From Tony Durkin 

DUNCANS DELIVER: Despite his fabulous two-over par round of 74 – playing off a handicap off 11 – Brendan Duncan praised his brother Mathew for a three-point par on the final hole in Sunday’s Medley Fourball Best Ball Stableford. Had it not been for Mathew’s par, the brothers Duncan would not have won the event and finished top qualifier in the Zenfind Accounting 4BBB Match Play Championship. The duo scored 50 points, to win by a shot from two pairs – Jaydon McDowell and Michael Goodluck and Matt Prince and Dean Jones – who had every reason to believe their score may have been good enough to win the day. But Brendan Duncan was literally on fire, scoring a remarkable 47 points on his own. In his best round since he took up golf eight years ago, Brendan had four birdies and won nearest the pin on the 14th and snared the Pro Pin on six. But the Headland B Grade Pennant team member for the past two years has not been without form coming into the Championship qualifier – the previous weekend he won the A Grade nett at the Nambour Open. The Zenfind Accounting 4BBB Match Play Championship will continue on Sunday, with four of Sunday’s eight qualifiers to be eliminated. 

WINNING JUGS: Winners are grinners, and when the hard work of organising the annual Cindy McKenzie Charity Breast Cancer Day for the tenth successive year ends with a victory on the golf course, the smiles are a little broader than usual. That was the case for JUGS (Just Us Girls) members Judy Farmer, Vicki Maynard, Sandra Murphy and Sharon Thomas, who also sponsored Thursday’s four-person Scrambled Ambrose – along with Lisa Aherne – and won the day with 61.75 nett. Just on $6000 was raised, taking the overall total from the annual event in the past decade to more than $60,000. Proceeds are shared between the Cindy McKenzie Charity Breast Cancer Program and Sunshine Coast Prostate Support Group, with Headland men also playing a Scrambled Ambrose in support of prostate cancer. Male winners were Geoff Sawyer, Aaron Kenzler, Neville Kenzler and Trevor Simpson, with 58.62 nett. More than 200 players took part in the two events with the undoubted star of the day former Headland Champion Brian Kesby, aka Miss Headland, who hit tee shots for the ladies on the 18th. One of the other original members of JUGS was Anne Alsbury, wife of Headland president John Alsbury, who passed away earlier in the year from breast cancer. John delivered an emotional address to the ladies at the post-golf presentations on Thursday, urging them to check their health. 

Judy Farmer and Sandra Murphy with ‘Miss Headland’, Brian Kesby

Christina Claxton, Liz Dunford and Naomi Doyle snuggle up to Miss Headland

MIND GAMES: Mike McQuarrie, playing off 18, scorched the first 14 holes at Headland on Saturday to be just four over par before those dreaded golfing mind games took over. But the business owner/accountant still scored 45 points in the Single Stableford event despite a bogey and two doubles in his final four holes. Mike, who played golf only socially and sporadically prior to joining the club four years ago, hopes he will benefit from the experience of ‘melting’ under pressure and the ‘friendly’ banter from his playing partners, because he has another major appointment on Saturday – the Gold Mug. Mike won the Monthly Mug in July – with a nett 72 – and is one of the finalists for the prestigious end-of-season challenge which will again be sponsored by Club Professional Adam Norlander. NOTE: Mike had 10 pars and a birdie in his round of 81, far and away his best ever. 

INDOOR GOLF: Headland’s new Indoor Golf Centre is expected to be open and operational by mid-November. Currently under development on the site of the former ‘bird cage’ enclosure adjacent to the Pro Shop, the new golf studio will offer a comprehensive range of facilities in terms of coaching, club fitting and golf simulation. Operated by Club Professional Adam Norlander and his team, the Headland Indoor Golf Centre will use the Foresight gc2 launch monitor for teaching and club fitting, and the FSX 2018 golf simulation software for indoor golf play. ‘Virtual’ rounds of golf, played by individuals and teams, will be available at scheduled times, as will nearest the pin and long drive competitions along with a skill- combine test that will assess a myriad of golfing functions. The facility will not only provide an added benefit for Headland members, but will provide the club with an additional revenue stream.

