From Tony Durkin
JACK WINS: Former Headland Junior, Jack Trent, whose parents John and Louise relocated to Las Vegas seven years ago to foster his burgeoning golf career, has won his first professional tournament in the US. Jack, who turned professional late last year, shot rounds of 67, 71 and 64 last week to win the McCormick Open at Scottsdale, Arizona. The event is one of the richest on the Outlaw Tour, an affiliate of the Golden State Tour, which serves to develop young professionals through tournaments in the states of California, Arizona and Nevada. The 22-year-old former Matthew Flinders College student came from three strokes back in the final round and collected $20,000 in prizemoney, enough to take him to the top of the tour’s money list. In 2019 Jack, as an amateur, won the right to play in the USPGA Tour’s Shriners Children’s Open, shot rounds of 67, 69, 66 and 68 for a 14-under par total of 270 and finished tied 29th, ahead of players of the ilk of Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka, Bubba Watson and, ironically, Adam Scott, another Headland junior and Jack’s golfing hero.
MATE’S MEDAL: John Christmas returned the best score in Saturday’s Monthly Medal round, but says the Medal – in almost every sense of the word – belongs equally to his playing partners. John, who is 68, suffers from Macular Dystrophy, and can literally not see his ball once it is elevated against the blue of the sky. He relies totally on his partners – a regular group of Kev Howe, Darryl Chapman, Dennis Taylor, Greg McDonald, Frank Coleborn and Tony McDonough – to be his ‘spotters’. “Not only do they watch my ball, they also have to warn others if I’m off line,” said the retired 50-year Telstra worker who can no longer hold a driver’s licence because his central vision is blurred at 20 metres. “I am so grateful for their help and patience, but what they do for me is typical of the camaraderie which exists at Headland.” John, handicap 25, signed for a nett 65 on Saturday to win the C Grade Medal, his best score since 43 points back in May, and another Medal victory in April. Saturday’s Medal is his seventh since he joined Headland in 1999. Scott Lindsay (68 nett) won the A Grade Medal and Chris McArdle (69) won B Grade.
CATHY’S TRIPLE: It may have taken her more than two years, but golf fanatic Cathy Roberts has finally won her first Monthly Medal at Headland. In extremely windy conditions, Cathy shot nett 74 to lead the women’s field on Saturday and win by two strokes her third Medal at three different Sunshine Coast courses. Previously a member at Horton Park and then Maroochydore River, as she negotiated Headland at the weekend Cathy could merely wonder how difficult it would have been playing her most recent former course. “I am so glad I made the change,” said Cathy whose only slip up was a quadruple bogey at the par-fourth eleventh. But she was pleased with the way she recovered, coming home from there square with her handicap. “The win was most unexpected, but very satisfying to finally win a Medal at my new course,” she said.
TWIN PEAKS: Scott Lindsay became the envy of most club golfers when he peaked twice within four days, winning successive A Grade Monthly Medals at Headland. The Buderim IT Consultant scored a victory on Wednesday with 71 nett from his round of 83, then turned around on Saturday with 81, for a winning return of 68 nett. But oddly, he was most proud of his Wednesday round despite the limited field of 91 because of the afternoon weather conditions. “I had a great front nine of one-over 37, couldn’t find my ball on the tenth after my drive hit a tree, so had to reload and took double bogey, then tripled the 11th,” he said. “I had three pars, three bogeys and a double coming home, so was really pleased with the way I came back from that disastrous start.” A former Horton Park member, Scott gave golf away when the club moved to Maroochy River but joined Headland in 2016 on a handicap of 19 which is now down to 10.6 after his two Medal victories in four days. His goal, like most golfers, is to reach single figures.
SPONSOR EAGLE: Saturday’s Monthly Medal sponsor, Earl Hicks of Global Turf, did not have his best round, with the nine-marker scoring 84 for a nett 75. But he did manage to claw back some of his sponsorship money, with $5 in the run down and $15 for his eagle at the par-five tenth, the fourth time he has eagled the hole. It is Earl’s second eagle in the space of 10 days and his 15th since joining Headland in 2012. Another generous sponsor, former Club Champion Brian Kesby, performed a little better with his 82/73, also snaring $5 in the run down. The winner of Brian’s $75, awarded to the best men’s gross in each Monthly Medal round, was won by Justin Nicholson, who had five birdies in his two-over par 74.
