From Tony Durkin
SCHOOL’S IN: Grade 12 schoolboys Josh Holbrook and Ben Duncombe have created history by winning the Headland Men’s Foursomes on Saturday, scoring victory with par on the first play-off hole. In the 36-hole Championship, Josh and Ben turned a first 18-hole eight-over par blowout into an overall total of 150 (80-70), to be square with 2014 Champions Sean McGill and Adam Rydwanski at six over the card, necessitating a play-off. And they broke the tie with a par at the first play-off hole after both teams missed the par-three 18th green. Ben then chipped to within two metres and Josh dropped the uphill putt after Adam had lipped out with his par attempt. The youngest pairing to win the prestigious Men’s Foursomes Championship in the 53-year history of the event, the schoolboys – playing off a scratch handicap, the lowest in the field – held a one-shot lead after 35 holes but Sean and Adam took the Championship to a play-off when they birdied the 18th the second time around. Josh and Ben had three double bogeys and three bogeys on their underwhelming first 18 holes, but hit back superbly in the afternoon, carding six birdies in their opening 11 holes. And while the youngsters were able to reverse their poor morning score, the opposite was the case for defending Champions Ash Reck and Wayne West. The four-time winners led the field after a morning round of 73, but faltered following the break, coming home with a birdie-absent 78. NOTE: Back in 1968, 14-year-old Glen Gogill teamed with septuagenarian Bill Scott to win the inaugural Headland Men’s Foursomes Championship.
MASTERS WIN: Masters Pennant team mates Warren Selvage and Brett Stephenson stormed home with a nett 69 in the afternoon to win the Men’s Foursomes nett on Saturday. The pair, sporting a generous handicap of 16, scored two birdies on the final nine of their 36 holes to win by three shots, with a nett score of 140. Course Marshall, Russell Harris, managed a rare day off to join Brett Beaumont (143) and finish runners-up. After the morning 18 holes, B Grade Pennant team members Matt Hetherington and Ciaran Fenton (68.5) held a skinny lead over the teams of Gary Savill/Peter Gablonksi and Ash Reck/Wayne West with nett 69s, but all three groups stumbled over the final 18 holes. NOTE: On the subject of Masters golfers (over 50 years of age), Headland Patron Simon Whittle was the only player in Saturday’s Foursomes field to walk all 36 holes.
UNRESTRICTED: So inexperienced is Colleen Sarquis as a golfer that she is still a ‘restricted’ Headland member. But that has not prevented the Executive Leadership Coach from returning the best score in Thursday’s Monthly Medal in just her fifth competition game since graduating from the 2018 SWING program. Playing in her first stroke event, Colleen confessed to an air swing as well as a ‘duff’ that travelled less than 30cms in her gross round of 99, for a nett 63 and the best score of the day by a whopping five shots. While stunned at her success – she won a Single Stableford event with 41 points just 10 days ago – Colleen has expressed gratitude to SWING Co-ordinator Di Stark and her fellow mentors for their invaluable guidance and support. But she has paid a heavy price for her two wins from five starts – her handicap has been reduced from 39 to 27.7. Colleen won both the gross and nett in C Grade as did Sharon Thomas (82/72) in A Grade, while Monica Antony and Jackie Thinee, both 68 nett, were Medal winners in B and D Grade respectively. NOTE: Colleen Sarquis is the younger sister of Peter O’Brien, who has been elected new Men’s Director of Golf.
BARNES STORMS: Bill Barnes has a habit of not checking his score until his round is finished, and when he did that on Wednesday he was in total disbelief. A Headland member for 25 years, Bill had his first victory in ‘at least a decade, probably more’ when he scored a neat 100 in Wednesday’s Mid-Week Medal for a nett 65, and a win in C Grade. At 72 and having retired as a builder three years ago, Bill has struggled with his game in recent years through illness and injury, and in fact did not play for three years from 2015 and 2017. But with the encouragement of his wife Bev, he is now back playing comp one day a week and socially with his son on Sundays, and enjoying the game once again. While his very consistent round featured no blowouts – four pars, four doubles and 10 bogeys – Bill is too cagey to kid himself another win is just around the corner. But he says he will enjoy this long-overdue rise to the top.
SPONSOR REWARD: Brendan Southey has the perfect recipe for a winning round of golf – sponsor a competition, invite clients, enjoy a few beers and relax. With Prime Property business partner Bevan Horsnell, Brendan sponsored Wednesday’s Medley Mid-Week Medal and approached the game as above, simply kicking back with the sole intention of having a memorable day with his invited clients. And indelible it proved to be, with the fanatical Cowboys supporter firing a six-over par 78 for a nett 66, his first Medal win in A Grade as well as his first round under 80 in 4½ years as a Headland member. And, he reckons it could have been even better had he not three-putted two greens, one of which gave him his only double bogey of the round. The added bonus was that Brendan recouped $85 of the company’s sponsorship for winning, and a further $55 for the Pro Pin shot at the 12th hole, which he birdied. Roger Van Ginkel, who will be elected unopposed as House Director at this week’s AGM, won the B Grade Medal with 67 nett.
