From Tony Durkin
THOMAS DOUBLE: He has been a member since 2003, an A Grade golfer for most of those years, and has played Pennant golf for Headland, but until Saturday Michael Thomas had never won a Monthly Medal. And, as fate would have it, he captured his first the same week his multiple Championship-winning wife Sharon won her 15th. And, just to add a further tinge of irony, Michael won his first Medal in the company of his son Blake who, although a member, rarely plays these days because of work commitments. An Accountant whose company, Zenfind Accounting, sponsors Headland’s annual Fourball Best Ball Medley Matchplay Championship, Michael scored 79 from his 11 handicap to finish with 68 nett, a win in A Grade and the best nett score of the day by a shot from fellow A Grader Lindsay Blair. When quizzed on why he had never previously won a Medal, despite playing from as low as six, Michael’s response was simple. “Obviously I haven’t played well enough on the day,” he said, although he did reveal he has been runner-up three times. A double bogey at the tough par-four fourth after ‘knifing’ a greenside bunker shot was his only real blunder, with two birdies, eight pars and seven bogeys on his card. Mark Swift (71 nett) won the B Grade Medal, Bernie Duncan (70) won C Grade and Adam Rydwanski (73) returned the best gross. NOTE: Sharon Thomas won the Women’s A Grade Medal on Thursday, scoring 74 nett.
PRAISE PARRIED: When HH suggested her February Monthly Medal victory was obviously deserved, Rhonda Parry promptly deflected the praise. “It’s the first decent golf I’ve played in the past 18 months,” the 2023 winner of the Renee Hodges Trophy as 36-hole nett champion, countered. “Actually, I have been playing so badly that I didn’t want to play in the Medal round on Thursday, but my handicap prevented me from entering the alternate Stableford event.” And even when finishing, she never expected to win, despite playing four shots better than her handicap. “In the 12 years I have been a member, I have been pipped at the post four times for the Monthly Medal. This is my first Medal victory,” she revealed. A graduate of Headland’s SWING program in 2014, Rhonda snared the C Grade double – nett 69 from her gross of 104. And hers was the best score of the competition, with Sharon Thomas (74 nett) winning the A Grade Medal and new member, Huda Olsson (70), taking out B Grade.
SWINGIN’ SIMON: It may not be the reason Simon Lowing has won his first Medal as a decade-long Headland member, but the retired Finance Broker credits his new form of golf transport for improving his on-course disposition. “Like many people my age, I have some health issues with my feet, and walking 18 holes at hilly Headland is not such as easy task these days,” he said after winning the B Grade Mid-Week Medal on Wednesday with 68 nett, the best score in the field. Recently, along with regular playing partner Marco Di Nardo, Simon bought a three-wheel ESwing golf scooter, which he loves. And that, along with a new Cleveland driver from the Pro Shop has, in the past two months, indirectly led to his best two Headland rounds. “I scored 69 nett in the Wood Duck Challenge two weeks earlier, so things are starting to look up,” he said. A former Horton Park and Maroochy River member, 19-handicapper Simon had just two poor holes on Wednesday – a triple at the tenth after bunker trouble, followed by a double two holes later. But otherwise, it was plain sailing – six pars and 10 bogeys in an ‘I can’t believe it’ round. Popular Pro Shop big man, Peter Perrett (71 nett) won the A Grade Medal, Rob Ingham (70) won C Grade, and Paul Henricks (77) shot the best gross.
TWO BETTER: Narelle Hollowood had first-hand intel on what was needed to win a Monthly Medal – play two shots better. After being beaten for Thursday’s B Grade Medal by new member Huda Olsson after firing 91 from her handicap of 19, Narelle returned 89 on Saturday and won the event by a shot. It was her third Medal as a four-year member, and the two good rounds of the week have contributed to reducing her GA handicap to 15. Despite a triple bogey at the par-five second hole, Narelle played consistently, with five pars, 11 bogeys and a double. She has started 2026 in fine style, with second placing and best gross in Thursday’s B Grade Medal event following her second placing (39 points) in the Australia Day Medley Single Stableford.
LACHIE’S BEST: He may not have won his division on Wednesday, but Lachie Valderrama was pumped with his second placing behind a visitor who blitzed the course. “That is by far my best score, and the first time I have broken 100,” Lachie revealed after scoring 43 points from his 27 handicap, coming runner-up in C Grade in the Medley Single Stableford and ‘happy’ he had no wipes on his card. Ashgrove visitor Brett Cross won the division with a whopping 45 points, but Lachie’s score was the next best in the field of 108. A full member since October last year, the Canberra Raiders’ tragic served his time on the waitlist playing only occasionally as a provisional member, but is enjoying the game he had only ‘very rarely’ played in the past. In fact, so serious are he and his dad Nelson that their company, Absolute Building Solutions, has joined with Greg Edgar of Rapid Equipment Hire to sponsor Headland’s bi-annual Wood Duck Challenge. While relieved there were no wipes in his score of 92, Lachie’s two four-point holes, seven threes and five twos on Wednesday have given his confidence a major boost as he searches for his first victory. Steve Rose (41 points) won A Grade and Gavin Tuck (35) headed a low-scoring B Grade field.
