Saturday’s Monthly Medal Stroke round at the Blue Lake Golf Club produced such a plethora of birdies the course was starting to resemble an aviary. At least 38 birdies were scored across the day and leading the way claiming the overall win was Marc Dalton with his round of 68-2-66.
Having slipped from his scratch handicap, Dalton is doing everything he can to get back to that elite status. After starting with a bogey, Dalton righted that with his only birdie on the front nine on the ninth to turn one over with 36.
He then did not blight his scorecard from then on in, adding birdies on 12, 13 and 17 for a superb 32 off the stick. It was a well deserved win although he did have to hold off Robbie Drenthen in a count back.
Drenthen birdied the sixth on his way to an outward 45, giving a few shots back to the course with one too many double bogeys. His round of 93-27-66 belies his handicap, but will still be happy to have taken the C Grade win.
David Dowie (8) also went on a birdie spree with three of his own including successive under-par scores to open the back nine. He was well on track to take the outright win, but a disastrous double bogey on the last sent him into a count back with Jarrod Ryan for the A Grade win.
His 36 was good enough to see off Ryan, while rounding out the grade placings was Josh Gale with a round of 76-7-69. B Grade winner Andrew Schubert butchered his start with three double bogeys from the first four holes. But he then showed his class with a nice birdie on the eighth to close out with splits of 43 each.
Last week’s hard luck story John Robertson continued his improvement with his net 70 being good enough to take out second. Third place winner Robert Martland is another who is featuring regularly in the prize lists and except for two mini disasters on the third and 11th would have had a shot at the top prize.
Drenthen was compensated for his loss in the count back for overall winner by taking out the main prize for C Grade, followed by Lockie Byrne (99-30-69) and Jordan Williams (97-26-71).
Historically it’s been Alan Stewart who had been giving his partner Lesley McPherson golfing instructions but after her win in Saturday’s Ladies Stroke Round. McPherson set the bragging rights early with pars on holes three and eight.
A countback for second was needed after Dianne Perryman (19) and Cherryl Hill (23) both finished tied on 74 and the former eventually got the nod thanks to her 45 on the back nine.
One has to feel slightly sorry for Stephen Easterbrook who played the round of his life in Tuesday’s mid week Stableford competition at the BLGC, scoring a mammoth 45 points off a 10 handicap only to get pipped at the post by Tayte Spencer’s four-point par on the last.
Easterbrook squared the front nine and his 35 off the stick earnt him 23 points. He was set to par the course after a birdie on the 10th, but a double bogey the par 3 14th brought him undone. He almost rectified the ship, bouncing back with a birdie on the 17th only to fall just one shot short of parring the course.
But take nothing away from Spencer (25) who also achieved some personal milestones. Seven three-point holes on the outward nine set him up for a great finish and he maximised his two pars on the inward nine with four points on each.
Rounding out the placings was Brenton Speck (22) with 42 points. The BLGC hosts its GEM Easter Tournament 36 hole championship this Saturday and Sunday.
