Australian Senior Golfer

ACT golfer Bill Banks has won the NSW Senior Amateur Championship for the third year in a row with a one stroke victory over New South Welshman Denis Dale at the Duntryleague Golf Club in Orange.

Queenslander Ken Glasson, back from the professional ranks, was third in his first senior amateur event.

In a tight and exciting final round, all four players in the final group were in it with a chance of victory.

It was the round two leader Glasson and Banks who looked to have it between them when their closest competitors, Dale and Ian Read (QLD), struck trouble early on.

But a late rally by Dale saw him join the lead with Banks and they were even standing on the par three 17th tee.

Showing all his experience and composure, Banks holed a lengthy birdie putt from off the green to reclaim a one stroke lead.

When both players parred the difficult 18th, the title deservedly went to Banks.

The long hitting Glasson showed enough to ensure he will win his fair share of future titles.

Fourth place was a three way tie between newcomers Richard Greviile and Noel Wood and the very experienced Brian Sams.
With this fourth place finish, Sams has moved to the head of the Australian Senior Ranking table with current Australian Champion Stefan Albinski dropping to second place.

The pair will resume their tussle at the end of the month in the West Australian Senior Amateur at Royal Perth.

(Photo Courtesy NSW Golf Association)

ENTRIES are now open for the 2009 Australian Men’s Senior Amateur Championship to be played at the picturesque Bribie Island Golf Club in Queensland.

The championship has been played since 1981 and has become one of Australia’s great men’s senior events.

The event, to be played from May 12 to 14 over 54 holes of stroke play, is open to golfers aged 55 plus with a handicap limit of 6.4.

NSW golfer Stefan Albinski (pictured) won the event at Royal Perth last year in his initial senior year and is again expected to make a very strong showing.

There will be a host of other talented golfers in the maximum field of 144 who will be pushing him all the way, including joint 2007 winners Denis Dale and Rick Oliver.

Entries close on April 14.

DETAILS:
What: 2009 Australian Men’s Senior Amateur Championship
When: 12-14 May 2009
Where: Bribie Island Golf Club, QLD
Club website: Bribie Island Golf Club
Location: Links Court, Woorim, Bribie Island, QLD 4507
Championship Format: 54 Holes Stroke Play
Handicap Limit: 6.4
Entry Fee: $150.00 (on-line); $170.00 (via fax, e-mail, mail or in person)
Entry Close: 14 April 2009
Golf Australia Details and Entry Form

VICTORIAN Michael Harwood has won the Tasmania Senior Open Championship for 2009 whilst local Michael Leedham (pictured) made it three in a row in the amateur section.

Harwood won the championship with rounds of 75 and 69, a 36-hole total of 144 (EV), from fellow Victorian Trevor McDonald and defending champion Garry Merrick, who were equal second on 146 (+2).

Leedham, from Mowbray Golf Club, took the amateur title with scores of 73 and 74, a total of 147 (+3).

The event was staged at the Launceston Golf Club, Kings Meadows from February 20-21.

The Senior Open includes both senior professionals and senior amateur golfers with the amateurs also competing in an Australian Senior Ranking System event.

Leedham won the amateur section by three shots from South Australian John Beaumont, who continued his climb up the senior golfing ladder with his second place score of 150.

Beaumont followed his opening 77 with an impressive round of 73.

One shot behind Beaumont was long hitting Tasmanian “Whippy” Wellington who returned consistent rounds of 75 and 76.

Tasmanian Duncan Grant claimed fourth place with a pair of 78s (156), two ahead of West Australian Nigel Goodall on 158. Goodall second round of 77 was a nice improvement on his opening 81.
Ian Read failed to recapture his round one putting form and slipped to an 82 after his opening 77.

Denis Dale improved with a second round 78 but his disappointing 82 in round one played him out of contention, eventually finishing in seventh place, tied with local player Tony Bailey (80-80).

THE 2009 Victorian and NSW Senior Orders of Merit are underway with the first two events decided.

