From Tony Durkin
AMATEUR CHAMPION: Gold Coast golfer Adam Hawkins has won the 2020 Sunshine Coast Men’s Open Amateur Championship, played at Headland over the weekend. The Palm Meadows Club Champion prevailed after a neck-and-neck battle with Headland’s Brad Butler (144) on Sunday, eventually winning by two shots with a two-under par 36-hole total of 142. Hawkins reeled off five birdies in his par round on Saturday and added four more on Sunday, three on the first four holes on the back nine to regain his lead in the tournament, which was again sponsored by Headland member Justin Walsh of Walsh Consulting Engineers. The South African-born plus-two handicapper who spent a decade playing professional golf in Europe, moved to the Gold Coast in 2008 and took up golf again in 2014 following a seven-year break. And it has been a massive few weeks for the 44-year-old. The previous weekend he won the Palm Meadows Club Championship for the second successive year and next Thursday (October 8) he will marry his fiancee Liliana, who caddied for him over the weekend. Overnight leader Jordan Rooke (149) of Wantima floundered on Sunday with a six-over 78, relegating him to fourth place behind Noosa’s George Giblett (146). Sitting two shots off the pace overnight, Headland’s Brad Butler fought valiantly on Sunday and shared the lead with Adam after a birdie at 14. But bogeys on two of the final three holes cost him in the end. Brad scored eight birdies over the weekend and finished 11 shots ahead of the next best Headland player, installing him as the early favourite for the 72-hole Headland Championships, which tee off on October 10.
HIGH PRAISE: Sunshine Men’s Coast Open Amateur Champion Adam Hawkins has praised Headland for the manner in which the weekend tournament was organised, played, presented and supported. “It is a shining example of how to run a tournament,” said Adam who competes regularly on the amateur golf circuit. He was particularly impressed with the work of the volunteers – the starters, spotters and scorers – and thought the live scoring was a thoroughly-professional feature. “I can think of just a couple of events in which I regularly play that come anywhere near the attention to detail that was associated with this tournament. Everything about the last two days gave the impression this was a genuine championship event,” he enthused. But while impressed with the magnificent condition of the course and describing Headland as a genuine test of golf, the new champion said he could well understand club golfers struggling on a couple of the greens, in particular the 17th, which coughed up his only bogey on his two-under 34 back nine on Sunday.
FOUR WINNERS: Headland produced an impressive four winners from the field of 200 which contested the annual Sunshine Men’s Coast Open Amateur Championship. Non-playing A Grade Pennant Team Captain James Brownsworth produced his best weekend of golf in an age to win the Championship’s Division Two gross, with a 13-over par total of 157. James, who lives adjacent to the 17th fairway, was off to a great start on Sunday with an eagle on the second hole, and finished the round with a very creditable seven-over 79 for a four-shot victory over fellow Headland member, and neighbour, Barry Newton. Jason Childs won the Division Two nett from Greg Doolan, Grant Martyn saluted in Division Three gross from another member, James Daniel, while Brett Johnstone celebrated his wedding anniversary in style, taking out the Division Three nett from veteran Burgess Stephenson. Former Headland member Barry Howe, now of Burleigh Golf Club, won the overall nett for the tournament, beating home Headland’s Scott Bromfield.
BIRDIE COUNTS: Althea McLean has scored ‘a couple’ of birdies in her brief golfing career, but none as telling as the one at the 18th on Tuesday. Her first birdie at the par-three finishing hole gave her 37 Stableford points in the Medley single event but, more importantly, enabled her to beat four others – all men – who finished on the same score. The recently-retired former principal of Chancellor State College Primary Campus tallied 20 points on the back nine, while the men scored 19, 18,15 and 15 respectively. A 2015 SWING graduate who won the Ann Alsbury Award for most improved lady golfer in her second year of competition, Althea lives near Headland and took up golf shortly after retiring because she had always been involved in sport, was looking for a new challenge in her retirement and was keen to make some new friendships. And while the golfing challenge has been met head on – since graduating from SWING her handicap has reduced from 45 to 23.6 – Althea says she has met ‘many wonderful new friends’.
