From Tony Durkin
SAM’S TRIFECTA: Sam Fichera finished with three successive pars to win his third consecutive Headland Junior Championship, holding off 12-year-old Chase Lear. The 15-year-old Sunshine Coast Grammar student took a four-shot lead into the second and final round of the Championship on Sunday, but Chase had almost chased him down by the turn, with nine-hole scores of 44 and 41 respectively. Then, after he sank a monster putt at the par-four 12th for birdie and Sam doubled, the diminutive Chase was two shots clear. But the more experienced Sam held his nerve, shot one-over for the next six holes to four-over by Chase, and won for the third time in three years. Sam finished with scores of 74-83, while Chase penned a second round 80 to go with his 78 in round one two weeks earlier. The one-shot margin is the tightest for Sam in his three Championship wins, and he blamed nerves for the nine-shot discrepancy between rounds one and two. “Chase played really well, and I was pleased to hold my game together over those final six holes. I am proud to be Headland’s Junior Champion again,” he said. Toby Halliday shot rounds of 81-83 to finish third, while Max Faulkner and Dom Manning were next, both scoring 85 in consecutive rounds.
WAYNE’S BEST: Two wins in the space of four days has assisted – albeit slightly – the outlay for new golfing equipment by returned Headland member Wayne Dauer. A teacher at Mooloolaba State School, Wayne carded the best score in the field to win Saturday’s C Grade Monthly Medal, backing up after a win on Wednesday. But Saturday’s result was easily the most impressive, with 86 from the black tees for 66 nett. “To start my round, I hit the two best shots on the first hole that I can remember, scored a birdie and played pretty well from there,” he said. Wayne rejoined Headland last year after an eight-year absence following 12 years as a member, and he recalls winning a Mid-Week Medal back then. “But to win two events within a week is a real golfing highlight for me.” He recently upgraded his equipment with new Srixon irons and an MGI buggy from the Prop Shop, and although he is still ‘adapting’ to the irons, he quipped ‘we are getting along’. “At this early stage, the longer irons are better than the short irons,” he said. On Wednesday Wayne also shot 86, but from the blue tees, scored 38 points and won the B Grade Medley Single Stableford. Ciaran Fenton won the A Grade Medal on Saturday with nett 68, Graeme Warne backed up from Thursday’s Stableford victory to clinch the B Grade Medal (69), and Adam Richards shot one-under 71 to return the best gross.
AWESOME FOURSOME: Naomi Doyle may have won another Monthly Medal on Saturday, but she was equally excited by her playing group collecting all four prizes on the day. Naomi scored 97 from her handicap of 27 to score 70 nett and win the Medal by three shots, with playing partners Vicki Oxley (73) and Liz Dunford (74) filling the minor placings. And to add to the awesome performance of the four group members, Louise Harriot (88) returned the best gross score, and also collected NTPs at holes five and 18, while Liz Dunford was closest at the fifth. “We had a fun day. Playing with friends always brings out the competitive side in me, especially when we are playing for side bets of $2.50,” Naomi jested. Between them, the foursome cashed in with $110 in prizemoney. In the quarter-finals of the Women’s Match Play on Saturday, winners in B Grade were Leeanne Ptak, Jenny Ingham, Kirsten Kaergaard and Gwen Nancarrow, while in C Grade Sue Briffa, Wendy Burnie, Sue Harris and Debbie Bennetts have progressed to the semi-finals. Scores are in Weekly Results (below).
CASHED UP: It had been a long absence from the victory dais for 27-year member Graeme Warne, but a win in Thursday’s Single Stableford certainly made up for lost time. Not only was his 39 points enough to top the field of 88 players, but he collected $200 in prizemoney. “And, we won the drinks as well,” said the former tennis court builder who joined Headland when he moved from Toowoomba in 1998. Playing off 15, ‘Warnie’ penned eight pars and nine bogeys, with his only slip-up coming at the par-four 16th, when he found trouble with the recently-installed greenside left bunker. “I actually had the wrong club, and with the cart parked up the top near the 17th tee, I was too lazy to walk up,” he joked. As well as pocketing $120 for the win, Graeme also collected $80 for the best score among the Fraser Follies members. And he chuckled at the irony of the big collect, revealing that a few weeks earlier he also scored 39 points, and won $5 in the rundown. “But that’s golf,” he chuckled. His last win was in December last year, that time with 40 points. NOTE: Graeme won Saturday’s Monthly Medal in B Grade with 69 nett.