In Victoria, scratch marker Thomas Warren from Queenscliff GC won the 36 hole Lonsdale Senior Amateur with 75 – 72 (147) for a convincing three shot margin in the first event of the year.

Warren, in only his second appearance in Senior OOM events, kept his unbeaten record intact. His other appearance was when he won in 2006 at Port Fairy.
Played in very windy conditions, Round 1 saw a bunched leader board with Warren, Cam Muller (The Sands) and Richard Froebel (Cranbourne) all with 75′s and only 4 shots separating 11 other players. Round 2 was played in perfect conditions and challenges came from the consistent Muller (75 -75) and Colac’s Greg Welsh (77 – 73) but they could not close the gap on Warren.

The next event is the Cranbourne Seniors over 36 holes from March 16 – 17.

In NSW, Liverpool golfer Peter McGregor and Richmond’s Alan Wilson recorded even par rounds of 70 to share top Order of Merit points in the opening event for 2009, the Wollongong Seniors.

The first place trophy went to McGregor on a countback.
One shot behind this pair with 71 were regular senior event competitors Denis Dale and Geoff Everett with Everett’s round beating his age by two shots.
The Wollongong event was a great success with a strong field of more than 70 players entered. The Wollongong course and clubhouse has undergone a major revamp in recent years.

The next event is at NSW Golf Club on Monday March 16 with a capacity field entered.

Original material and photo courtesy AUSOOM

ELITE Australian senior amateur golf gets underway for the year this month with a number of national and state events scheduled.

Over at AUSOOM, Denis Dale (pictured) has produced a very helpful online calender that sets out the major events of the year.

His articles also help to explain the new Australian Senior Amateur Ranking system.

Events coming up include:

Australian Senior Ranking Events
Feb 20-21 Tasmanian Senior Open – Launceston Golf Club
Feb 25-27 Tasmanian Senior Amateur – Mowbray Golf Club
NSW Senior Order of Merit Events
Feb 9  Wollongong Seniors -Wollongong Golf Club
Feb 16 NSW GC Seniors – NSW Golf Club (new event at the venue
of the 2009 Australian Open)
Victorian Senior Order of Merit Events
Feb 5-6 Lonsdale Seniors – Lonsdale Golf Club
Other Events
Feb 28 – Mar 1 New Zealand Senior Amateur – Wanaka Golf Club

Senior Match Play Championship Moves to Thirteenth Beach

In other senior amateur news Golf Australia has announced the venue for the 2009 Australian Senior Match Play Championship will be the  Thirteenth Beach Golf Links course, which neighbours the previous venue, Barwon Heads Golf Club.
Thirteenth Beach is listed in the top 25 golf courses in Australia by Golf Australia magazine and the links style course that will be a great venue for the Match Play championship.
For the first time the 2009 Match Play Championship is included in events that award points for the Australian Senior Ranking competition. The defending champion is Denis Dale (NSW) who defeated Rick Oliver (NSW) in the 2008 final at Barwon Heads.

SYDNEY’S Noel Ratcliffe has taken the Polygiene Australian PGA Seniors Championship crown, finishing with a six stroke victory at Byron Bay Golf Club.

The experienced touring professional pulled away from the field and finished the 54 hole tournament at four under-par.

Under tough conditions Ratcliff’s even-par final round was the equal best of the day as the Byron Bay course firmed under strong westerly winds. Ratcliffe played controlled golf in the trying conditions with rounds of 70, 70 and 72 to be the only player in the field to finish under par.
When Ratcliffe pitched to within inches of the cup on the sixteenth, the lead stretched to five strokes and those still hoping to mount a challenge were left in his wake.

Ratcliffe ended the tournament with two regulation pars claiming his second Australian PGA Seniors title. His first win was in 2001.

Ratcliffe is a very experienced campaigner and his many wins include a number of titles on the European Seniors Tour.
Defending PGA Seniors Champion David Merriman equaled Ratcliff’s final round 72 to finish tied second with John Clifford (78), Terry Gale (75) and Stuart Reese (75).

