Denis Dale’s monthly roundup of all the senior amateur golfing action from around Australia
NATIONAL:
Australia’s Senior Asia Pacific Team
Australia has announced the Australian team to contest the 2016 Asia-Pacific Senior Amateur Championship to be played at the Alabang Country Club, Muntinlupa City, The Philippines in November.
Played over 54-holes stroke play, the championship comprises an individual event and a prestigious team event in conjunction.
The six-man team to contest the event in 2016 is Greg Rhodes (Vic)[Pictured above right], Gordon Claney (Vic)[above left], Steve Toyne (QLD), Ian Frost (Vic), Peter Hannah (QLD) and Stefan Albinski (NSW).
Victorians Greg Rhodes and Gordon Claney make the trip as clearly the top two senior golfers in Australia. Rhodes won the Australian Senior Amateur Championship in 2015 while Claney was the winner in 2014.
In recent months these two high quality senior golfers have won just about every major senior event available. Both were in the 2015 Asia Pacific team and will be keen to finish ahead of the New Zealand and Japanese teams that led the way in China last year.
Grange/Kooyonga Senior Open
Round one at Grange West and the field of 87 seniors were greeted with a sunny day, mid-teens temperature and without the strong winds that were present earlier in the week. The course was presented in very good condition with championship pin positions on some very slick but true greens. The conversation at the 19th would prove to be all about the number of three and four putts.
Only 4 players broke 80. Victorian Greg Rhodes headed the field with a great score of 2 over 74. At one stage after around 11 holes Greg was 3 under par but a 4 putt and a few late dropped shots brought him back to the field.
Day two was Kooyonga Golf Club and the course was in immaculate condition with the pin positions set to allow players a chance of getting the ball close if they were good enough.
As expected Australia’s leading senior golfer Greg Rhodes maintained his great play and returned a 2 over par 73 to again have the low score of the day. In winning by ten strokes Rhodes made it back-to-back titles as he had also won this same tournament in 2015.
NSW visitor Graham Beasley continued his run of good form firing a second round of 76 to follow his opening 81 to finish in a tie for second place with fellow NSW player Lester Peterson (80-77).
Super senior Eric Lane also showed some of the younger players that age is not a barrier firing a lovely second round of 76.
Final Leading Scores
147 Greg Rhodes
157 Graham Beasley, Lester Peterson
158 John Davey
159 David Mallet
160 Keith Thornley, Eric Lane
161 John Kelly
162 Bruce Lindner, Michael Peeck
163 Darryl Hearsch, Geoff Cranfield, Trevor Smith
South Australian Senior Amateur Championship
Following on from the Kooyonga/Grange Senior Open was the 2016 South Australian Senior Championship at Victor Harbor Golf Club.
In another comprehensive display Greg Rhodes proved far too good for the field winning by ten strokes with a 54 hole total of 223. After opening with rounds of 76 and 75 Rhodes improved in the final round with an even par 72 that included a back nine of three under par.
NSW Senior David Gleeson and Queenslander Steve Toyne tied for second place on 233 ahead of another NSW senior Geoff Cranfield who finished fourth on 237.
NSW senior Jacqui Morgan fired three consistent rounds of 81-77-79 to record a comfortable win in the Women’s Senior Amateur Championship and add another title to her vast cabinet of major titles. She defeated Juliet Hugo by seven strokes.
The best nett went to popular Scone player, Ross Banks. The Banks’ had a double celebration with Lyn Banks winning the best nett in the SA Senior Women’s Championship. Congratulations to Ross and Lyn Banks on achieving a very rare double victory.
Next year the SA seniors moves to Tanunda Pines which is in the heart of the Barossa. The event dates are 4th – 6th September 2017.
Final Leading Scores
223 Greg Rhodes (76,75,72)
233 David Gleeson (81, 75,77), Steve Toyne (75, 79,79)
237 Geoff Cranfield (77,81,79)
239 John Davey (77,77,85), Alan Bullas (79,79,81), Michael Peeck (86,77,76)
240 John Costello (81,76,83)
241 John Kelly (84,76,81)
242 Nigel Turner (78,78,86), Geoffrey Ashby (80, 80, 82), Norm Cordina (78, 83,81)
Queensland: PresCare Senior Order of Merit Update
Gailes Seniors
The day at Gailes Golf Club started out looking quite threatening but after a few sprinkles the players were presented with a typical beautiful Brisbane winter’s day.