THANKS DAD: A two-hour chipping and putting lesson with his dad the previous day was the impetus for Brett Stephenson to ‘putt the lights out’ and return the best score in Wednesday’s Medley Single Stableford. Brett, who works as a Financial Planner on the Gold Coast and returns only spasmodically to play at Headland, scored 42 points from his 16 handicap with a year-best 82 gross, and a comfortable win in B Grade. But it was the putting advice from his canny dad Burgess – to close his left eye and concentrate just on the ball – which made the difference. Brett, who helped create Headland history last year when he and Burgess became the first father-and-son to represent the club together in the Masters Pennant team – had 29 putts in his round, with just 13 on the front nine in his four-over par 40, for a superb 22 points. Daniel Lane (41 points) won A Grade and Andy Hempsall (39) claimed C Grade honours.
DOGGONE GOLF: Woken at 5am last Monday by his dog, retired Marine Surveyor Colin Williamson decided to watch the final round of the US Open before heading off to Headland for his regular Vets round. And what a round it was – on the second nine, at least. The Scot, who started playing golf at eight with a set of cut-down Hickory clubs at North Berwick Golf Club, teed off on the tenth, wiped his first hole, turned with 17 points and from there ‘it just worked’. The 21 handicapper, who joined Headland when he retired and moved to the Sunshine Coast six years ago, had two birdies, three pars and four bogeys in his one-over 37 for an outstanding tally of 26 points. His 43 points reaped two major results – a win in B Grade and a two-stroke reduction in his handicap.
CODY’S TREBLE: The majority of Headland members who watch Spina Bifida sufferer Cody Laskey play the course admire his grit, his determination and his skill. But despite scoring a double win at golf on Thursday, the 31-year-old who plays in calipers is far from happy with his current form. His handicap, which was once as low as 14 in his native Margaret River, has drifted from 17 to 22 in the past four years and Thursday’s 40-point return was his best in six-to-eight months, although he says ‘it feels much longer’. And as well as the individual win, Cody teamed with Phil Kornmann to score 76 points and take out the Fourball Best Ball Aggregate played in conjunction, for a healthy payday of $115. But that wasn’t the best news. Earlier in the day he was advised he had scored a job as an Inclusion Support Member, helping kids with special needs at a local childcare centre. A Zoologist, Cody moved to the Sunshine Coast from the west five years ago in the hope of gaining employment at Australia Zoo, but that goal never materialised.
CHANGED FORMAT: Nominations close next Thursday (October 1) for the 2020 Headland Ladies’ Championships, to be played over 72 holes and under a changed format. To be sponsored by Halcyon, the Championships will now be contested over consecutive weekends, with 18 holes to be played each Saturday and Sunday. In more recent years the Championships have been played on successive Saturdays and Thursdays, but the weekend program has been reintroduced to enable more ladies to play. The Championships tee off on Saturday fortnight, October 10, with 17-time Champion Josie Ryan to defend her title.
NEW CHAMPION: Headland will have another new Men’s Champion in 2020 – the sixth in the past 12 years. Because he is locked down in Sydney by COVID restrictions, last year’s winner Jake Crowther is unable to defend his title which leaves the field wide open. The Championships, again sponsored by Tim Reed of Stilhaus, will be played on the same consecutive weekends as the Ladies (see above) with nominations also closing on Thursday (October 1). But Jake is not the only recent champion not playing – Dave Rattray, who has won five Championships since 2009, will not be teeing it up either. Among the host of candidates in what appears to be the most open field in years are A Grade Pennant team members and past Champions Adam Richards (handicap one) and Adam Rydwanski (2), as well Sean McGill (2), Scott Walker (1), Brad Butler (scratch) and Josh Holbrook (2), while in-form ex-Pros Shane Muller (1) and Matt Fisher (1) could also challenge.
