From Tony Durkin
MORE EAGLES: It seems not a matter of if Ryley Martin scores an eagle, or even when, but on which day of the week. After doubling up with eagles twice in the past fortnight – at Mount Coolum and at Headland – Ryley was at it again on Tuesday when he eagled holes two and 12 at his home course. Consequently, in three weeks he has recorded two eagles in the same round on a Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. And while we mere mortals might think the 20-year-old is a veritable golfing machine, it seems Ryley is actually human. After starting from the 10th on Tuesday – from the blue tees – a super low round was on the cards until he bogeyed holes six and nine because, he says, he became a little jittery. Still, a three-under 69 (35/34) – his sixth under-par round in two weeks – gave the scratchmarker 39 points and a win in the competition. He also added eagles this past week on Saturday (the sixth hole) and Sunday (13th).
NO-WIPE THRILL: While Anne Hayward was understandably ecstatic with her 42 points in Tuesday’s Single Stableford and victory in the event, she was equally thrilled by the fact she did not wipe any of the 18 holes. A Headland member for 12 years when she and her golfing husband Bob moved north from Sydney, Anne claimed to be ‘over the moon’ with her win and equally delighted that the ‘lovely ladies’ of Headland shared the elation of her success. Her round of 104 is not her lowest since she started playing 15 years ago, but Anne revealed it is her best for a ‘very, very long time’. Apart from no wipes, the highlights were five three-point holes and four-point pars on eight and 18. And she creamed the competition to win by six points.
CARNOUSTIE KIDD: Men’s Director of Golf, James Kidd, has recently returned to Headland from a six-week overseas family holiday, which included a compulsory visit to the 147th British Open at Carnoustie, in Scotland. While there he could not resist a pair of Footjoy Dryjoys golf shoes sporting the iconic Open logo, which he wore for the fist time in Wednesday’s Single Stableford – on his 39th birthday. And they immediately proved their worth – James eagled the par five 10th hole.
NEVER SURRENDER: Those players who mentally feel their anticipated good round is over when having just a single stableford point after the first two holes should take a leaf from the playbook of Ashley Reck. Three-marker Ash started Wednesday’s Single Stableford event with a wipe, a one-point bogey, a par and another bogey – for a progressive total of six points. But rather than tossing in the towel, he rallied and played the following 14 holes five under the card, scored 40 points and won A Grade on a countback. And his back nine of three-under 33 is his equal best in 17 years as a Headland member, and it needed to be. Hot on his heels were fellow A Graders Warren Sorby and Alan Barlow who also had 40 points, but faltered on the back nine after 23 and 21 points, respectively, on the front.
CANNY KEN: It may have been eight years ago, but Ken Maynard’s second hole-in-one on the 14th on Wednesday has convinced the generous Headland benefactor that he knows exactly how to play the hole. ‘Hit a seven iron, land the ball short and let it run up to the pin’ is Ken’s recipe for success after using that process for his only two aces in a two-decade membership at Headland. And he was delighted his second was in the company of long-term playing partners and good mates Tony Coad, John Alsbury and David Munns. Ken and his wife Vicki, who head off this week on a two-week golfing holiday to Hawaii, are decade-long club competition sponsors through their company KVM Traffic Services.
A LONG WAIT: Kerry Longworth may have waited 21 years for her first hole in one, but at least she can say she correctly predicted the day, the time and the hole on which it was scored. Playing in her regular Saturday group of Patrice Jenkins, Janelle Heaney and Coralie Walsh in the weekend Medley Fourball Best Ball Stableford event, Kerry told how the banter among the foursome on the day had involved scoring an ace. But when they arrived at the par three 14th and none of the others spruiked this was the hole, she designated it to be her time for glory. And that is exactly what she did, striking her five-wood perfectly, landing it just on the front of the green and excitedly watching as it rolled up to the hole and disappeared from sight. Kerry started golf more than two decades ago when she and a group of young mums were having morning tea at the former motel next to Headland Golf Club, admired the great view, liked the idea of a new interest and made the decision – as a collective – to take up the challenge. And ironically, one of those mums was Patrice Jenkins. But Kerry wanted the Headland Pro Shop staff commended for their assistance in her triumph – a recent lesson from Adam Norlander and a recommendation from Matt Douglass on a new golf ball, the Titleist DT Trusoft, which she used for the first time.