Winner Men Scratch: Leigh Madsen 73
Runner Up Men Scratch: Danny Bates 75
Winner Men Nett: Ray Harvey 40 points
Runner Up Men Nett: David Bowtell 35 points ocb
Winner Ladies Nett: Helen Gray 35 points
Keperra Seniors
The 2016 Keperra Seniors was played on a wonderfully conditioned course and with a very pleasant day. The field of 76 enjoyed the course and the keen competition on one of Brisbane’s best.
Winner Men Scratch: Brett Kinninmont 74 ocb
Runner Up Men Scratch: Peter Hannah 74
Winner Men Nett: Larry Pumpa 39 points ocb
Runner Up Men Nett: Reg Spillane 39 points
Winner Ladies Scratch: Di Paez 33 points
Winner Ladies Nett: Cheryl Sternberg 84
Maroochy River Seniors
The Maroochy River PresCare Seniors attracted a field of 58 players and they once again were presented with an excellent golf course. It was a little windy but all agreed the Maroochy River course is one to play again and again.
Winner Men Scratch: Ian Watkins 78
Runner Up Men Scratch: Paranjit Singh 80 ocb
Winner Men Nett: Adrian Leach 38 points ocb
Runner Up Men Nett: Eric Frew 38 points
Winner Ladies Scratch: June Wills 89
Winner Ladies Nett: Elaine Sandow 33 points
NSW: Results from Senior Order of Merit events
Newcastle Seniors
The Newcastle Senior Amateur is a much anticipated event as it provides the opportunity to play on a championship course that is regularly rated inside Australia’s top twenty. This year the event was sponsored by Sparke Helmore Lawyers.
There were only six scratch scores under 80. The Newcastle course was in sensational condition as was the weather so it was a little surprising that the scores were not better particularly as the event had attracted a very good field.
The 2016 winner was local member Steve Docherty on a countback from another local member Les Oliver. Both shot a respectable score of 75. Third place went to Geoff Shute from Dunheved on 76.
The Over 65’s was won by an “up and coming” old senior, Greg Stanford from Mona Vale with a score of 79.
The Nett event was won by Newcastle Club Captain Michael Coughlan with a great nett score of 68. The runner up was Michael Gray from Magenta Shores on 71.
Thanks to the naming rights Sponsor of the Day “Sparke Helmore”, with further thanks to associate sponsors Pin High clothing and Newcastle member David Dunlop for their assistance.
Wyong Seniors
Wyong Golf Club presented a glorious day and a fabulous golf course given the recent rain. The greens were very smooth and were quite fast.
Wyong is a good test of golf and again it showed how difficult it can be when there is very little run. Several long par 4’s made pars and birdies hard to come by.
The winner on the day was Toronto senior Michael Musgrave with a good round of 75. Second place went to Wyong legend Jack Parker on 77 The Nett event was won by local Member Russell Bunn.
The Over 65’s was won by Long Reef’s Ross Bockman with a round of 79. Following a break recovering from illness it was good to see “Bocko” back, fit and firing well again.
Shelly Beach Seniors
Concord senior golfer Ken Brewer has been in excellent form recently and he continued this with a convincing win from a small field in the 2016 Shelly Beach Seniors.
The Shelly Beach course was in great condition with the fairways very good and the firm greens providing a stern but fair putting test. Fortunately, there was little of the wind that can often add to the challenge on this seaside layout.
Brewer returned a round of two over par 73 on the testing layout that was set up close to its hardest with the tees and pins in championship positions.
Brewer has now won the Cabramatta, Carnarvon and Shelly Beach senior events in the space of a few weeks.
Second place at Shelly Beach was shared by Ian Cowper from Bankstown and Mick Stephens from Eastlakes with rounds of 76. Cowper won the senior handicap event with his net round of 72.
Port Kembla Seniors
Neil Bartley and Rod McBride
A cool day with fluctuating winds didn’t deter a good field that enjoyed the Port Kembla Golf Club for this year’s senior amateur. Fortunately, the threatened rain did not really arrive with just a few misty showers during the day. The course was in very good condition with the greens smooth and running at a nice pace.
The winner on the day with a wonderful round of one under par 71 was Port Kembla member Neil Bartley. He defeated fellow club member Rod McBride who had also recorded a good score of 73.
Both Bartley and McBride are four markers at Port Kembla and commented they had achieved their best rounds for some time – always good to play well in a major event!
Third place went to Toronto visitor Michael Musgrave on 76 with Grange member Ward Hummerston taking home fourth prize with a round of 78.
The major net prizes also went to local golfers Norman Huntley and Paul Cable. Both recorded excellent net rounds of 68. The Over 65’s section went to Denis Dale (Twin Creeks) with a round of 78.
