McDonnell in glorious form

Sep 17 2008 by Tim Taylor, The Journal

CHRIS McDonnell, a former Barnardo’s boy, landed his first big win after 18 months as a professional yesterday – in a tournament which saw him lay to waste the other three winners of the 2008 regional majors.

The 26-year-old assistant at the Hexham club beat the Northumberland & Durham Open champion, Eaglescliffe’s Graeme Bell, 4&3 in the final of the PGA North East North West Region Matchplay Championship at Matfen Hall.

When the showdown started on Monday – for an elite field who had progressed to the last 16 – McDonnell landed a one-up victory over Newcastle-born Gary Donnison, now living in Cheshire.

The quarter-finals brought him a 4&2 triumph over Craig Goodfellow, the Cumbrian Masters champion, who last week negotiated the first stage of European Tour qualifying.

Yesterday morning’s semi-finals saw McDonnell beat the PGA North East North West strokeplay title holder, Teesside’s Vince Guest, at the first sudden-death extra hole.

It was that win which brought McDonnell the most satisfaction. Guest got off to a flying start with a six-under front nine, but McDonnell, four under, hung on manfully to keep the deficit down to two holes. McDonnell had made it all square by the 18th with sudden death starting on the par three 17th, where it also finished. McDonnell found the green with a four-iron into the wind and Guest found the water.

“The difference for me in this tournament was I feel I have now learned to stop beating myself up over bad shots and to just get on with it when I make a mistake,” said McDonnell.

“I did not put myself under pressure. I went into this with no expectations other than I was just going to enjoy my golf and then see what happened and that seemed to work out okay.”

Much of McDonnell’s amateur career – from the ages of 15 to 21 – was played out to the backdrop of a family life so discordant the former Prudhoe High School boy might have had ended up fending for himself. Happily, Barnardo’s were among those who helped him to pick up the pieces and, as an amateur representing the Stocksfield club, McDonnell was an England international who was Northumberland champion twice in three years.

His victim in yesterday’s final, Bell – one of the more lively characters of North East golf – did not so much beat himself up in defeat as metaphorically volunteer for a 12-round hiding by Joe Calzaghe. Asked for his take on it, the 45-year-old Bell said: “Tiredness. I am now such an old knacker I get shattered when I play two rounds in one day, never mind four rounds in two days.

“Chris found his rhythm halfway through the back nine while I felt as if I was falling into a hole I was so tired. I was swimming against the tide. He won four holes on the belt from 12 to 15. That was that – exit the old man.”