From Tony Durkin
NINE UNDER: Four days after his predecessor, Josh Holbrook, shot five-under 67 in his best-ever round at Headland, reigning Junior Men’s Champion Ben Duncombe has carved up the course with a bogey-free eight-under par round of 64 in Wednesday’s Medley Single Stableford. It is the lowest score at Headland since Brett Rankin shot 63 – from the Championship tees – in the 2010 Pro Am. Playing from a handicap of plus two, 19-year-old Ben had a flawless round with 10 pars complementing birdies at holes 2,6,7,10,11,13,14 and 15. “I played really well, and could not seem to do a thing wrong,” said Twin Waters ‘cart man’ Ben, who partnered 2021 Junior Champion Josh to win last year’s Men’s Foursomes Championship. Waving a new wand – a 20-year-old Ping B90 broomstick putter gifted him by his dad – Ben had a miserly 24 putts in his round, including a lip-out at the par-four 16th. While it was his lowest round at Headland – his previous best was five-under 67 – it is not Ben’s best round. That was nine-under par 62, twice, at his junior club, Coral Cove. NOTE: The pair did not play together on Wednesday, but Josh also again fired, with six birdies and an eagle in his round of 67, which was scarred by three bogies. And the teenagers won the two Pro Pins, each collecting $58.50.
MEEGAN WALKS IN: Meegan Walker is a University Lecturer and Researcher, so she is obviously cluey enough to understand golf’s handicap system. But just because her gross score of 95 was 31 strokes more than Ben Duncombe’s brilliant round on Wednesday, that did not dull her joy at scoring 43 points and returning the best Stableford score in the Medley field of 211 players. “It was quite thrilling actually – I had a great day,” Meegan beamed after finally breaking through the 100-barrier at Headland in her three years as a member. She had two four-pointers and five three-point holes on her card and, most importantly, no wipes, and as a result her AGU handicap, which was 45 when she started her golfing journey, is now 26.7. Meegan won C Grade with her score, joining Ben (A Grade, 42) and Malcolm Webster (B Grade, 41) as victors.
CHAMPION FIRES: Like a bottle of Penfolds Grange, five-time Headland Champion Adam Richards reckons his golf is becoming better with age. The 48-year-old reigning Champion – and grandfather to Jakim – shot 67 on Saturday for 40 points from his handicap of plus one and a win in A Grade. His superb round – his second lowest at Headland since a seven-under 65 back in 2005 – revealed six birdies and a bogey, and he came home in four-under 32 with birdies at holes 11, 12, 13 and 18. Explaining his excellent form of 2022, which has included Headland’s Men’s Foursomes Championship with mate Scott Walker and recently the 2022 Sunshine Coast-South Burnett District Men’s Golf Zone Championship as well as both the Open and Closed district titles, Adam said he was more relaxed on the course, ‘enjoying my golf, and having fun’. “Besides, I can’t let the young guys take all the glory,” he said, in reference to recent outstanding scores from Ben Duncombe, Josh Holbrook and McKenzie Wright. Tim Nunan (also 40 points) won B Grade and Skip Antony (39) topped the C Grade leaderboard.
WENDY’S WIN: Lessons from Head Pro Adam Norlander, plus playing alongside a single-figure handicapper, has propelled Wendy Mosley to her best score in just under two years as a Headland member. Wendy, who has been on the Women’s Match Committee for the past 12 months, won B Grade in Thursday’s Single Stableford event for Women with 44 points after a ‘steady’ start. “We started on the 10th, and I had 19 points on the back nine, which included a wipe at my ‘bogey’ hole, the 16th,” she reported. “But I played the front nine really well, with only 45 shots for my 25 points.” Wendy acknowledged that playing in the same group as eight-marker Lisa Ramen had been a ‘delight’, and by watching her smooth swing she could more easily comprehend the advice she has been receiving from Adam. With the same score, Joy Murray won C Grade, while Monica Antony (39) won A Grade and Wayne Lawson (42) was the best of the men.
FAMILY DOUBLE: A ‘nice bottle of red’ was produced last week to celebrate two rare wins – and an even rarer family double – by the Andrews family, Pam and Paul. Paul, 84 years young, scored a win in Tuesday’s Single Stableford two weeks ago with 40 points, a score equalled by his wife Pam in Monday’s Vets event. “I had a win in January, also in the Vets, but most of my golf since has been very forgettable,” said Pam, who had eight three-point scores on her winning B Grade card. And the 32-year Headland member, who played tennis as a youngster and thought golf was boring, has a miraculous shoulder recovery to thank for much-improved form. She has suffered bursitis in her shoulder for the past 12 months, but in the past few weeks the pain has eased, her golf has improved and so have her scores. Jill Nixey (also 40 points) won A Grade.
MOST POINTS: Dianne Kean was chuffed to learn that of the 234 players who teed off in Saturday’s Medley Single Stableford event – sponsored by Dave Mansley of Mooneys Insurance Brokers – her score of 41 points was the highest on the day. But she then added – with humility – ‘it was pure luck’. Her golfing career started with SWING six years ago and she has gradually reduced her handicap to 26 by playing mostly twice a week, and enjoying the game as well as the company. “My golf is pretty much same, same, and I just wait for that day to come along when things go my way, as happened on Saturday,” she said. Dianne scored 22 points on a wonderful front nine, with three successive pars on the fifth, sixth and seventh holes.
BRAVE ANDREW: Try as he may, the lone Andrew Hempsall was no match for John Marrington and Sergio Nogarotto in Sunday’s final of Headland’s 2022 Medley Fourball Best Ball Stableford Match Play Championship final, sponsored by Michael Thomas of ZenFind Accounting. Andrew and his partner Roly Hoy had qualified a week earlier to play the final, but Roly was unavailable because of pending surgery. So rather than roll over, Andrew decided to take on the highest-handicapped combination of the qualifiers himself, but went down 4&3 after John and Sergio won the par-four 15th. Earlier in the week John and Sergio had warmed up for the final by scoring 47 points to finish third in Tuesday’s Medley Fourball event.
