Issue 155

Golf team salvage Varsity point

08th May 2007

Cardiff 2.5 - Swansea 2.5

Swansea's golf team arrived in Cardiff with low expectations in the build up to their Varsity fixture.

Cardiff's golf team are a league higher than Swansea's and as a result captain Dan Jones was not expecting much from the tie other than a loss.

Swansea had not had the most successful of seasons and as a result have not fared well in their league. Alll things included it was looking pretty grim for Swansea's golfers.

This turned out to be unnecessary as they held Cardiff to a draw and shared the honours. Jones led the way early on, hitting the ball cleanly off the tee and chipping deftly to put pressure onto those from the Welsh capital.

The match swung back and forth and could have gone either way as both teams battled for dominance, but with Swansea consistently playing above themselves, Cardiff were never allowed to escape their grasp. With the last hole to play Swansea managed to hold on to an important and memorable draw that will linger in their minds for some time, and earn Swansea a valuable point in the Varsity Shield, one of only five on the day.

Captain Jones said afterwards "We played really well and deserved our draw" he then added "We weren't really expecting much but on the day we wanted it more and came away with a half". The result gives the men's golf team a foundation to work from in seeking to improve themselves in the years to come, including future Varsity matches when they seek to defend their Varsity title next year.

This rounded up a fairly disappointing year for the Swansea University Golf team, only winning one of their eight fixtures, and finishing bottom of their BUSA group. Hopefully this can be improved in the coming years and Swansea can make their way up the BUSA tables and challenge in future Varsity events.

Stuart Phillips