One five-foot putt by Bradley was all that stood between an outright title win for Albert and a playoff -- and in the end, the golf gods decided there would be no extra play on the day.
The reigning Super Senior provincial champion missed the short roller, giving Albert a one-shot win and his second Senior club title.
Albert shot rounds of 73 and 72 for a 145 total, Bradley carded 72 and 74 for 146.
“If I’d known how close it was, I’d have probably choked,” Albert joked shortly after the round. “I didn’t know what Ken was shooting, I knew he was one up on me from the day before and he was shooting close to par. I made a real nice chip on 17 to save par, and coming into 18 I didn’t know if I was one up or one down, so I just tried to play my ball.”
Another excellent chip set Albert up with a short putt of his own, and a few moments later, it was all over.
The win was a bit of vindication for Albert after losing in the final of the men’s club championship match-play tournament 48 hours earlier.
“It’s a totally different mindset out there,” Albert said. “With match, you’re able to take a few chances, where in medal play, you have to keep the ball in play and pay attention to every putt. The two formats are vastly different and it’s nice to compete well in both of them… I was pretty happy with a 72 in these winds, and after not winning the club men’s, it was a nice consolation.”
And getting past a player of Bradley’s calibre was no minor feat, either.
“I really respect Ken’s game, he’s 78-years-old and shoots his age or below each day, he has an amazing resume in senior golf and he’s a formidable foe,” Albert said. “I’m just proud to be able to beat him today.”
Tom Plosz and Bill Ross finished tied for third, with Plosz carding round of 74 and 77 for a 151 total, while Ross opened with a 75 and shot 76 in round two to also land at151
