From Tony Durkin
EAGLE MEDAL: Headland’s par-five 13th hole may receive an honourable mention in an upcoming edition of Golf Digest magazine after an eagle by Mark Henricks was the catalyst for him beating six others on a countback to win the May A Grade Monthly Medal. Mark, who is the Dean of Co-Curricular at Sunshine Coast Grammar, is also a member of the judging panel which appraises golf courses world-wide for Golf Digest, and he rates his home course very highly. And after his nett 71 on Saturday, from his round of 79, won him his fifth Monthly Medal, he was feeling extremely buoyant about Headland. “To win on a six-way countback is pretty special, but the eagle on 13 after birdying the 11th made the round particularly memorable,” he said. The eagle and birdie complemented six pars and 10 bogeys from the Championship tees, and gave him his second win of the year. And being a proud Queenslander, his victory – not accidently on Origin eve – came in a maroon shirt. Those beaten on a countback by Mark were Ciaron Fenton, Lindsay Blair, Adam Richards, Anthony Mesic and Ash Reck. With 69 nett, Peter Dickens and Ivan Fortman won the B and C Grade Medals, respectively. NOTE: While Saturday was a special day for Mark, it was nowhere near his best round. That came 10 months ago when he shot two-under 69 for 46 Stableford points. That round also included an eagle.
MENTAL VICTORY: Following an horrendous start to her round on Saturday, Kirsten Kaergaard called on her mental strength to fight out a win in Saturday’s May Monthly Medal round. The recently-retired teacher found bunker trouble at the opening hole and penned a triple-bogey eight. But rather than drop her bundle, Denmark-born Kirsten – playing from her 21 handicap – then shot 11 successive bogeys from the Women’s Championship tees. She added two more bogeys and a par over the final six holes for 96, a nett score of 75, and her first Medal for 2025. “The course is much drier than it has been, but still playing really tough when there is little run,” she said. “I was pleased with the way I held my game together after taking three shots in the bunker at the first, and it was good to win another Medal.” Kirsten explained that when she plays stroke events, she still mentally scores in stableford terms. “I find that helps me keep track of where I stand in relation to my handicap,” she revealed. Headland’s Pennant Co-Ordinator for Women, Kirsten joined the club in 2003 after several teaching stints in Queensland, and finished her career as a Senior Experienced Business Teacher at nearby Mountain Creek State High School in April.
WHITE SPARK: Electrician Chris Goundrey once again elected to play from the white tees in Wednesday’s Medley Single Stableford, and once more it proved a rewarding decision. Backing up from his last round three weeks earlier, Chris again penned two-under 70 from his daily handicap of two, for 40 points, the best score in the field of 204, and a win in A Grade. “And a winning bonus of $115, which I did not expect in a Wednesday comp,” beamed Chris, who hit plenty of drivers, then wedges. “There was no run, and following all the recent rain the greens were soft, and really receptive. It was fun golf.” But after driving the par-four 11th and three putting, then missing short birdie putts at holes 12 and 14, Chris reckoned his almost identical round three weeks earlier had ‘felt better’. “I was disappointed to bogey the 15th, but birdied 16 and 17, then parred 18, so I was happy with the way I finished,” he quipped. Chris shot five birdies, 10 pars and three bogeys in his round and, unlike his victory on April 26 when he was the only one in his group to play from the white tees, he had the company of three others on Wednesday. Steve Walters, also on 40 points, won C Grade while Mark Davis scored 39 points to head the B Grade ladder. NOTE: He may have been beaten into second place by Chris Goundrey, but five-time Headland Club Champion Adam Richards had a day out on Wednesday. Playing from the blue tees, and off a plus one handicap, Adam shot five birdies in his round of two-under 70, for 37 points, and collected $70 as runner-up in A Grade. But there was more. His birdie at the sixth, from 100cm, gave him the Pro Pin and a collect of $60.50, while another birdie at the par three eighth – from 12cm – scored him the NTP, and $34.