RIDICULOUSLY GOOD: For someone who considered golf ‘a ridiculous game’ until she attended Headland’s SWING program in 2019, Wendy Burnie turned in an absurdly good round on Tuesday. Encouraged to take up the game by her friend and fellow SWING graduate Suzanne Pledge, Wendy joined Headland mid last year on a handicap of 53, hoping she could find a sport to fill the void caused by her recent retirement. Now, she is hooked, and Tuesday’s score of plus six in the Women’s Single Par event, along with a handicap reduction to 38, is abundant evidence of her improvement in such a short time. In her best-ever round – 106 for a nett 65 – Wendy had no pick-ups, found no bunkers and never left the short grass. But despite playing two competitions a week and a practise round on Sundays, Wendy understands the pitfalls of the game she once could not stand, and isn’t becoming too excited. Phil Kornmann (+3) returned the winning score for men.
FORTUITOUS WIN: When former Headland President John Alsbury could not snare a spot for his regular group in Wednesday’s field, he entered them for Thursday’s Irish Team Stableford, in which the best two scores on each hole count. And what a decision it was for the three septuagenarians and one octogenarian with more than a century of combined Headland membership between them. Alongside John, Ken Maynard, David Munns and Life Member Tony Coad tallied 94 points to blitz the field by six, despite a menial two points on their first hole, the 10th. But they rallied on the back nine, finishing with 44 points, then roared home with 50 on the front, including five successive six-point holes. Overall, the group tallied 137 points on the day.
BOB’S BIRDIE: A final-hole bogey last Saturday week became a birdie on Tuesday, and resulted in 76-year-old Bob Trevor beating his age at Headland for the ninth time. Although he and long-time playing partner Ross Itzstein won the Fourball Aggregate Stableford with 74 points, Bob was disappointed a bogey at the 18th had cost him the chance of at least shooting his age, if not beating it. But three days later, playing in the Single Par event, he righted the golfing ship, birdied the 18th for a three-over par round of 75, with three birdies, nine pars and six bogeys on his card, to finish square from his handicap of four.
WEEKLY RESULTS:
Tuesday, Single Par, Women (60 players) – Wendy Burnie (plus 6), Doreen Davidson (+5), Ree Condon (+5); Men (59 players) – Phil Kornmann (+3), Tim Nunan (+3), Bill Attneave (+3).
Wednesday, Medley Mid-Week Medal – Sponsor Prime Property – Brenden Southey and Bevan Horsnell – (232 players) – A Grade, Brendan Southey (66 nett), Bill Oster (68), Brian Richards (68), gross – Adam Richards (73); B Grade, Roger Van Ginkel (67), Justin Scattini (67), Rob Ingham (68), gross – Mal Bradshaw (85); C Grade, Bill Barnes (65), David Parker (69), Hans Raaschou (69), gross – Phil Maron (92).
Thursday, Women, Monthly Medal – Sponsor B By Halcyon Buderim Medal and Ken and Vicki Maynard KVM Traffic Services – (118 players) – A Grade, Sharon Thomas (72 nett), Sue Jones (73), Annabel Harris (74), gross – Sharon Thomas (82); B Grade, Monica Antony (68), Gail Young (68), Doreen Davidson (69), gross – Katrina Watts (92); C Grade, Colleen Sarquis (63), Kathy Walker (69), Maureen Cartledge (71), gross – Colleen Sarquis (99); D Grade, Jackie Thinee (68), Marie Flegler (70), Trish Arden (72), gross – Jackie Thinee (106).
Men, Irish Team Stableford (98 players) – John Alsbury, Tony Coad, Ken Maynard and David Munns (94 points), Errol Greiner, Richard Senior, Richard Franklin and Lance Lancaster (88), David Carmichael, Rod O’Leary, Grahame Denovan and Ray Norman (86).
Saturday, Men’s Foursomes Championships – sponsor Zero Termite and Pest, Mick Kinnear – (114 players) – Champions, Josh Holbrook and Ben Duncombe (150) after play-off; runners-up, Sean McGill and Adam Rydwanski (150); 36-hole nett, Brett Stephenson and Warren Selvage (140); runners-up, Brett Beaumont and Russell Harris (143); 18-hole morning gross, Wayne West and Ash Reck (73); morning nett, Matt Hetherington and Ciaran Fenton (68.5); 18-hole afternoon gross, Adam Richards and Scott Walker (77), afternoon nett, Mick Kinnear and Mick Kelsey (67). Overflow, Medley Single Stableford (29 players) – Grahame Denovan (39 points), Trish Marsden (38), Tony Briffa (37).
