Hometown hero Brett Rumford nailed his final drive to beat Thai teenager Phachara Khongwatmai 2&1 in the six-hole matchplay final to win the inaugural World Super 6 title in Perth on Sunday and claim back his European Tour card.
Despite the innovative format, the 39-year-old Australian put together what was effectively a wire-to-wire victory at the Lake Karrinyup Country Club, having finished the first three rounds of stroke play with a five-shot lead.
The final was all square until the fourth hole when Rumford somehow got himself out of the trees, over a bunker and onto the green with a brilliant second shot before sinking a 10-foot putt to take the lead.
At the par-three penultimate hole, Rumford hit his tee shot to within three feet of the flag, while Phachara found the greenside bunker and had no luck putting his way out of the sand to effectively concede the contest.
“It’s amazing, particularly with the new format, the first win in that,” said Rumford. “It’s been a long, hard-fought week (and) I’m really proud of myself.” Golf has been desperately trying to widen its fan base.
This is evident in equipment advances, rules changes, apparel and new venues and competitions. Last World Super 6 Perth was constructed in this vein, pushing the limits of tournament construction.
The event - co-sanctioned by the European Tour, PGA Tour of Australasia and Asian Tour - began like most professional tournaments: the top 65 players and ties after two-days of stroke play make the weekend.
However, here was where the World Super 6 took a turn. The 65 remaining players were vying to be in the low 24 that advanced to Sunday match play. The top eight players after 54 holes earned a bye to the ‘Sweet 16’.
And, instead of your typical 18-hole competitions, the matches were played over six holes. It was a sixth European Tour victory for Rumford, who turned professional the year after Phachara was born, and re-secured him the tour rights he lost at the end of last year.
“It’s massive,” he added. “I had a tough year but I’m back and I couldn’t be happier.” While Rumford dominated all four days of the tournament, Phachara had trailed by nine shots after round three and grabbed the 24th and final spot in Sunday’s match play knockout series with a par at the third playoff hole.
The 17-year-old was on fire on Sunday, however, and wins over locals Sam Brazel, Lucas Herbert, Matt Millar and Jason Scrivener put him into the final. He faced a long wait as Rumford battled his way past Adam Bland in the semifinals and his touch ultimately deserted him at the end of a long day in the Perth sunshine.
Asked whether it was fair that a player nine shots off the pace after the third round should be in the hunt for the title at the end of day four, Rumford, the trophy safely in his hands, said he was happy with anything that was good for the sport.
“It really comes down to the people and golf is bigger than one person,” he said. “If it’s going to grow the game ... and brings a bit more excitement and thrill, if that’s what we’ve created, then I think we’ve done a great job.”
Bland, who knocked out former British Open champion Louis Oosthuizen in the quarter-finals, finished third after beating Scrivener 1-up in a playoff. Is the conservative golf world ready for an innovative format?
To the players in attendance, the competition was not a gimmick, but a wave of welcomed fresh air.