PENNANT CLIFFHANGER: Headland has made the comeback of the season in the final of the 2021 Sunshine Coast Men’s Golf Zone A Grade Pennant but has just failed, beaten 4-3 in a cliffhanger at Gympie on Sunday. With five of the seven matches against Noosa completed, the score 3-2 to Noosa and former Pennant Team Captain Sean McGill all square with opponent Sam Boulden after 18 holes, his match went to a play-off. As the first play-off hole was squared, news filtered through that veteran Dave Rattray had won his match (2&1), which meant the Pennant was now on the line. Unfortunately, Sean missed a par putt at the 20th hole for a win, and then bogeyed the next to enable Boulden, and Noosa, to take the Pennant. Headland’s comeback, after being thrashed 7-nil by Noosa in the second round of the competition, was stunning. Reigning Club Champion Adam Richards produced his best golf in an age for a stunning 9&7 victory, Adam Rydwanski (3&2) continued his season-long good form while Rattray, who had worked overnight at the Gold Coast then drove to Gympie without sleep, was a star performer. Apart from Sean McGill, who fought back from three- down to square his match after 18 holes, Ben Duncombe (4&2), Josh Holbrook (2 down) and Scott Walker (4&2) were beaten. While the loss was extremely disappointing, non-playing Team Captain James Brownsworth said the absolute highlight of the Pennant season had been the continued team spirit which had developed in the team over the past few seasons. “And the emergence of two exciting juniors – Josh Holbrook and Ben Duncombe – paints a very promising Pennant future for our club,” he said.
STAR SHINES: As Headland’s A Grade Men’s Pennant team was making the comeback of the season at Gympie, a future star was shining brightly at her home course. Twelve-year-old Charlotte Ridley scored 45 points to win Sunday’s Medley Single Stableford, beating her previous best round of 101 by a massive 12 strokes. Her 89 included a birdie at the par-five (women’s) 15th, a four-point par at 17 plus six three-pointers, as well as salvaging a double bogey at the par-four third after her ball became lodged in a tree. In just 23 rounds of competition golf since joining Headland last year, Charlotte – a member of Headland’s Junior Pennant Team in 2021 – has sliced 20 strokes from her handicap, and after Sunday’s round will now play off 21 (AGU). And just to add to her day of glory, Charlotte took the NTP at the par-three fifth. While Grade Seven Sunshine Coast Grammar student Charlotte was smashing her handicap, septuagenarian Del Whittaker also had her best round at Headland, to finish second with 42 points.
DUNCANS’ BEEER: Brendan Duncan may not have won the comp with his first par round at Headland on Saturday, but the Duncans saluted in the family challenge, and collected the post-round drinks. Brendan (handicap 6) carded 42 points from his equal-best round of 72, with four pars and four birdies on his scorecard. And with dad Bernie (34 points) at his side, the Duncans easily accounted for Michael Thomas (29) and son Blake (31) in the best-of-three challenge matches. Brendan, who says his game is ‘starting to click’ following some consistent practising of late, shot par (72) at Pelican Waters late last year but before Saturday had been disappointed he had not parred his home course. And despite giving Brendan almost three decades in age, Michael Thomas managed to out-drive Brendan on three holes.
SWING WINS: Recent Headland SWING graduates Colleen Sarquis and Cathy Haimes both became first-time winners during the past week. Colleen, who graduated at the end of 2018, won Tuesday’s Single Stableford event with 41 points in what was just her second competition round since joining Headland nine weeks ago. As a result, her handicap has been lowered by seven shots – from 39 to 32. Cathy also suffered a handicap reduction (43 to 40) following her 43 points on Thursday, which won C Grade by a whopping five points. A SWING graduate in 2016, Cathy had five three-point holes and three four pointers in her winning round, which ended an 18-month frustrating run of disappointing scores. In fact, had it not been for the encouragement and support of regular playing partners Raewyn Bissett, Sue Hadenham and Odette Day, Cathy would have given golf away.
BIRDIE BLITZ: Westway electrician Wayne West lipped out for double bogey at his first hole on Saturday – the par-five tenth – yet still scored a three-under par 69. Playing off scratch, Wayne then added six birdies and a bogey to his otherwise unblemished card to score 39 points, but could manage only 13th in the field of 219. A tap-in birdie from 79cm at the sixth, after his tee shot finished in a divot, also gave him the Pro Pin in what was one of his better rounds at Headland, but two shots short of his best – a five-under 67 at Headland in 2013, for the third time in his impressive golfing career. In Saturday’s Single Stableford event, Dennis Mikolic (43 points) won A Grade, Robert McCann (40) saluted in B Grade and Mick Morris (39) won C Grade.
PERRFECT GREENS: Two of Headland’s more consistent women golfers, Jenny Ingham and Robyn Boreham, credited the superb condition of the greens for their excellent rounds during the past week. Jenny won A Grade on Thursday with 40 points, her 26 putts a feature of her ‘very tidy’ round of 84. And Robyn had 30 putts in her score of 88, for 39 points and a win on Saturday. Jenny’s best-ever round of 81 was ‘some time ago’, as was Robyn’s best of 86. For both women however, there was a particular motivation behind their winning scores. Jenny’s husband, Dr Rob Ingham, returned 39 points the previous day and challenged her to ‘see if you can beat that’, while Robyn is hoping her recent run of good form can continue when she again partners Helen Fraser in the Women’s Foursomes Championships on Thursday.
