HILL OF ACES: Helen Fraser desperately wants to play in the same Ambrose group as Jamie Hill after the A Grade Pennant team member on Thursday aced the 18th hole with her ball – for the second successive year. Hitting shots for the ladies in the annual Cindy McKenzie Pink Charity Ambrose Day, Jamie had a number of near misses until Helen’s group arrived at the tee. And after hitting tee shots for team members Di Stark, Robyn Boreham and Gail Young, Jamie was challenged by Helen to ‘do it again’ after he had dunked her ball last year. And not only did he oblige, but Helen said Jamie called the ball in the hole almost as soon as he had hit it. “Because of where the pin was positioned, we could not see whether it went in, but Jamie was so confident he ran up to the green and was celebrating when we arrived.” A swell as freely giving of his time for the event Jamie, a four handicapper at Headland and property consultant for local real estate business Property Today, also donated $1000 to the charity. NOTE: Helen has had a most unusual association with holes in one. Although she has not officially scored an ace, she was a member of a small golf course in New Zealand three decades ago which had two permanent holes on each green, and the flag was alternated between competitions. You guessed it – Helen once aced the ‘other’ hole. NOTE II: Playing in the Alex Surf Club Charity Day at Headland the following day, Jamie’s group teed off in the 18th in the shot gun start. And with his first shot of the day Jamie claimed the NTP, which stood throughout the event.
Jamie Hill with (from left) Lisa Dalby from the Buderim Private Hospital Cindy Mackenzie Breast Cancer Program, Helen Fraser and Vicki Maynard
JUG WIN: Long-time Saturday morning regular playing partners Glen Grimish and Trevor Gourlay overcame a poor start on Saturday morning to win the second annual Headland Two-Ball Jug Ambrose event. Despite a double bogey six at the first hole, the golfing buddies – with a healthy handicap of 9.75 – scored one-under par 71 for a nett score of 61.25 to win on a countback from Wayne West and Chris Klazema (handicap 4.75). Apart from the first-hole blemish, Glen described the golf of the winning pair as ‘perfect teamwork’. “We both had our compulsory six drives out of the way after 12 holes and it seemed if one of us missed a ‘getable’ putt, the other sank it,” he said. The good mates first met 25 years ago when they lived in the same street, and it was Trevor who coaxed Glen into joining Headland, a decision he has never regretted. However, there was one downer associated with the event when the afternoon field was called in at 2.45pm because of an impending electrical storm, and play eventually abandoned. This was the second staging of the event, sponsored jointly by Hometree Property (Graeme and Jack Nicholas) and Grant Martyn Constructions (Grant Martyn).
LATE LUCK: Yvonne Henry had not arranged a group for the annual Cindy McKenzie Pink Charity Day, and although late for opening time for on-line bookings she found a vacant spot with three ‘really nice ladies’. In fact, so ‘nice’ were they that Catherine Peterson, Mary Dowling and Gay David combined with Yvonne to not only win the Scrambled Ambrose event on Thursday, but street the field by three shots. The group scored three birdies, 13 pars and two bogeys in their round and while teamwork was the essence, Yvonne and Mary both praised Catherine for her booming drives. “I was hitting second shots into the par fours from areas on the course I have never been before,” praised Yvonne, who estimated the group took at least eight drives hit by the gold-medal winning Masters rower. Thursday’s event raised $3915 for the Buderim Private Hospital Cindy Mackenzie Breast Cancer Program.
NO DUFFS: Schoolteacher Jamie Duffy maintained his recent top form with a near faultless par round to spearhead his team to a win in Sunday’s Medley Fourball Aggregate Stableford. Jamie, with 38 points from his two handicap, was the dominant partner beside Tony Durkin (35 points) for a winning total of 73, one point clear of Ken Anderson and Katrina Watts. For the ever-consistent Jamie it was his third par round in the past two months, with two rounds of 73, and a 74 and a 75 also carded, while the reasonably consistent round from his partner was a complete bolt from the blue. Jamie had a birdie, a bogey and 16 pars on his impressive card. The one downside of the day for the winners was an-almost five-hour round, emphasising the need for the appointment of a new course marshall – with an announcement expected this week.
MATCH PLAY CHAMPS: Headland’s annual Fourball Best Ball Match Play Championship kicks off on Sunday, and the champion teams from the past two years will be in the field. Sponsored by former Headland Finance Director Michael Thomas of Zenfind Accounting, the new Honour Board event is in just its third year and a strong field is expected for the qualifying round. Father-and-son combination Matt and Jack Fisher prevailed last year and will defend their hard-fought title, while the winning team of 2018, Mick Kelsey and Mick Kinnear, is back after being unavailable to play in last year’s event. The top eight teams from Sunday will qualify for the quarter finals, with knockout rounds to be played on successive Sundays until the final, on November 29.
