of their 6 balls out of bounds. This left Ian in the lead with senior Wayne McDonald in second place with 3 hitters to go. Sam Isaacs didn't follow the others out of bounds and took the lead with285.8m. Simon Abbott then by the narrowest of margins missed taking the lead hitting285.1m. This was crucial however as it meant if the last hitter, current Australian Champion Stephen Kennedy got a big one away, Simon would be out. Stephen indeed hit a big one taking the lead in pool A with 294.8m. So Stephen and Sam were through to the finals.
In Pool B another newcomer Adrian Zoppa showed some great form hitting 283m to start things off. Senior competitor Dallas Brooks came close with 281.7m. Victorian Rob Emond then took a narrow lead with 285.7m and then Matt McDonald close behind on 284.9m. So far the first 4 hitters were all within 3 metres of each other. Tour leader John Noble then did the unthinkable and hit all 6 out to get himself eliminated. The in-form Lee Cousins then managed to take a narrow lead with 286.6m. Last hitter as big Mark Bylsma who took no time in posting a 298 metres to secure his spot in the final with Lee.
In the first semi final Stephen Kennedy and Lee Cousins played off. Stephen had no thoughts of his 7 in a row out at the Perth event and planted the first one in at 282m. Lee soon overtook this mark with a semingly unbeatable 299 m. Stephen had other ideas however and quickly replied with 304.4 metres which was enough to get him into the final.
In the second semi Sam Isaacs took on Mark Bylsma. Both started with a ball out each. then Sam posted 285m, only to have Mark reply with 285.5m. Sam then managed a 290m, to which Mark replied with a massive 313m. This won the day for Mark and gave him a double as he also won the State Championship event.
Place |
Competitor |
Distance |
0Semi |
Final |
Points |
1 |
Mark Bylsma |
298.0 |
309.4 |
304.1 |
25 |
2 |
Stephen Kennedy |
294.8 |
304.4 |
0 |
20 |
3 |
Lee Cousins |
286.6 |
298.6 |
|
17 |
4 |
Sam Isaacs |
285.8 |
293.4 |
|
15 |
5 |
Rob Emond |
285.7 |
|
|
14 |
6 |
Simon Abbott |
285.1 |
|
|
13 |
7 |
Matt McDonald |
284.9 |
|
|
12 |
8 |
Adrian Zoppa |
283.0 |
|
|
11 |
9 |
Dallas Brooks |
281.7 |
|
|
10 |
10 |
Ian Devlin |
281.4 |
|
|
9 |
11 |
Wayne McDonald |
267.0 |
|
|
8 |
12 |
Sefita Polata |
0 |
|
|
7 |
12 |
Heath Lewis |
0 |
|
|
7 |
12 |
Craig Grigson |
0 |
|
|
7 |
12 |
John Noble |
0 |
|
|
7 |
Due to the distance for most of the long drivers, there was only a small field for Round 5 of the Tour. It was however very closely contested with a high quality field.
In pool A John Kelly and Dallas Brooks hit some good drives to post 240.4 and 252.5 metres respectively. Their moment in the lead came to a halt when the ever improving John Noble smashed one 294.3m to assure himself a spot in the final. Steven Kennedy also made his mark with a 287.3m drive to put himself in the playoffs.
In pool B Allister Martin took an early lead with 260.1m. Number 1 ranked WA long driver Neil Yates then hit a great 302.6m which was enough for him to win the pool. Lee Cousins secured the final spot in the playoffs with 276.6 metres.
In the first playoff we had a first. Stephen Kennedy and Neil Yates both hit all their 6 balls out. We then had to go to a sudden death ball at a time extra balls. This went on until Steven cracked one 299.3 metres which looked almost certain to get him a spot in the finals. With one ball only to hit, Neil replied with 303.5 metres.
In the second playoff both Lee and John posted scores on the board early. Lee was first in the lead with 290 metres, but John took and held the lead with 298 metres.
So it was John Noble and Neil Yates in the final. Both players hit their first 2 balls out. On John's 3rd ball he posted 260 metres. Neils reply was 265m. 2 balls later John again took the lead with 280 metres which was enough to win R5 of the tour.
A very exciting set of playoffs!
