From Tony Durkin
JAKE’S TITLE: Headland’s lowest handicapped golfer, Jake Crowther, survived an early scare in Sunday’s final round of the 2019 Club Championships to win the event at his first attempt. Playing off plus four, Jake had rounds of 75,72,69 and 77 to win by five shots from Scott Walker, who led by one going into the weekend rounds. Jake turned in a superb three-under 69 on Saturday to lead by five before the final 18 holes, but a double-bogey on the first on Sunday cut that back to three and the race was on in earnest. However, despite what he described as a ‘dreadful’ round of golf – which included two doubles, two bogeys and a lone birdie – the 23-year-old was able to hang on to beat a star-studded field. Jake, a three-time Nambour Club champion, joined Headland this year primarily to play Pennants when his junior club could not field an A Grade team and said he intends remaining a member of both clubs. Bryan Haggarty won the B Grade title from Steven Bell, while schoolboy Josh Holbrook streeted the C Grade field to win by 17 strokes from Tom Burnett. Barry Newton was crowned the Veteran Champion with Bailey Murchie the only player to retain his 2018 title, again winning the Junior Championship.
JOSIE HOME: An untimely call from hospital has virtually handed Josie Ryan her 17th Headland Ladies Championship, with the final round to be played on Thursday. Josie (84, 88, 81 – 253) leads by eight shots after three rounds, but her nearest challenger, Dominique Paice (85,85,91 – 261) has an appointment with a surgeon on Tuesday and will be unable to contest the final round. Playing under duress for some time Dom, who was runner-up to Josie last year, has been on the wait list for minor surgery and late last week finally received the call up for her date with the surgeon. Josie, whose closet rival now is Sharon Thomas, 19 shots away, would need to have an absolute shocker not to win – something not in her make-up. Kerrie Tibbets (348) appears to face a similar situation in C Grade, holding an eight-shot lead over Ellen Bloxsome, but the B Grade title remains wide open. Susie Fenton (308) has a two-shot lead in B Grade from Sandi Whittle and Gwen Nancarrow, the defending champion.
TIGER LESSON: Sitting with his dad, watching Tiger Woods win the US Masters back in April, has been the catalyst for Josh Holbrook returning to golf and scoring a crushing win in Headland’s C Grade championship. After being named Sunshine Coast Golf Zone Junior Pennant player of the year in 2015 following Headland’s Pennant victory, Josh turned his attention to other sports and then later became attracted to a video game named Fortnite. For close on two years he spent up to three hours a day playing the game. But his interest in golf was rekindled when he was convinced by his dad, fellow club member Jamie, to join him watching the 2019 Masters from Augusta. So transfixed was Josh by the tournament, and the stunning victory by Tiger, it was the catalyst for him to again fall in love with golf. And the 15-year-old played superbly during the four rounds of the championships, bettering his handicap in each of the four rounds and reducing it from 18 to 13.5 during the course of the event. But his crowing moment came in Sunday’s final round when his 84 beat the 86 by his proud dad, who plays off four. NB: Members can meet Josh in the Headland Pro Shop this week, where the Year 10 Sienna Catholic College student is on work experience duties.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Vacancies still exist in the 7am and 2pm fields for Headland’s 64th birthday Super Golf event on Saturday, but the 10.30am slot has been filled. The popular 10-hole event, to be contested over the original ‘cross-country’ course first used five years ago, will be played as a four-person Ambrose, with mixed and overflow teams, and is sponsored by Sean Hanna of Image Business Furniture.
LADIES PENNANT: Headland’s Weekend Ladies team may have lost their final Pennant match of the season on Sunday, but by taking 1½ points from Perigean they denied the ladder leaders the clean sweep required to clinch the title, which was ultimately won by Caloundra. Kristen Griffiths (4&2) was Headland’s only winner, while Wil Sprake halved her match and Monica Antony (3&2), Kirsten Kaergaard (2&2) and Josie Ryan (1 down) were beaten. Josie says she will dine out on her loss – she was beaten by an eagle on the 18th hole by rising champion Cassie Porter, who is currently rated number five amateur in Australia.
