AUSSIES MASTERS MEMORIES

The Australian Masters was an integral part of the Australasian Tour from 1979 to 2015, with Huntingdale Golf Club being its home until 2008 before it was rotated around different courses in the Melbourne Sandbelt.

5. SENIOR TURNS BACK THE CLOCK 2015, Huntingdale

Peter Senior claimed his third Australian Masters and, at 56, became the oldest winner of the event. The Queenslander carded a final round 68 to claim a two-stroke win over American Bryson DeChambeau. The evergreen Senior also won the Australian Open, aged 53, and the Australian PGA, aged 51.

4. PETE THE PLAY-OFF KING 2002, Huntingdale

Peter Lonard won his second Gold Jacket in 2002 in a dramatic sudden death play-off against fellow New South Welshman Gavin Coles. Adam Scott dipped out at the first extra hole and the play-off continued until Lonard parred Huntingdale’s 18th hole, against Coles’ bogey. The win moved Lonard into the Top-50 of the world ranking and earned him a start at the U.S. Masters.

Lonard’s first Masters victory in 1997 also came in a play-off, on the second extra hole against Peter O’Malley.

3. SPENCE’S DREAM REALISED 1999, Huntingdale

Craig Spence often day-dreamed about winning the Australian Masters in front of his home crowd on his home course. He got that chance in 1999 as he played in the final group on Sunday alongside his idol, Greg Norman, in front of a gallery of nearly 30,000 people.

Spence was two in front at the start of the day but the Shark, in search of his seventh Gold Jacket, had drawn level as they walked down the 18th fairway. The youngster grabbed his chance and hit one of the great closing shots in the history of Australian golf – a 6-iron from 171 metres that trickled to 60 centimetres past the pin – to set up a tournament winning birdie.

2. TIGER TIME 2009, Kingston Heath

The tournament controversially moved away from its traditional home at Huntingdale for the first time in 2009. All that was forgotten when Tiger Woods – playing with the promise of a $3 million-dollar appearance fee – turned up to play. And he didn’t disappoint.

The undisputed World No.1 led from wireto-wire carding rounds of 66-68-72-68 to defeat Greg Chalmers by two strokes. “All the guys have raved about this golf course and I understand why,’’ a gold-jacketed Woods said.

Given the huge success of the 2009 event, no one could have imagined the Aussies Masters would only have another six years left on the Australasian Tour.

1. NORMAN v FALDO 1990, Huntingdale

You couldn’t ask for a better script. Long-time rivals – Norman, the World No.1, and Faldo, No.2 – in the final group Sunday. The occasion was not lost on the Melbourne golfing public, with a gallery ten deep lining Huntingdale’s 1st fairway. Faldo started the final round with a two-shot advantage and was seemingly on the march to a Gold Jacket when Norman doublebogeyed the par-5 6th. The Shark eagled the next hole to reduce the deficit before eventually catching the Englishman with a barrage of four birdies to one over the next 11 holes. It wouldn’t be the last time Norman and Faldo went head-to-head for a coveted jacket … and the result would be reversed.