WILKIE WINS: It may not have been her best-ever round of golf, but Kate Wilkie’s 43 points to win the Queensland Senior Order of Merit event at Toowoomba on Thursday was easily her most satisfying. And not only did the 14-handicapper street the field by five Stableford points, she also returned the best gross score in the field – 78 – beating eight single-figure markers including Headland Champion Josie Ryan (81). While her general game was on song at the course better known as Middle Ridge, Kate – who was runner-up to Josie in the recent Headland Club Championship – said her putting on the tricky greens was the key to her impressive score. NOTE: Kate’s best round has been a 77 at Headland five years ago.
SNEAKY WIN: Chippy John Bohringer had a couple of days off last week while waiting on other tradies to complete their work, and decided to have a rare Wednesday game of golf. “I was supposed to do some jobs around the house, but when my wife went to work, I snuck out for a game,” he confessed. And the deception was worth it, because John’s House Account swelled by $100 as a result of his best-ever round by a remarkable five shots. John shot 86 from his 19 handicap for 41 points to win the Medley Single Stableford, and combined with Graham Clarke to score 48 points, and a win, in the associated Fourball Best Ball Stableford. John, who joined Headland six years ago after only having played golf socially, said he had seen signs in recent months of his game improving, and Wednesday’s round – seven pars, eight bogeys and three doubles – was ‘a day out’. Play in Wednesday’s afternoon round was abandoned because of extreme weather conditions.
FAMILY FEAT: Coralie Walsh could not have been in more appropriate company when she scored her first hole-in-one at Headland on Wednesday, at the par-three 14th. Playing in the same group was her husband Justin, father Don Follent and neighbour, Burgess Stephenson – a regular Wednesday afternoon grouping. And, ironically, all three had previously scored an ace on the hole. Coralie, who joined Headland six years ago as the fifth member of the golf-mad family, has reduced her handicap from 45 to 29 and says that besides teaming with Club Champion Scott Walker in the Mixed Foursomes, Wednesday’s ace is the greatest thrill she has received from the game.
Coralie Walsh scores her first hole-in-one
STORM DOUBLE: For staunch Melbourne Storm supporter Huki Matenga, his victory in Monday’s Vets event was akin to grand final wins on successive days. The left hander, who has been playing competition golf only since he joined Headland five years ago, was – ironically – using for the first time his Storm-logoed golf bag which had arrived the previous Friday afternoon. And while the bag may have attracted attention and gave Huki a great deal of pride, it made no definitive contribution to his impressive scorecard which revealed 41 Stableford points – a birdie, nine pars, seven bogeys and a wipe when his tee shot at 14 hit the path on the right of the hole and on finished the 15th tee. An ‘Aussie’ who arrived from New Zealand 36 years ago, has been living on the Sunshine Coast for two decades and says he started following the Storm when they entered the NRL in 1988 because they fielded a number of Kiwis.
EAGLE UPDATE: As well as the aforementioned holes in one to Jamie Hill and Coralie Walsh, Tom Burnett has added to the ever-expanding Headland eagle’s nest on Wednesday. The Financial Adviser holed a putt from the front edge of the second green for his maiden eagle in a competition round. Since joining Headland at the start of 2018 Tom has had an amazing handicap reduction – from 30 to eight.
WEEKLY WINNERS:
Monday, Vets, Single Stableford, Ladies (35 players) – A Grade, Karen Wilson (39 points), Robyn Boreham (33), Sue Jones (33); B Grade, Anita Boyle (39), Judy Farmer (38), Jill McAndrew (38); Men (67 players) – A Grade, Huki Matenga (41), Ross Itzstein (38), Merv Lum (36); B Grade, Robert Rowan (38), Mark Beswick (36), Peter Keane (36).
Tuesday, Single Par (play abandoned because of extreme weather conditions).
Wednesday, Medley Single Stableford (160 players) – John Bohringer (41 points), Graham Clarke (39), Ross Roberts (39). Fourball Best Ball Stableford – John Bohringer and Graham Clarke (48 points), John and Barb Marrington (45). Play in the afternoon competition was abandoned because of extreme weather conditions.
Thursday, Ladies, Cindy McKenzie Day, Scrambled Ambrose, (116 players) – Catherine Peterson, Mary Dowling, Yvonne Henry and Gay David (60.125 nett), Robyn Muir, Sue Jones, Kathy Atkins and Monica Knowles (63.125), Mandy Oster, Mary Young, Josie Ryan and Amanda Ingham (63.5). Men, Blue Scrambled Ambrose (89 players) – Des McNee, Brett Beaumont, Warren Selvage and Bruce Horton (59.375), John Christmas, Dennis Taylor, Les McClymont and Greg McDonald (60.875), Graham Meyers, Ray Morrison, Nigel Morrison and Peter Elsworth (60.875).
Saturday, Medley Two-Ball Ambrose Jug (126 players) – Glen Grimish and Trevor Gourlay (61.25 nett), Chris Klazema and Wayne West (61.25), Damian Moelands and Andrew Stirling (62), Simon Richardson and Peter Richardson (63.5). Play in the afternoon competition was abandoned because of extreme weather conditions.
Sunday – Medley Fourball Aggregate Stableford (77 players) – Jamie Duffy and Tony Durkin (73 points), Ken Anderson and Katrina Watts (72), Craig Shaw and Scott Larson (71), Michael Rutledge and Fred Muller (68).