WHOOPS: Ross K Thompson has been a Headland member for 46 years and until recently had never broken a shaft while playing the course. So, when the head of his Ping three iron disappeared into the Bamboo Grass reeds at the edge of the dam on the third hole, he was determined to find it. Aware that the search for a ball had to be abandoned after three minutes, Ross and his group assumed the same rule would apply for missing equipment, and the search was duly abandoned. But, at 6.30 the next morning, dressed in his very worst work gear and armed with a machette, Ross was back at the scene of the mishap and, to the surprise of the early-morning players and ground staff, he started hacking though the reeds at the affirmed spot. And the outcome was a good one. Not only did Ross find the errant head, Headland junior golfers have benefited from the dozen balls he also found, and the Pro Shop gained by fitting a new shaft. And while the entire exercise was rather unusual, Ross said what surprised him most was that the shot which broke the shaft travelled about 150 metres and finished just short of the green.
WEEKLY WINNERS:
Tuesday, Single Stableford, Ladies (25 players) – Yvonne Henry (31 points), Tracey O’Connor (29), Trish Murphy (28); Men (48 players) – Jacob Mimnaw (37 points), Stephen Woolcott (35), Ted Banaszczyk (35).
Wednesday, Men, Single Stableford (160 players) – A Grade, Peter Brown (38 points), Chris Risby (37), Andy Whitmore (37); B Grade, Brenden Southey (39), Roscoe King (37), Geoffrey Hayman (36); C Grade, Darcy Smyth (39), Steve Eggins (34), Trevor Beall (34).
Thursday, Ladies, Club Championships, round 2 (45 players) – A Grade, gross, Dom Paice (85), Josie Ryan (88), Sharon Thomas (92); nett, Dom Paice (78), Kate Wilkie (81), Helen Fraser (81); B Grade, gross, Susie Fenton (99), Gwen Nancarrow (101), Monica Knowles (101); nett, Kathryn Tayles (76), Susie Fenton (79), Gwen Nancarrow (79); C Grade, gross, Kerrie Tibbits (111), Trish Murphy (120), Ellen Bloxsome (120); nett, Kerrie Tibbits (78), Trish Murphy (81), Ellen Bloxsome (82). Overflow, Single Stableford (26 players) – Robyn Muir (30 points), Jenny Pirini (27), Mandy Oster (25). Men, Single Stableford (57 players) – Mark Garcia (39 points), Matt Doyle (36), Neville Kenzler (35).
Saturday, Club Championships, Ladies (45 players), round 3 – A Grade, gross, Josie Ryan (81), Dom Paice (91), Sharon Thomas (91); nett, Josie Ryan (76), Kate Wilkie (80), Kristin Griffiths (82); B Grade, gross, Bev Barnes (98), Sandi Whittle (102), Jenny Ingham (102); nett, Bev Barnes (73), Christine Parkinson (80), Del Whittaker (81); C Grade, gross, Penny Cooper (117), Leanne Ptak (120), Maggie Fitzpatrick (121); nett, Ellen Bloxsome (84), Penny Cooper (84), Rhonda Parry (84).
Men (158 players), round 3 – A Grade, gross, Jake Crowther (69), Sean McGill (72), Adam Richards (73); nett, Ciaran Fenton (68), Sean McGill (69), James Brownsworth (69); B Grade, gross, Chris Pace (81), Steve Bell (81), Bryan Haggarty (82); nett, Brad Downs (68), Matt Macaulay (70), Chris Pace (70); C Grade, gross, Reily Moffat (85), Josh Holbrook (87), Ross Carvell (87); nett, Reily Moffat (68), Gary Jamieson (68), Garry Marr (70).
Sunday, Club Championships, Men (156 players), round 4 – A Grade, gross, Sean McGill (72), Adam Richards (73), Adam Rydwanski (74); nett, Barry Newton (67), Brian Kesby (69); B Grade, gross, Chris Pace (81), Bryan Haggarty (81); nett, Josh Holbrook (69), Warren Selvage (71); C Grade, gross, Michael Goodluck (89), Alexander Dwyer (89); nett, Joe McGuirk (71), Clive Glover (72).
Champions – A grade, gross, Jake Crowther (293), Scott Walker (298); nett, Barry Newton (278), Ciaran Fenton (282); B Grade, gross, Bryan Haggarty (330), Steven Bell (335); nett, Brad Downs (289), Matt Macaulay (291); C Grade, gross, Josh Holbrook (343), Tom Burnett (360); nett, Alexander Dwyer
