From Tony Durkin
FABULOUS FIFTH: Dave Rattray has turned in a brilliant final round three-under par 69 to come from two shots back to win his fifth Headland Men’s Championship in the past 11 years. Rattray, who has previously won the prestigious title in 2009, 2011, 2012 and last year, trailed big-hitting Mat Walkenhorst going into Sunday’s final round but was off to a sensational start, with five birdies in an unblemished first 14 holes. He faltered with bogeys on the 15th and 18th, but finished the Championships five shots clear with a three-under par 72-hole total of 285. Walkenhorst, who led the Championships from the outset, stumbled with a disappointing final-round 76 which included three bogeys and a double. The next best score on day four came from 2016 champion Adam Rydwanksi, who shot par and finished fourth, one behind Adam Richards a former two-time champion. Matt Hetherington (332) won B Grade, Graham Cartledge (363) won C Grade and Brian Kesby (314) prevailed in the Seniors, while the talented Bailey Murchie (309) is the new Junior Champion.
MATT’S MAGIC: Matt Hetherington, a carpenter with Qspec Building and Mobility at Maroochydore, has made a spectacular start to his golfing career by winning the B Grade Men’s Championship after just two years playing the game competitively. And he did it in spectacular fashion, with birdies on the final two holes on Sunday to beat popular member Justin Walsh by three shots. But not only did he win the gross event with 332 for 72 holes, he also returned the best B Grade nett score (280). And Matt needed to finish with a flourish on Sunday after Justin, who started nine shots behind, scored An impressive five-over par 77 in the final round.
JOSIE IS SAFE: A somewhat frenzied second nine on Saturday, in which she had three birdies, a par and five bogeys, has Josie Ryan within sight of her 16th Headland Ladies Championship. Josie started on the back nine with a par 37 before coming home in two-over for a 75, her best round of the Championships which conclude with the final 18 holes on Thursday. Her three-round total of 239 leads from teenager Dominique Paice (252) and Sharon Thomas (259). A similar gap separates the B Grade field with Gwen Nancarrow (286) leading from Liz Dunford (300) and Wil Sprake (302), while C Grade is much closer – Maureen Cartledge (332) leads from Leanne Ptak (333) and Katrina Watts (335).
GOLF PILATES: Chiropractor Darcy Brown understands the need for flexibility on the golf course and credits recent Golf Pilates sessions with his wife Kylie for his first-ever win at Headland on Wednesday. Busy Darcy, who has played just half dozen rounds this year, had a day out in the Single Stableford event scoring 40 points to win B Grade and also snared the Pro Pin on the 12th hole for a tidy collect of $110. Despite wiping the 10th hole, he scorched home on the back nine with 21 points, including birdies on 11 and 14.
RICH RICHARDSON: Peter Richardson signed up to Amateur Golf Challenge before he ventured onto the course to play Wednesday’s Single Stableford event and walked away a winner in more ways than one. Not only did the nine-marker return the best score of the day – 41 points – he won A Grade ($65) and collected $152 for backing himself with AGC to beat his handicap. AGC, an Australia-wide competition for amateur golfers, sponsored Wednesday’s event at Headland and donated a percentage of their takings from new signees – $480 – to the club’s Junior Golf Program. Peter, who kicked off the Championships the previous weekend with a disastrous 10 on the tenth hole, again started on the back nine on Wednesday and was not impressed when he was six over after seven holes. But he played the following 11 holes magnificently – nine pars and two birdies.
JODIE’S JOY: Jodie McDonell has been a Headland member for 30 years and a club sponsor for ‘many, many’ years, but the real estate practitioner for Century 21 on Duporth can’t recall when she has had a better round than her 42 points in Thursday’s Stableford event. Playing in the Ladies Championship Overflow field, Jodie had 45 shots on both nines which represented a nett 67, three better than anyone playing in the Championships. Her good form was an extension of her Pennant win the previous Sunday when she came from five down at the turn to win 2&1. Jodie’s golfing goal for 2018 is return to A Grade, which means she has to lower her AGU handicap to 16. Currently on 19 and playing with renewed confidence, she is well on the way.
WHOOPS: Like most of us, Steve Browne – handicap 24 – loves his golf. And, like most of us, Steve can turn in a round every now and again that he would prefer to forget. That happened on Wednesday when, despite a birdie on the fourth hole that garnered him five Stableford points, Steve could manage only nine points for the front nine. He fared a little better on the back – 10 points – with a three-point bogey on 17. On the positive side, he finished ahead of 11 others and confirms he will be back to play again this week.