Place |
Competitor |
Distance |
Semi |
Final |
Points |
1 |
John Noble |
294.7 |
298 |
280.7 |
25 |
2 |
Neil Yates |
302.6 |
303.5 |
262.8 |
20 |
3 |
Lee Cousins |
276.6 |
289.9 |
|
17 |
4 |
Stephen Kennedy |
287.3 |
299.3 |
|
15 |
5 |
Allister Martin |
260.1 |
|
|
14 |
6 |
Dallas Brooks |
252.5 |
|
|
13 |
7 |
John Kelly |
240.4 |
|
|
12 |
Senior Wayne McDonald got things under way with pool A. A good 254.8m, but unlikely to hold against the open competitors coming up.Sefita Polata then set the mark at 278.2m, but was immediately over-taken by newly crowned Victorian State Champion Craig Grigson (312.3m). South Australian Matt McDonald came close with 310.7m, but Simon Abbott took Pool A with 314.3 m. So Simon and Craig had made it through to the finals.
In Pool B Senior competitor Dallas Brooks surprised everyone with a fantastic 313 metres. The only person to get past him was Rob Emond.
Semi Final 1 between Dalls Brooks and Simon Abbott came down to the last couple of balls when Simon Abbot (who is leading the tour) pulled out enough to make it through to the finals.
Semi Final B was closely contested with Rob Emond (314m) getting the better of Craig Grigson (300.5m) and making it through to the final.
In the final playoff, it was Current Tour leader Simon Abbott against top Victorian Rob Emond. On his second ball Rob hit his best drive of the day at 325m. Simon came close but couldn't overtake Rob. So it was Rob Emond first, Simon Abbott second, Craig Grigson third and Dallas Brooks 4th.
Place |
Competitor |
Distance |
Semi |
Final |
Points |
1 |
Rob Emond |
321 |
314 |
325.4 |
25 |
2 |
Simon Abbott |
314.3 |
281 |
295 |
20 |
3 |
Craig Grigson |
312.3 |
300.5 |
|
17 |
4 |
Dallas Brooks |
313 |
249.1 |
|
15 |
5 |
Matt McDonald |
310.7 |
|
|
14 |
6 |
Mark Bylsma |
301.4 |
|
|
13 |
7 |
John Noble |
292.6 |
|
|
12 |
8 |
Brent German |
280.6 |
|
|
11 |
9 |
Sofita Pelata |
278.2 |
|
|
10 |
10 |
Brad Rowe |
268.8 |
|
|
9 |
11 |
Wayne McDonald |
254.8 |
|
|
8 |
12 |
Geoff Jennings |
247.1 |
|
|
7 |
13 |
Sam Isaacs |
O/B |
|
|
6 |
13 |
Stephen Kennedy |
O/B |
|
|
6 |
With a big crowd, a quality field and the pressure on to finish before dark round 3 of the tour was set for some fast action, pressure and excitement.
Wildcard entries into the tour event included Sefita Polata who had been hitting in the top 3 most of the day, Robert Downman, Hayden Pace, Peter Josephski and Dean Smyth. These guys had all been hitting competitively all day and were keen to cause an upset on their more experienced competition.
Pool A got off to a good start with Senior competitor Dallas Brooks showing why he is ranked number 1 in the seniors. He took the lead with 275.3 metres. Peter Josephski from the sponsoring RE/MAX Office then took the lead with a fantastic 283.2m. No-one else in the pool got close to Peter until newly crowned QLD State Champion (and current Australian Champion) Stephen Kennedy hit 283.1 to finish just behind in second place. This was enough to put himself through to the finals alongside Peter.
Pool B had newcomer Dean Smyth taking the lead with 279m. Winner of R2 of the tour Matt McDonald then showed his mark and hit 298.9 to take the lead.This was short lived however as Andrew Hough took the lead from him with 310 metres. Current Australian Champion Aaron Davison came close with 309.6m. Number one ranked player in Australia then took just 2 balls to win pool B with 313.8m This meant that Mark Bylsma and Andrew Hough were through to the finals playoffs.
In semi final 1, Andrew Hough pipped Peter Josephski out withy 285.8m compared with Peter's 276.5m
In Semi final 2, reigning Australian Champion Stephen Kennedy knocked off number one ranked player Mark Bylsma with 302.9m compared with 289.2m
The final was then between Andrew Hough (2004 QLD State Champion) and Stephen Kennedy (2005 QLD State Champion). Both players hit balls longer than any other ball all day. Stephen finished with 332m for second place with Andrew Hough in First place with 335.5 m
It was a great event with lots of excitement, plenty of spectators and some great hitting. Thankyou to Pinnacle for sponsoring this event!