Japanese Touring professional Hiroshi Fujita capped off a successful week finishing tied 10th at eight over-par.
Ratcliffe will take home $14,400 of the $80,000 purse on offer at the championship.

Round 2

NEW South Welshman John Clifford has produced the low round of the day and now shares the tournament lead after the second round of the Polygiene Australian PGA Seniors Championship at Byron Bay Golf Club.
In blustery conditions, Clifford shot a four-under-par round of 68 and sits level with Noel Ratcliffe and Garth Domigan on a 36 hole total of four-under.
Clifford, the 2003 Australian Seniors Champion, played consistent and near flawless golf to climb up the leaderboard  with a bogey free round. Ratcliffe had the putter on song, recording five birdies on his back nine to finish with a two-under-par 70.
Round one leader Terry Gale lost ground as the putts failed to drop on day two finishing with a four over par round of 76. He is tied for fourth with a one-over-par total.

Tournament favourite and defending champion David Merriman is still in contention, six strokes back at two-over-par and in a tie for ninth position.
Executive Officer of the NSW/ACT Division of the PGA of Australia Melville Proud has praised the tournament.
“It has been an excellent week. The planning by Mark Wilson (Tournament Director and Captain Byron Bay Golf Club) and the club has really made the tournament a success. A lot of the big names are in contention so it should be an exciting finish.”
The final round of the  Championship concludes on Sunday with the final group of Clifford, Ratcliffe and Domigan teeing off at 11:30am.

Round 1

WEST Australian Terry Gale holds a one stroke lead after the first round of  the Polygiene Australian PGA Seniors Championship at Byron Bay Golf Club.
Gale finished with a five-under 67 to sit one shot clear of New Zealander Garth Domigan.
Gale, the two-time Australian PGA Senior Champion (1996 & 2006) made seven birdies and two bogeys in a round highlighted by putting.
“I played some nice iron shots and putted well, every time I hit it close I made it. When you’re holing putts, you confidence lifts and all of a sudden the game is not that hard,” Gale said.
“The course is in great condition and requires a strategic approach. I went for some shots today and it paid off, I wanted to get out of the blocks quickly,” he said.
New Zealander Garth Domigan sits in second place, however he held the lead for most of the day before failing to finish off his round dropping three shots in the last two holes.
After a steady start, Domigan made the turn at one-under par before reeling off an impressive stretch of six birdies in seven holes and taking him to seven-under-par through 16 holes.
An errant shot at the par three seventeenth, followed by a drive into the water hazard on eighteen saw him surrender the lead to Gale and finish his round at four-under-par.
Defending champion David Merriman opened with a disappointing four-over-par 76 while tournament drawcard Rodger Davis opened with a respectable two-under, 70.

Preview Report

The 2008 Polygiene Australian PGA Seniors Championship is underway at the Byron Bay Golf Club in northern NSW with an in form David Merriman a hot favourite to defend his title.
Merriman, who was a stellar performer on the European Seniors Tour Order of Merit this year with earnings of more than $200,000 for 22nd place, will face stiff competition from Rodger Davis, Mike Ferguson and Terry Gale.
The $80,000 PGA Seniors Championship is being played over 54 holes on the tough and windy Byron Bay course which is in perfect condition despite recent storms in the area.
“The course is in great shape, the recent works and re-designs have really lifted the profile of the course. It should be a great week and hopefully we can get some crowds for the weekend” said Tournament Director and Captain of Byron Bay Golf Club Mark Wilson.
Seventy-three senior (50+) PGA Professionals teed up for the first round of the championship on Friday and were joined by a lucky group of amateurs who will be able to rub shoulders, swap jokes and go shot for shot with some of Australia’s finest golfers.
The championship runs s from 11-14 December.

(Original source material courtesy PGA Australia)

More encouragement for top Australian male “Super Senior” Golfers (65+) and the introduction of a National Order of Merit for Australia’s senior women amateur golfers are among recently announced changes to the sport.

The men’s Order of Merit competition has been expanded to include a full set of medals for the 65 and over players and medals will now be awarded to the top three golfers in this age group.