VETS’ VICTORY: Headland Veteran Golfers have made a major breakthrough in their quest for equal playing rights for their women members. As some clubs in the Sunshine Coast district do not permit women to play in their Vets competitions, Headland Vets’ management recently took a stand. Clubs which do not permit women to play in Vets competitions were told they would not be hosted at Headland in the future. Tin Cay Bay has since advised Headland that from the start of the 2023 calendar, women will be invited to play on their hosted days. “It is a major breakthrough. And while we congratulate Tin Can Bay on this decision, we sincerely hope other clubs will follow,” said Headland Vets President, Tony Coad.
A TRISH-A-THON: “I’m glad we had someone playing with us to verify our score,” explained Trish Arden after she and fellow SWING graduate Trish Murphy won Tuesday’s Medley Fourball Best Stableford with a superb score of 50 points. The pair scored three four-pointers in succession on the back nine – at holes 13, 14 and 15 – and could not believe how well they played, and how well they combined. And although they have developed a strong friendship and play together regularly since they became golfers, it is their first win as a team. “And it was the first time she has shared my cart, so maybe that is the secret,” Trish suggested.
BEST SCORE: In 31 years as a member, Steve Nash has won nine Monthly Mugs, a Match Play trophy and scored a hole in one at Headland, but until Monday he had never managed better than 41 points in a Single Stableford event. The former teacher, who emigrated from England in 1974 and taught at eight different schools on the Sunshine Coast during his career, won Monday’s Vets event in B Grade, carding three four-pointers in a round that featured five successive pars from holes three to seven. But for the mildly visually-impaired golfer who two years ago played off 17 and is now out to 22, his nemeses hole struck again on Monday. “For some reason I cannot master that 18th, and again wiped it,” he said. Richard Ryan (40 points) won A Grade for the second time in three weeks.
WOMEN’S WEEK: Diane Gilmour finished an historic week for Headland’s women by winning Sunday’s Medley Single Stableford event with 39 points. Not only have the female members won three of the four Medley events at the club during the past week, but Headland has been responsible for one district club – and possibly more – including women in their Vets schedule for 2023. Playing from a handicap of 23, Diane had eight three-point holes on her winning card on Sunday and beat Kirsten Kaergaard by a point in a field that included only six women. And to further emphasise the female domination, Narelle Hollowood collected two of the four NTPs. Earlier in the week Trish Arden and Trish Murphy (50 points) won Tuesday’s Medley Fourball Best Ball Stableford, on Wednesday Meegan Walker (43 points) returned the best score in the Medley Single Stableford event and Dianne Kean (41 points) returned the best score in Saturday’s big field if 234 players.
WEEKLY RESULTS:
Monday, Vets’ Single Stableford – sponsor, Perry and Oster Funerals – Women (38 players) – A Grade, Jill Nixey (40 points), Helen Fraser (39), Robyn Boreham (37); B Grade, Pam Andrews (40), Helen Martin (39), Deb Thomas (36). Men (55 players) – A Grade, Richard Ryan (40), Patrick Carmody (36), Dennis Taylor (34); B Grade, Steve Nash (41), Steve Wickman (39), John Christmas (37).
Tuesday, Medley Fourball Best Ball Stableford (124 players) – Trish Arden and Trish Murphy (50 points), Susan and Alan Stratford (49), John Marrington and Sergio Nogarotto (47).
Wednesday, Medley Single Stableford – sponsor, Roger Van Ginkel, Thomassen Australasia Pty Ltd – (211 players) – A Grade, Ben Duncombe (42 points), Tex Teixeira (42), Glenn Kelly (40); B Grade, Malcolm Webster (41), Fred Muller (39), Toby Zaremba (39); C Grade, Meegan Walker (43), Terry Forsyth (39), Phil Martin (38).
Thursday, Single Stableford, Women– sponsors Jenny Ingham, Julie Halliday, Gail Young, Helen Fraser, Louise Armstrong and Alison Payne – (104 players) – A Grade, Monica Antony (39 points), Jill Nixey (38), Marg Howard (38); B Grade, Wendy Mosley (44), Norma Hobson (40), Trish Murphy (40); C Grade, Joy Murray (44), Raewyn (Andersen (40), Leigh Derigo (40). Men (94 players) – Wayne Lawson (42), Stephen Woolcott (41), John Christmas (40).
Saturday, Single Stableford – sponsor, David Mansley, Mooneys Insurance Brokers – Women (28 players) – Dianne Kean (41 points), Trish Marsden (38), Louise Harriot (37).
Men (206 players) – A Grade, Adam Richards (40), Mike Hardy (39), Ian Michel (38); B Grade, Tim Nunan (40), Jonny Clarke (38), Glenn Brooker (38); C Grade, Skip Antony (39), Alan Ward (38), Hans Raaschou (37).
Juniors, Parent and Child, nine-hole gross, Boys – 7 years and under, Blake and Adam Rydwanski (45); 8-10 years, Benjamin and Steve Cox (36); 11-13 years. – David and Simon Groom (37); Girls, Emma and Scott Ingham (45).
Sunday, Medley Single Stableford (40 players) – Diane Gilmour (39 points), Kirsten Kaergaard (38), Trevor Gourley (37).
Medley Fourball Best Ball Stableford Match Play Championship, final – sponsored by Michael Thomas, ZenFind Accounting – John Marrington and Sergio Nogarotto beat Andrew Hempsall (4&3).
