From Tony Durkin
CHAMPION REIGNS: Josie Ryan has claimed her 17th Headland Ladies Championship, bringing her titles won at the club she joined in 1994 – playing off a handicap of 14 – to a remarkable 37. But instead of luxuriating in the glow of yet another success when she signed for a final-round 80 on Thursday, Josie was just as thrilled for her fellow Champions in B and C Grade, Susie Fenton and Kerrie Tibbits, respectively. A firm believer that matchplay competition steels golfers and makes them better players, Josie said she felt playing Pennants for Headland this past season had given Susie and Kerrie a vital edge going into Thursday’s final round, where both extended their leads. Josie started her run of 17 individual victories in 1997 and has won seven of the past eight Headland Ladies Championships. Her other titles are 14 Ladies Foursomes and six Mixed Foursomes. B Grade Champion Susie Fenton has made a remarkable golfing comeback, back in the winner’s circle for the first time since her C Grade Championship victory 16 years ago, while 2015 SWING graduate Kerrie Tibbits is a rookie Championship winner following her third placing last year. NOTE: Josie Ryan also won the Headland Veteran Ladies Open Amateur, played last Monday, scoring 82 to beat Kathy Atkins (86).
BIRTHDAY BOY: Al Larchin turned 44 on Saturday, the same day Headland members recognised the club’s 64th birthday – and he celebrated in exemplary style. Not only did his team win the 10-hole Ambrose Super Golf event played in conjunction with the club’s birthday festivities, but he was one of the two team members responsible for a phenomenal albatross. On their first hole of the day – the par-five ninth SGH, from the 15th tee to the 17th green – Al hammered his drive over the trees to the middle of the fairway and about 145 metres from the green. Teammate Quentin Poulsen then sweetly-timed a seven iron that disappeared from sight, and ultimately into the hole. Quentin was the only member of the quartet to hit the green, but because just the top-half of the pin is visible from the 17th fairway, as the ball was not on the green when they arrived, a search over the back ensued before it was finally located in the hole. Joined by low markers Scott Walker (scratch) and Justin Nicholson (4), former workmates Al (18) and Quentin (16) had a real golfing day out. The team added two eagles, six birdies and a par to their albatross to score 28.25 nett, and win the Overflow event by two shots from John Harris, Darren Macleod, Darren Walters and Shannon Walters (30.875). Third was Neven Daniel, Terry Ward, Brad Downes and James Simmons (31).
TO DI FOR: The experience of being a member of Headland’s first-ever victorious Mixed Super Golf team back in 2015 was vital as Di Stark delivered the leadership to her fellow team members during Saturday’s 64th birthday event. In a genuine team performance where each member contributed when needed, Di joined Sharon Purnell, Jamie Hill and Tony Durkin to win the Mixed event, with six birdies recorded on their bogey-free card. The nett score of 33.875 just pipped Super Golf sponsor Sean Hanna of Imagine Business Furniture, who teamed with Kym Mason and Mandy and Bill Oster (34.875), while the all-female team of Kerry Longworth, Patrice Jenkins, Janelle Heaney and Colleen Berger were third, on a countback. The three tee-times of 7am, 10.30am and 2pm attracted 212 golfers to contest the popular event.
FAMILY AFFAIR: The month of May has produced a series of highs the golf-rookie Oxley family never imagined would fall their way. For Neil, the recently-retired financial adviser who seriously rekindled his association with the game around three years ago when he joined Headland, a win in Thursday’s Single Par event was the result one of his best-ever rounds. And it came on the back of Vicki, his wife and 2018 SWING graduate, winning an event at the Tenterfield Veteran’s tournament earlier in the month. Needing to do something special to match Vicki’s feat following an ‘ordinary’ effort in the Club Championships, Neil wasn’t off to the best of starts when, teeing off the tenth, he registered minuses on his first two holes on Wednesday. But he steadied to get back to square at the turn, then blitzed the front nine in 38, recording six plusses in the final seven holes to finish on plus six, score 81 off the bat, and win B Grade by three shots. A member at Ashgrove Golf Club for three years in the late 80s, Neil switched his sporting attention to triathlons until five years ago when a shoulder injury led him back to golf.
PRO-SHOP POWER: It took just 20 hours of working in Headland’s Pro Shop for work experience student Josh Holbrook to achieve the almost-impossible golfing feat – from C Grade Club Champion to A Grade competition winner. The 15-year-old Year 10 student spent two full days in the Pro Shop and on the golf range on Monday and Tuesday of last week, and was then ‘released’ by his boss on Wednesday afternoon to play in the club’s Single Par event. After clinching the C Grade Championship the previous Sunday by a whopping 17 strokes, a confident Josh cruised around the course in his best-ever score of 82, returning plus four in the event and, with his new handicap of 14 just scraping him into A Grade on the day, winning by a shot. But while he beat dad Jamie in the competition – plus one off his four handicap – Josh’s first appearance in A Grade was still seven strokes shy of his father’s three-over par 75.