In addition, a Super Senior Matchplay Championship for the over 65 group will be played at the same time as the Australian Senior Matchplay Championship. A field of 8 players will contest the event in 2009 which will be played at Barwon Heads Golf Club.
Among other changes Golf Australia announced for new Australian Amateur Ranking Systems was the introduction of a National Order of Merit for Australia’s senior women amateur golfers.
The system used for this competition will be the same as that for senior men, with every event played used in calculating an average points score. The minimum divisor for senior women in this introductory year is 4 events.
The first event recorded was the 2008 ACT Senior Women’s Championship and the current leader in the Women’s Order of Merit is Liz Smyth from the Royal Canberra Golf Club. She leads from Nicky Moon from Federal Golf Club and Chris Taylor also from Royal Canberra.

Golf Australia says new Amateur Ranking Systems now underway will provide players, as well as the industry, a great opportunity to monitor the movements in the standings across all age groups at the peak of men’s and women’s amateur golf.

For 2009, Australian Amateur Ranking Systems will be conducted in six categories – open men and women, boys’ and girls’ and senior men and senior women (55+).

The player with the highest points average at 31 October 2009 will be recognised as the winner of their respective Ranking System.

The Australian Amateur Ranking Systems are provided as a service to Australian golf as well as to achieve the following objectives:

• To replace the use of handicaps as the primary entry standard for national amateur championships. This will provide a fairer and better outcome for players, and Golf Australia encourages all other domestic operators of elite amateur events to consider adopting the same improved procedure.

• To be used as a supporting tool for team selection.

• To increase participation in the events which count towards a player’s Ranking Average.

Each System will be points-based, and will operate over a 12-month rolling period. All National Championships and each State’s Amateur Championships in the respective Systems will count towards a player’s average, in addition to various other major events nominated by the States, including those which have been National Ranking Events in the past.

Players’ points are determined by their finishing positions in each event and the events themselves will be weighted with the events traditionally attracting the strongest fields being awarded the most points.

Golf Australia says the Systems are sure to be highly competitive and will provide vast interest for amateur golfers of all ages and genders, in particular Girls’ and Senior Women where previously there has been no similar ranking system operating.

The Karrie Webb Series will continue to operate in conjunction with the Women’s Open Ranking System.

Full details.

Peter Senior will make golfing history when he fronts up for his 30th Australian Masters event this week but the 49 year old has lost none of his passion for the game.

Senior is a two time winner of the Masters and will line up as the only player to have played in all thirty Australian Masters tournaments since the first event was played at Huntingdale in 1979.

“It has been a long trip and I have enjoyed every one of them,” Senior, who won the title in 1991 and 1995, said this week. “Thirty years sounds like a long time but I’ve still got a few left in me.”

Senior feels he has been playing well lately with good finishes in the Western Australian PGA and a second at the NSW PGA.

He was feeling confident when talking to media about the upcoming big three Aussie tournaments, including the Open, the PGA and the Masters, and even suggesting that “if I can putt a little better than I have been” anything could happen.

“Or you could do a Robert Allenby and win all three of them,” he said.

The putting would have to be going exceptionally well for that to come to pass but it is a measure of the competitive spirit Senior has displayed in 30 years travelling the globe.

Whatever has been happening for him overseas, Senior is a household name in Australian golf because he has returned home every summer to play in front of home crowds. The fact hasn’t been lost on his legions of fans, making him a crowd favourite and the name ‘Senior’ synonymous with the Australasian Tour.

“One thing I always said was that I would come back to support the Australian Tour, no matter where I was or what I was doing. I have foregone some really good tournaments to come back and play our events, but I wanted to do that.”

Senior said that whilst his thirty years sounded a lot, he has lost none of the desire that has brought him so much success and popularity in the game since he first turned professional in 1978. Whilst he plays less tournament golf these days, he intends to continue with his career on the senior’s circuit when he turns 50 next July.

“I love the game. It doesn’t matter where I am or what I am doing, corporate days, pro-ams, I still enjoy being on the course. The main reason I stopped tournament golf was to spend time with my kids in their school years.

