Abrilliant score of 43 points ensured Dennis Smith scored the win in last Thursday’s stableford competition at Mount Gambier Golf Club, but Phil Bliss stole the headlines.
Bliss had an accurate day on the par threes and caused great excitement with his playing partners after he scored a hole in one on the eighth to win the jackpot prize and pro shot on the 16th.
In a large field of 108 players, Smith recorded 19 points on the first nine before ramping up his game to finish with 24 and a birdie on the last hole.
Chris Ryan improved his score from last week by two points,but finished as the runner-up again with 41.
Many in the 115-player field had no trouble beating their handicap in the stableford round on Saturday.
No less than 25 players played under their handicap with the best score for the day recorded by David Pike with 42 points.
With birdies on the third and 13th holes, Pike played solidly to claim the C Grade prize from new-member Mitchell Broome.
Broome finished with 40 points and scored 24 on the homeward nine.
In A grade, Kevin Cook and Wayne Elliott both scored 38 points and a count-back determined the former the winner.
Judson Wheatley was the B Grade winner after a strong homeward nine of 21 points pushed his round total to 39.
Wheatley won by one point from Darren Griffin, who recorded 19 points on each nine.
Chris Morrison led the 22-player field in Saturday’s women’s competition.
Morrison returned to the clubhouse with a score of 39 points after scoring 21 on the front and played to her handicap on the back.
She finished four points ahead of Jennifer Van Rijthoven.
High scores were again a feature of last Wednesday’s women’s round where 33 players contested a stableford round.
Count-backs decided the winner after Bernie Jennings and Julie Hanel both returned with 42 points.
Jennings started with a birdie on the first hole and finished with 21 points on each nine to nudge out Hanel, who started brilliantly with 24 at the half-way mark before scoring a further 18.
Another count-back was required to decide the third placegetter and Di Norman edged ahead of Lyn Hudson after they both finished on 39 points.
The Spring Tournament starts today with the four ball better ball against par for men and women, followed by the Mount Gambier men’s Open Championship and women’s stableford on Saturday followed by a four ball gentsomes competition for men, women or mixed teams on Sunday.
This Wednesday’s competition will be the second round of the Olympic Trophy and will be played in the stroke round format.
