A double bogey on the 18th hole cost Haydn Porteous a place in the last 16 at the Saltire Energy Paul Lawrie Match Play in Germany, writes WADE PRETORIUS.
The 23-year-old is the second South African to be sent home after losing 1 down to defending champion Anthony Wall as he follows Justin Walters in the exit aisle. Walters came undone against Spain’s Nacho Elvira on Thursday, leaving Zander Lombard as SA’s last remaining hope at the Bad Griesbach Golf Resort in Germany.
Porteous opened his match with a birdie on the first, but trailed after fives holes following two birdies in a row from Wall. He responded well with two wins at 8 and 9, before losing the 10th when Wall made an eagle 3. Then he bounced back with two wins in a row, leaving him in pole position with a two-hole advantage walking to the 13th tee.
Wall would birdie the 14th to pull one back and was level when Porteous made five on the 15th.
The match continued its ebb and flow as Porteous nearly holed out on the 16th to move one up with two to play. Both found the green on the par 3 17th, but it was the Englishman who would make the putt to send the match the distance.
Neither player found the fairway off the 18th tee, but it was the South African who was worse off as he failed in his bid to draw a shot from the rough behind a tree. His approach was just short of the cart path in thick rough, and when he left his third in the same rough before a hollow in front of the green, the pendulum swung its final time.
Wall found the green with his third after laying up and lagged his putt to gimmie range, leaving Porteous a must-make putt for bogey to extend the match. A putt which started offline, and had no chance of saving Porteous.
