From Tony Durkin
SUPER SEVEN: Sharon Thomas has won her seventh Headland Foursomes title, and her fourth with partner Dominique Paice. Sharon and Dom (123) blitzed the field in the 2021 Women’s Foursomes Championship played over 27 holes on Thursday, to win by 12 strokes from Vicky Sheridan and Fiona Munro (135). And despite having the lowest handicap in the field, the pair also returned the best nett score of 106. A prolific Foursomes Champion, Sharon partnered Dom to victory in 2017 and 2018, won with Christina Claxton in 2019, and now the pair has gone back-to-back in 2020 and 2021. She has also won two Mixed Foursomes titles with her son Blake. But Sharon deflected all praise for her latest victory to her young partner who she said played ‘beautiful, steady golf’, which included a 250-metre drive at the par-four third hole. And despite the fact Dom – who also won the Mixed Foursomes earlier in the year with Wayne West – has moved to Brisbane for her work as an Occupational Therapist, she has confirmed she will maintain her Headland membership. NOTE: The fancied pairing of Josie Ryan and Annabel Harris disqualified themselves on the third nine holes after hitting the incorrect ball on the 19th hole.
NINE BLITZ: With a combined total of 76 years Headland membership, Bob Trevor and Ross Itzstein showed the benefit of that intel when they smashed the front nine in Saturday’s Fourball Aggregate Stableford, scoring a brilliant 45 points. And although they erred somewhat coming home, the two-decade regular Saturday morning partners finished with 74 points to win the day. But for 76-year-old Bob, who in May bettered his age for the eighth time, there was a tinge of disappointment when he bogeyed the 18th for a five-over par 77. Both scored 37 points, but it was Ross (handicap 15) starring on the front with 24 points from a two-over 38. Bob (6) had 21 points from his even-par 36. The biggest field since the recent Covid restrictions – 247 – contested the event in which husband-and-wife- team Sharon and Michael Thomas finished second, with seven birdies on their card for 73 points.
JACKO’S DAY: John Jackson, aka ‘Jacko’, has had an association with Headland Golf Club for more than six decades, but has never previously pocketed $100 for winning a competition – as he did on Wednesday. The septuagenarian won the Medley Single Par event – generously sponsored by Chris Pace of McGrath Real Estate – with an outstanding score of plus seven, and a round of 88 from his 23 handicap. And while his memory is not what it once was, Jacko reckons it is at least three years since he last won, and thinks that was also a par event, with a winning score of plus six. Living with his parents at Alexandra Headland as a teenager back in the mid-50s, John was a junior member for five years and did not re-join until he retired to Mooloolaba 20 years ago. And, he still plays three times a week. Former Director of Golf James Kidd made a rare recent appearance and won A Grade with plus six, while Quentin Poulsen headed the B Grade field, also with plus seven.
ELECTRIC HAYMAN: Because of Covid restrictions and a caravanning holiday, 2016 SWING graduate Lynn Hayman has not been playing much golf of late. But she returned in a blaze of glory on Thursday, scoring 39 points to win the Overflow event for women. Although there were no aces on her card (rookie Lynn scored two holes in one in a four-month period in 2018) her back nine of 23 points included successive three-pointers from holes 11 to 15, and another at the 18th. Also excelling on the back nine on Thursday – and scoring a win with 39 points – was Gordon O’Neill (handicap 27). Gordon had 21 of those points on the back nine, with 15 accumulated from holes 14 to 18. His highlight was a four-point birdie at the 14th, with his tee shot landing 62cm from the hole, earning him the NTP.
ONE SWING: Despite scoring two birdies and a hole in one, Wayne Hutcheson described his round on Wednesday as ‘a bunch of rubbish, with one good swing’. The former Headland House Director, who has played less than 20 rounds of golf this year, aced the 14th in Wednesday’s Medley Single Par event when his perfectly-struck eight iron bounced once, then dropped in the hole. Wayne added birdies at the second and the shortened seventh, but otherwise had a forgetful day with five wipes on his card. But, after 18 months when he has played very little golf, he claimed the rewarding shot at the 14th was enough to ‘get me back’.
CONSOLATION: A one-over par back nine 37 by Annabel Harris on Sunday was some comfort for the 13-handicapper after she and partner Josie Ryan were disqualified from Thursday’s Women’s Foursomes Championships after hitting the wrong ball. And after her first nine in Sunday’s Medley Single Stableford reaped just 14 points, Annabel had every reason to believe it was not her week. But following another bogey the 10th hole, she turned her game on its head with a birdie and seven successive pars before a bogey at 18 gave her a back nine of 37 strokes, 24 points and a total of 38. It wasn’t good enough to win, but Annabel finished second behind Peter Keane (39) and collected $40 from the prize pool.
BLIND EAGLE: Despite the pin being in full view, Ian Farrington had no idea where his second shot on the sixth hole finished in Wednesday’s Single par event. Playing in the first group of the morning, the 2021 B Grade Match Play Champion hit a wedge from 104 metres for his second, but lost the ball in the early-morning sun. And although one member of his group thought the ball may have finished in the hole, it wasn’t until he reached the green that Ian realised he had scored his fourth eagle at Headland. Playing in the same group as Ian, workmate Quentin Poulsen shot his best round in 15 years – a six-over 80 from his 15 handicap – for a score of plus seven, and a win in B Grade. His extremely consistent scorecard revealed 10 pars and eight birdies.
