The final match for the 1998 HAGA Match Play Championship was played at Pinecrest G.C. on Friday July 24^th, 1998. The final Match was played between John Kelly and Bob Jones.

After six holes, Jones had a three up lead. Kelly then reeled of eight straight par’s, which put Jones three down through fourteen holes. Jones then took no’s fifteen & sixteen holes with a par - bogey, to get the match back to even.

Both players played to par on the seventeenth hole, with Jones making a five ft. putt to keep the match even.

With the match even, both playerS began play on the par five, eighteenth 18 hole. Kelly drove his tee shot into the water hazard on the left side of the eighteenth fairway. Jones kept his tee shot in the right rough. Jones hit his third shot into the water hazard left of the eighteenth green, and played his fifth shot to the fringe behind the eighteenth green. Kelly ‘s fourth shot was on the green fifty feet left of the pin. Jones chipped his sixth shot in the hole to give him a net five for the hole. Kelly left his fifth shot short of the hole, to give Jones a one up lead, and the match.

The match was exciting for both players, due to the back and forth struggle, through seventeen holes. Going to the eighteenth hole, with the match tied, was as good as it gets in match play competition. Unfortunately someone has to lose, and John Kelly was gracious in his loss, and to lose to a chip in, which was more luck than skill, was a tough way to lose the match.