Adelaide ‘hills’ golf course skills to the fore in latest South Australia senior amateur event

‘Hills’ course members dominate at Flagstaff Hill SA Senior Order of Merit. JOHN ANDERSON reports.

A perfect late-autumn day greeted the 48 players for the Flagstaff Hill Golf Club round of the SASOOM on Monday the 18^th of May. Good playing conditions with zero-wind made for good scoring off-set by the challenges of another of Adelaide’s clubs set in the foothills of the southern suburbs.

Perhaps not surprisingly, players from similar “hills” courses came to the fore with one notable exception.

Senior Women

Blackwood’s accomplished Gale MacPherson (82) over Amanda Heapy (The Vines of Reynella) but only on a countback. The third member of the contenders for the Women’s SOOM, Christine Trimmer was third with 85.

In the Nett, Amanda and Willunga’s Irene Ingham both returned excellent 73’s. Gale MacPherson was third with 76.

Super Senior Women

This was the “exception” with Sarah Russell from North Adelaide winning the Gross and Nett. In her second SOOM event Sarah shot 93/76. Angela Masters (Blackwood) (93) and Jill MacPherson (Aston Hills) (95) filled the placings.

Jill (80) also was second in the Nett with Rosemary Underwood (Blackwood) (85) third.

Senior Men

Five minutes from his home course at The Vines, leading contender Paul Gregory was right in his element with by far the day’s best scores of a one over 73 (nett 72). This was well clear of the previous SOOM event’s winner Phil Chapman (Aston Hills) 78.

Stuart Kopania (The Gums) (79) was a long way from his home course of The Gums at Salisbury in Adelaide’s northern suburbs but has familiarity with most of the courses from his younger days and is slowly making his mark. Much closer was Blackwood’s Brian Pescud also with a 79.

Local Dean Forster (75) had a good day in the Nett followed by four with 76 – Pescud, Craig Gordon (Tea Tree Gully), Steve Osborne (Grange) and Mike Kendall (Flagstaff Hill).

Super Senior Men

Dale Rowe (Willunga) and Phil Donaldson (Blackwood) maintained the “hills courses” theme – Dale (83/76) taking first in the Gross and second in the Nett and Phil (84/74) taking first in the Nett and second in the Gross.

Third placings went to Steven Scholefield (McCracken) (85) in the Gross and Phil Crosley (Grange) and Richard Hood (Thaxted) in the Nett with 79’s.

For full results go to: https://golf.com.au/ga-national-and-state-events-calendar#/competition/5300951/results