MARGIE’S PAY DAY: Margie White openly accepts the fact that during her 24 years as a Headland member her handicap has risen substantially, but that has not dimmed her enjoyment of the game. And she proved she can still add to her trophy list after returning the best score in Thursday’s July Monthly Medal, winning C Grade with 74 nett. “I now play purely for the enjoyment,” said Margie, who joined Headland, from Darwin, in 2001. “On Thursday I had a few bad holes and a few good holes, but I stayed out of the bunkers and I putted well.” Adding to her Medal victory and the $60 prizemoney, Margie also produced the best gross score in C Grade for an additional $15, and won the NTP at the par-three eighth hole for another $24. “It was a good day all round, and one of the best pay days I have had for a long while,” she revealed. Although her last Monthly Medal was in 2024, Margie recalled she had won ‘quite a few’ back in her early days at Headland when her handicap was as low as 16. Annabel Harris continued her outstanding recent form with the A Grade double (88/75) while Bev Kelly (75) and Jenny Ingham (97) shared the honours in B Grade.
JUNIOR VICTORY: Headland’s current crop of talented juniors continued a winning run on Wednesday, with Zach Williams saluting with the best score in the Medley Single Stableford. The 17-year-old Matthew Flinders Year 12 student, playing just his fifth competition round after joining the club two years ago, shot 89 from his 21 handicap, for 39 points and a win in C Grade. After a nervous start, with bogeys in his first four holes, Zach steadied and tamed the back nine with eight bogeys and a par. “I have been playing heaps of practise rounds with my dad (fellow member Michael), and my short game has really improved,” said Zach, who plans a gap year with travel and many more comp rounds. “Dad introduced me to golf about two years ago, bought me a set of clubs and I took a liking to the game instantly.” Stewart Clover (36 points) won A Grade and Wayne Dauer (38) beat home the B Grade field.
KIRSTEN STARS: Headland’s Kirsten Kaergaard has had a weekend to remember, with two emphatic Match Play victories. The recently-retired Teacher easily won her Women’s B Grade Match Play quarter-final on Saturday, 6&4, before starring for the Sunshine Coast and Burnett Women’s team on Sunday. Representing the district in the handicap section of the annual inter-district Match Play against Brisbane, Kirsten won her match 8&6, helping the locals to victory in the Inter District Teams Challenge Trophy. The event, played at Maroochy River, was the second leg of the trophy, with the first round won by the Sunshine Coast and Burnett team – 6½-5½ – at Nudgee in June. On Sunday the locals prevailed 8-4. Also representing the SCBWD was Leeanne Ptak, who won her Headland Match Play on Saturday 5&3, but was beaten 2&1 at Maroochy River.
TRUCKIE WINS: “It feels great to finally have a good round,” said truckie Dennis Roberts after winning Saturday’s Single Stableford for Men, with 40 points. A member since moving north from Cabramatta Golf Club on a handicap of six in 2017, Dennis said it had felt like ‘forever’ since he had broken 80. But he did on Saturday with a round of 79, and penned one four-pointer, three threes, 12 twos and a lone one-pointer from his current 11 handicap to win Division One by a point, from veteran Tony Coad. And one reason for his good form is the change of shafts in his irons, courtesy of the Pro Shop. “I’m getting older, and the softer shafts feel better,” he said. And the Roberts family had the dubious honour of topping and tailing the field of 63. Tom, the 17-year-old son of Dennis who has just started golf, finished with 17 points. “Tom is a cricketer, and he would easily have cracked the ton,” Dennis joked. Stu Ennever, with 38 points won Division Two, beating Headland Pennant sponsor Jeff Lovell by a point.
BACON COOKS: Because of a busy workload, Brad Bacon says he is lucky to get in a round of golf a fortnight – but when he fires, he fires. And the owner of CrossFit Mooloolaba was hot on Sunday, winning the Medley Single Stableford with 44 points, penning his best-ever score of 80. “It is my best score, and my best round,” said Brad, who joined Headland as his first club 13 years after he moved to the Sunshine Coast from Dubbo. “Prior to that I just played socially, and I’m now really enjoying the competitive side of the game.” Brad was on fire from the start on Sunday, opening with six successive pars. However, he stumbled slightly coming home, with three doubles in his final six holes, yet his winning card revealed 13 pars, two bogeys and just those three back-nine doubles. Brad joined Headland in 2021 and wins have been few and fair between, but impressive. His first victory, 18 months ago, was 43 points from a round of 82, with Sunday’s 80/44 just his second visit to the victory dais.