MARK’S MARK: Mark Garcia lives so close to Headland Golf Club he can almost hear the profanities resulting from those many missed putts on the first green. But during his 12-year membership, Mark has had a somewhat ‘distant’ relationship with the club until the past five years when he became sole carer for his aged parents (his dad Frank was a Headland member for a decade and played into his 80s). And on Thursday he returned his best-ever score at Headland – a seven-over 79 for 42 stableford points, and a long-overdue win. Formerly a member of the Siam Country Club in Thailand – where he twice shot his lowest round of 76 – Mark joined Headland along with his children, Alisia and Greg, who have since concentrated more on their studies than their golf. His consistent card on Thursday, which beat Kevin George on a countback, revealed five pars, three birdies and 10 bogeys.
BACK-TO-BACK: The unpretentious explanation from Alan Brooker for his back-to-back Wednesday wins in A Grade at Headland was ‘I’ve been hitting it well, and playing well’. The former business owner who retired two years ago, has also been working out in the gym, which he says has helped his game. Alan won Wednesday’s Single Stableford with 44 points, following his 42 points to lead the A Grade field a week earlier. Starting on the tenth, he was square with the card after 11 holes and then, in a topsy-turvy finish, carded three birdies, three bogeys and a double bogey coming home. A six-marker when a member of Sydney’s Concord Golf Club before he joined Headland more than two decades ago, Alan’s two winning rounds have come at a cost. His AGU handicap is now eight, down from 11 a fortnight ago.
BEST THWARTED: Nigel Morrison (handicap seven) chipped and putted like a champion for the majority of his excellent round on Tuesday, yet three successive bogeys potentially cost him his best-ever score. The 43-year-old, who regularly plays Tuesdays and Thursdays, scored 42 points in the Single Stableford event for men to win with his second-best gross score of one-over 73. A former Headland junior who did not re-join the club until 15 years ago, Nigel had four birdies, five bogeys and nine pars in his round, but three of the bogeys – on holes 15, 16 and 17 after excellent drives – thwarted a two-under par 70, which would have equalled his Anzac Day score five years ago that yielded him a massive 48 points. As a result of his great round, Nigel’s handicap is back down to six, where it has been twice previously, but then for just the one round.
EMMET’S EAGLE: Popular barman Emmet Walsh is no shrinking violet, and very few Headland members who played on Saturday afternoon left the club unaware of his first eagle. Freely admitting he is the worst golfer in the talented Walsh family which includes dad Justin, mum Coralie, brother Patrick and grandfather Don Follent, Emmet scored his first eagle on Saturday, holing a nine-iron at the par-fourth ninth hole. And once he settled on the northern verandah of the clubhouse celebrating with his playing partners, Emmet made certain every arriving golfer learned of his achievement. Now each member of the family, except Patrick, has joined Headland’s eagle club.
NO PINEAPPLE: Another eagle on Saturday was scored by Darryl Chapman, who holed a four iron with his third shot at the par-five 13th. It was Darryl’s third eagle, and although he gratefully accepted the $15 ‘reward’ for his effort, the prize was not quite as memorable as the booty his previous eagle received when he hit a tree on the 18th at Horton Park back in the 80s, and the deflected ball found the hole. “I was playing in what they called the Twilight Club competition, and I’m pretty sure they presented me with a pineapple,” revealed Headland member 238, who joined ‘back in the 70s’.
WEEKLY RESULTS:
Tuesday, Single Stableford, Women (66 players) – Colleen Sarquis (41 points), Dianne Keen (41), Barbara Schultz (39), Lyn Forbes (39). Men (63 players) – Nigel Morrison (42), Stuart Dykstra (42), Gordon O’Neill (39), Greg O’Connor (38).
Wednesday, Medley Single Stableford (196 players) – A Grade, Alan Brooker (44 points), Joshua Myers (42), Toby Zaremba (41); B Grade, Bruce Reid (41), Dean Simmons (41), Scott Simpson (40); C Grade, Graham Pitt (41), Ashleigh Matheson (39), John Siddons (39).
Thursday, Single Stableford, Women (106 players) – A Grade, Jenny Ingham (40 points), Robyn Boreham (38), Fiona Munro (37); B Grade, Barbara Schultz (37), Gail Young (37), Lyn Forbes (37); C Grade, Cathy Haimes (43), Alison Payne (38), Raewyn Bissett (38). Men (84) – Mark Garcia (42), Kevin George (42), Sergio Nogarotto (39), Ray Dempsey (39).
Saturday, Single Stableford – sponsor R2G Communications – Women (32 players) – Robyn Boreham (39 points), Annabel Harris (38), Cathy Roberts (38). Men (219 players) – A Grade, Dennis Mikolic (43), Brendan Duncan (42), Wayne Bridgeman (42); B Grade, Robert McCann (40), Steve Rose (39), Brett Stephenson (39); C Grade, Mick Morris (39), Mark Glassop (38), Hans Raaschou (37).
Sunday, Medley Single Stableford (62 players) – Charlotte Ridley (45 points), Del Whittaker (42), Jo McDougall (39).
