The second qualifying round for this year’s Pro Shop Handicap Championships was contested as part of Saturdays Stableford event at the Mount Gambier Golf Club.
A field of 99 enjoyed the very mild weather to see a larger than usual portion of the field play to or better their handicaps.
Archy Arch (13) posted the best score of the day to take out B Grade (11-16).
Arch started well with four points for a birdie on the first hole.
Another birdie for four points on the par 4 fifth hole, had Arch at 16 points after five holes.
Bogies on the next three holes followed by a double bogie 6 on the ninth, had him at 21 points for the front nine.
Adding another 21 points on the back nine had him finishing with 42 points.
Jim Leane (11) was runner-up in B Grade with 37 points.
Leane required a countback to take the spot from Gordon Bignell (16) who also finished on 37 points.
In A Grade (-9.0 – 10) Shane Brook (5) took the win with 40 points.
Like Arch in B Grade, Brook started the day with a birdie on the first hole, followed by birdies on the fifth and sixth holes, to shoot a one under the card 35 off the stick for 20 points.
More solid golf on the back nine to add another 20 points, for a total of 40 points and the second-best score of the day.
Runner-up in A Grade was Jason Mann (9) with 39 points, who has been in good form of late.
A countback was required to determine the winner in C Grade (17.0 – 45.0) with David Millard (20) being victorious from Cruz Bilney (44) with both finishing on 38 points.
Millard’s splits of 17 and 21 putting him just ahead of Bilney’s even 19 and 19 splits.
Depending on how you look at it, you could consider Bilney unlucky, as this is the second week in a row that he has taken out the runners up spot in C Grade.
David Pick (5) with 38 points, Jud Wheatley (10), and Peter Collier (17) both on 37 points were the other players to play under their handicaps.
Thirty balls were given out for scores of 33 points or better on a countback.
Michael Rookas (14) won the Pro Shot on the eighth hole, with Stacy Fiegert (8) taking out the sixteenth.
Neither had the putter working, as they both missed their birdie putts.
The Thursday Stableford competition saw Paul Braithwaite (17) shoot one of the best scores for some time in a field of 76 players.
Braithwaite shot consistent scores on both nines with 22 on the front and 21 on the back for a total of 43 points.
A birdie on the par 3 eighth hole for four points was the highlight.
A count back was required to split Bryce Cutting (10) and Matt Bryant (9) both finishing with 39 points.
Cutting’s splits of 17 and 22 saw him take the spot over Bryant’s splits of 18 on the front and 21 on the back.
One shot further back David Turnbull (30) had a good day with 38 points.
Except for a couple of unfortunate wipes on the first and ninth holes, Turnbull could have been further up the leaderboard.
Kevin Cook (7), Wayne Sampson (22) and Robert Perryman (7) all finished with 37 points.
Thirty-five points or better on a countback was needed to win one of the extra 10 balls handed out with Pro Shot winners being Peter Buckingham (15) on the eighth and Jake Powell (10) on the sixteenth.
