Vistors victors over locals at Royal Adelaide Seniors

Plenty of interstate challengers at the recent Royal Adelaide  Senior Order of Merit event. JOHN ANDERSON reports:

Early Monday morning start at Royal Adelaide on the 25^th of August for the first in the series of National ranking South Australian Order Of Merit events.

Great to see so many players from interstate in the big field of 105,  including some who have supported the SA series for many years, coming for the pleasure and privilege of tackling RA. Players who were met with mild, overcast weather with very light intermittent rain – not worth raising an umbrella for.

White tees for men which presented a challenge for many as driving lines and distances to fairway bunkers required some re-thinking. Not any easier – just different.

As usual for this event Royal Adelaide provided first class organisation with an excellent lunch to go with the presentation. It was also good the see many of the home club players participating.

Senior Men

One South Australian only in the first five placings in the Gross – interstaters must feel comfortable at Royal! Phil Coombes (Southport)(73) up by one from low marker (+1) Peter Bennett (Royal Perth) with Stuart Kopania (Future Golf) another shot back. Stuart, a former prominent SA Amateur in his younger days, has just entered the senior ranks.

The quality of Coombes round was emphasised when he also had the best Nett (68) from Malcolm Gee (Grange)(69) and 70’s from Kopania and RA’s Wallace Long.

Super Senior Men

Visitors to the fore in the Gross with Doug Cullam (Monash)(76) clear of Mathew Doughty (Royal Sydney)(78) and Tea Tree Gully’s Mike Richard getting a look in with 79.

Some consolation for the SA guys in the Nett – Colin Andy (Future Golf)(70), Linday Elliott (Kooyonga (72) and a gaggle on 73 – Mike Richards, Shane Amor (Grange), Roger Pridmore (Naracoorte) and Peter Maddern (Royal Adelaide).

Senior Women

Christine Hildyard’s experience in still playing open age pennants for Kooyonga showed up in 78 of the stick to easily win the Gross from the consistent trio of Amanda Heapy (The Vines)(85), Susan Dobb (87) and Susan Olsen (88) both from Grange.

Grange up front in the Nett – Hua Zhang (70) from Hildyard’s 72 and Heapy and Dob’s 74’s.

Super Senior Women

A very worthy winner here – Scone GC’s Lyn Banks and husband Ross have coming to SA Senior events for ever and long may it continue. Lyn (89) from Roxxy Bent (Aston Hills) and Sandra Clark (Kooyonga) with 93’s.

Nett went to Roxxy (73) from Sandra (74) and Briony Williams (Mt Osmond)(77).

For full results go to: https://www.golf.org.au/events#/competition/4727583/results