MEDAL CANCELLED: The threat of another electrical storm caused Thursday’s Monthly Medal for Women to be cancelled, and rescheduled for Thursday week, February 17. And some players, including winner Sharon Thomas, wished midway through the Single Stableford event played in lieu of the Medal, that it had also been abandoned. “It was pretty tough out there – very humid and extremely oppressive. Halfway round I was hoping it would storm again, so we could go home,” she said. But despite dragging her feet, Sharon battled on, scored 34 points and won A Grade on a countback from Robyn Muir. She started bogey, double bogey, double bogey – the result of three successive three-putt greens – but managed two birdies on her way home to score 19 points on the back nine. Joy Murray (33 points) won B Grade.
NOT HARRASSED: Course Marshall Russell Harris is starting to enjoy his one day a week at Headland when he is not stressed, and does not have to badger other players. For the second time in the space of two months Russell has won the Thursday Single Stableford for men, signing for 39 points last week. Playing three under his handicap of 12, Russell shot 81, with nine pars and nine bogeys on his ‘neat’ card. A Course Marshall since November 2020, Russell – who shares duties with Glenn Joyner and Steve McPherson – says he enjoys his on-course role although ‘we sometimes have a few hiccups’. While pleased with his round of 81, it is well below his best at Headland – a par 72 five years ago. NOTE: Russell backed up for rare Saturday round to score 70 nett, and finish third in the A Grade Monthly Medal.
STORM BEATER: He may have beaten Wednesday’s savage electrical storm, and returned his best round as a Headland member, but Phil Maron could still not win his first Mid-Week Medal. Playing from his 26 handicap, Phil carded 91 for a nett score of 65 to lodge the best score of the day by six shots, and easily win C Grade. But when he checked the results late in the day the early-morning starter was somewhat surprised that his prize was only $30, and not $80 which is usually the case in a Medal round. It was then that Phil learned the afternoon competition had been cancelled because of the storm, and the Medal not awarded. Although realising his nett score would usually be good enough to win a Medal round, Phil was not overly disappointed because he knew his round had been ‘a special one’. Phil, a retired IT expert specialising in Business Intelligence, joined Headland when he moved from Melbourne just before Covid struck in 2020, and has never regretted the decision. Scott Lindsay (71 nett) won A Grade and Peter Leggo (72) saluted in B Grade.
FLOWING GOLF: Following her third win within a month to open 2022, Sue Briffa described her game on Tuesday as ‘one that flowed’ – as have her wins. Sue scored 42 points in Tuesday’s Single Stableford, winning the women’s event by two points (from Marg Smith) and beating the best men’s score by a massive six points. And while she had six three-point holes and a four-point par at the fourth, she was particularly chuffed at being able to keep a wipe off her card. Sue started the year with a victory in the rain – a meagre 28 points – but two weeks ago scored 41 points to post a win in Headland Women’s Opening Day. And while revealing she plays three times a week and says her game has been ‘at this level for a while’, Sue’s goal is to reduce her current AGU handicap of 26.6 back to 25, her lowest mark during her seven years as a Headland member. Ben Brown, with 36 points, won the men’s competition.
WEEKLY RESULTS:
Tuesday, Stableford, Women, (39 players) – Sue Briffa (42 points), Marg Smith (40), Jenny Pirini (35). Men (70 players) – Ben Brown (36), Mark Garcia (36), Robert McCann (35).
Wednesday, Medley Single Stroke (91 players) – A Grade, Scott Lindsay (71 nett), Ian Farrington (72), Brian Callaghan (76); B Grade, Peter Leggo (72), Stephen Blampied (74), Michael Collins (75); C Grade, Phil Maron (65), Bill Barnes (72), Trevor Gourlay (72).
Thursday, Single Stableford, Women – sponsors Deb Thomas, Trudi Russell and Kay Campbell (75 players) – A Grade, Sharon Thomas (34 points), Robyn Muir (34), Chris Parkinson (33); B Grade, Joy Murray (33), Narelle Hollowood (32), Kathy Walker (31).
Men (70 players) – Russell Harris (39), Tim Nunan (37), Dean Smareglia (36).
Saturday, Monthly Medal – sponsor Earl Hicks, Global Turf – Women (29 players) – Cathy Roberts (74 nett), Joy Murray (76), Vicky Maynard (76). Men (220 players) – A Grade, Scott Lindsay (68), Dennis Mikolic (69), Russell Harris (70); B Grade, Chris McArdle (69), Josh Poole (70), Karl Aldrich (70); C Grade, John Christmas (65), Alan Ward (68), Michael Gregora (68). Best gross – sponsor Brian Kesby – Justin Nicholson (74).
Sunday, Medley Fourball Best Ball Stableford (57 players) – Bradley Bacon and John Matson (45 points), Jay Gourlay and Jacob De Bruyn (44), Max Pasterfield and Steve Ridley (43).
