From Tony Durkin
JODIE HONOURED: Jodie McDonell has been named Headland’s 2022 Club Woman of the Year. The annual award recognises sustained and significant commitment to the conduct, participation and enjoyment of golf at Headland Golf Club and recipients should be well known, and their efforts clearly visible to the majority of Women members, and more broadly the entire playing membership of the club, and club management. In announcing Jodie as the 2022 winner, Women’s Director of Golf, Sue Jones, said the selection process was far less taxing this year because Jodie’s sustained contributions to the club during the past 35 years had been ‘clearly identified, both on the course, in the broader Sunshine Coast golfing scene, and in the administrative assistance and wellbeing of women’s golf at Headland’. “Jodie is considerate, helpful, approachable, personable, realistic and compassionate, often going well beyond the call of duty. We call her our friend, our golfing partner, our golfing opponent, and often our benefactor,” Sue said of Jodie, who is a generous club sponsor. Jodie has previously won the Headland B Grade Championship three times, and has represented the club in Pennants. Past Headland Golf Club Women of the Year have been Lesley Johnston, Del Whittaker, Laurel Opray, Helen Fraser, Sharon Thomas, Ann Alsbury, Gwen Nancarrow and Di Stark.
MISERLY PUTTS: Thanks to his new Ping putter, 74-year-old George Stoufis has won his first Monthly Medal as a Headland member. George shot 80 for a nett 67, the best score of the day and a win in B Grade, and he claimed victory on the back of a miserly 28 putts. “The new putter has given me back my confidence on the greens,” said George, who was born in Greece but spent 45 years in business in New Zealand before relocating to the Sunshine where he joined Headland just on two years ago. And not only was his round – which included a birdie at 10 alongside eight pars and nine bogeys – the winner, it was his best during his time at Headland. Greens staff members – and good mates – Aaron Shaw and Steve Hudson, played together and fought out the honours for the best gross, with Aaron (74) winning on a countback.
COAD’S MEDAL: Rhonda Biggs (82 points) and Wayne Nixey (78) have won the Tony Coad Perpetual Trophies for Vets women and men, respectively, for 2022. The trophies are awarded for the best aggregate scores from the final two Single Stableford events of the year leading up to Monday’s Closing Day. Other Vets award winners for 2022 were: Women, Player of the Year, Lisa Ramen; Eclectic, nett, Sue Jones, gross, Lisa Ramen; Division One, Anita Boyle, Division Two, Wendy Burnie. Men, Player of the Year, Tony Coad; Eclectic, nett, David Parker, gross, Col Pledge; Division One, Barry Mapes, Division Two, Ian McRaild.
BOB LEADS: In a remarkable golfing achievement on Saturday, 78-year-old Bob Trevor beat his age from the black tees in the December Monthly Medal. Even more remarkably, it is the tenth time this year that the septuagenarian has either shot or equalled his age in a round of golf, taking the total at his home course to an amazing 19 times. And Saturday’s score puts him one ahead of another Headland golfing marvel, 81-year-old Ken Anderson, who has achieved the feat on 18 occasions. Bob’s round on Saturday, playing off six, featured a birdie at the par-three eighth, 10 pars and seven bogeys, for 39 on each nine, and a nett score of 72.
KATE AGAIN: Less than 24 hours after being presented with her trophy for winning the 2022 Headland Women’s Match Play Championship, Kate Wilkie was celebrating again at Headland. Kate won Saturday’s Single Stroke for Women, scoring 71 nett to beat Gwen Nancarrow on a countback. And despite teeing off at 6.20am after attending the annual Club Presentations the previous night, she was back at the club for the Saturday event presentations that evening – the only winner on the day to attend. Kate has enjoyed a successful and memorable season, winning Monthly Medals in January and April and the Handicap Matchplay – also in April – the Sunshine Coast District Senior Championship in August, as well as a second placing in the Victorian Senior Order of Merit at Yarra Yarra. However, her crowning glory was beating former Club Champions Sue Jones and Josie Ryan on her way to claiming the A Grade Matchplay title, her first Championship in 15 years as a Headland member.
DOC’S BEST: In three decades as a Headland member David Hawes has never shot 81, never has he scored seven better than his handicap and never has he won a Medal of any kind. But the Buderim GP achieved all three feats on Wednesday, winning the B Grade Midweek Medal with nett 65, the best score in the field of 236, one of the biggest of the year. “I hardly missed a fairway, hit more greens than I can remember in any previous round and dropped more putts than I imaged I ever could,” quipped the Maryborough native who plays just once a week, and always with the group known as the Young Doctors. While his terrific round was scarred by three double bogeys – at holes 10,14 and 16 – he matched that with three birdies – at holes 6, 11 and 18. Rhett Charlton (68 nett) won the A Grade Medal and Meegan Walker (66) won her second event in three weeks in taking the C Grade Medal. Junior Champion for 2022, Ben Duncombe (71), returned the best gross score.
