Hosts Victoria win elusive Maccabi Presidents Cup

In their home state on March 22, at the magnificent Heritage Golf & Country Club northeast of Melbourne, team Victoria comprehensively beat WA and NSW to clinch their first Maccabi Australia Presidents Cup title win since 2018.

Played between selected 12-man squads, in a combination of team and individual match-ups – interspersed with social activities and a day trip to a nearby winery – this year’s tournament lived up to its reputation as the premier men’s event on the Maccabi Australia golfing calendar.

Participants were treated to perfect weather and outstanding playing conditions on the practice day, and the subsequent three full days of competition.

It began with a Presidents Cup dinner, where Maccabi Golf’s national president Tony Beaconsfield and Victorian president and team Victoria captain Joe Dorfman formally welcomed all players.

Both emphasised that while competition is central to the event, its deeper purpose lies in strengthening community connection – particularly important in the current environment.

The Victorians set the tone with a dominant performance on day one, achieving a clean sweep of matches to earn six points, to lead WA by four points and NSW by five.

WA kept in touch on day two by earning four points, matching Victoria’s tally for the day, while NSW only added one point.

The individual golfing highlight of the tournament also occurred on day two, when WA’s Daniel Gomer nailed a hole-in-one on a par three hole, and celebrated in appropriate fashion, with a big smile, a fist pump and a word that’s not fit for print.

Heading into the third and final day, when extra points were on offer in the singles matches, Victoria led WA by four points, and NSW by eight.

There were close contests between many players to close out the tournament, but Victoria maintained their strong form, winning 8.5 of their 12 singles matches to secure a comprehensive victory, reaching a total of 18.5 points.

It ended up being a tight battle for second and third place, with WA finishing on nine points, just 0.5 ahead of a fast-finishing NSW.

Six Victorian players completed all three days undefeated in their matches – Joe Dorfman, Tony Beaconsfield, Rob Goldstein, Darren Seidl, Phil Serry and Jett Nathan.

A significant inclusion in this year’s event was the introduction of the Allen Garb Award – a perpetual trophy recognising a player who demonstrates exceptional enthusiasm, team spirit, connection and performance.

Darren Seidl of team Victoria was the inaugural winner and was presented with the award by Garb himself, who has participated in every President’s Cup since its inception – firstly for WA in 2005 and 2006, then for more than a decade for Victoria, and this year for WA once again.

Garb, who recently moved to the Gold Coast, was recognised for his dedication and leadership to Maccabi golf and to the Presidents Cup, and was not told about the perpetual trophy being named in his honour before the presentation.

“I was absolutely blown away by that – it was totally unexpected – and I feel very humbled by it,” Garb told The AJN last Friday.

“I’ve been to 20 Presidents Cups, and I feel that this one was one of, if not, the best overall – the organisers thought of every possible thing that a player or team needed.

“And it was a pleasure to play this year for WA – the state where I first started in Australia – and whose team always rises to the occasion against better teams on paper, and who have won the previous three consecutive editions of the Cup.”

This year’s tournament was also notable for the diversity of age groups within teams. While most teams had a core of golfers aged between 20 and 45, there were also experienced veterans, while the youngest player was team Victoria’s rising star Benjamin Lewis, who is only 13.

Seidl described receiving the first Allen Garb Award as “an absolute honour, to win a trophy named after someone who has contributed so much to Maccabi golf – and it was my first Presidents Cup!

“It was exciting to be a part of the winning team, and for many other players in team Victoria, I think there was a sense of relief too.

“Our whole squad prepared well under [captain] Joe and the leadership group, and I think that playing at a familiar course helped us too.”

Dorfman added, “Our preparation was fantastic this year, we practised a lot and we wanted to play well for each other, and really had our sights on winning the title this time.”

It was eight years since Victoria’s last Presidents Cup triumph, albeit that there was no tournament played in both 2020 and 2021, due to the pandemic.

NSW captain Danton Stoloff said, “It’s always an incredible experience to play in a Presidents Cup, and this one was no exception – and it was great to see Allen [Garb] honoured in such a special way.

“We congratulate Victoria for being great hosts, and for winning the trophy this year, after they’d struggled in recent years.

“While it was disappointing that we came third, it was a new golf course for us, but we finished day three well.

“And it was a pleasure, but also slightly nerve-wracking, to play against young Benjamin [Lewis], as I didn’t want to lose to a 13-year-old!

“I managed to get up, but we had a really great tussle.”

NSW is due to host next year’s tournament.