Highly-respected Australian-born scribe, Bernie McGuire celebrated Australia Day (January 26th) with a booming victory drive down the last hole in a ‘winner takes all’ encounter against leading European Tour photographer, Eoin Clarke.

It was insignificant Clarke completely dominated the match winning 4up over eight holes on the Academy course that ajoins the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters championship course here in Doha.

But given the importance of the day for all Australians your author thought it best to share in the celebration and allow his Irish-born good friend to bask in the glory of a rare win over his rival.

And it makes no matter that Eoin refused to get involved in the ‘winner takes all’ suggestion of the longest drive down the par four, ninth hole to ultimately decide the overall winner this morning.

However my good friend from Kells got involved in the frivolity by stepping up and proudly finding the fairway on the dog-leg left challenge by easily managing to negoiate a number large boulders lying on the corner of the dog-leg.

And if to add further credence to the challenge he passed some comment to the effect:  “Well, try and match that.”

Up stepped McGuire and fighting hard to put aside suggestions of ‘I’m not getting involved in this sham’ or ‘I whipped you fair and square’ he sent a booming drive left of the boulders that managed to scramble through wasteland and then brilliantly find its way back onto the fairway.

And after young Eoin had resigned my ball to the waste area here it was sitting up on the fairway a massive 50 yards ahead of the talented young snapper.

Happy Australia Day everyone!

Bernie beside his bag of hire clubs.

Renowned Irish snapper, Eoin Clarke is not certain if he’s covering the Tour de France or the European Golf Tour.

Despite a legacy of being left-handed Bernie is about to send his drive some 50-yards past his younger Irish challenger.