From Tony Durkin
MONEY TIME: Accountant Chris Eccles spends his working days evaluating and, hopefully, improving the financial situation of others, so it was an enjoyable change for him to boost his Headland House Account during the first week of competition golf for 2024. The former Junior Champion at Dalby Golf Club who is now self-employed on the Sunshine Coast, added a total $141 to his club coffers when he won A Grade in Wednesday’s Medley Single Stableford ($110), and also snared the NTP at the 18th ($31). And although it was far from the perfect round – three birdies, 10 pars, three bogeys and two doubles – Chris did manage birdies at the two toughest holes on the course, the fourth and 15th (now playing as the 16th). “I generally drove it well, but two of the par threes challenged me,” quipped the 10 marker, who was four over par for the round. Tony Pearson (39 points) won B Grade and Mick Garske (40) won C Grade.
DIALLED IN: After Sunday’s Medley Single Stableford event, Energex linesman Lincoln Palmer can claim a rare golfing achievement – a win in his first outing as a Headland member. A golfing later starter, 31-year-old Lincoln scored 42 points to win on Sunday, beating popular former Director of Golf, Tony Kelleher, by two points. “I have played a few games while I was on the wait list, but this was my first round as a fully-fledged member. And, I felt really dialled in,” said Lincoln, who tallied 98 from his 34 handicap. A workmate of long-time Headland member Andrew Nairne, Lincoln had three four-pointers and five threes on his card, with just one wipe – an eight at the tenth, after the ‘possibility’ someone had hit his ball. As a result of his winning round, at his next outing, Lincoln will play from a GA handicap of 30.9.
OPTIMISTIC START: Fanatical Carlton fan Josh Vearing hopes his Blues can kick off the 2024 AFL season in the same fashion he started his golfing year at Headland. Eleven marker Josh scored 39 points to win Tuesday’s Single Stableford for Men, the best score in the opening two days of competition in the new golfing year at Headland. And while he is confident Carlton will continue its excellent form of last year – beaten in the prelim final – Josh hopes the Blues can produce the same consistency of his opening round, with both nines a mirror image – a birdie, four pars, three bogeys and a double. The winning round was, however, without doubt the result of a masterful putting display – a meagre 20 strokes on his card, courtesy of a new TaylorMade Spider putter, won in the final competition of 2023, and donated by event sponsor and good mate, Earl Hicks, of Global Turf. Annabel Harris (32 points), won Tuesday’s Women’s event.
JAI’S FIRST: FIFO coalminer Jai Straney shot his best round and also scored his first win as a Headland member on Saturday, yet his foremost memory was the difficult playing conditions. “It was windy, and the course was very, very wet,” said the 10 handicapper who scored 38 Stableford points to finish top of the ladder in A Grade, beating B and C Grade winners Brett Stephenson and Tim Gahan on a countback, as well as his playing partner, Brendan Duncan, who finished second in A Grade. Jai had played little golf as an adult before he moved to the Sunshine Coast from the Blue Mountains and joined Headland four years ago, and now only plays when he is home every fortnight. And after a double bogey-bogey start on Saturday, his chances of bettering his numerous previous placings looked slim until his game steadied, with 11 pars and five bogeys in the next 16 holes. “I really like the course, and try and play at least twice a week when I’m home from the mine,” he said. Narelle Hollowood (35 points) won the Women’s event.
CHAPPY WINS: “In all honesty, I cannot remember when I last won at golf,” admitted Rob Chaplin, who compensated for those losing years when he pocketed $115 for winning Thursday’s Stableford for Men at Headland, with 39 points. The owner of Chaplin Cranes and Excavators, Rob joined Headland when he moved from Melbourne in 1989, but has played little golf in the past three years. “Because of arthritis, I have been missing in action for a while, but made a comeback in the middle of last year and things have been steadily falling into place,” he revealed after scoring 39 points on Thursday. His round included a four-point birdie and five three-point pars, and he hopes his game has ‘turned the corner’. “But if I could putt, it would have been 43 or 44 points,” quipped Rob, who is affectionately known as Chappy.
