From Tony Durkin
WALKER WINS: The talented Scott Walker is Headland’s 2022 Men’s Match Play Champion after beating Adam Rydwanski in Saturday’s gripping final, played over 36 holes. Played in drizzling rain and on a wet course, Scott parred the 35th hole – the par-four 17th – to seal the Championship, 3&1. It was his second Match Play title, winning in 2020, after Adam had beaten him in the 2016 final. The score was close throughout and square after first 18 holes, with both players leading two-up at stages during the morning round. However, Scott took a three-hole lead after 12 holes and held that until the end. Scott had earlier beaten Dan Diachkoff (7&6) and Adam Richards (1-up) to qualify for the final. In the B Grade Championship, Joel Cooney scored a resounding win, beating Geoff Bland 10&8, while John Cleary is the new C Grade Champion following a titanic 36 holes against Deon Breytenbach, sealing the title 1-up at the final hole. The two remaining Women’s Match Play finals, postponed from Saturday, will be played on Thursday. Sue Jones and Kate Wilkie meet in A Grade, with the B Grade final to be played between Kirsten Kaergaard and Helen Fraser. Sue Harris had earlier beaten Susie Meade (3&1) to win the C Grade Championship. With the afternoon competition abandoned because of the condition of the course, Graham Smith (38 points) won Saturday’s Medley Single Stableford.
JOSIE BACK: Following an unusually-long drought, esteemed 19-time Headland Club Champion Josie Ryan has won her first Single Stableford event in more than 12 months. Along with a dozen other Headland members, Josie contested the two-day Maroochy River Classic on Thursday and Friday of last week and won the event, with 70 points (36 and 34). Josie, whose handicap has almost trebled since Covid hit more than two years ago, says she cannot recall ever previously winning an Open Stableford event. “And I’m starting to feel old too. The runner-up, Lilly Surasen from Maroochy River, is at least five times my junior,” she quipped. Joining Josie on the victory dais with placings were five other Headland members – Kate Wilkie, Robyn Boreham, Jacqui Walkington, Chrissy Eggins and Trish Murphy.
BIRDIES GALORE: A scorecard with seven birdies will win most golf events, even an oddly-named Follies Foursomes at Headland. The seven birdies came from the low-handicapped quartet of Shane Muller (handicap four), Dean Smareglia (seven), Peter Perrett (seven) and Stewart Clover (seven) who won the AT Steel-sponsored event with a high 120 points, four better than the runners-up. The best three scores from the four players on each hole counted, with their highest score nine points at the par-four 17th, which Dean birdied. Other birdies came at the second and 18th – where Shane tapped in from 4cm and won the NTP – and two each at the 10th and 11th from Dean and Shane and Stewart and Peter respectively. The least productive hole from the quartet was the par-five seventh, where each of the four could manage just the single point. “Apart from the seventh, we all played pretty well and all contributed,” said Shane. For Dean, who scored 38 points, it was his second win in two days after scoring 40 points on Wednesday.
BREAKTHROUGH BRETT: For the first decade of his 12-year Headland membership, business owner Brett Beaumont averaged little more than a round of golf a year. But since he sold his business two years ago, Brett has been playing three days a week and on Sunday, finally, he scored his first win. He was one of seven players who broke their handicap in the Monthly Medley Wood Duck Challenge, snaring $46 from the generous sponsorship of James Kidd (EKO Financial) and Chris Klazema (Modbathrooms). Brett also had his lowest round since joining the club, the 89 from his 22 handicap giving him a nett 67 and the equal best score of the day, alongside Terry Ward. Although Brett says his goal is simply to play the game he loves and enjoy himself and the company of those with whom he plays, he was somewhat disappointed that a double bogey at the par-four 16th hole cost him his first sub-40 for a nine at Headland. Joining Brett among the money winners on Sunday were Terry Ward (67), Josh Veering (70), David Mayes (71), Daniel Diachkoff (71), Brendan Duncan (71), Rob Cunningham (71).