Magenta Shores Seniors
The 2016 Magenta Shores Senior Amateur was played on a beautiful spring day. A large field of close to 80 players looked forward to playing a major event on this championship course.
The course was in fine condition although the lack of water while a new large dam is constructed did mean the green were very firm. This posed some problems for shots to the green and did make putting a test of skill and nerves at times.
The 2016 overall winner was Twin Creeks senior Denis Dale with his round of 77. Dale parred the opening nine but then dropped a few shots on some of the testing holes on the closing nine. He was the only golfer to finish with a score under 80.
Runner up was Liverpool senior Gary Batman with a round of 80. Batman finished a stroke ahead of local member Douglas Maiden and Sam Quagliata from Liverpool. Quagliata certainly enjoyed his day that used a shotgun start – he commenced his round with a par, a birdie and then a hole in one!
At the presentation ceremony club captain Colin Kaye referred to the passing that day of golfing great Arnold Palmer. All senior golfers present took a moment to fondly remember the King of Golf.
Liverpool Seniors
A large field of 70 senior golfers teed up for the playing of the 2016 Liverpool Senior Amateur. The course was in excellent condition but a strong wind was going to make scoring difficult.
The winner on a countback was local member Paul Barry who finished with a very good round of two over par 74. He defeated Penrith senior Denis Day who also finished with a round of 74.
The major handicap prize went to another Liverpool member Sang Jin with a net score of 70 from his handicap of 21.
Long Reef’s Geoff Cranfield won the 55-59 division with a round of 77 with Day easily winning the 60-69 division. Local member Peter McGregor won the Over 70’s section with a good round of 80.
Monash Senior Masters
Concord senior Ken Brewer continued his run of success with a one stroke win in the 2016 Monash Senior Masters. The win moves Brewer very close to the lead in the season long NSW Senior Order of Merit competition.
As usual the Monash course was in excellent condition. The usually “scary” fast greens were actually a little slower than normal and with a soft wind blowing there was no reason that scoring would not be good. However, Monash is always a demanding layout for the senior golfer and the scores were a little higher than previous years.
Brewer’s winning score was a five over par round of 77. This gave him a one stroke margin over Dale Tapper from Bayview and Douglas Cullam. One stroke further away on a score of 79 were Denis Dale (Twin Creeks), Rod Payne (Grange), Gary O’Brien (Port Kembla) and Denis Day (Penrith).
Other prize winners on the day included the well-known and very popular Monash member Tom Winter with a net score of 70 from his handicap of 84.
More information on NSW Senior Order of Merit events here – www.golfnsw.org/
VICTORIA: Claney and Owen on fire in
Senior Sandbelt Week
Gardiner’s Run Seniors
Over 60 players made their way out to Lilydale for the 2016 Gardiners Run Senior Amateur. Gentle winds and minimal rain were a relief as inclement weather had hit the course in recent days.
Bryce Birtwistle (Sandhurst) certainly enjoyed the softer course as he claimed the Senior Amateur title with a great round of two under par 70.
Birtwistle is a regular on the ‘Bachli Tour’ and commented on how much he liked the greens. “I was amazed at how good the greens were” Birtwistle stated.
Sue Lush (Eastern) claimed the women’s scratch event in a well-represented field. Sue fired a score of 25 scratch Stableford points which included an impressive birdie on the 11th.
In the men’s nett, it was Guy Krall who edged out three others on a countback with a net score of 69.
The 2017 Gardiners Run Senior Amateur will change format and dates, with the event to be played over 36 holes from Thursday 23- Friday 24 February 2017.
Sandhurst Seniors
It was a nail-biting finish in all sections in the second and final round of the 2016 Sandhurst Senior Amateur.
Gordon Claney (Kingston Heath) capitalised on his overnight share of the lead to take home the title by three shots from friendly rival Ian Frost (Rich River). In perfect conditions on the challenging Champions Course, Claney carded a 1 over 73 for a two round total of 147 to claim victory.
Both Claney and Frost have been achieving great success recently, travelling around the state and overseas playing wonderful golf, winning tournaments and showcasing their skills.
Howlong member Allen Brown had a narrow single shot win in the nett section. The 10 marker carded rounds of nett 73 and 70 for a 36-hole total of 143. Trailing Allen was Stephen McConville, the 15 marker from Centenary Park in second position and Wayne Phillips (Gardiners Run) a further shot back on 145.
In the women’s section, Helen Pascoe (Buninyong) finished with 55 Scratch Stableford points to win by 7 points from Heather Harley (Kooringal on 48 points.