THE PILLOWS BITE: A group of Headland golfers who regularly play in the Wednesday competition and are known collectively as the Pillow Biters had good reason to celebrate in the clubhouse after Wednesday’s Single Stableford round. Eight members of the group played, and four of them figured in the prize list, with two winning their respective grade. One of the foundation members of the Pillow Biters and a former club president, Malcolm McColm, won A grade while another, Michael Fenton, was the B Grade winner. Both scored 40 points and, coincidentally, travelled in the same cart together. A third member of the group, Dave Whalley, was third in C Grade with 38 points while a relative newcomer, Paul Burnett, figured in the run down with his 36 points. 

JACOB WINS OOM: McGrath Estate Agents sales associate, Jacob Mimnaw, has won Headland Golf Club’s Sunday Order of Merit, and along with that glory a trip to the Emirates Australian Open at the Lakes in Sydney next month. During Sunday competitions in 2018, Order of Merit points were awarded – pro rata, as in the FedEx Cup – to the top 10 finishers each week. And because he is employed in the real estate industry and regularly works on Saturdays, Jacob played in 18 Sunday competitions throughout the year and won the OOM in a canter, scoring 68 points at an average of 3.83 per round. Runner-up was Jay Gourlay on 44 points, from James Daniel (36), sponsor Peter Dunn (36), Wayne West (33), Chris De Bruyn (32) and Carolyn Richardson (32). Jacob’s prize is for two and includes return airfares, transfers, accommodation and tickets to the final two days of the Open. Jacob, who joined the club just on 12 months ago, will be taking fellow member Steve Rose as his guest. Steve was one of Jacob’s first Sunday partners and the pair played together regularly, thoroughly enjoying each other’s company. The Order of Merit in 2018 was sponsored by Carlton and United Breweries (CUB) and their local rep Peter Dunn, who brokered the deal, played in 17 of the Sunday events and finished fourth. 

Sunday Order of Merit winner Jacob Mimnaw and Club Captain, James Kidd

WEEKLY WINNERS:

Tuesday, Medley Fourball Best Ball Stableford (122 players) – Phil Kornmann and Gary Rugless (48 points), Mick Kelsey and Tony Kelleher (48), Susan and Alan Stratford (47).

Wednesday, Men, Single Stableford (197 players) – A Grade, Malcolm McColm (40 points), Chris Pace (40), Bevan Horsnell (39); B Grade, Michael Fenton (40), Peter Birt (40), Barrie Whelan (40); C Grade, Paul Stephens (41), Darryl Chapman (39), Dave Whalley (38).

Thursday, Ladies, Scrambled Ambrose, Cindy McKenzie Pink Day, (129 players) – Judy Farmer, Vicki Maynard, Sandra Murphy and Sharon Thomas (61.75 nett), Many Oster, Mouna Humzy, Jenny Ingham and Rebecca Masters (63), Dianne Schultz, Sue Jones, Pam Andrews and Rosalie Brandt (63). Men, Scrambled Ambrose, Prostate Cancer Blue Day, (80 players) – Geoff Sawyer, Aaron Kenzler, Neville Kenzler and Trevor Simpson (58.62 nett), John Sims, Bill Attneave, Raymond Dempsey and Tim Rees (58.75), Dennis Taylor, Frank Coleborn, Kevin Howe and Greg McDonald (58.75).

Saturday, Single Stableford, Ladies (42 players) – A Grade, Kathy Atkins (41 points), Liz Dunford (38); B Grade, Vicki Maynard (38), Rosalie Brandt (36). Men (201 players) – A Grade, Daniel Lane (40 points), Neven Daniel (40), Brian Richards (40); B Grade, Mike McQuarrie (45), Gary Clotz (39), Don Follent (39) ; C Grade, Geoff Opray (41), Karl Aldrich (41), David Wickham (41).

Sunday, Medley Fourball Best Ball Stableford, qualifying round for the Headland 4BBB Match Play Championship (62 players) – Brendan and Mathew Duncan (50 points), Jaydon McDowell and Michael Goodluck (49), Matt Prince and Dean Jones (49). Other qualifiers – Alexander Dwyer and Lachlan Moffat (49), Bob and Jenny Ingham (47), Peter Dunn and Mark Fisher (46), Burgess Stephenson and Warren Selvage (46), Trevor and Jay Gourlay (46).