MIRACLE GOLF: So poor had his past month of golf been that Andy Fidler informed his mates he intended taking a break from the game. “I had been playing terribly, and totally overthinking everything,” bemoaned the recently retired former co-owner of Headland sponsor, Rapid Equipment Hire. “My scores since the start of this year had been between 19 and 27 points.” But Andy, whose late dad Bob had been a Headland member for ‘yonks’, decided on Monday to hit some balls at the Sippy Downs range, where he said ‘a miracle’ occurred. “There was a lady teacher there, who watched my swing, offered me some advice, and the rest is history,” he revealed. That history, albeit it very brief, was 43 Stableford points on Thursday, a win in the Men’s Single Stableford, a collect of $140 and his first victory as a three-year Headland member. “We started on the tenth, I birdied the hole for five points and no-one – most of all me – could believe it,” he said. After two points on the next, followed by a one-pointer and a wipe, Andy’s game then exploded. He finished the back nine with 16 points in five holes, added 19 on the front and is now a believer again. “I hit it great,” was his understatement, after confessing he had returned to the Sippy Downs range on Tuesday and Wednesday so he could further fine-tune his new ‘weird-feeling’ swing.
PURPLE PATCH: Retired doctor Janette Ritchie regrets having not taken advantage of her Scottish heritage and started golf earlier. “Yes, I wish I had played golf sooner,” Janette expressed after winning Tuesday’s Single Stableford for Women. “I didn’t take it seriously until I joined Headland in 2020, and I’m still waiting for my purple patch to arrive.” Janette was surprised her 39 points won the competition, feeling she had not played ‘that well’. But despite three wipes on her card, her other 14 – nine three-point holes and six twos – was good enough to take the victory by a point from Ruth Broderick. Janette was married to fellow doctor and former Headland member Daniel Lane, who passed recently, and has joined the Young Doctors’ group to co-sponsor the annual Daniel Lane Memorial Day. David Carmichael, backing up from victory the previous Tuesday, scored 41 points to win the Men’s event. He scored 23 points on his first nine, with five three-point holes and four twos.
SIMPLY THE BEST: For the second time this year, and again in the Monthly Medal, scratch marker Adam Rydwanski has won the ‘STB’ award for the lowest round of the week. A two-time Club Champion, Adam fired one-over 73 from the Championship tees in Saturday’s February Monthly Medal to finish a shot in front of Dan Diachkoff (74). It was a rare roller-coaster round from the reigning Headland Match Play Champion, with five birdies, seven pars and six bogeys on his card. And although out of the placings for the Medal, Adam again collected $75 for the best gross. Each week in 2026, HH will name our ‘Simply the Best’ golfer – those who return the lowest round – in recognition of the club’s low-handicap golfers.
WEEKLY RESULTS:
Tuesday, Single Stableford, Women (33 players) – Janette Ritchie (39 points), Ruth Broderick (38), Trish Marsden (35).
Men (59 players) – David Carmichael (41 points), Charlie Worthy (37), Alnon Christian Paggabao (37).
Wednesday, Men’s Mid-Week Medal – sponsor, Ryan Tomlinson, Century 21 on Duporth– (106 players) – A Grade, Peter Perrett (71 nett), Matt Griffiths (71), Richard Franklin (71); B Grade, Simon Lowing (68), Warren Selvage (69), Rory Hanley (69); C Grade, Rob Ingham (70), Quentin Mungomery (71), David Drinnen (72); Best gross, Paul Henricks (77).
Medley Single Stableford (108 players) – A Grade, Steve Rose (41 points), Ian Michel (36), Peter Francis (35); B Grade, Gavin Tuck (35), Terry Lawlor (35), Bruce Reid (34); C Grade, Brett Cross (45), Lachie Valderrama (43), Denis Clifford (41).
Thursday, Women’s Monthly Medal – sponsor, Jodie McDonell, Century 21 on Duporth – (74 players) – A Grade, Sharon Thomas (74 nett), Annabel Harris (75), Kathy Atkins (77) – gross, Annabel Harris (89); B Grade, Huda Olsson (70), Narelle Hollowood (72), Tracey O’Connor (73) – gross, Narelle Hollowood (91); C Grade, Rhonda Parry (69), Vicki Lawrence (72), Dianne Schulze (72) – gross, Rhonda Parry (106).
Single Stableford (26 players) – Trish Marsden (35 points), Marie Flegler (34), Suzanne Pledge (33).
Men, Single Stableford (94 players) – Andy Fidler (43 points), Wayne Harriott (41), Patrick Carmody (39).
Saturday, Monthly Medal, Women (19 players) – sponsor, Jodie McDonell, Century 21 on Duporth – Narelle Hollowood (70 nett), Helen Fraser (71), Kate Wilkie (71) – best gross, Kate Wilkie (86).
Men – sponsor, Ryan Tomlinson, Century 21 on Duporth – (161 players) – A Grade, Michael Thomas (68 nett), Lindsay Blair (69), Matt Hetherington (71); B Grade, Mark Swift (71), Chris Klazema (72), Dennis Roberts (72); C Grade, Bernie Duncan (70), Mick Morris (70), Bruce Robson (70). Best gross, Adam Rydwanski (73).
Men, Single Stableford (67 players) – Division One, Glen Teakle (40 points), Steve Rose (37), David O’Mahoney (37); Division Two, Jeff Lovell (39), Dave Ashwin (39), David Parker (38).
Sunday, Medley Single Stableford (63 players) – Mal McDougall (38 points), Jenny Hartwig (37), Dave Mansley (36).