KIDD’S PLAY: He was a junior member 30 years ago and once has played off a one handicap, but James Kidd has never made the back nine at Headland look as easy as he did on Wednesday. In fact, the former Director of Men’s Golf carded a best-ever five birdies on an unblemished final 12 holes – from seven to 18 – and in doing so made the difficult course look like child’s play. His two-under par round 70 reaped him plus six from his five handicap, for a win in A Grade in his first competition round of golf since June 16. “This round came from nowhere,” explained James who actually rushed to the tee after a busy morning at work, then promptly birdied the first hole. He hit every green on the back nine in regulation and missed a ‘gettable’ birdie putt at the par-five 13th.
MASTER PERRETT: Headland’s Peter Perrett has been named Masters Player of the Year in the 2021 Sunshine Coast Men’s Golf Zone competition. The Masters Team Captain in 2018, in April Peter returned home from a three-year role as Golf Operations Manager at Jumeriah Golf Estate in Dubai, re-joined Headland, and was promptly seconded into the Headland Masters team. Headland had a successful season, finishing top of its Black Pool table, but was beaten in the semi-final. Peter, who currently work in Golf Operations at Pacific Harbour Golf Club, suffered just the one defeat during the season, beaten by a 10-handicapper who shot a one-under par round.
FAMILY EAGLES: Headland golfers have scored a host of eagles of late, many of them coming on the par-five seventh hole which is currently shortened by about80 metres because of reconstructive work on the tees. But none have been with the same intrigue as Sunday, when father and son, Michael and Blake Thomas, each eagled the hole after sinking lengthy putts. Playing in the same group, Blake (handicap 3) hit eight iron for his second while Michael (5) – who is standing for Men’s Director of Golf at the upcoming elections – found the green with a four iron. And while Blake could not recall the number of eagles he has scored, Michael confirmed it was his first at Headland after 18 years as a member.
WALKER WINS: Scott Walker shot a two-over par 72 to win the Murgon Open on Sunday, his first victory after two runner-up finishes in three starts in the South Burnett tournament. Scott was one of 12 Headland golfers who played in the annual event, spurred on by former Murgon banker Ash Reck who regularly attends the tournament. The only other Headland winner on the day was Sean Hanna, who collected a bottle of Bundy Rum in the raffle.
VALE PAT BESTON: Sports tragic Pat Beston was farewelled by his many golfing and rugby league friends on Friday, following a funeral service at Stella Maris Catholic Church, Maroochydore. A member of Headland for almost a quarter of a century, Pat passed away on August 14 following a short illness, and was just two months shy of his 80th birthday. Pat worked in logistics in the shipping and mining industries, spending much of his adult life in Papua New Guinea as well as New Zealand, China and Thailand, and did not retire until age 72 when he completed his final assignment in Ghana. He played and coached rugby league in PNG, serving as Assistant Coach of the PNG national team, the Kumuls, in the 70s and 80s. Pat is survived by his wife Margaret, children Sharon, Jacki and Brendan, and their families.
WEEKLY RESULTS:
Tuesday, Single Stableford, Women and Men (competition cancelled because of weather conditions).
Wednesday, Medley Single Par – sponsor McGrath Real Estate (240 players) – A Grade, James Kidd (plus 6), Daniel Lane (+6), Jack Pyke (+5); B Grade, Quentin Poulsen (+7), Steve Rose (+5), Jim Saunderson (+4); C Grade, John Jackson (+7), Daryl Jones (+5), Jack Williams (+5).
Thursday, Women’s Foursomes Championships – Sponsor Guide Financial – (94 players) – Championship winners, Sharon Thomas and Dom Paice (123); runners-up, Fiona Munro and Vicky Sheridan (135); 27-hole nett, Shirley Eggleton and Kathy Walker (108); runners-up, Trish Arden and Lesley Wilson (109.5); 18-hole gross, Josie Ryan and Annabel Harris (88); nett, Trudi Russell and Deborah Thomas (73.5); nine-hole gross, Jenny Ingham and Cathy Roberts (43); nett, Mary Dowling and Ali Lamond (36). Overflow, Single Stableford (28 players) – Lynn Hayman (39 points), Trish Marsden (36), Wendy Burnie (35).
Men, Single Stableford (51 players) – Gordon O’Neill (39), Jock McLaughlin (39), David Carmichael (38).
Saturday, Medley Fourball Aggregate Stableford (247 players) – Bob Trevor and Ross Itzstein (74 points), Sharon and Michael Thomas (73), Gavin Terry and Mick Kinnear (71), Bruce Prince and Joe Stotschek (70), Barry Hudson and Col Pledge (68).
Sunday, Medley Single Stableford (64 players) – Peter Keane (39 points), Annabel Harris (38), Johnny Clarke (38).
