Dobson retails County title with epic finish
May 12 2009 by Tim Taylor, The Journal
PAULINE Dobson produced an epic finish to win the Durham County Ladies Championship for the third time in a row, and the sixth time in all, on a sun-kissed day at Chester-le-Street.
In an all South Moor final, Dobson had lost first a two-shot lead and then a three-shot advantage by the time she came off the 16th green all square with the big-hitting teenager, Rebecca McGinley.
On the last two holes, Dobson pounced with the surefire aim of an expert craftswoman.
At the 17th, the 39-year-old civil servant from Dipton landed a 30ft putt. It was a roller-coaster effort, right to left, that “just snuck in” as she later put it.
At 18, it looked as if it might be back to all square again when Dobson’s approach arched to the left of the green before coming to rest 17ft from the flag behind a bunker on a bare uphill lie. “All I was thinking was ‘make sure you follow through’,” said Dobson, which she did well enough to float a glorious sand wedge to a foot for a gimme. McGinley conceded the hole and a title she had hoped was in her grasp against the same opponent in the final last year, when she lost after standing three up with seven holes to play.
Never in front this time, she bit her lip as she tried to hold back the tears, but eventually had to concede to her emotions as well, sobbing gently on the shoulders of her caddy, club colleague and former champion Louise Richardson. Losing her ball off the tee at six and missed putts of 5ft at 11 and 2½ft at 12 eventually left McGinley with too steep a mountain to climb.