JUNIOR CLASSIC: The tough layout and superb conditions of Headland again proved difficult to master for some of the best juniors in Southern Queensland during Sunday’s annual Schweppes Junior Classic. Just on 50 junior girls and boys contested the stroke event with Rebecca O’Neill (Gympie) and Sanctuary Cove’s Jaeseung Na snaring the double in their respective groups. Rebecca, with 80 and 37 points, won both the gross and nett for the girls and two-marker Jaeseung took the double with 75 off the bat and a nett 73 in the boy’s division. The best of the Headland juniors was James Daniel, with 98/80.
ROUND OF THE WEEK: Former oil and gas surveyor Stu Ennever spent much of his working life offshore, so he relishes his regular Wednesday and Saturday competitions navigating the fairways of Headland. But he has enjoyed none as much as Wednesday when he scored an amazing 46 stableford points, and reckons it could well have been closer to 50. Although Stu has won a Monthly Mug and two Mid-Week Medals in the past two years, this was his best-ever score with seven pars from his 27 handicap, including seven three-pointers and two four-pointers. Stu, who was born on the Sunshine Coast but has worked in Indonesia and Houston, was thrilled with his round but still dirty on himself for missing short putts on holes six, 15 and 16. His 46 points won C Grade, but beat the big field of 202 by six points.
WEEKLY WINNERS:
Tuesday, Vets, Single Stableford, Ladies (40 players) – Kathy Petrie (40 points), Gail Young (37); Men (51 players) – Huki Matenga (41), Robert Rowan (39), Clive Glover (39), Tony Coad (39); Single Stableford, Ladies (35 players) – Anne Hayward (42 points), Susan Wake (38), Judy Norman (37); Men (58 players) – Ryley Martin (39), Tim Rees (38), Nigel Morrison (38).
Wednesday, Men, Single Stableford (202 players) – A Grade, Ashley Reck (40 points), Alan Barlow (40), Warren Sorby (40); B Grade, Brent Dalby (39), Graham Cartledge (39), Erik Larsen (38); C Grade, Stuart Ennever (46), Syd Shilling (39), Brian Garnett (38).
Thursday, Ladies, Chinese Team Stableford (100 players) – Norma Hobson, Colleen Berger, Janelle Heaney and Coralie Walsh (117 points), Vicki Maynard, Robyn Boreham, Pauline Lancaster and Helen Fraser (115), Gail Young, Kathy Walker, Shirley Eggleton and Heather Richards (113). Men, Single Par (74 players) – Kevin Howe (plus 4), Burgess Stephenson (+3), Darryl Pettingill (+2).
Saturday, Medley Fourball Best Ball Stableford (234 players) – Dennis Orr and Mike McQuarrie (46 points), Tony Vickers and Alan Parker (46), Brad Alexander and Ashley Reck (46), Barry Potter and Denis Clifford (465), Roly Hoy and Geoff Smith (46).
Sunday, Schweppes Headland Junior Classic, Girls, gross – Rebecca O’Neill (Gympie) 80, Justice Bosio (Caboolture) 81, Dhiya Rampersad (North Lakes) 87; nett – Rebecca O’Neill (Gympie) 37 points, Mikayla Dyal (Caboolture) 37, Ava Stewart (Maroochy River) 37; Boys, gross – Jaeseung Na (Sanctuary Cove) 75, Bailey Murchie (Maroochy River) 75, Jayden Situ (Hope Island) 76; nett, Jaeseung Na (Sanctuary Cove) 73, Drew Fernley (Pine Rivers) 74, Ethan Carlson (Royal Queensland) 74. Medley Wood Duck Single Stroke (37 players) – Ryley Martin (73 nett), Kirsten Kaergaard (73), Russell Harris (75).
