From Tony Durkin
MIXED CHAMPIONS: New partner, no worries. That was the narrative surrounding Josie Ryan and Saturday’s Headland Mixed Foursomes Championship. The Headland Golf Club living legend added her name to the club’s Honour Board for the 57th time when she teamed with newcomer Jack Hourn to win her ninth mixed title, alongside her fifth different partner. With Sean McGill – with whom Josie has won four titles – overseas and unavailable to help her defend their 2025 title, she had to find a new partner and invited two-year member Jack to hopefully join her Honour Board blitz. And the new pairing, who had never previously played together as a team, starred, shooting rounds of 81 and 77 in the 36-hole event to win by three strokes. They started sluggishly with seven bogeys and a double in the morning, but came home strongly with two birdies, 11 pars, a double and four bogeys over the second 18 holes. “Josie was excellent,” praised Jack. “She saved us countless times and drained some vital putts.” Josie returned the compliment. “What a lovely young man, and an outstanding golfer. It was a pleasure to play with him,” she said. “And he hits the ball an absolute mile.” Runners-up, for the second successive year, were Vicky Sheridan and Adam Rydwanski, while pre-Championship favourites Lisa Ramen and Adam Richards finished equal third after a disastrous 10-over 82 in the afternoon round. Five teams finished on 143 for the best nett, with the prize being awarded to Narelle Hollowood and James Daniel.
TEAM EFFORT: As the stand-in on Thursday for absent Women’s Captain Valerie O’Brien, Kirsten Kaergaard believed her only responsibility would be presiding over the post-match presentations. But that duty turned to slight embarrassment when she announced her own team as winners of the Irish Foursomes event, with Kirsten returning the best recorded score in the field of 106. “It is my best score for ages,” said the recently retired teacher who penned 41 points to lead her team to victory. Joined by Wil Sprake, Colleen Sarquis and Robyn Muir in the event where the best two best Stableford scores on each hole counted, Kirsten was, however, adamant the victory was a team effort. “Our goal was to average five points per hole, and we fell just one short with 44 on the front,” she said. “But we came home with 50, and every one of us contributed.” And contribute they certainly did. Kirsten penned nine three-pointers, Wil scored eight and Robyn three, while Colleen had one four-point hole and four threes. And of those 50 points on the back nine, Kirsten scored 24. Gwen Nancarrow, Naomi Doyle, Karen Wilson and Carol Quin finished second, with Barb Birks, Tracey O’Connor, Dinah Latreille and Odette Day third, both teams scoring 91 points.
RELAXED KURT: A former ‘stressed’ chef who now relaxes driving a mower at Headland, Kurt Lawlor reckons he is living the dream. “I have played more golf in the past 12 months than ever before,” Kurt revealed after smashing the course he mows in Wednesday’s Medley Single Stableford. Not only did Kurt win B Grade with his best-ever score of 44 points, but he also returned his lowest round – 84 – and had 2.3 shots sliced form his GA handicap of 20. “It was an enjoyable and memorable round of golf,” was his reflection on 10 three-point holes, six twos and two singles. “And because of a couple of ordinary chips, I even left a few out there.” Kurt, who is the son of 34-year Headland veteran Terry Lawlor, was a member for a decade from 2010, but moved away for work and rejoined in 2022 before linking with the Headland ground staff just on 12 months ago. “I’m loving it here,” he said. “The job is much less stressful, and I get to play plenty of golf.” As fate would have it, Kurt won his first event as a renewed member – the C Grade Monthly Medal – four years and one week from last Wednesday. Ryan Tomlinson (43 points), also with his best round (73) at Headland, won A Grade, and Austin Brown (38) won C Grade.
IRISH LUCK: Suzanne Pledge guesses her Irish heritage may have played a role in her scorching round, and victory, on St Patrick’s Day. But rather than four-leaf clovers, she netted two four-point holes in her best-ever score, and round, as a six-year Headland member. “I think it was my first round of golf without a wipe on my card,” said a delighted Suzanne, whose maiden name was Fitzpatrick. “And 43 points is certainly my best score, and 108 unquestionably my lowest round.” While the Irish connection was an ‘imaginable’ boost, a recent lesson, plus advice, from Head Pro Adam Norlander has helped immensely. “It usually takes me four to five shots to reach the par fives, so I asked Adam for some help,” Suzanne explained. “He loaned me a seven wood, and it was great. I now have one on order from the Pro Shop.” Suzanne, who added five three-pointers, nine twos and two singles to her two four-point holes, says her major discontent with her golf is inconsistency, and being unable to reduce her handicap. “But more rounds like this will help,” she quipped, after conceding her handicap goal was 36. A visitor, Chayde Pineaha, also scored 43 points to win the Men’s Single Stableford.
GREAT VISION: He works three days a week for Vision Australia, and semi-retired Paul Morton certainly looked the goods at Headland on Saturday. Competing in the Medley Single Stableford for those who did not make the cut for the Mixed Foursomes Championship, Paul shot 77 for 41 points, and a three-point victory. “That is my best round of golf, anywhere,” was his delighted response to a scorecard that revealed three birdies, eight pars, six bogeys and just the lone double. A former Horton Park member who gave the game away after the course was sold and joined Headland in 2020, played from a handicap of 10 from the yellow tees and thoroughly enjoyed the challenge. “Sure, it’s a shorter course, but it is also very different,” he said. Once ‘not a great fan of Headland’ because of its hilly nature, Paul is now ‘sold’. “The course is great, and currently in superb condition,” he said. Paul’s win followed a third placing in the B Grade March Monthly Medal.
