Rudgeley Reigns Supreme in Perth
Perth was sensational! The largest crowd of the series witnessed Kirsten Rudgeley claim her maiden Blitz title after two spectacular shots.
Earlier in the event, the crowds flocked around the two marquee groups—one featuring club favourite Haydn Barron, Brett Rumford, Whitney Hillier, and the other with social media sensations Ron Chopper, Big Red, Joel Innes, and young gun Jak Carter. The atmosphere around the par-3 9th green and Stadium Hole was incredible, and there was certainly a big tournament feel.
Round 1
Brett and Haydn handled the pressure best, with Haydn Barron capitalising on several birdie opportunities to lead at -3 through his six holes and Brett Rumford close behind at -2. Shae Wools-Cobb was the other player who shot under par with -1.
In blowy conditions, it wasn’t a surprise to see the cut line move out, eventually with three players tied at +2. Scott Barr, Braden Becker, and Whitney Hillier had one NTP shot to determine who advanced to Round 2. Unfortunately, Whitney, who earlier sunk a shot from off the green to make the tiebreaker, was eliminated.
Round 2
During the three holes for Round 2, the prediction was that -1 would be required. Rumford was unable to take advantage of his birdie opportunities and finished even, while Haydn couldn’t reproduce his Round 1 effort. Going into the final hole, there were six players tied at -1; however, bogeys from Jak Carter and Scott Barr resulted in no tiebreaker being required.
Jordan Doull was the best at -2 after some exceptional long-range putts, while Kirsten Rudgeley produced the shot of the tournament with a hole-out eagle from around 50m on the Stadium Hole. This shot catapulted her from 12th to equal 1st! Lachlan Barker and Hayden Hopewell also advanced to the final at -1.
Final
Jordan was up first on the par-3 final on the Stadium Hole and hit an excellent shot just past the pin. Lachlan, in his third Blitz Golf Final, and Hayden, in his second, then both left their shots under the hole with a bit of work to do before Kirsten followed up her previous round shot with a stunning shot to within a few feet. The pressure was now on.
Hayden and Lachlan missed long-range putts before Jordan’s putt was agonisingly close. This allowed Kirsten to step up, seize the moment, and convert her birdie to claim the win, becoming the second female champion after Karis’ triumph in Blitz Brisbane during last year’s series.
It was an amazing event to conclude the series, which had several thousand spectators across four states. Next year’s series will be much anticipated as the Blitz Golf League grows to new heights.