Big-hitting ‘Hammer’ swings to another victory
The next event in the series at Grasslands is scheduled for August 31. Entrance for spectators is free. For more details contact Stephen van Zyl at gridoutlaws@gmail.com or WhatsApp him on 074 101 7501.
Jason ‘The Hammer’ Vickers bagged his second consecutive Grid Outlaws long-driving golf title with a hard-fought victory in the fifth leg of the popular event for the game’s big hitters at the Grasslands Driving Range on the outskirts of Benoni on July 27.
Not only did he secure back-to-back victories in a repeat of last month’s final against Julian Samu, but also unseated the seemingly immovable Thorne van Zyl as the Order of Merit leader for the first time in over three years.
Vickers had to sweat for his eventual victory, but once he found his rhythm and managed to counter the strong cross-wind howling across the grid, he started striking the ball sweetly.
First he had to fight his way back into contention via the loser’s pool after going down to Samu (350.1m) in the qualifying rounds, before being forced into a double elimination final due to his opponent’s unbeaten run en route to the decider.
Having offered his opponent first use of the elevated tee, he eventually out-drove the feisty Samu (364m) second-time around with an effort of 368.8m to take home the top prize.
The buoyant Samu’s consistency over five legs is bound to be rewarded soon, and one cannot help feeling he is on the brink of his first big win.
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The change of format from the Top Eight stage in order to conform to the world long drive standard put extreme pressure on the lesser experienced players, with the top-seeded player in each tie getting the option of setting a mark or chasing his opponent’s distance.
Vickers saw off the promising Marco das Neves in the semi-final after opting to chase and countered his opponents’ 360m effort with a 367m drive to advance to the final shootout.
The spectators could sense the tide was turning in the Order of Merit race by the Top 8 stage when the bearded Vickers slammed a massive 397m screamer down the middle of the grid, to relegate the out-of-sorts van Zyl to the loser’s pool.
Both Vickers and van Zyl leave next week for the European Long Drive Games in Spain, with the chance of a shot at the world title a week later.
Richard Emslie signalled his arrival on the circuit by winning the Amateur Division in his first event.