Place |
Competitor |
Distance |
Semi |
Final |
Points |
1 |
Andrew Hough |
310 |
285.8 |
335.5 |
25 |
2 |
Stephen Kennedy |
283.1 |
302.9 |
332.0 |
20 |
3 |
Mark Bylsma |
313.8 |
289.2 |
17 |
|
4 |
Peter Josephski |
283.2 |
276.5 |
15 |
|
5 |
Aaron Davison |
309.6 |
14 |
||
6 |
Matt McDonald |
298.9 |
13 |
||
7 |
John Noble |
284.8 |
12 |
||
8 |
Sam Isaacs |
282.7 |
11 |
||
9 |
Dean Smyth |
279 |
10 |
||
10 |
Troy Austin |
277.9 |
9 |
||
11 |
Dallas Brooks |
275.3 |
8 |
||
12 |
Hayden Pace |
271.9 |
7 |
||
13 |
Robert Dowman |
O/B |
6 |
||
13 |
Lee Cousins |
O/B |
6 |
||
13 |
Simon Abbott |
O/B |
|
|
6 |
13 |
Sefita Polata |
O/B |
|
|
6 |
13 |
Chris Thomas |
O/B |
|
|
6 |
The second round of the tour was held on the Saturday afternoon at the Jacobs Creek Golf Open. The crowd in attenance was huge somewhere up to about a thousand people. Most had never seen a long drive tournament before so were treated to an elite display of long driving.
Young Brad Rowe (Vic) who is only 17 years of age got things under way posting a 310 metre drive, then a huge 375.5 metres hit. Mark Stone (QLD), Lee Cousins (QLD) and Heath Lewis (SA) hit well but were unable to reel Brad in. Winner of Round 1 Simon Abbott then showed why he is known as one of the top long drivers in the country. 381.5 metres to take the lead in Pool A. Sheridan Vining the current NZ Long Drive Champion was last to hit in the pool. Sheridan was unable to pass either Simon or Brad so they both made it through to the finals.
Pool B started with South Australian Matt McDonald. Matt was in blistering form hitting 5 out of 6 in the grid with a best of 365.4 metres. Time would tell whether this would be enough to get through to the final.
Fellow South Australian Aaron Southern was first to try, but could only manage 345 metres (huge under normal circumstances). John Noble (QLD) then showed his ever improving form to almost take the lead with 364.4m. Dallas Brooks (VIC), James McDonald (SA) and Stephen Kennedy (NSW) could not quite bridge the gap so Matt and John went through to the final.
Semi final 1 saw John Noble taking on Simon Abbott in the first of the gladiator format finals.Aimon started with a huge 386.4 metres which was less than a metres from the Australian record of 387 metres. This was really setting the challenge for John. John managed a fantastic 365 metres and finally finished in his best ever placing - 3rd. Simon's hit was the longest of the day and carried him through to the final.
In the second semi final, young Brad Rowe was taking on South Australian winner of Pool B Matt McDonald. Half way through the semi, Matt was leading with 349 metres. Brad then took the lead on his second last ball with 360 metes.Matt got to his final ball and had one chance left of making the final - he needed a 360 plus drive. It was a beauty - 385 metres!
So relative newcomer to Long Drive Matt McDonald was taking on the very experienced and well credentialled Simon Abbott. Simon had experience on his side, Matt had the local crowd support and the home ground. Half way through the final Matt was leading with 380 metres. This was going to be a tough call for Simon! This time the best he could do was 360 metres so Matt McDonald became our Tour Round 2 winner. Simon with a first and a second from 2 events is clearly the series leader.
Place |
Competitor |
Distance |
Semi |
Final |
Points |
1 |
Matt McDonald |
365.4 |
385.0 |
381.5 |
25 |
2 |
Simon Abbott |
381.5 |
386.4 |
360.0 |
20 |
3 |
John Noble |
364.4 |
365.0 |
17 |
|
4 |
Brad Rowe |
375.5 |
360.0 |
15 |
|
5 |
Stephen Kennedy |
358.2 |
14 |
||
6 |
Heath Lewis |
357.1 |
13 |
||
7 |
Lee Cousins |
355.8 |
12 |
||
8 |
Aaron Southern |
345.6 |
11 |
||
8 |
Sheridan Vining |
332.9 |
10 |
||
10 |
Dallas Brooks |
320.9 |
9 |
||
11 |
Mark Stone |
299.8 |
8 |
||
12 |
James McDonald |
O/B |
7 |
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The first round of the 2004/05 Pinnacle Aus