BRIBIE SUCCESS: A number of Headland members scored wins at the annual two-day Bribie Island Ladies Classic staged last week. Jenny Ingham won the day one gross in Division Two, as well as returning the best Senior nett score, while Gwen Nancarrow took out the Day One, Division Two nett. Runner-up in Division One nett over the 36 holes was Headland Champion Josie Ryan, while Chris Parkinson pulled out the big guns to win the longest drive on both days. NOTE: Josie Ryan continued her good form at Maroochy River on Friday, scoring 39 points to win the Queensland Senior Order of Merit (QSOOM) event.
MARSHALL DOWN: Headland is hollering for a new Course Marshall following the appointment of Ian Hepburn to the role of Golf and Operations Manager at Mt Coolum Golf Club. In fact, the club may well appoint three Marshalls to the casual role, which Club President Jon Welch feels will provide more flexibility to the position. He added that Ian would be greatly missed, not just because of his temperate demeanour but for his wealth of knowledge on the rules of golf. Ian, who was appointed to the role almost four years ago, will oversee the final weekend of Headland Club Championships on October 17 and 18 before taking up his new role at Mt Coolum.
EAGLE CHASER: Dean Smareglia (handicap 8.7) could lay claim to being the greatest bird fancier at Headland at the moment, and has good reason to do so. On Wednesday Dean scored one of four eagles at Headland on the day, and his third in the past six months. Dean eagled the par-five 13th hole, adding to his earlier eagle at the par-five tenth and his ace at the par-three fifth. Joining Dean on the eagle train on Wednesday were Neven Daniel at the par-fourth fourth hole, while Michael Hinds followed suit at the par-fourth 11th and John Cleary at the par-fourth 12th.
WEEKLY WINNERS:
Monday, Vets, Single Stableford, Ladies (37 players) – A Grade, Bev Kelly (39 points), Gail Young (34), Helen Fraser (34); B Grade, Carmel Visser (39), Bernadette Cassidy (37), Kay Campbell (34); Men (70 players) – A Grade, John Langdon (40), Peter Leggo (36), John Sims (36); B Grade, Colin Williamson (43), Phil Martin (39), Neil Harvey (35).
Tuesday, Medley Single Stableford (117 players) – A Grade, Althea McLean (37 points), Rod McKinnon (37), Malcolm Woods (37); B Grade, Gordon O’Neill (37), Michael Haines (37), Tove Larsen (35).
Wednesday, Medley Single Stableford (224 players) – A Grade, Daniel Lane (41 points), Tony Coad (40), Russell Harris (39), Dean Smareglia (39); B Grade, Brett Stephenson (42), Peter Raymond (40), Steve Rose (39), John Langdon (38); C Grade, Andy Hempsall (39), Robert Denyer (37), John Robertson (37), John Jackson (37).
Thursday, Single Stableford, Ladies (114 players) – A Grade, Sandi Whittle (39 points), Helen Venter (37), Gwen Nancarrow (37), Helen Fraser (36); B Grade, Tove Larsen (38), Jill Nixey (36), Del Whittaker (36), Kym Wilson (36); C Grade, Donna Rose (39), Pam Andrews (37), Lyn Forbes (37), Rhonda Biggs (37) .
Men, Single Stableford (95 players) – Cody Laskey (40 points), Richard Senior (39), Mal Galletley (38); Fourball Stableford Aggregate – Cody Laskey and Phil Kornmann (76 points), Malcolm Woods and Chris Byrnes (74).
Saturday, Sunday – Men’s Sunshine Coast Amateur Open Amateur Championships (200 players) – Division One (handicaps 0-5), winner, Adam Hawkins (minus 2), Brad Butler (square), George Giblett (+2); nett, Barry Howe (-1), Scott Bromfield (+3), Keith Horne (+5); Division Two (6-11), winner, James Brownsworth (+13), Barry Newton (+17), Tamatoa Casimiro (+20); nett, Jason Childs (+3), Greg Doolan (+4), Peter Kennedy (+4); Division Three (12-18) – winner, Grant Martyn (+27), James Daniel (+30), Peter Raymond (+31); nett, Brett Johnstone (+4), Burgess Stephenson (+6), Garrie Lake (+8); Junior Champion, Manato Nakatani (+10); Senior Champion, Keith Horne (+9).