Lang Lang Seniors
Guy Krall, Mario Dubusson-Perrine, Lee Andrews, Heather Harley
Guy Krall (The National) and Heather Harley made the most of soft conditions and light winds to win their respective titles at the 2016 Lang Lang Senior Amateur.
A field of 63 took to the well-manicured course, located just outside the town of Koo Wee Rup. Unknown to some, Lang Lang Golf Club is only an hour’s drive from many Eastern Melbourne suburbs. The current site, established in the 1960’s, is where it is today due to many hard-working members.
Krall fired four over par round of 74 to clinch the title by two shots from fellow National member, Tony Briers. Krall continues his consistent form featuring in the prizes at his last few events.
Mario Dubuisson-Perrine (Cranbourne) carded the best nett score with a round of 69. Mario moves his way up the Paul Lulofs Trophy Rankings claiming the 200 points for first place. Runner Up was Patterson River member Kerry Boehm who was a further shot back.
Heather Harley (Kooringal) easily won the scratch with a Stableford score of 21. Local member Lee Andrews produced the best handicap Stableford score with her round of 34 points.
Northern Seniors
The final round of the 2016 Northern Senior Amateur saw 49 seniors tackle the popular Northern Golf Club layout. After 15 mm of rain fell overnight, players faced a damp layout but fortunately the weather improved into a mostly sunny morning.
After the first day’s play, pre-tournament favourites Helen Pascoe (Buninyong) and Ian Frost (Rich River) had established leads in the Men’s and Women’s Stroke Championships. Pascoe had opened with a good round of 31 scratch Stableford points and Frost an impressive even par 72.
Frost would go on to successfully defend his 2015 championship after a final round 77. This was enough to give the current Doug Bachli Senior Order of Merit champion a three shot win. Rob Wallace who finished runner-up after two solid rounds of 75 and 77 and a 36-hole total of 152.
In the Men’s nett event, Sandhurst member Wayne Aigner fired a strong nett final round of 69 to take the prize with a two round total of 143. Local Northern member Brian Smith finished runner-up just one shot away on 144.
Helen Pascoe was crowned the Women’s Northern Senior Amateur champion for 2016 with a fine two round total of 60 gross Stableford points. Local Northern member Colleen Potter finished runner-up.
In the Women’s nett event, Kooringal’s Heather Harley took out the top prize with a two round Stableford total of 60 points. Tina Cowie (Tambo Valley) finished runner-up with a total of 49 points.
Bendigo Seniors
Ian Frost continued on his winning way in claiming back to back Bendigo Senior Amateur titles. Favourable scoring conditions greeted the field with the Bendigo layout remaining soft with only a light breeze emerging as the day progressed.
After an opening round of 75 Frost showed his liking for the Bendigo course with a closing two under par round of 70 to win by two strokes. It was a case of history repeating, with overnight leader and 2015 Bendigo Senior Amateur runner-up Ken O’Brien (Rossdale) finishing second to Frost again after good rounds of 73-74.
In the Men’s nett championship, interstate visitor Matt Ferguson took a liking to the Bendigo layout finishing with a blistering two round nett total of 139. In second place was local James Dalton who finished runner-up on 144.
In the Women’s nett championship, Lyn Bennett (Gosnells) took top honours with a two round total of 70 Stableford points defeating Kooringal’s Debbie Gorin.
Glenys Ferguson (Waneroo) ensured three of the four available major prizes were taken home by West Australian visitors. She won the Women’s Bendigo Senior Amateur crown with 55 gross Stableford points. Heather Harley (Kooringal) finished runner-up with 52 points.
Further information on the Victorian Senior Order of Merit is available on the Golf Victoria website www.golfvic.org.au .
COMING SENIOR AMATEUR EVENTS
November 3 Twin Creeks Seniors (NSW)
November 7-8 Melbourne Senior Classic – Spring Valley & Woodlands (VIC)
November 7 Virginia Seniors (QLD)
November 8-10 * ACT Senior Amateur Championship
November 15-16 Eureka Senior Amateur – Midlands & Buninyong (VIC)
November 15 Bankstown Seniors (NSW)
November 16-18 Asia-Pacific Senior Amateur – Manila, The Philippines
November 20-21 Mollymook Seniors (NSW)
November 22-23 Warrnambool Seniors (VIC)
November 24-25 Moyne Senior Classic – Port Fairy (VIC)
November 25-27 * Tasmanian Senior Masters (Royal Hobart)
November 28 Long Reef Seniors (NSW)
November 29 Cromer Seniors (NSW)
November 29 North Lakes Seniors (QLD)
December 9 Sorrento Senior Amateur (VIC)
* Part of the Australian Senior Ranking System