Young Millicent shearer Gianni Giurastante started playing the game just 19 months ago, on a handicap of 36. But after winning Saturday’s Monthly Medal at the Mount Gambier Golf Club with a superb net 64 the 23-year-old will be off a handicap of seven next time out.
Club professional John Martin said that level of improvement in the relatively short timeframe was “as good as I have seen”. But Giurastante said he hoped the transition to a single-figure handicap was just the first step in the golfing journey he has put no limits on. “I just love the game,” he said. “I’m going to move to Adelaide soon and I really want to make something out of it.”
Outside of the shearing season, Giurastante has either played or practiced almost every day since he took up the game. Last Saturday he started his round on the 10th hole and shot 36 off the stick on the back nine with five pars and two birdies.
He was still on track to shoot an even par 72 after compensating for a bogey on the second with a birdie on the third. But that possibility ended after a double bogey on the par-three sixth after finding the greenside bunker with his tee shot.
However, Giurastante grabbed one shot back with a birdie on the par-four ninth to finish with 74 off the stick. As it turned out his net 64 was only just good enough, with newcomer David Pick just one shot behind.
The former top Yahl cricketer only hung up his bat after taking up golf in November was desperately unlucky not to win his first Monthly Medal. Playing off a 17 handicap, he was on track to break 80 off the stick before making a quadruple-bogey eight on the 17th hole.
While those two scores were outstanding, an incredible 38 players in the 135-player field either matched or beat their handicap. They included Stacy Fiegert who finished second to Giurastante in A Grade after shooting an even-par round of 72 for a net 66 off his six handicap.
While Pick claimed the honours in B Grade, he was just one shot ahead of 15-handicapper David Bruhn who had a net 66. Dyllan Lane claimed the honours in C Grade with a net 69, one clear of Matthew Bowering.
Saturday also saw the Barney Larkin Medal of Medalists contested, with the winners of each Monthly Medals in 2020 taking part.
The winner was Jim Douglas who shot 102 off the stick to finish with a net 71 from his 31 handicap.