MEN’S PENNANT: Despite the defeat of the top two seeds, Headland has started its quest for another Men’s A Grade Sunshine Coast/Glasshouse Pennant with a 4-3 win over the strong Mt Coolum team at Maleny on Sunday. Adam Richards (6&5) was beaten, as was Sean McGill (2-down), but Shane Muller (5&4), Jack Hourn (2-up), Brad Butler (2-up) and Wayne Taylor (1-up) were victorious. Brenton Liaropoulos lost his match, 8&7. Masters also won, beating Noosa (2) 4-2 at Caloundra. Winners were skipper Mark Henricks (5&3) and Peter Perrett (4&3) in the singles, while Fourball teams Andy Whitmore and Col Pledge and Peter Dunn and Wayne Cassidy, both won 2&1. And despite scoring a hole-in-one at the ninth, Scott Bromfield was beaten 5&3 and Rod Van Delft (2&1) lost his first match as a second-year Headland Pennant player. B Grade also scored a 4-2 win over Noosa at Caloundra, with James Daniel smashing his opponent 8&7, Spencer Ives winning 6&5 and Brendan Duncan 1-up. In the Fourballs, Ryan Tomlinson and Brad Williams prevailed 8&7, while Matt Hetherington and Michael Thomas were beaten, 1-down. Damien Moelands (1-down) was also beaten in the singles.
WEEKLY RESULTS:
Monday, Vets, Single Stableford – sponsor, Perry and Oster Funerals – cancelled because of weather/course conditions)
Tuesday, Single Stableford – (cancelled because of weather/course conditions)
Wednesday, Medley Single Stableford – sponsor, Chris Pace, McGrath Estate Agents Buderim – (200 players) A Grade, Stewart Clover (36 points), Gavin Rooney (36), Tim Diedricks (36); B Grade, Wayne Dauer (38), Terry Grogan (37), Andrew Gray (37); C Grade, Zach Williams (39), Brian Hermeston (37), Paige Prosser (36).
Thursday, Women, Monthly Medal – sponsor, Jodie McDonell – Century 21 on Duporth – (56 players) – A Grade, Annabel Harris (75 nett), Josie Ryan (75), Kate Wilkie (76) – gross, Annabel Harris (88); B Grade, Bev Kelly (75), Sue Briffa (75), Jenny Stokes (77) – gross, Jenny Ingham (97); C Grade, Margie White (74), Lynn Hayman (70), Joy Murray (80) – gross, Margie White (105).
Single Stableford (38 players) – Lee Heseltine (36 points), Marion Dennis (34), Tove Larsen (33).
Men, Single Stableford – (88 players) – Graeme Warne (39 points), Tony Pattinson (38), Peter Raymond (38).
Saturday, Monthly Medal – sponsor, Ryan Tomlinson, Century 21 on Duporth – Women (15 players) – Naomi Doyle (70 nett), Vicki Oxley (73), Liz Dunford (74), – Best Gross, Louise Harriot (88).
Men (147 players) – A Grade, Ciaran Fenton (68 nett), Andrew Fisher (70), Adam Richards (71); B Grade, Graeme Warne (69), Peter Gablonski (70), Don Harris (70); C Grade, Wayne Dauer (66), Graham Cartledge (71), Kevin George (73); Best Gross, Adam Richards (71).
Single Stableford – (63 players) – Division One, Dennis Roberts (40 points), Tony Coad (39), Peter Francis (37); Division Two, Stu Ennever (38), Jeff Lovell (37), Richard Ryan (36).
Women’s 2025 Match Play Championship, quarter finals – B Grade, Leeanne Ptak beat Wil Sprake 5&3, Jenny Ingham beat Sandy Whittle 5&3, Kirsten Kaergaard beat Kerry Longworth 6&4, Gwen Nancarrow beat Gail Young 3&2; C Grade, Sue Briffa beat Ellen Bloxsome 1-up, Wendy Burnie beat Valerie O’Brien 4&2, Sue Harris beat Odette Day 5&4, Debbie Bennetts beat Ali Lamond 2-up.
Sunday, Medley Single Stableford (51 players) – Brad Bacon (44 points), Ty Pilcher (41), Jason Childs (40).
