From Tony Durkin
JAKE’S REVENGE: Following a lamentable four days at the Keperra Bowl in Brisbane where he shot nine-over par in the prestigious four-round amateur tournament, Headland Club Champion Jake Crowther returned home on Sunday with a vengeance, shooting three-under 69 to be one of six winners in the monthly Medley Wood Duck Challenge. Playing off scratch, Jake had just the one blemish on his card – a bogey on 15 – but played mistake-free golf apart from that, with four birdies and 13 pars in the extremely windy and difficult conditions. A Headland member since late last year, Jake has won successive Sunshine Coast Amateur Open Championships on the course and Sunday’s round was his fifth under-par. Schoolboy Josh Holbrook returned the best nett score of the day with 67 – a superb two-over par 74 – with Gavin Terry (68), Ivan Fortmann (68), Denis Orr (69) and Matt Hetherington (71) the others to break their handicap and pocket $60 each in prizemoney from generous sponsors EKO Financial (James Kidd) and Mod Bathrooms (Chris Klazema).
OH BROTHER: The added pressure of a fierce competition with older brother Shaun, to be the first to break par, more than likely cost Dan Diachkoff that honour in Wednesday’s Medley Mid-Week Medal. Teeing off the ninth – his last hole – Dan was one-under the card, but left his approach short, failed to get up and down and the bogey resulted in a par 72, and a win in A Grade with nett 68. In tricky conditions because of the wind, Dan credited his first par round in the three years as a Headland member to ‘doing the little things right, and playing safe golf’. Apart from the par threes and two of the par fives, he hit two iron form the tee, and chipped and putted well. Dan, a renderer by trade, swapped three birdies on the back nine with three bogeys on the front, and remains frustrated by his failure to par the ninth. But that means the race to beat his brother, who plays off a handicap of three at Ryde-Parramatta in Sydney, remains an on-going goal. Brad Butler, who was runner-up to Dan, shot an impressive one-under 71 in a round which included four birdies.
BON VOYAGE: Facing a 22-hour flight from Brisbane to India, Tracey O’Connor decided to take an early mark from work on Tuesday, thinking the 18-hole walk might help her sleep better on the flight. But when she flew out of Brisbane 12 hours after finishing her round, she was still full of excitement following her excellent score of 42 Stableford points, giving her a runaway win in the Ladies Single Stableford event. Playing off 33, the 2016 SWING graduate parred each of the par threes for the first time in a round, had three four-point holes and six three-pointers, and when she returns from India will have a GA handicap of 27.7, a far cry from the 45 with which she started just on three years ago. NOTE: Tracey’s Sunshine Coast-based company, Assist Medics, organises medical teams for major sporting events and she is in India for the first Half Iron-Man event to be held in the Indian state of Goa.
THANKS, LEXUS: She may have been beaten into second place in Thursday’s A Grade Monthly Medal, but Jenny Ingham wasn’t exactly crying into her glass of champagne. Her nett 71 was the perfect warm-up for her next big golfing appointment – a round at Royal Melbourne Golf Club. At the recent Lexus of Maroochydore Golf Day, Jenny and her husband – popular Headland member Dr Rob – were the lucky winners of the draw for the all-expenses-paid visit to the Melbourne Cup. And along with other Lexus owners, the Inghams will be guests in the famous Birdcage Enclosure on Cup day and will also be the last social group to play Royal Melbourne prior to the course being prepared for the President’s Cup, which tees off from December 9. Thursday’s A Grade Medal was won by Colleen Berger (69 nett), Jenny Pirini (70) won B Grade and Julie Lewis, with a day-low 68 nett, won C Grade.
CLOSE SHAVE: A double bogey on his second last hole of the day has cost Headland Vets’ President Tony Coad the massive golfing achievement of shooting his age. Tony, who has been a Headland member for 25 years, was humming along in Monday’s Vets’ competition at four over the card when disaster struck on the 17th. His double bogey was followed by par on the 18th for a round of 78, and 44 Stableford points for the 77-year-old former RAAF engineer. He then followed that with an impressive 71 nett in difficult conditions in Wednesday’s Medley Mid-Week Medal. Playing off nine two decades ago when he was a Headland board member, Tony is enjoying the golden days of retirement and – as he proved this past week – is still regularly able to play to his current handicap of 10.6.
PINK JAMIE: A key member of Headland’s 2019 Men’s A Grade Pennant team, Jamie Hill, will hit shots from the 18th tee on Thursday for ladies playing in the annual Pink and Blue Charity Invitation day. And Jamie, who recently joined local real estate business Property Today as a Property Consultant, says he is committed to wearing a pink outfit to support the Cindy McKenzie Breast Cancer Program. Both ladies and men will play a Scrambled Ambrose event in the charity day, which will raise money for breast and prostate cancer-aligned charities. A ‘home-made goods’ for sale table will operate throughout the day and further funds will be raised through an outstanding list of raffle prizes.
WHOOPS: Martin Luck reckons there was nothing fluky about his sweetly-struck eight iron which disappeared in the 12th hole for eagle during Wednesday’s Mid-Week Medal round, but there was a tinge of bad luck. Although coaxed by Assistant Pro Matt Douglas to invest $1 to be in the Pro Pin, Martin gave the common ‘I never win them’ response, and as a result missed out on the $45 booty. With two Pro Pins on offer during Wednesday and Saturday Headland competitions, the tiny $1 investment is often worth close to $50 to the winner, yet less than 50 per cent of the field enters.
VW SCRAMBLE: Entries have opened for Headland’s qualifying round of the second annual VW Scramble, to be played on Sunday, December 1, and new local champions will be crowned. Last year’s winners – Barry Newton and Chris Duhig of Headland and Mt Coolum’s Glenn Esden and Barry McDougall – are unavailable that day and will not be defending their title. A field of 108 in the four-person Ambrose is needed to participate in the local event for Headland to be eligible to send two qualifying teams to the Sunshine Coast regional final. The Ambrose is a Mixed Invitational, which means two Headland non-members are able to join two compulsory Headland members in a team. Go to https://www.vwscramble.com.au/event#/competition/1953394/info for further details.
WEEKLY WINNERS:
Tuesday, Single Stableford, Ladies (59 players) – Tracey O’Connor (42 points), Susan Wake (38), Anne Hayward (38); Men (67 players) – Ray Dempsey (42 points), Patrick Carmody (42), Robert Pixley (39).
Wednesday, Medley Mid-Week Medal (196 players) – A Grade, Dan Diachkoff (68 nett), Brad Butler (69), Stewart Clover (69), gross – Brad Butler (71); B Grade, Dean Oster (69), David Munns (70), Darcy Brown (70), gross – Darcy Brown (86); C Grade, Phil Humzy (68), Allan Warby (68), John Nagel (69), gross – Phil Humzy (92).
Thursday, Ladies, Monthly Medal (98 players) – A Grade, Colleen Berger (69 nett), Jenny Ingham (71), Trish Howe (72), gross – Lisa Ramen (81); B Grade, Jenny Pirini (70), Naomi Doyle (70), Wil Sprake (71), gross – Wil Sprake (90); C Grade, Julie Lewis (68), Rose Sztama (70), Trish Marsden (71), gross – Rose Sztama (100).
Men, Single Par (87 players) – Neville Kenzler (plus 4), Jim Snowball (+3), Nigel Morrison (+3).
Saturday, Single Stableford (competition abandoned because of thunderstorms).
Sunday, Medley Wood Duck Challenge (75 players) – Josh Holbrook (67), Gavin Terry (68), Ivan Fortmann (68), Denis Orr (69), Jake Crowther (69), Matt Hetherington (71).
