It was almost certain before the final day that the GinCup trophy would see a new name engraved in Portugal as Pete and PJ could not stand up to their performance of the previous years. It was another solid two day grind of Obi that saw him in a 6 point lead with Jan and Chris sitting next to each other in the slipstream while Biggi was also still in the race, but needed a multiple pile up on top of the race to give him the outsider chance.
At the end of the race things were also still tight. While chances to be picked up by the berry wagon was again the highest for Bob who was sitting in last position – also Robert, Mulles and Tim could have been hit by the onion if they would crash into the guard rails.
Getting closer to the finish line things developed again completely different than expected. It was the morning of the final when Bob opened his eyes and already felt that his fine tuned body was out of sync. Moving like a mummy he rolled over and looked at the snoring german on the bed next to him. His neck. How should he make one of his technical almost perfect swings - that the “onion maker” Harry developed especially for him - without his neck? As Tim told reporters afterwards he thinks that he saw an onion tear running down his face already…
A few rooms down the hallway Obi woke up. After 3 perfectly planned days where he drank less alcohol than a 4 year old on his 5th birthday, slept more than a toddler, got massaged like a wagyu beef and saw himself another time in contention while he knew that everybody expected the engine failure on the last stretch, he was ready to step it up this time. Or wasn’t he?
Unfortunately, Bob should be right. The nerves got the better of him. This time it was the ones in his neck before the others could take over. After 4 painful holes he realised that there was no point of going through this tragedy all the way and he withdrew from the competition. Sad for Bob but relieved from being haunted by the onion, Robert and Mulles released their potential and put down their best performance on day 3.
The middle flight saw PJ and Pete showcasing that they should not be forgotten yet. The reigning champion Pete used his chance to take the win on the final day and leave the GinCup21 with his eyes on the trophy for next year.
And in the leader flight? The race got off to a tight start with everybody performing to his standards. It was Biggi who first lost control and ended in the gravel bed early to finish day 3 in seventh position. While Chris, Jan and Obi kept on swapping positions throughout the day, no major extension of a lead could be made. It should be #obinationale that took his heart in both hands and accelerated in the last third of the race to a 3 up lead to Chris that made him teeing of on 18 - knowing that his one year long preparation that saw him travelling to Lisbon to plan his course management earlier this year, taking 70+ lessons and hiring a personal trainer to make him look sharper than CR7 on Botox - paid off. With goose bumps he walked down the last hole before his arms extended to the sky, the crowd pleased him and champagne rained down on him like every Friday in his office.
It was intense, it was brutal, it was pure joy – Well Done Champ!
Now its time to recover and reset – It´s Safari time!!! Gin Cup2022 CAPETOWN
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