From Tony Durkin
JUNE DOUBLE: Kate Wilkie may have found her perfect match when she met fiancé Alan Dellar at Headland 10 years ago, but she has also seemingly found a perfect fourball partner in family friend Simon Richardson. The duo won Saturday’s Fourball Stableford Aggregate with a great of 75 points, adding to their victory in the Club Birthday Fourball Best Ball Stableford back on June 2, with 48 points. Kate, who was the major contributor on Saturday with 39 points, only joined the group – which included Simon’s dad Brendan and his cousin Peter – late in the week after their fourth player withdrew. The winners hit off in the second group of the morning and held on, thanks to Kate’s birdie on the 18th, to beat Burgess Stephenson and Don Follent by a point. And while the $1500 cash prize, donated by Headland’s Future Fund, was one of the major attractions for the big field of 250 players, the prize was not claimed with Stephen Van Der Linde the closest, finishing 18cms from the pin.
DUBAI, GOODBYE: Peter Perrett says his 42 points in Wednesday’s Single Stableford event is a warm-up for the July Monthly Mug, which he intends to win before departing the club. A logistics expert, in August Peter is moving back to Dubai – for the third time – and wants to leave with another low round in the 70s, and the treasured mug. In the four years he has been a Headland member, Wednesday’s 76 is his second-best round behind a 73 in 2016, and easily the most pleasing in the past 12 months when he described his game as ‘pretty disheartening’. The 2018 Masters Pennant captain claims to have been relaxed and totally focused on Wednesday, and intends adopting that same attitude in his few remaining games on the course he describes as one of the most challenging non-resort layouts he has played.
SECOND MEDAL: Kerrie Tibbits loves Headland ‘with a passion’ and, after winning her second Monthly Medal for the year and finishing third in the C Grade championships, it is easy to understand why. On Thursday Kerrie, who joined the club two years ago following a stint in the SWING program, broke 100 for the very first time and was ecstatic with her score of 69 nett, the best on the day by three shots. Although she did not start well, and was nine over par after four holes, she came home strongly with the highlight a birdie on the 15th. Her earlier Medal win was in February, when she again had the best score of the day – 75 nett – but her gross was nine more than on Wednesday. From Brisbane, where she was a member at both Sandgate and Virginia clubs, Kerrie claims her golf at Headland has improved immensely for three reasons – her involvement with SWING, lessons from club professionals Adam Norlander and Matt Douglas, and because of the welcoming attitude and friendliness of her fellow members.
TEXTBOOK SHOT: Ken Maguire is a humble 20-marker who loves his golf, plays every Wednesday and Saturday and holds no false pretences about his ability. But he has declared the stroke that gained him his first hole-in-one on Wednesday the ‘perfect shot’. Hitting a rescue club with a slight draw to the 165-metre hole, Ken and his fellow players watched as the ball landed short, took one hop onto the green and then ran directly towards the hole before gently disappearing from sight. Ken started playing golf on a causal basis while living on the Gold Coast in the 90s, but didn’t take the game seriously until he joined Headland 18 years ago. However, what he did not take seriously was custody of the ball that gave him his first ace. That now rests among the shrubbery below the 18th hole, the result of a duck hook to finish Wednesday’s historic round.
THANKS MATE: Big Top newsagent Ian Busch doesn’t mind admitting he appreciates support from his friends – in business and on the golf course. And that is what the 30-handicapper received from Mark Dolan in Thursday’s Texas Stableford event when the pair signed for a phenomenal 92 points, winning by a massive 11 points. Under Texas Stableford conditions, the two-man team selects the best drive on each hole and play individually from there, which each player to take a minimum of six drives. Ian says his long-hitting partner – who scored 42 points – had him playing his second shots from rarefied positions on the course, and he capitalised, with 50 individual points – 27 of them on the front nine. There was, however, additional help in the form of a new set of clubs from Head Professional Adam Norlander, equipped with larger ‘old-man’ grips. But his recent best score with the new clubs – 38 points a few weeks ago – pales into insignificance beside his 27/23 round on Thursday.
WHOOPS: Ian Busch wasn’t the only long marker to have a day out on Thursday. Newcomer Mick Kelsey, his handicap the maximum 36 for men, accrued 49 points under the Texas Stableford system, but unfortunately the support from his partner was – uncharacteristically – rather poor. Pro Shop staffer Nate Smyth, whose form in the past 18 months has been red hot resulting in a handicap reduction from 14 to six, was off his game and contributed just 26 points to the team score of 77. For Mick it was easily his best round since joining Headland just three months ago – his card showing eight three-pointers, three four pointers and a five-pointer from a birdie on the second. Mick Kinnear, who finished third with partner Matt Doyle, also had 49 points on a day where scoring was at a premium.
WEEKLY WINNERS:
Tuesday, Single Stableford, Ladies (48 players) – Mary Gibberd (38 points), Donna Rose (37), Rebecca Masters (37); Men (76 players) – Phil Kornmann (40), Kyle Hagarty (4), Don Kitson (39).
Wednesday, Men, Single Stableford, (195 players) – A Grade, Peter Perrett (42 points), Gary Duckling (39), Ben Victor (39); B Grade, Shaun Sigley (39), Peter Dawson (37), Richard Ryan (37); C Grade, Steve Phillips (39), Lindsay Parchert (38), Graham Wilson (37).
Thursday, Ladies, Monthly Medal (75 players)- A Grade, Sue Jones (72 nett), Christina Claxton (75), Sharon Thomas (75); B Grade, Mary Dowling (74), Joanne Stifler (76), Vicki Maynard (76); C Grade, Kerrie Tibbits (69), Christine Parkinson (73), Maureen Cartledge (74). Men, Texas Stableford (76 players) – Mark Dolan and Ian Busch (92 points), Malcolm Woods and John Sims (81), Mick Kinnear and Matt Doyle (81).
Saturday, Medley Fourball Stableford Aggregate (250 players) – Simon Richardson and Kate Wilkie (75 points), Burgess Stephenson and Don Follent (74), Andrew Thompson and Drew Walker (72), Leo Schumacher and Ivan Fortmann (71), Gary Martin and Andrew Fisher (71).
Sunday, Single Par (42 players) – Daniel Hurst (plus 5), Richard Mallinder (+1), Russell Harris (+1).