INCLUSIVE WIN: Recent English arrival, Wendy Mosley, says she is very impressed by the all-encompassing nature of Headland’s female membership. “We are a very inclusive group of women at the club,” expressed Wendy after her group won Thursday’s Scrambled Ambrose, sponsored by Head Pro Adam Norlander. “Our playing group was not pre-arranged. I put my name on the list first, and the others joined me, which is something that impresses me about the club.” Wendy relocated from the UK to the Sunshine Coast in 2019 and joined Headland two years later, ironically looking forward to not playing in cold, wet conditions. And while Thursday’s conditions were something akin to home, she thoroughly enjoyed the outing. “We all contributed to the win,” Wendy reported, after she and partners Wil Sprake, Sue Harris and Ellen Bloxsome combined to score nett 62.25. “Wil was magnificent off the tee, Ellen hit a beautiful tee shot at the fifth for nearest the pin, and we all managed to sink a long par putt, which led to enthusiastic high fives.” While the Ambrose event was ‘a lot of fun’, Wendy is looking forward to representing Headland in the Weekday Division Two Pennant final against Bribie Island, at Cooroy, next Monday (June 2). “I love match play. I find it really helps my overall game, and my concentration,” she said.
LIGHTNING STRIKE: In August last year podiatrist Ben Kennedy scored 48 Stableford points from his 26 handicap to win his first competition as a Headland member. On Tuesday, after playing ‘not as much golf as I would like’, the former Victorian who played scant golf before he joined Headland in November 2023, scored his second win in a less spectacular fashion. “I started on the back nine, scored 27 points, and then my game fell away,” lamented Ben, who has worked with many professional athletes, including recent involvement with the Sunshine Coast Lightning netball team. “I may have been guilty of getting ahead of myself, and a few lazy swings followed.” But his 15 points on the front nine was enough to snare just his second win, with an impressive four four-point holes on his card. Ben attended a four-week golf clinic in his regional Victorian home town of Yackandandah when he was 10, but cricket and AFL then took his fancy, followed by a fishing boat when he moved to the Sunshine Coast 15 years ago. “My daughter Ivy was born in 2022, the boat went, and golf is now my form of relaxation,” he said.
OUTSIDE INFLUENCE: After winning Tuesday’s Single Stableford for Women, Denise Hutchinson thanked the golfing gods for their help. “As most golfers know, the golfing gods usually only visit us once a year, and it seems Tuesday was my turn,” quipped the former Women’s Captain of Caloundra Golf Club. Denise scored 35 points for a clear victory by three points, and surmised her later tee time had also helped. “Our group played later in the day and the course was drier,” she after her winning round, which included six three-point holes. “And I drove the ball well, which is always pleasing.” Denise supported the opinion of Wendy Mosley (above) who said she was impressed by the inclusive nature of Headland’s Women golfers. “I played with a great group of girls. The company was enjoyable, and that helped me relax,” she said.
RAINMAN WARD: “I retired in October last year, intended to play golf at least three times a week, and it seems it hasn’t stopped raining since’,” bemoaned a somewhat exasperated Terry Ward after winning Thursday’s Single Stableford for Men. The former Building and Engineering Manager for the Sunshine Coast with Queensland Health, said that despite three-putting his final two holes he had ‘played okay’ to win Thursday’s Single Stableford for Men with 38 points, after a round of 79. And, as a recently-added – and extremely grateful – ‘reserve’ for the Follies, he also scored his second successive win inside the group. “But it has been really tough out on the course of late – if we can actually play,” he said. “I estimate I have been ’washed off’ the course at least 10 times since I retired, which is frustrating.”
ANOTHER RED: To septuagenarian Leigh Mansfield these days, red means go. Since a fall from ladder more than four years ago, Leigh can no longer swing through the ball as he once did, and his distance has been constricted dramatically. And the ex-Tasmanian has welcomed the introduction of selective tees at Headland, making his round of golf more enjoyable and – twice in the past eight months – more successful. Playing again from the red tees in Saturday’s optional Single Stableford, Leigh amassed 40 points to win his second event since a similar result in September last year. “I am 73, cannot hit the ball anywhere near as far since my accident, and am simply not competitive from the back markers,” he explained. “But the addition of the selective tees gives a lot of guys in my age group a chance every now and again.” After penning a birdie and six three pointers on his Saturday card, Leigh confessed that recent rounds had not been as fruitful. “I think I have averaged around 25 points a round this year,” he confessed. But Leigh said golf, for him, was not about winning. “My wife Lyn and I just love Headland. The club has accepted us so well, and we enjoy the camaraderie so much,” he said.
