Thursday’s pro shop stableford event had a very foggy start for the early morning golfers at the Mount Gambier Golf Club.
With visibility virtually nil players were hitting them out of sight and playing on memory recall for the first few holes.
This did not impact Rob McIntyre with 40pts winning on a countback from Barry Brook.
The countback process went down to the wire with both players on even points after 18 holes, then working back even the last 9, even the last 6, even the last 3 holes before it then works back hole by hole from the 18th where Rob’s 2pt par prevailed.
McIntyre, who is a long term member and another invaluable volunteer who knows every blade of grass on the course, put that to good use with 22pts on the back 9 which featured pars on the last 7 holes.
Brook, number 22 with the North Gambier FC was a speedy winger come rover and a member of the legendary 1964 side that won the inaugural WBFL premiership, was the same except for an untimely bogey on the last.
Other good scores in the field of 89 players included Kevin Cook 39pts, Rob Harkness 38pts and continuing the Brook connection Shane Brook 38pts.
The ball run down went to 35pts with NTP going to Matthew Dixon on the 8th and Brian Ashby on the 16th.
Saturday was the second round of The Pro Shop Handicap Match Play stableford qualifying rounds.
A good field of 108 players participated with no rain conducive to good scores.
Junior Zac Shanks, who recently returned from representing SA in the National Schoolboys event in Queensland, had the best score overall and convincingly won “A” grade with an outstanding 44pts.
The 8 handicapper shot even par over both 9s which equated to splits of 21/23 and included 6 birdies.
Runner up was the unlucky Jake Dempsey (7) with 39pts which normally would be a winning score.
Jake had 24pts on the back 9 shooting 1 under par which is outstanding for a 7 handicapper which is sure to reduce further over the coming months as the weather improves.
Other good scores included Craig Wirth with 37pts and on 35pts Jake Laubsch (+3 handicap and 70 off the stick), Craig Foster, Jason Mann and Bryan Pink.
Stacey Parsons (11), continued his good form from last Sunday’s win in the International Pairs which gets Stacey to the Gold Coast for the National Final, to take out “B” grade with 39pts from Matthew Dixon (14) on 38pts.
Stacey had spits of 20/19 and the front 9 was book-ended with birdies on the 1st and 9th followed by a steady back 9.
Matthew on the other hand had a few double bogeys thrown in and a case of “what could have been”.
Others to play well were Shayne Hosking 37pts, Paul Kenny 36pts and Graham Greenwood 35pts, who would be getting nervous with September looming for his beloved Colliwobbles.
Ross Anderson (24) who had a purple patch a month ago, returned to the winners circle again in C grade with 37pts.
“Lofty” like most of the winners and runners up did his best work on the back 9 with 21pts.
Runner up with 36pts was Michael Rookes (18) who also had 21pts on the back 9.
Another player who can play off a much lower handicap.
Others to play well included Graham Thomas and Ian Ewart 36pts and Lachlan Bryne, Blue Lake Golf Club, with 35pts.
The ball run down this week went to 33pts and NTP went to Jordan Stark on the 8th and Craig Wirth on the 16th.
The Pro Shop Handicap Match Play qualifying rounds have completed and the draw with the top 32 qualifiers will be completed this week ready for the knockout handicap match play rounds on Sunday September 10, 17 and
24.