SMITH MASTERS: Si Smith, the dad of seven-year-old Nixon who trains under Leon Faulkner’s Golf Rocks Kids Academy at Headland, has won a trip to the US Masters in April, courtesy of the Headland Future Fund. The trip was raffled to raise money for the Future Fund, and drawn in front of a packed house last Friday night week, with Si’s No.69 ticket the first out of the barrel. The family is undecided on who will join Si on the trip – valued at $35,000 – but is it unlikely it will be Nixon, who plays on the Golf Rocks Sunshine Coast Local Tour and in 2022 represented Australia in the World Championships, held at Pinehurst, North Carolina. “Nixon’s mum Kayla is from the US, and her parents still live there. I think she will be accompanying me on the trip,” said Si, who owns a Total Tools franchise at Noosaville. More than 700 tickets, at $100 each, were sold in the raffle, and resulted in an estimated $30,000 boost for the Future Fund. NOTE: The prize was drawn on Kayla’s birthday, and the family notified while they were enjoying a night out in Brisbane.
PRICE IS RIGHT: He may not have won the two-day Living Choice Australia PGA Legends Tour Championship at Headland in the week leading into Christmas, but the popular Terry Price won the hearts of many for his second-day performance. A five-time winner on the ISPS Handa PGA Tour of Australasia – and a recent cancer survivor – the 62-year-old beat his age with a spectacular eight-under 61 to finish at six-under the card, and equal with defending champion Jason Norris. But it was the in-form Norris who clinched the sudden-death two-hole playoff, winning his sixth PGA Legends Tour victory for 2023 and the honour of being the first winner to have his name engraved on the Glenn Joyner Memorial Mug. He also shared top spot in the Sunshine Coast Series, played across seven rounds in four events, scoring 20-under par to equal Order of Merit champion, Andre Stolz. Amateur winners over the two days were – day one, gross, Ben Duncombe (67); nett Shane Muller (39 points); day two, gross, Aaron Shaw (68); nett, Aaron Shaw (41 points).
VALE BOB HUNTER: An active and diligent member of Headland Golf Club since 2007, Bob Hunter, has passed away suddenly at the age of 76. Bob and his wife Linda joined Headland when they moved south from Rockhampton, and shortly after Bob became Secretary of Headland Vets, a role he held for eight years. But apart from his unabated passion for golf, his major contribution to the club was playing a vital role in two recent strategic Headland developments – the golf cart storage project and the bunker development committee. In good health considering his age, Bob suffered a fatal heart attack one minute after delivering the eulogy at the recent funeral service of a close relative. He had played golf the previous day. He leaves his wife Linda, children Ross, Kirsty and Andrew, and five grandchildren, two of whom – Jodie and Balin Groom – are junior Headland members. Bob’s funeral service will be held today (Monday) at Buderim Uniting Church, Gloucester Road Buderim, at 1.00pm. Headland members are welcome to attend.
WEEKLY RESULTS:
Monday, Vets, Single Stableford – sponsor, Living Choice – Women (21 players) – Jill Nixey (35 points), Gail Young (34), Jenny Stokes (31).
Men (52 players) – A Grade, Dave Sims (34), Nick Cox (34), Warren Selvage (33); B Grade, Phil Martin (32), Chris Byrnes (30), Jack Williams (30).
Tuesday, Single Stableford, Women (28 players) – Annabel Harris (32), Christine Hall (32), Sharon Thomas (31). Men (58 players) – Josh Vearing (39), Rory Hanley (38), Peter Hannah (37).
Wednesday, Medley Single Stableford (219 players) – A Grade, Chris Eccles (42 points), Matt Griffiths (40), Earl Hicks (36); B Grade, Tony Pearson (39), Nick Reed (39), Glen Grimish (37); C Grade, Mick Garske (40), Rod Habgood (39), Quentin Mungomery (38).
Thursday, Men, Single Stableford (85 players) – Robert Chaplin (39 points), Stephen Woolcott (38), Gary Martin (37).
Saturday, Opening Day, Single Stableford – sponsor, Dave Mansley, Mooneys Insurance Brokers – Women (9 players) – Narelle Hollowood (35 points), Coralie Walsh (33), Josie Ryan (32).
Men (163 players) – A Grade, Jai Straney (38 points), Brendan Duncan (38), Jay Gourlay (37); B Grade, Brett Stephenson (38), Lindsay Olsson (37), Mark Garcia (36); C Grade, Tim Gahan (38), Lyle Robbie (36), Sam Fisher (34).
Sunday, Medley Single Stableford (58 players) – Lincoln Palmer (42 points), Tony Kelleher (40), Paul Anderson (39).