CLOSE BOND: Because she has only one son-in-law, Sylvia Wood is largely unaware of the rapport others have with their ‘espoused’ kin. But she describes her relationship with son-in-law Don Caldwell as a ‘very close bond’ – on and off the golf course. And for the second time in six weeks the pair has combined to win a fourball event at Headland, with 34-marker Sylvia again being the dominant scorer. The pair scored 72 points in Tuesday’s Medley Fourball Aggregate, with Sylvia scoring 38 points and Don (handicap 11) adding 34. They each had four three-point holes on their card, with Sylvia also adding two four-pointers, courtesy of two long putts. Don joined Headland when he, wife Jen and their children moved from Sydney in 2018 and Sylvia and husband Peter migrated last year, and were so keen to also become Headland members, they lodged their applications eight months before the retired couple became Queenslanders. NOTE: When they won a Football Best Stableford back in early May, Sylvia contributed 25 of their 42 points.
MEN’S PENNANT: Headland’s Assistant Course Superintendent, Stephen Hudson, is one of the new faces in the club’s A Grade Pennant team, which kicks off its quest for the 2022 Sunshine Coast Men’s Golf Zone Pennant on Sunday. A former semi-professional golfer in his birth country of England, Stephen joins other newcomers Wayne West and Shane Muller in the Headland team which has been a title contender for much of the past decade, and won the Pennant in 2018. Captained by non-playing James Brownsworth, the vastly-experienced team is Adam Richards, Scott Walker, Adam Rydwanski, Sean McGill, Dave Rattray, Ben Duncombe, Jamie Holbrook, Stephen Hudson, Wayne West and Shane Muller. Headland’s opening match on Sunday is against Noosa, at Caloundra. B Grade, with Matt Hetherington as playing Captain, plays Twin Waters at Noosa, while Headland will field two teams in the Masters competition – Headland and Headland Roos, with respective Captains Steve Rose and Warren Selvage. Both teams kick-off the season at Noosa Springs on Sunday, with Headland playing Twin Waters and the Roos playing Noosa.
BLUE WASH: Like the NSW State of Origin team – which she supports – Suzanne Pledge turned on her top form to return the best score in Monday’s Vets event, a day following the Blues’ slashing game two victory in Perth. “I thought I would keep the Blues ball rolling,” joked Suzanne, a 2018 SWING graduate who scored 41 Stableford points and won the B Grade division by four points. Her card revealed five three-point holes and two four-pointers, from pars at the par-three eighth and 18th holes. It was Suzanne’s best score since she joined the club, beating her 37 points tallied four months ago. And although she was aware she was playing well, Suzanne was totally oblivious of her score, leaving that to her playing partner/husband Col who, incidentally, she beat for the very first time. While Suzanne enjoys her golf and is happy she is improving, her greatest satisfaction is ‘being out on the beautiful course, enjoying the wonderful weather and having a great time’. Pik Chong (39 points) won women’s A Grade while Warren Selvage (38), Keith Hood (43) and Gordon O’Neill (39) were respective Men’s A, B and C Grade winners.
STELLAR DELLER: Apart from a win in the Army Division on Anzac Day with a meagre 33 points, Alan Deller can’t remember the last time he saluted the judges at Headland, a club he joined in 2006. But he turned the corner in Wednesday’s Medley Single Stableford, registering the equal best score in a field of 204 to win C Grade with 41 points. And, according to Alan, it could have been much better. “I wiped the 18th and bogeyed the 14th after being just off the front edge with my tee shot,” bemoaned the former Infantry Battalion Private who served his country overseas. But he had some very good holes, including the 12th, which he birdied, and a run of seven bogeys and two pars gave the 23 handicapper one of his best-ever front nine scores of 43. Although Alan generally plays Headland twice a week, he also competes in the annual Queensland Senior Order of Merit series, and last year won events at Pelican Waters and Wynnum. “I rate Headland an outstanding golf course, but like to play other courses as well,” he said. Dean Smareglia (40 points) won A Grade on Wednesday and Tony Pattinson (41) won B Grade.
