Saturday, August 19, 2006

BRITISH BOYS FINAL

MATTHEW NIXON PLAYS BEST GOLF OF HIS
LIFE TO BEAT SWEDISH FAVOURITE

Matthew Nixon, a 17-year-old uncapped player from Ashton-under-Lyne, near Manchester, today played the golf of his life to win the British boys’ amateur championship.
Against a 17-year-old Swedish opponent, Bjorn Akesson from Malmo, who is arguably the second best Under-18 player in the world, Matthew came back from four down after 17 holes to win a classic tie at the 38th.
“I’ve always been able to hit greens in regulation but I didn’t know how good my short game was until today!” exclaimed a very happy Nixon who has still a year to do at college.
“When I went four down, I thought it was very likely that I was going to lose but I can honestly say that my head did not go down. Even if I had been beaten in the end, I would still have loved every minute of this week in Aberdeen.
“I’ve achieved all my dreams here. This course seemed to inspire me to play the best golf of my life.”

Nixon had only 24 putts in the second round and only nine over the inward half before the final went into extra holes.
Matthew pitched in from 70ft for for a half in birdies at the 31st and holed a 30ft chip for a half in par at the 33rd.
The Swede, who had held the lead from the sixth hole, made his vital mistake at the 34th where he drove into a gorse bush and had to lift and drop under penalty.
Nixon seized the chance to square the contest for the first time since the fifth with a par.
Then the English teenager got up and down from a bunker at the 35th for and a half and, under terrific pressure, did the same again at the 36th where he bunkered his approach and then holed from 25ft for a par.
Akesson had the chance to win the title on that green but he missed from 7ft.
The Swede, who has a +4 handicap compared to Nixon’s +2, missed a chance from even closer – between four and five feet – for a birdie that would have won him the title at the 37th.
Nixon’s comeback was complete when he won the par-5 38th with two putts from 60ft for a birdie while Akesson took three putts from slightly nearer the hole.
Nixon was four under par for the 38 holes and Akesson round about two or three under.
The Swedish player was three up at the end of the first 18 holes after a 75min suspension of play when visibility deteriorated quickly after the players had driven at the 16th.
Akesson had been two up at that point, having won the sixth, eighth and 11th (with a birdie). Nixon’s sole success had been at the nin which the Swedish player bogeyed.
On the resumption of play when the fog cleared slightly, Akesson restarted birdie-birdie to surge four holes up. He won the 16th with a birdie 3 and the short 17th with a birdie 2.
But the Swede made one of his rare mistakes at the 18th where he drove into a bad lie in the rough and could only hack back out on to the fairway. He bogeyed the hole which Nixon won with a par to end the first round three down.
Akesson had covered the first 18 holes in two-under-par 69, including an inward half of three-under-par 32. Nixon had gone round in one-over-par 72 (38-34).
The sun broke through early on the second round and the remainder of the final was played in sunshine and blue skies.
Nixon pulled himself back into contention by covering the outward nine holes of the second round in three-under-par 33 with birdies at the 20th, 24th and 27th.
Akesson matched his 4 at the long 20th but lost the two other holes to have his lead cut – even though he was one-under-par 35 for the same stretch - to one hole as they turned for home.
The first four holes of the inward half were halved – the 31st in birdie 3s after Nixon had holed a 70ft chip - as the tension mounted in what had proved to be a final of quality play by both contestants.
At the 33rd, Nixon, playing the game of his life, did it again. He chipped in from 30ft for a half in par.
At the 34th Akesson drove into the whins and had to lift and drop under penalty. Nixon seized the chance to square the match with a par 4.
Nixon’s charmed life continued. He got up and down from a bunker to halve the short 17th.
The English boy was bunkered again with his approach to the last but holed a 25ft putt for par 4. Akesson missed his 7ft putt for a birdie 3.
Akesson missed a shorter putt for the match at the 37th, between 4 and five feet.
Then Nixon’s comeback was complete at the long 38th where he won the hole and the title with a birdie 4. Akesson, on in 2, three-putted for a par 5.

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