MARCH TO GLORY: It seems former Aussie Tri-Athlete Neil Oxley has a golfing affinity with the month of March, even if he does not realise the fact. Neil won Thursday’s Single Stableford for Men, penning 40 points from his excellent round of 79. It was the sixth time the retired Financial Planner had broken 80 in his 11 years as a Headland member, but he was unaware of the significance of the month of March. “I didn’t realise that,” was his response when HH informed him that it was two years ago that he shot his lowest-ever round of 75, which happened to be just two weeks earlier than his second best, a four over 76 – with both rounds in March of 2024. “But March is a good time of the year, when the weather is cooling off and the greens are back to their best following renovations.” Neil’s card was as consistent as it was impressive – a birdie, nine pars and eight bogeys from the 11 handicapper. “Why can’t I do that all the time,” he lamented after declaring most parts of his game were in good shape on the day. “A couple of sloppy putts cost me.”
GUILTY WIN: Brad Williams had two memorable experiences at Headland on Sunday. Firstly, he won the Medley Single Stableford event, to record his first victory since August. Brad also had the chance to play alongside 2024 Club Champion Ben Duncombe, and marked Ben’s card. “It was great to watch that level of golf up close,” quipped Brad. “I almost felt bad that Ben didn’t win after shooting five under.” Brad, who recently spent 18 months away from Headland to work in Kalgoorlie, says he has struggled with his golf since returning, and his 39 points on Sunday, from 79 off the bat, has been a massive relief. But while his game has been struggling, Brad has enjoyed the fact that his eight-year-old son Ziggy is now playing the game. “He is in the junior program at Headland, and we have played a few parent-child games together,” he said. Brad’s winning Sunday card included three birdies, six pars and eight bogeys, but was scarred by a double at the par-four 12th.
VALE ANNE CALLANAN: Headland has lost one of its most treasured female members, with the recent passing of Anne Callanan. In her 37th year as a member, the former long-serving executive at Coolum’s Hyatt Regency Resort, where she was PA to the inimitable Maurice Holland, passed away peacefully following a lengthy battle with cancer. “What I will miss most about Anne is her quick wit and wicked sense of humour,” said former Headland Women’s Captain, Sue Jones, who caddied for Anne for two Pennant seasons. “Anne was a determined and focused golfer who, despite working full time, reduced her handicap steadily, became an A Grader and a Pennant player of some note. But the common thread of commentary was her happiness, and her laughter which could be heard all over the Headland course on every occasion she was there.” Anne’s most recent win was in October last year when she proudly ‘beat the men’ to win a Medley event with 41 points. Yet the always super-competitive Anne was still not satisfied, telling HH she was disappointed her winning round had not reduced her GA handicap. It was her second score of 41 points in two months.
SIMPLY THE BEST: Playing his first competition round at Headland since the Club Championships back in September, 2024 Club Champion Ben Duncombe penned a scintillating round on Sunday to be named last week’s STB golfer. Suffering from an agonising wrist injury, Ben has struggled to get bis game back in order, and for the past six months has played very sparingly. Feeling confident he could finish 18 holes, he took to the white tees on Sunday and penned five-under 67, for 38 points from his handicap of plus three. Ben had six birdies, 11 pars and one bogey – at the par four third – on his card. Each week in 2026, HH will name our ‘Simply the Best’ golfer, an ‘award’ introduced especially to recognise the club’s low-handicap members.
WEEKLY RESULTS:
Tuesday, Single Stableford, Women (47 players) – Suzanne Pledge (43), Denise Carmichael (41), Gay David (38).
Men (63 players) – Chayde Pineaha (43), John Joseph (39), Paul Stephens (39).
Wednesday, Medley Single Stableford – sponsor, The Happy Doctors – (216 players) – A Grade, Ryan Tomlinson (43 points), Peter Welsh (42), Peter Brown (39); B Grade, Kurt Lawlor (44), Ben Kennedy (39), Mal Bradshaw (39); C Grade, Austin Brown (38), Brian Hermeston (36), Michael Fortune (36).
Medley Fourball Best Ball Stableford – Aaron Baker and David Werner (48 points), Ryan Tomlinson and Damien Said (48).
Thursday, Women, Irish Foursomes – sponsors, Mary Young, Colleen Berger, Josie Ryan and Gay David – (106 players) – Kirsten Kaergaard, Colleen Sarquis, Wil Sprake and Robyn Muir (94 points), Gwen Nancarrow, Naomi Doyle, Karen Wilson and Carol Quin (91), Barb Birks, Tracey O’Connor, Dinah Latreille and Odette Day (91).
Men, Single Stableford (62 players) – Neil Oxley (40 points), Ted Banaszczyk (39), Glen Grimish (38).
Saturday, 2026 Headland Mixed Foursomes Championship – sponsor, Eric and Tove Larsen, Cirlock (80 players) – 36-hole Champions, Josie Ryan and Jack Hourn (158), Vicky Sheridan and Adam Rydwanski (161), Kate Wilkie and Brenton Liaropoulos (162); 36-hole nett, Narelle Hollowood and James Daniel (143), Kirsten Kaergaard and Neven Daniel (143), Annabel Harris and Brendan Duncan (143); 18-hole gross, morning, Lisa Ramen and Adam Richards (80), afternoon, Robyn Muir and Shane Muller (86); 18-hole nett, morning, Coralie Walsh and Patrick Walsh (72), afternoon, Di Gilmour and Stewart Clover.
Overflow, Medley Single Stableford (81 players) – Paul Morton (41 points), Bernie Duncan (39), John Hall (38).
Sunday, Medley Single Stableford (21
