Local golfer Scott Mann won the Craw’s Nest Tassie for a record-equalling third time, adding to his back-to-back success in 2004 and 2005. After six days and eight rounds of golf over the Championship and Buddon Links Courses, Mann enjoyed a convincing 7&5 victory over Steve Sansome of Birstall GC to lift the Tassie trophy.
An opening round of 77 on the Buddon Links Course, followed by 80 on a blustery day over the Championship Course saw Mann comfortably into the Tassie matchplay, six shots below the qualifying total of 163 while Sansome came through the qualifying rounds with an impressive total of 150.
Mann opened up his matchplay campaign beating Damian Scholes of Celtic Manor 3&1 while Sansome was a 5&4 winner against Steven Phillip. In the 2nd Round, Mann needed an extra hole to overcome Addington Palace’s Daniel Johnson, while Sansome enjoyed another solid win, beating Richard Buck 6&4.
Mann recorded a 5&4 win against Steve Adkins of Stock Brook Manor in the 3rd Round and Sansome beat current Carnoustie Links Champion Dan Lawrence 3&1. Sansome faced his toughest test of the competition so far in the quarter-finals, needing no fewer than eight extra holes before overcoming Daniel Adkins of Stock Brook Manor while Mann defeated Mike Seenan 3&2 in the same round.
In the semi-finals, Mann was in an all-Carnoustie tie as he faced two-time Tassie winner Andy Fyfe and needed three extra holes to beat him. In the other semi-final, Sansome narrowly beat Maurits Oosterhof 2&1.
In the final, Mann wasted no time in taking the advantage, going 3UP thru the first five holes. He kept his momentum up and the match came to it’s conclusion after the 13th with Mann beating Sansome 7&5.
Mann now has automatic entry into the Tassie, if he chooses, for the next five years.