PENNANT FINALE: Headland’s Weekend Ladies’ Pennants team finished the 2018 season with a 3½-1½ win over Maroochy River at Gympie on Sunday, and finished fourth overall behind winners Mt Coolum. Winners for Headland in the final match were Wil Sprake (2up), Kate Wilkie (4&2) and Fiona Munro (3&1), while Kirsten Kaergaard squared her match. The victory followed last weekend’s comprehensive victory over Pacific Harbour, 4-1.
ROUND OF THE WEEK: The cliché ‘a week is a long time in golf’ was not lost on John Bohringer when he signed his card for a nett 66 after Saturday’s third round of the Men’s Club Championships. Playing off his 25 handicap, the carpenter who took up golf only four years ago turned in a gross score of 91, his lowest since his best-ever 88 two years ago. But, what pleased him most was that he had hit back from shockers in the first two rounds of the Championships the previous weekend – scores of 102 and 113. His philosophical reasoning for the massive improvement – which included five pars and a birdie – was that his stress levels had completely dissipated over the previous weekend.
WEEKLY WINNERS:
Tuesday, Vets, Single Stableford, Ladies (47 players) – A Grade, Kate Wilkie (34 points), Gail Young (34); B Grade, Di Stark (36), Joy Bullock (36); Men (40 players) – A Grade, Graham Meyers (40), James Fleming (38); B Grade, Colin Williamson (41), Steve Wickman (38). ‘Pick It Up’ Single Stableford, Ladies (27 players), Mary Dowling (32 points), Susan Wake (31); Men (51 players), Liam Deverill (37), John Kamm (36), Gary Rugless (35).
Wednesday, Men, Single Stableford (198 players) – A Grade, Peter Richardson (41 points), Tony Pattinson (39), Jack Pyke (37); B Grade, Darcy Brown (40), Chris Duhig (39), Peter Raymond (38); C Grade, John Logan (40), Ian Flegler (38), Kevin Woodcroft (38).
Thursday, Ladies, Club Championships, round two (48 players) – A Grade, gross, Dominique Paice (81), Josie Ryan (84), Sharon Thomas (84); nett, Dominique Paice (74), Sharon Thomas (75), Robyn Boreham (76); B Grade, gross, Gwen Nancarrow (89), Lesley Johnston (98), Liz Dunford (98); nett, Gwen Nancarrow (70), Lesley Johnston (74), Trish Madden (76); C Grade, gross, Kerrie Tibbits (105), Katrina Watts (106), Maureen Cartledge (106); nett, Jane Boaler (73), Kerrie Tibbits (75), Katrina Watts (76); Overflow, Single Stableford (42 players), Jodie McDonell (42 points), Yvonne Richter (37), Jenny Pirini (36). Men, Single Stableford (81 players) – Tom Pearson (41 points), Tony Kelleher (39), Will Norman (39).
Saturday, Men’s Championship, round 3 (147 players) – A Grade, gross, Mat Walkenhorst (73), Sean McGill (73); nett, Chris Goundrey (69), Daniel Diachkoff (71); B Grade, gross, Matt Hetherington (79), Luke Mitchell (82); nett, Matt Hetherington (67), Scott Roush (68); C Grade, gross, Harvey Nicholl (89), Peter Raymond (89); nett, John Bohringer (66), Peter Raymond (66). Ladies’ Championship, round 3 (46 players) – A Grade, gross, Josie Ryan (75), Sharon Thomas (86); nett, Josie Ryan (70), Sharon Thomas (77); B Grade, gross, Wil Sprake (100), Liz Dunford (101); nett, Doreen Davidson (78), Delmai Whittaker (78); C Grade, gross, Leanne Ptak (108), Katrina Watts (109); nett, Leigh Derigo (77), Leanne Ptak (78). Mixed Overflow, Single Stableford (37 players) – Graham Smith (40 points), Mark Priest (35), Geoff Montgomery (35).
Sunday – Men’s Championship, final round (140 players) – A Grade, gross, David Rattray (69), Adam Rydwanski (72); nett, Bryan Haggarty (69), Bailey Murchie (69); B Grade, gross, Justin Walsh (77), Matt Hetherington (83); nett, Jay Gourlay (70), Ron McMahon (70); C Grade, gross, Tony Vickers (88), Brett Stephenson (89); nett, Ethan Vong (67), Patrick Walsh (68).
Champions – A grade, gross, David Rattray (285), Matt Walkenhorst (290); nett, Daniel Diachkoff (279), Bryan Haggarty (290); B Grade, gross, Matt Hetherington (332), Justin Walsh (335); nett, Burgess Stephenson (293), Luke Mitchell (296); C Grade, gross, Graham Cartledge (363), Chris Klazema (367); nett, Patrick Walsh (289), Ethan Vong (294); Senior, Brian Kesby (314); Junior, Bailey Murchie (309).