WINNERS AGAIN: Close golfing friends Janette Ritchie and Colleen Sarquis won individual events as Headland the previous week, then joined together in the same team to share their talents and win Thursday’s Four-Person Ambrose with a nett score of 60.25. Playing alongside Marie Flegler and Del Whittaker, to their delight Janette and Colleen combined for a birdie at the par-three eighth when Janette sunk a 156cm putt from Colleen’s tee shot, which won the NTP. In the words of Colleen, who joined Headland just on 12 months ago after graduating from SWING in 2018, ‘we all had some great shots, and everyone played their role. But importantly, we just enjoyed ourselves’. Colleen and Janette are regular playing partners, along with Sue Harris and Jan Langdon. But with Sue and Jan unavailable on Thursday, the winning quartet came together on the timesheet somewhat accidently, and each collected $45 each, with Colleen adding another $15 for her NTP in a memorable day.
WOMEN’S PENNANT: Headland Women’s Diamonds Pennant team has finished third in the 2022 Sunshine Coast and South Burnett District competition following a tie with Noosa Springs at Maleny on Sunday. The combined Beerwah-Pelican Waters team won the Pennant, beating Bribie Island in the final round for an undefeated season. Headland finished on eight points, three behind the Pennant victors. Kate Wilkie was again the star for Headland, winning her match 8&6 after playing the course on Saturday and handing on valuable tips to her fellow team members. Josie Ryan won 1-up, Sharon Thomas squared her match, Julie Halliday lost 1-down and Lisa Ramen was beaten 5&4. The Emeralds won their second last match of the season, 3½ – 1½ against Caloundra at Caloundra, with Jenny Ingham (3&1), Will Sprake (2-up) and Vicky Sheridan (2-up) the victors, while Narelle Hollowood squared her match and Kirsten Kaergaard (4&3) was beaten.
WEEKLY RESULTS:
Monday, Vets, Single Stableford, Women (35 players) – A Grade, Pik Chong (39 points), Lisa Ramen (38), Kathy Atkins (37); B Grade, Suzanne Pledge (41), Helen Martyn (37), Susan Stratford (36). Men (82 players) – A Grade, Warren Selvage (38), Graham Myers (37), Col Pledge (37); B Grade, Keith Hood (43), Jon Welch (38), Gordon Russell (37); C Grade, Gordon O’Neill (39), Clive Glover (38), David Parker (36).
Tuesday, Medley Fourball Best Ball Stableford – (118 players) – Sylvia Wood and Don Caldwell (72 points), Jenny and Rob Ingham (72), Carmel Visa and Patrick Carmody (71).
Wednesday, Medley Single Stableford – sponsor Toby Zaremba, Formia Project Management – (204 players) – A Grade, Dean Smareglia (40 points), Peter Gablonski (38), Chris Risby (37); B Grade, Tony Pattinson (41), Robyn Muir (40), Greg Patrick (38); C Grade, Alan Deller (41), Dion Southey (40), Richard Thurgood (40).
Thursday, Women, Four-Person Ambrose – sponsors Sue Hadenham, Odette Day, Cathy Haimes and Raewyn Bissett (95 players) – Janette Ritchie, Colleen Sarquis, Marie Flegler and Del Whittaker (60.625 nett), Laura Mason-Baierl, Ellen Bloxsome, Wendy Mosley and Elizabeth Goodhew (62), Jane Boaler, Di Stark, Lyn Forbes and Leigh Derigo (62.875).
Men, Follies Foursomes – sponsor Mal Galletly, AJ Steel (72 players) – Dean Smareglia, Shane Muller, Peter Perrett and Stewart Clover (120 points), John Prosser, Justin Carroll, Ted Banaszczyk and Peter Sergeant (116), Fred Muller, Barry Newton, Garth Seymour and Mal Galletly (116).
Saturday, Medley Single Stableford (33 players) – Graham Smith (38 points), John Burnett (38), Brian Callaghan (36).
Men’s Match Play Championship finals (36 holes) – sponsor Ash Reck, Definitive Finance – A Grade, Scott Walker beat Adam Rydwanski (3&1); B Grade, Joel Cooney beat Geoff Bland (10&8); C Grade, John Cleary beat Deon Breytenbach (1-up).
Sunday, Medley Wood Duck Challenge – sponsors James Kidd (EKO Financial) and Chris Klazema (Modbathrooms) (70 players) – Brett Beaumont (67 nett), Terry Ward (67), Josh Veering (70), David Mayes (71), Daniel Diachkoff (71), Brendan Duncan (71), Rob Cunningham (71).
