Report By John Anderson.
The opportunity to play Royal Adelaide attracted a very strong field of 78 players with the locals being very much augmented by many leading players coming from across the country.
Royal Adelaide is the first in a sequence on National Ranking events leading up to the SA Senior Championship and the interstate players are very much welcome and add to the reputation and quality of these SASOOM events.
It was interesting to see that the visitors, in general, turned in good performances on the Seaton layout which, correctly, rewards good golf and punishes anything less.
An 8:30am start to allow for the presentation lunch on a nice late-winter day with a little rain and just enough westerly wind to keep players on their toes.
Senior Men
Royal Adelaide’s honour was uphold by Andrew Potter. Playing in a strong group with two of his mates from Royal Sydney in Richard Locke and Adam Cornell plus leading SA contender Paul Gregory (The Vines of Reynella), Potter somewhat slipped up the radar by playing a very controlled golf and avoiding the pitfalls of his home course to beat his lower handicap partners. Andrew’s 75 (nett 69) saw him one shot clear of Calvin Buckton down from Mackay GC with Locke and Gregory recording 78’s.
Buckton was also runner up to Potter in the Nett playing to his handicap with a 72 and another visitor Simon Tyndale-Biscoe (Bonnie Doon) third with 73.
Super Senior Men
Spoils to highly credentialled players in Greg Orvis (Thirteenth Beach) (76) and Greg Rhodes (Coomealla) (78) with Howard Slater (80) next. Howard (Yarra Yarra) spends a lot of his time at Glenelg GC so gave SA half a look-in.
John Gilleade (Blackwood) took the Nett with 73 – a great reward for one of SA’s higher handicap players who has participated in SA senior events since inception (the events not John’s). Slater (734) next with 75’s for George Cleland (The Vines) and Eric Lane (Grange).
Senior Women
Matching Andrew Potter’s efforts, Kerrin Biddle (Thirteenth Beach) (79/74) won the Gross and Nett. Cath Stolz (Shelly Beach) (85) and Tania Hutchens (Hunter Valley) (86) kept the locals out of the placings.
Runner up in the Nett were Marianne Stoettrup (Royal Adelaide) and Irene Harms (Mt Osmond) with 79’s.
Super Senior Women
Angela Masters upheld SA by winning the Gross and Nett (81/73) from visitors June Tickell (Trafalgar (87/77) and Heather Harley (Kooringal) (89/80) with Elizabeth Alston (Winchelsea) also recording Nett 80.
For full results visit https://www.golf.org.au/events#/competition/4232087/results