Defending title no Burden for Toby

TOBY Burden led from the front and the rear to book Hampshire’s place in October’s South East League Final by saving his team from defeat against Surrey at Hindhead, in their final South Division match of the season.

The 6-6 draw meant Surrey cannot overtake the defending champions when they play their final match against Kent later this month, with Hampshire securing the division title for the 17th time in the competition’s history.

It was the 60th time Hampshire have met Surrey in the league since 1964 and Burden was confident Hindhead’s high-class and picturesque heathland course overlooking the Devil’s Punch Bowl left his team feeling very much at home.

But after England’s new cap Charlie Forster and fellow US college golfer Joe Buenfeld were beaten 2&1 in the top match, Burden – playing with Liphook’s former mini-tour pro Darren Walkley – was beaten on the last by Surrey’s top pairing of Luke Stock and Aadam Sayeed.

Luckily for the Hampshire captain, Blackmoor’s county champion Sam Parsons helped Jersey’s Jo Hacker, the 2021 winner of the Hampshire, Isle of Wight and Channel Islands Amateur Championship, to a quickfire 6&4 win in the third match, which had briefly put the visitors in front.

Stoneham’s beaten finalist Ryan Henley, who won a fourth Sloane-Stanley title last year, watched as his partner George Saunders, from Liphook GC, save the day with two quality shots on the last two holes.

They had been two-down with six to play against Surrey captain David Corben, a member at Hindhead, and Reigate Hill’s Ben Palmer.

But after making a birdie three at the short 13th, Saunders holed a 15-footer at the 15th from Henley’s approach from 100 yards to draw level.

The former England U16 cap produced a stunning chip from the rough to leave Henley a gimme on the penultimate hole to put them one-up with one to play. Saunders then hit his approach into the last into the greenside trap and Henley could only advance the ball to some 35 feet from the hole.

With the rest of the Hampshire team and the county officials and supporters watching on by the clubhouse, Saunders swept the putt home to great cheers. “It felt like a real momentum swing,” said the former Meon Valley and Lee-on-the-Solent member.

Burden had stressed in the build-up that his team needed to go out with a positive mindset and play for the win – avoiding any temptation to play for the draw – and draw upon their familiarity with the course and the style of golf required as very much a “home game.”

But with the eight singles matches heading around the turn, there were not too many home comforts for county coach Kevin Flynn, who was left on the radio with Burden as a playing captain concentrating on his own game.

Having put himself out last, Burden at least had something of a buffer going three-up after the turn. Toby said: “I didn’t really know that the whole match was on a knife edge.

“Surrey were up in four and down in four but I wasn’t sure of the exact score when I went three-up. I was concentrating on my own game and when our coach came up to me between the 14th green and 15th tee, I asked if I had to win, but Kev said he would not be stood there if that was the case.

“There was still a chance of another half up on 18, and he just said ‘Just do your best to win your point.’ Luckily, a half on that hole was all it took.”

Forster, who left Hindhead to head up to Scotland to make his England debut in the Home Internationals at Murcar links this week, had a wobble losing two quick holes, having been three-up against Sayeed, who missed a birdie putt on the 16th to draw level.

There were no more stumbles as the Long Beach State University ace – who made his Great Britain and Ireland debut in the St Andrews Trophy before reaching the last 16 in last week’s English Amateur Championship – won 2&1 by making birdie at the 17th from 12 feet.

Saunders then ended his topsy-turvey match with O’Hagan, in which he had won four holes in a row from the 11th thanks to three birdies and a par to go two-up, only to lose 16 and 17 to birdies from next year’s Surrey captain.

A bogey five from O’Hagan gave the former West of England Amateur Champion the narrowest of wins as Hacker completed a 4&3 win over junior Freddie Surgey, to put Hampshire 5-2 up.

But minutes later, a limping Parsons lost 7&5 to Palmer after suffering with a painful toe mid round – losing six holes in a row – and an-out-of-sorts Walkley lost 3&2 to Luke Stock.

Buenfeld, Stoneham’s former European Junior Open winner, drew level with three to play, but then lost the 17th and could only par the last against Nathan Woodham as the hosts made it 5-5.

Henley, who has been a fixture in the Hampshire team since 2000, saw Corben produce a remarkable recovery shot after missing the 16th green by some distance.

He chipped over the bushes to the narrow green to inside four feet, and when Henley could not get up-and-down from near the back of the green, he had lost 3&2 to last year’s English Mid-Amateur Champion, in Corben’s last match as captain – having held the job for seven years in two spells.

Burden, who had won the ninth and 11th, sandwiching Alex Wells birdie on the 10th to go two-up, won the 12th with a par after last year’s England U18 Mixed Championship winner lost his ball.

After halving the 13th in birdie threes by making a five-footer, Burden saw his approach spin off the 14th green. But Toby’s chip halted a couple of inches from the hole as he went four-up and needed just to halve the next to seal the title.

SAUNDERS AND PARSONS’ PEP IN FOURSOMES BATTLE

THE morning foursomes are often key in South East League matches, and county captain Toby Burden knows only too well that getting off to a good start is the best way of ensuring an outright victory.

But after England’s new cap Charlie Forster and fellow US college golfer Joe Buenfeld were beaten 2&1 in the top match against Surrey, Burden – playing with Liphook’s former mini-tour pro Darren Walkley – was beaten on the last by the hosts’ top pairing of Luke Stock and Aadam Sayeed.

Luckily for Burden, Blackmoor’s county champion Sam Parsons, from Southsea, had already produced a quickfire 6&4 win in the third match – playing with Jersey’s Jo Hacker, the 2021 winner of the Hampshire, Isle of Wight and Channel Islands Amateur Championship – to briefly put the visitors in front.

Stoneham’s beaten finalist Ryan Henley, who won a fourth Sloane-Stanley title last year, watched as his partner George Saunders, from Liphook GC, save the day with two quality shots on the last two holes.

They had been two-down with six to play against Surrey captain David Corben, a member at Hindhead, and Reigate Hill’s Ben Palmer. But after making a birdie three at the short 13th, Saunders holed a 15-footer at the 15th from Henley’s approach from 100 yards to draw level.

The former England U16 cap produced a stunning chip from the rough to leave Henley a gimme on the penultimate hole to put them one-up with one to play. Saunders then hit his approach into the last into the greenside trap and Henley could only advance the ball to some 35 feet from the hole.

With the rest of the Hampshire team and the county officials and supporters watching on by the clubhouse, Saunders swept the putt home to great cheers. “It felt like a real momentum swing,” said the former Meon Valley and Lee-on-the-Solent member.
•FULL SCORES – SURREY v HAMPSHIRE