NEW DIRECTOR: Jane Boaler, a Headland SWING graduate from the 2014 program, will become the club’s new Ladies Director of Golf from August. She succeeds Vicki Maynard, who announced to fellow lady members last Thursday that she will be stepping aside on August 1 after serving three years in the role. Vicki, who has served one year longer than the normal 24-month term, said she felt the time had come for ‘a changing of the guard’. Vicki and her husband Ken, whose company KVM Traffic Services has been a long-time sponsor of Headland’s Monthly Mug for men and Monthly Medal for women, are planning an extended overseas holiday, something Jane is currently enjoying.
WHOOPS: David Mayes freely concedes that length off the tee is not his golf forte, but like the rest of us loves it when he occasionally ‘gets one out there’. And it happened during last Wednesday’s Single Par event – with a little help from a friendly cart path. Playing the par-four 16th, Dave blocked his drive from the back tee and started his search for the ball – without success – in the thick grass near the 150-metre marker between the 15th and 16th fairways. It was then that Justin Walsh, playing the 15th, advised that the ball had landed on the cart path, and had taken an almighty kick forward. And almighty it certainly was. Dave located his tee shot just short of the dam on the 15th – a majestic 315 metres from the tee. And he made the best of his lucky break, tapping in for an easy par, and a plus.
WEEKLY WINNERS:
Monday, Headland Veteran Ladies Open Amateur (65 players) – A Grade, gross, Josie Ryan (82), Kathy Atkins (86); nett, Susan Lowrie (77), Colleen McDowell (79); B Grade, gross, Robyn Boreham (96), Helen Fraser (98); nett, Christine Parkinson (73), Heather Lum (81); C Grade, gross, Trudi Russell (115), Leanne Ptak (115); nett, Sue Hadenham (80), Norma Waite (81).
Tuesday, Single Par, Ladies (31 players) – Dianne Kean (square), Jenny Pike (minus 1), Chrissy Eggins (-2); Men (77 players) – Josh Poole (plus 4), Mark Glassop (+3), Robert Pixley (+2).
Wednesday, Men, Single Par (189 players) – A Grade, Josh Holbrook (plus 4), Grant Martyn (+3), Mal Bradshaw (+3); B Grade, Neil Oxley (+6), David Hawes (+3), Bob Ingham (+2); C Grade, Doug Hancock (+4), Russell Dowling (+2), David Parker (+2).
Thursday, Ladies, Club Championships, round 4 (35 players) – A Grade, gross, Josie Ryan (80), Sharon Thomas (89), Kathy Atkins (93); nett, Josie Ryan (75), Kate Wilkie (77), Kathy Atkins (81); B Grade, gross, Susie Fenton (94), Monica Knowles (95), Wil Sprake (97); nett, Susie Fenton (74), Bev Kelly (75), Monica Knowles (75); C Grade, gross, Kerrie Tibbits (115), Tove Larsen (116), Maggie Fitzpatrick (117); nett, Kerrie Tibbits (82), Marie Flegler (83), Di Stark (83). Overflow, Single Stableford (47 players) – Catherine Janiszewski (30 points), Patricia Scott (30), Susan Stratford (29).
Club Champions, A Grade, gross, Josie Ryan (333), Sharon Thomas (361); nett, Kate Wilkie (324), Christina Claxton (326); B Grade, gross, Susie Fenton (402), Gwen Nancarrow (407); nett, Bev Barnes (324), Chris Parkinson (329); C Grade, Kerrie Tibbits (463), Maggie Fitzpatrick (475); nett, Ellen Bloxsome (322), Trish Murphy (338); Senior Champion, Josie Ryan (333).
Men, Single Stableford (84 players) – Dave Smith (38), Len Dawson (37), Earl Hicks (37).
Saturday, Club Birthday Super Golf, 10-hole four-person Ambrose, Mixed (52 players) – Sharon Purnell, Di Stark, Jamie Hill, Tony Durkin (33.875 nett), Kym Mason, Many Oster, Bill Oster, Sean Hanna (34.875), Kerry Longworth, Colleen Berger, Patrice Jenkins, Janelle Heaney (34.875); Overflow (160 players) – Quentin Poulsen, Scott Walker, Al Larchin, Justin Nicholson (28.25), John Harris, Darren Macleod, Darren Walters, Shannon Walters (28.25), Neven Daniel, Terry Ward, Brad Downes, James Simmons (31), Garry Martin, Matt Prince, Grant Martyn, Barry Newton (31.125).
Sunday, Medley Single Stableford, beat the Finance Director (21 players) – Kieta Griffin-Klazema (41 points), Kristin Griffiths (41), Daniel Hurst (39), Neven Daniel Neven (38), Ben Brown (36), Kevin McDougall (36), Jamie Duffy (35), Wayne West (32), Mark Fisher (32).3-6-19
