Taking On An Open Championship Course With Only A Bag Of Irons!

When resident staff writer and PGA Professional Joe Ferguson was told that he was to be taking on fellow PGA Pro and YouTube stalwart Matt Fryer in a match around Royal Liverpool Golf Club, he decided to spice things up a little. Firstly, he raided the Golf Monthly petty cash box for some stake money and set the prize fund for the match at a penny per yard, meaning that a 136-yard par 3 would be worth £1.36 with the money on offer rising along with the hole's yardage. Secondly, as he had recently been fitted with the new Fujikura Axiom Iron shafts, he decided to try and tip the balance in his favor and decided they would take on this 9-hole challenge with only their irons…

WATCH: Joe Ferguson and Matt Fryer battle it out at Royal Liverpool GC

Hole 1 - 370 yards = £3.70

Keen to be a gracious host, Joe gave Matt the honor and watched as he popped a beautifully struck 4-iron just down the right-hand side. Joe followed suit and the balls were basically on top of one another. A slightly over-hit approach from Matt and a pulled 9-iron from Joe left the two competitors in a chip-off for first blood. Matt came out on top here with a lovely up and down, and a missed 7-footer from Joe awarded Matt with the princely sum of £3.70…

Matt  +£3.70

Hole 2 - 374 yards = £3.74

A slightly thin, weak tee shot from Matt opened the door for Joe on hole number 2, and his well-struck 4-iron gave him a significant distance advantage on hole 2. Some serious trouble in Royal Liverpool's treacherous greenside bunkers paved the way for a swift concession from Matt, so Joe was back in the ball game with a 4p lead!

Joe +£0.04

Hole 3 - 413 yards = £4.13

One of the most daunting holes on the course (some may know it as the 1st, but this match followed the Open Championship routing), with out-of-bounds all the way down the right from tee to green, both players negotiated the tee shot well. A laser-like approach from Joe with a 5 iron to 10 feet applied some pressure to his opponent which he succumbed to! A leaked approach shot stayed in bounds by the width of a coat of paint, however, the exceptional subsequent up and down took the wind out of Joe's sales leading to an inevitable missed birdie putt and the first halved hole. As such the money rolled over for a bumper 4th Hole...

Joe + £0.04

Hole 4 - 356 yards = £3.56 plus the £4.13 rollover = £7.69!

Two fairly well-negotiated tee balls left longer than usual approach shots into the 4th. Joe went first and although perfectly online, his ball dropped into the front bunker, while Matt cautiously and sensibly played to the middle of the green. An over-hit bunker shot from Joe ran through the green and down into a collection area and the subsequent double bogey allowed Matt an easy victory here and the first big payday of £7.69!

Matt + £7.65!

Hole 5 - 485 yards = £4.85

The first par 5 and both players hit slightly down the right-hand side into the semi-rough.  A pulled layup from Matt gave Joe the advantage which he gladly accepted. Matt's approach shot from the rough caught the mother of all flyers and sailed over the back of the green into a near-impossible position. A pragmatic approach and two putts from Joe were enough to take the hole and reduce the deficit to £2.80!

Matt + £2.80

Hole 6 - 151 yards = £1.51

The first of the par 3s and both players were somewhat deceived by the wind from the tee, with both tee balls dropping short and right of the green. Joe's strategy of putting from off the green as much as possible paid off with a hard working up and down so when Matt’s chip got away from him a little, and his subsequent putt slipped by the hole, another payday went Joe's way and he was starting to gather some momentum…

Matt + £1.29

Hole 7 - 385 yards = £3.85

A long tough par 4, but fortunately helped by the wind, both Matt and Joe struck solid 4 irons down the center of the fairway. A sensible approach from Matt left a long birdie putt, but smelling blood, Joe took dead aim with his 7-iron and struck a beauty to within 10 feet of the hole. A solid two-putt from Matt gave Joe the opportunity for three in a row which he happily grabbed with both hands! It was Joe's to lose now…

Joe + £2.56

Hole 8 - 387 yards - £3.87

With the game swinging in his direction, Joe kept his foot on the gas with his best-struck tee ball of the day about 230 yards down the middle with a 4-iron. Matt veered a touch right again but into no danger. A solid approach to around 30 feet from Matt applied some pressure to Joe and when he found his ball in a horrible old divot that pressure intensified. He dealt with it well however and matched Matt's approach. Solid two putts from both players meant that the 8th hole prize pot of £3.87 rolled onto the 9th….

Joe + £2.56

Hole 9 - 178 yards - £1.78 (Generously doubled to £3.56!) 

As the 9th hole at Hoylake is a par 3, and as such only £1.78 was up for grabs, Joe decided to be generous and offer Matt a lifeline! He doubled the available prize fund on the hole to £3.56 to keep things interesting! Playing with the lead, Joe hit a safe and solid tee shot to the middle of the green but Matt grabbed his lifeline with both hands, rifling a long iron to within ten feet of the flag. After a cautious approach putt from range by Joe, the door was open for Matt to steal victory from the jaws of defeat… Agonizingly for Matt, his putt slipped by, and after Joe mopped up from 3 feet, the match was done and we could add the princely sum of £2.56 back into the Golf Monthly petty cash jar!

Result: Joe Wins £2.56! 

To find out more about VeloCore technology and where you can get fitted for the Axiom iron shafts used by Matt and Joe, visit the Fujikura website.