Champion feels for Eggo

NIGEL VAUDIN tempered his joy at landing his third island title in 12 years with sympathy for his defeated opponent in the final of the Deutsche Bank Island Championships, Andy Eggo. Like many observers, Vaudin felt for the man who, when he levelled at the 36th and final scheduled hole, was on the brink of winning that elusive first title after losing four previous finals.

A couple of minutes later his rekindled hope had turned to desperation.

Eggo, with the honour as they stood on the first teebox for the third time on the day, carved his drive deep into the gorse down the right.

Vaudin pulled out a two iron, knocked it over the hill into the first cut on the left and, barring a miracle, the match was over.

Even had Eggo found his ball, and many in the large gallery tried, he would have had to go back to the path which links the course and Chouet beach, so without fuss he re-loaded and smashed a second drive deep down the fairway.

The end was near. Vaudin found the green in three and, realistically, Eggo's last chance went when his chip for bogey lipped out of the hole.

Vaudin had two putts from 10ft for the trophy and needed only one.

'You've got to feel for him a bit,' said the winner, who had beaten the same man in his previous island championship win.

'I just felt in the morning he was a bit nervous.

'He obviously wants it so badly and perhaps he tries too hard at times.'

Vaudin admitted his game has come on a good deal since the Hampshire Sevens clash against L'Ancresse where he had performed miserably against Ian Thomas.

'Even up until Thursday my short game had not been very good but I made a lot of good saves in the quarter and semi-finals.'

It was a final that never really took off.

Eggo's short game let him down consistently and, in truth, Vaudin won it with his ability to get up and down from awkward situations.

That was particularly the case in the morning round.

Eggo was one up at the turn, but lost 10 and 11 to pars to trail for the second time in the match.

Vaudin doubled his advantage with a birdie at the long 14th and thereafter it was a case of protecting his lead and over the closing four holes he could not have done it better with save after save.

The scoring was handy without being spectacular.

Eggo, still two down at lunch, had knocked it around in 73.

Vaudin, who conceded the ninth, was one over if you give him a bogey at the second cross-road hole on the front nine.

The afternoon round opened with Eggo duffing his chip into the first and losing it to par, but he quickly hit back with a winning par at the second after Vaudin found bother down the left.

Vaudin was no longer quite so convincing on the greens, by the seventh it was all-square and it was still level at the turn.

Then Vaudin made another move.

Eggo was already making a hash of the 10th when the Royal Guernsey diehard sunk an 8ft putt from beyond the flag for a birdie and the win.

Then at the 11th, Vaudin's putter came to the rescue again, as he rolled in a 15-footer for a winning four.

Eggo missed his par effort from 10ft but immediately got one back at the uphill 12th, Vaudin's short putt for a half in pars lipping out.

After halving the 13th in fours, both men gave themselves good birdie opportunities at the 14th, only to miss short putts and Eggo's putter was to let him down again at 16 where he produced a magnificent approach to three feet and then allowed the putt to slide by on the right.

Both men went close with long birdie putts at the penultimate hole and at the last Eggo's ball off the tee looked dead on line, but came up short by 25ft.

Vaudin nervously hit a low iron into the short hole but over-cooked it and dragged it to the second cut of grass on the rim of the green on the far left and duly three-putted to lose the hole to par.

Then that dramatic 37th.

As soon as Eggo's ball veered right Vaudin knew he was in luck.

'I thought he's let me in here and that's why I got the two iron out.

'I went so far right there was nowhere for him to go.'