After nearly hitting an ace on the par three fourth hole, and then racking up birdies at 10 and 11, Jones felt he “might be a chance”.
That was backing up his first two rounds carding 73 and 76 in the title race.
But Jones admitted there was no way he was counting any chickens early this year after being in a winning position a few years ago, with just a handful of holes to play, and “finding a way to lose”.
A stumble and bogey at the 17th did nothing to unsettle him and when he reached the tee on the last he knew he was three shots clear of Wade Jeffries, who was already in the clubhouse.
Jones may also go down as the most laid-back winner in the championship’s history.
Instead of celebrating his victory, the 53-year-old, now living near Lockington, was more concerned about qualifying for the club’s senior championship in two years.
“That brings you back to earth with a bit of a thud,” Jones laughed.
“I have been a member at Rich River for about 35 years so yes, it was great to win the championship but there are no major golf aspirations coming off the back of this,” he said.
“For me golf is more about playing once or twice a week to catch up with my mates, it’s just that I also play off scratch. So yes, I’ll be happy just playing with them rather than worrying about more championships.”
When he’s not flogging the golf ball around, Jones runs Post 'n' Rail at Lockington, which produces heavy-duty, steel-reinforced precast concrete posts and rails.
While today was a first at RRGC, it is the third championship Jones has won in his decidedly amateur career.
He has also taken out the title at Horsham and Lockington.
“I was hitting them well off the tee today, the shot at the fourth was nearly a hole in one, but with my driving and irons I was glad to be reaching the greens in regulation and not rely on my chipping,” Jones added.
“But the closer we got to the end of the round, the less I wanted to know about who was leading who, I just wanted to focus on my game because I was pretty sure I didn’t want to do anything wrong while thinking about it,” he said.
“The 18th is a par four and I hit the fairway off the tee and just played it out from there.
“Wade Jeffries, who came second, was in the group ahead of me, and Aaron Loader, who I was playing with and who had been in the hunt, bogeyed the last.”
And by then, Jones was the 2026 Rich River Golf Club champion.
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