“I figured that when I turned 50 I would still have the opportunity to play. Sitting at home and doing nothing for the first couple of years was really hard, but deep down the desire is still there.”

Senior is keen to try his luck on the Seniors tour in the US next year but knows it will be tough with “about 500 guys” competing for the eight available spots.

If anyone can do it, Peter can.

The First Round of the 2008 Sportsbet Australian Masters starts on Thursday with the first groups teeing off at 7am.

The morning groups include Craig Parry, John Daly and Finland’s Mikko Ilonen teeing off the tenth tee at 7:10am – now that will be a sight to behold.

There will be free to air television coverage on all four days of the tournament on the Seven Network, check your local guides.

THE Australian PGA Seniors Tour has been renamed the PGA Legends Tour.

PGA Australia says the new name was approved at a recent board meeting and the move will also see the tour introduce a new logo.

The PGA Legends Tour, for PGA Members over the age of 50, has approximately 30 events per year.

The biggest event on the tour, which features the likes of golfers Wayne Grady, Rodger Davis and David Merriman, is the Polygiene Australian PGA Seniors Championship which will take place from December 11-14 in Byron Bay.

The Byron Bay event will have a total prize pool this year of $80,000, reflecting the increasing interest and popularity of senior golf.

The 2009 PGA Seniors Qualifying School will be played from  January 11 – 14 January at Camden Lakeside Country Club in New South Wales.

The Australian team has recorded a resounding victory at the 2008 Asia-Pacific Senior Golf Championship played in Sabah, Malaysia.

Current Australian Senior Amateur Champion Stefan Albinski compounded the win, taking out the individual championship.

The six man Australian team of Rick Oliver (captain), Denis Dale, Ross Percy, Brian Sams, Nigel Goodall and Albinksi finished 23 strokes ahead of the New Zealand team, with The Philippines third.
With the best four rounds counting each day, the Australian team finished on 23 over par – averaging better than 74 for each scoring round on the tricky par 72 Nexus Golf Resort course at Karambunai.
In the individual championship, Stefan Albinksi (73-75-73) and Brian Sams (74-76-71) featured in a play off for the title.

Albinksi was the winner with a birdie on the second sudden death play off hole.

Australia was the dominant team at the event this year with all six Australian team players finishing in the top 20 positions with four players finishing in the top ten.

12/11/08, Round 2: Aussies strengthen lead

Australia has taken a commanding lead after round two of the 2008 Asia-Pacific Senior Championship in Sabah, Malaysia.

Quality rounds of 74 from Nigel Goodall and Brian Sams set the pace with Stefan Albinski (75) and Denis Dale (76) making up the four scores that counted in the teams event.

Rick Oliver (80) could not repeat his opening two under par 70. Ross Percy (80) struggled with his game today but looks forward to the final round on Thursday.
Australia now leads New Zealand by 17 shots and The Philippines by 19 and are hoping for another good day of consistent scores on the final day to take home the team trophy.

Australia’s consistency sees five of their players in the top ten individual scores with Stefan Albinksi the best in second place.

11/11/08, 1st Round: Rick Oliver helps Aussie team take lead

A two under par 70 by Rick Oliver has helped Australia to the lead after round one of the 2008 Asia-Pacific Senior Championship at the Karambunai Golf Resort in Sabah, Malaysia.

He shares the individual lead while Australia leads New Zealand by 5 shots in the team competition.

Sydney’s Stefan Albinksi was the next best Australian with a very tidy 73 followed by Brian Sams who worked hard for his four over par 76.

Denis Dale and Nigel Goodall both reported a struggle on the greens when they finished with 77’s. Ross Percy was not at his usual consistent best with 82. The best four scores count each day.

The Australian team includes Rick Oliver (NSW), Denis Dale (NSW), Ross Percy (VIC), Brian Sams (NSW), Nigel Goodall (WA) and Stefan Albinski (NSW).

(Original Reports Courtesy of Denis Dale and AUSOOM)

2008 Asia Pacific Seniors – Live Scoring