Bobby lands island title number nine

OVER 36 holes it takes something very special to beat Bobby Eggo. Very few players in the Channel Islands have managed it over the past two-and-a-half decades, as the new champion's proud record shows.

Yesterday's 3 and 2 victory over brother Andy was his ninth island championship success.

Only twice in eight meetings with the Jersey champion, has he lost.

Andy probably had it in his mind that his big brother had something up his sleeve when he slid into a four-hole lead midway through the morning round.

By lunchtime Andy, now just one ahead, knew he was in for a huge battle and the first few holes of the afternoon round confirmed it.

Bobby played irrepressible golf post lunch.

If one gives him a four for the concession that came his way on the fourth (20th), and a par five for the sixth he lost to a birdie, then Bobby was four-under for the front nine and five-under when the brothers shook hands on the 16th green.

It was simply brilliant stuff by the former Walker Cup player.

Andy, so desperate to win that first island title after three previous final losses, should console himself in that he played some superb golf himself.

The L'Ancresse man was one-over for the morning round and, working on the basis he would have scraped a double-bogey six at the fourth, he was no more than one-over in the afternoon.

How different it might have been had Andy not missed a four-foot birdie putt on the first hole of the afternoon round, we will never know.

Bobby holed out from two feet for his birdie three and he was back on level terms, never to trail again.

Having finished the morning with birdies on 17 and 18, Bobby stayed with the mood on the resumption.

After his three at the first he launched a wedge to three feet at the second and with his brother missing his own birdie attempt from 15ft, rolled it in to go ahead.

At the third, Bobby hit a six iron to 12ft, but Andy was inside him by four feet.

But Bobby upped the ante by holing for a two and Andy lipped out to slip two down.

The pressure was telling on the younger brother.

At the fourth, he found the long grass down the left off the tee and then was forced into taking a drop when he smashed his second straight into a gorse bush.

With Bobby safely on in two and eyeing a long birdie putt, Andy shouted: 'pick it up Bob.'

Andy, to his great credit, settled, and he had to as Bobby kept piling on the pressure.

Andy won the fifth with a birdie from six feet after Bobby had missed his own birdie attempt from eight.

At the sixth, Andy's birdie did the trick after his brother had been forced to take a drop from bushes down the right, and at the seventh both narrowly missed putts for a two.

Bobby left his birdie putt three inches short at the halved eighth, but he doubled his lead at the next with a par after his chip from clingy grass from 40 yards out on the left, hit the pin and stopped dead.

A rare Bobby error arrived by way of a duffed chip at the 10th and Andy punished it, but the plus-two handicap re-established the two-hole buffer by holing out for birdie from 15ft feet at the 11th.

Andy gave himself a chance at 12, but missed from six feet to half the hole and when he did birdie from 10ft at the next, Bobby followed him in for his own three.

Time was fast running out for Andy and having halved the long 14th, Bobby moved dormy by taking the 15th with a par four.

All what was left was for Bobby to stay out of trouble or his brother to produce something miraculous.

Both found the 16th green in regulation, but with Bobby guaranteed a four, Andy's 15ft birdie putt stayed above ground and it was all over.

A great final.