BIRDIE BOYS: Jack Pyke collected $72 for taking out the Pro Pin at the par-four sixth hole on Saturday, but his resultant birdie – from 337cm – had wider ramifications. Jack was one of three in his group who birdied the hole, with Ross Itzstein and Garry Marr joining him after all three hit the green with their second shot. Bob Trevor, with par, missed making it a quadruple. It is not the first time Jack and Ross have been in a group which achieved the same feat. Two years ago, playing the par-three eighth, they both birdied the hole, as did Peter O’Brien, at the time Headland’s Club Captain. On that day it was the evergreen Brian Richards, as the fourth member, who blotted the copybook with a par. As reported earlier, Mark Henricks eagled the par-five 13th hole on Saturday, and long-time Headland sponsor Graeme Nicholas aced the par-three fifth, a feat repeated by another sponsor, Nelson Valderrama, at the par-three 14th.
‘NEW’ PETE: “I went out today with a few focus, a new application, a new attitude and a new hat,” quipped Pro Shop Assistant Peter Perrett after winning Sunday’s Medley Single Stableford. “I haven’t enjoyed a round of golf as much for a long time.” Peter scored four-over 76 for 39 points, with three birdies in his first five holes. He confessed that although he thoroughly enjoyed his job in the Pro Shop – and said Headland had a ‘great community feel’ – sometimes working in the golf industry is not conducive to enjoying the game. “It can be a case of too much golf, particularly when playing after a morning shift in the Pro Shop,” he said. “But today I did not have to work, so I was relaxed, there was no stress, and I played with some good mates. In simple terms, it was just a relaxed game of golf, and I played well.” Somewhat of a nomad in recent years, Peter returned to Headland in July 2024 after a 14-month stint in his native England. And prior to serving three years as Operations Manager at Jumeriah Golf Estates in Dubai, he had spent a year in his first term at Headland.
JUNIOR PENNANT: Headland’s No.2 Junior Pennant team, playing in Division Two of the Sunshine Coast Junior Pennant competition, has kept its unbeaten record intact with a 3-1 victory over Maroochy River on Sunday. Winners were Matthew Bothma (1-up), Finn Darlison (8&6) and Dom Manning (3&2), while Max Faulkner was beaten 4&2. With Headland Junior Champion Sam Fichera winning 2&1, the club’s No.1 team managed a 2-2 draw against Caloundra. David Groom (4&3) was the other winner, with Seth Riley and Lewis Matthewson losing their matches, both 3&1. In round five matches next weekend, Headland (2) plays Caloundra at Maroochy River, Headland (1) has the bye, and in Division Three, after a bye this past weekend, Headland plays Maroochy River.
WEEKLY RESULTS:
Tuesday, Single Stableford, Women (30 players) – Denise Hutchinson (35 points), Maria Hireme (32), Lisa Ramen (31).
Men (54 players) – Ben Kennedy (41 points), Dave Sims (36), Ian Harper (36).
Wednesday, Medley Single Stableford – sponsor, Adams Robins, AR Coastal Scaffolding – (204 players) A Grade, Chris Goundrey (40 points), Adam Richards (37), Chris Klazema (37); B Grade, Mark Davis (39), Justin Scattini (38), Tony Kelleher (37); C Grade, Steve Walters (40), Marty Briedis (36), John Logan (34).
Thursday, Women, Scrambled Ambrose – sponsor, Adam Norlander – (92 players) – Sue Harris, Wil Sprake, Ellen Bloxsome and Wendy Mosley (65.25 nett), Valerie O’Brien, Deborah Thomas, Trudi Russell and Leigh Dorigo (66.375), Helen Venter, Jenny Ingham, Suzanne Pledge and Wendy Burnie (66.5).
Men, Single Stableford (70 players) – Terry Ward (38 points), Kyle Schutt (37), Chris Klazema (37).
Saturday, Monthly Medal, Women – sponsor Jodie McDonell, Century 21 on Duporth – (24 players) – Kirsten Kaergaard (75 nett), Gwen Nancarrow (75), Annabel Harris (76); Best gross, Annabel Harris (89).
Men sponsor Ryan Tomlinson, Century 21 on Duporth – (141 players) – A Grade, Mark Henricks (71 nett), Ciaron Fenton (71), Lindsay Blair (71); B Grade, Peter Dickens (69), Wayne Hutcheson (70), Paul Morton (70); C Grade, Ivan Fortman (69), Sam Fisher (70), Bruce Prince (70); Best gross, Adam Richards (71).
Single Stableford (62 players) – Leigh Mansfield (40 points), Mick Garske (39), Brett Beaumont (39).
Sunday, Medley Single Stableford (57 players) – Peter Perrett (39 points), Graham Smith (37), David Cekulis (36).