FAIRWAY FIND: Tony Dunford reckons he has discovered at least one of the elixirs to better golf – finding the fairway from the tee. Apart from winning his first Monthly Medal this year – and subsequently the Gold Medal – his 2022 golfing year has been very forgettable. Once a consistent single-figure marker, Tony’s handicap had slipped out to 14, but is now back to 11 since his win in Thursday’s Single Stableford for Men. And, to add to his happy ending to the year, Tony shot 78 for his 40 points, the first time he has broken 80 for at least two years. And he never missed a fairway in his round of eight pars and eight bogeys, which finished with successive birdies at 16 and 17.
BACK-TO-BACK: Following a run of outs, Lynn Deacon has again turned to close friend, Redland Bay Golf Professional Heath Reed, and the spoils have resulted. Lynn has captured back-to-back Tuesday Single Stableford victories, winning with 39 points and 40 points respectively in the past two weeks, and says Heath’s ‘simple’ advice has worked wonders. “They have only been little things, but he says they are specific to my game and it is working,” Lynn beamed. Despite the intense heat on Tuesday Lynn was still able to focus on the advice of her coach, and scored three points on 10 holes during her great round. Since graduating from SWING in 2019, the dental assistant has reduced her handicap from 41 to her new AGU mark of 21.7. Peter Raymond (38) points beat Ted Banaszczyk and John Jamieson on a countback to win the Men’s event.
JOSH AGAIN: Josh Holbrook, Headland’s 2021 Junior Champion, has won successive Queensland PGA Associate (Trainee) Order of Merit Championships to end competition for the year. The decorated Headland junior scored four-under 68 to win at Twin Waters last Monday week and on Monday went one better, scoring five-under 66 at Wynnum Golf Club. Although Josh is in his first-year traineeship at Caloundra Golf Club, he maintains his Headland membership and plays when time and commitments commit, competing at ‘home’ at least once a week.
JUNIOR WINS: A stunning back nine, which harvested a remarkable 25 points, has given 15-year-old Rian (pronounced Ryan) Mitchell his first win in open company since he became a Headland member three years ago. Ryan started poorly in Sunday’s Medley Single Stableford when he wiped the par-four first hole, and could only muster 16 points on the front nine. But he jumped into top gear coming home, with three successive three pointers, followed by two twos, a four-point par at the 15th and two more threes followed by a two-pointer at the 18th, for a winning total of 41 points. “I was nervous, and actually couldn’t wait until the round was over,” said the Chancellor College student who won last week’s Junior Medal. Rian started his golf career at Proserpine as an eight-year-old, under the tuition of Golf Pro Kane Nusteling.
WEEKLY RESULTS:
Monday, Vets’ Closing Day, Four-Person Ambrose (85 players) – Rob Cunningham, Ian Scobie, John Miller and Stuart Miles (60.5), Susan Briffa, Kath Barford, Tony Briffa and Odette Day (60.875), Phil Thistlewood, John Christmas, Dennis Taylor and Kevin Howe (61), Michael Phillips, Jim Saunderson, Brian Hills and John Jones (61.375).
Tuesday, Single Stableford, Women (35players) – Lynn Deacon (40 points), Kathy Petrie 937), Glenda Bates (37). Men (62 players) – Peter Raymond (38), Ted Banaszczyk (38), John Jamieson (38).
Wednesday, Medley Midweek Medal – sponsor, Ryan Tomlinson, Century 21 (236 players) – A Grade, Rhett Charlton (68 nett), Gary Marr (68), Terry O’Keeffe (69); B Grade, David Hawes (65), Terry Lawler (67), Peter Leggo (68); C Grade, Megan Walker (66), Drew Grant (69), Terry Forsyth (69). Overall gross – sponsor Roger Van Ginkel, Thomassen Australasia – Ben Duncombe (71).
Thursday, Women’s Closing Day, Four-Person nine-hole Ambrose, front nine (54 players) – Lesley Wilson, Denise Hutchison, Jan Langdon and Trish Arden (29.75), Sue Bolton, Mouna Humzy, Diane Gilmour and Rebecca Masters (29.875), Julie Halliday, Lesley Pinn, Brenda Smith-Gittings and Yvonne Richter (31.625); back nine (45 players) – Megan Thorp, Coralie Walsh and Tilly Poulsen (30.5), Pik Chong, Anne Callahan, Robyn Muir and Monica Knowles (31.5), Rhonda Biggs, Trudi Russell, Leigh Derigo and Debbie Proud (32.75).
Men, Single Stableford (84 players) – Tony Dunford (40 points, Ken Wedmaeir (39), Nick Bolton (38).
Saturday, Monthly Medal– sponsor, Ryan Tomlinson, Century 21, Women (24 players) – Kate Wilkie (71 nett), Gwen Nancarrow (71), Margie White (72).
Men (206 players) – A Grade, Simon Groom (68), Nick Bolton (69), Damian (Moelands (69; B Grade, George Stoufis (67), Tony Kelleher (68), Tony Briffa (69); C Grade, John Waterworth (68), Alan Dellar ((68), Gordon Peak (70). Overall gross – sponsor Brian Kesby – Aaron Shaw (74).
Juniors, Girls, 8-10 – Paige Prosser (54 strokes). Boys, 7-11 – Ty Swartz (52); 8-10 years – Benjamin Cox (40); 11-13 years – Toby Halliday (42).
Sunday, Medley Single Stableford (51 players) – Rian Mitchell (41 points), Tom Hewitt (38), Susan Briffa (37).’
