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Six All Abilities golfers will receive scholarships to pursue their golf dreams in a new funding program titled the Webex Golf Scholarship.
An expansion of the Webex Players Series All Abilities program, the scholarships have been made available due to additional funding provided by Webex in partnership with the PGA of Australia and Golf Australia.
Four players will receive full scholarships to the value of $6,000 each and two players will receive a development scholarship worth $3,000 each.
In addition to funding for coaching and tournament support, scholarship holders will receive clothing courtesy of adidas and technology support to continue to elevate their performances.
The program is the brainchild of PGA Academy Coaching Programs Manager Nick Bielawski who believes sustained support will give Australian All Abilities golfers the best chance to succeed internationally.
“The Webex All Abilities High Performance Camp that we staged last year was a great success, but we acknowledged that the support needed to be more ongoing,” Bielawski said.
“Thanks to the additional funding provided by Webex, we have been able to structure a scholarship program that provides not only coaching support but practical financial support to travel to tournaments.
“Australia has a number of players that have proven that they can compete with the best All Abilities golfers in the world.
“We hope that a program such as this will allow others to become the best golfers they can be and to pursue opportunities both in Australia and overseas.”
Glenn Smith, Regional Manager, Collaboration for Cisco-Webex, was thrilled to see the extension of the Webex All Abilities Players Series into a scholarship program that will provide further opportunities for athletes.
“Webex is excited to support the Webex Golf Scholarship program for All Abilities athletes,” said Smith.
“The addition of the All Abilities trophy during the 2022/23 Webex Players Series has seen it become the most inclusive series of tournaments in golf.
“We are very proud to be partnering with the PGA of Australia to continue supporting development initiatives and showcase the exceptional talent of these athletes to a wide audience.”
To be considered for a Team Webex scholarship, athletes must meet the following criteria:
Athletes that meet the above criteria will then be assessed on:
Applicants must complete an application form to apply for Team Webex. After applications have closed, athletes will be shortlisted with further interviews arranged to determine the final recipients of the scholarships and whether it be a full or development scholarship.
Full scholarship recipients will receive:
Development scholarship recipients will receive:
To apply for a Team Webex scholarship click here
The PGA Legends Tour will break new ground with events in Cobar and Warren next month in what is hoped to provide a further boost to the growth of golf in western New South Wales.
Two-time Australian Open winner Peter Lonard will headline the field when the Legends Tour dips its toes into sand scrapes at Warren Golf Club on May 9, the course boasting 12 grass greens and six sand greens.
Two days later, the Legends Tour will converge on the 18 sand greens at Cobar Bowls and Golf Club for the $25,000 Cobar Legends Pro-Am.
It is new territory for PGA-sanctioned pro-ams that had not previously been further west than Dubbo, Warren a further hour west from the regional hub and Cobar two hours beyond Warren.
The events are part of a push by PGA Professional and Regional Manager for Golf NSW and Jack Newton Junior Golf, Gary Begg, to grow the game in remote communities.
Now in his third year covering an area of some 560,000 square kilometres, Begg has been the driving force behind surges in player numbers of both juniors and women.
The number of engaged juniors has skyrocketed from just one to now 160 and the number of women playing has grown from five to 80.
Begg believes that the next step to feed a growing passion for the game is a showcase of top-class professional golf on their home courses.
“The new general manager at Cobar asked how to promote the golf and bowling club and I suggested holding a professional event,” said Begg, a PGA Member since 1982.
“It’s a great way to promote the facility and a great experience for the members.
“People will often come in from all throughout the region for it so it’s a great economic boost to the town as well.”
In addition to assisting clubs with grant applications and accounts, Begg travels the countryside conducting ‘Come and Try’ days for juniors and adults.
The impact on juniors and women in particularly has been significant, providing an influx to regional clubs that they have never previously possessed.
“There was one junior golfer at Warren when I started going out there three years ago to conduct free ‘Come and Try’ days,” Begg added.
“The club didn’t expect much of a reaction but my attitude was that if we got one person to show up, they’ll be one further ahead.
“They advertised it and 35 kids turned up to that first one and it’s been like that ever since.
“I travel around holding clinics for women and what we have seen is that at the end of the program, a lot of them have joined golf clubs.
“They’ve started off with the clinics, they like it, so they keep going.
“As a result, we’re seeing an increase in membership, which is great.”
With golf now taking a stronger foothold in these remote communities, Begg has no doubt that a showcase of professional golf will see those numbers continue to build in the years to come.
“I think it’ll have a huge impact. I think it’s going to bring the next generations through of watching players, watching professionals play and create a big buzz around the town,” said Begg.
“It’ll be great for accommodation for the town, for the economies that have really struggled over the years. They’d had some pretty ordinary years out in the far west and something like this will really, really boost their economy.
“It will also promote golf to the next generation about what they can do if they work hard or just want to be involved in the game in future.”
The Warren Golf Club Legends Pro-Am will be held on Thursday, May 9 with the Cobar Legends Pro-Am to be held at the Cobar Golf and Bowls Club on the weekend of May 11-12.
There are limited amateur spots still available in both fields. To book a spot call the respective club.
Australian Golf has teamed up with New Era, the world’s leading headwear and lifestyle brand, in a new three-year partnership.
The producer of performance headwear for some of the world’s finest leagues, teams and athletes since 1920 is now the Official Headwear Partner across Australian golf’s peak bodies – Golf Australia and the PGA of Australia, as well as an official partner of the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia and WPGA Tour of Australasia.
The partnership also includes Australia’s three biggest Tour events – the ISPS HANDA Australian Open, Australian PGA Championship and Vic Open.
As a highlight of the new agreement, special edition items, available to the public, will be produced for tournaments across New Era’s lifestyle and traditional golf caps and bucket hat collections.
PGA of Australia Commercial Director Australasia Michael McDonald said: “Golf and New Era is a perfect fit. It’s exciting for us to team up with such a well-recognised and loved brand which transcends fashion and sport.
“We are looking forward to working closely with New Era in the coming years and are excited at the plans they have to activate the partnership across Australian Golf.
“We will be working together to create a new range of street-based golf products to cater to the demands of the younger generation who are increasingly loving the game of golf.
“There will also be opportunities for New Era to increase their connection with the highly skilled PGA Professionals, who are at the forefront of promoting and growing golf at clubs and facilities across the country.”
New Era Cap Australia General Manager Simon Hibbs said: “New Era is very pleased to announce its partnership with Australian Golf.
“New Era has a global reach in the game of golf and now is an exciting time for New Era to expand that to include Australia. New Era look forward to working with Golf Australia, the PGA of Australia and WPGA Tour of Australasia to innovate and grow the headwear program with our unique sports lifestyle DNA.”
New Era Caps are the official on-field headwear partner to some of the world’s biggest sporting leagues including the MLB, NBA and NFL.
The continued excellence of Minjee Lee and emergence of Min Woo Lee as Australian golf’s next superstar have seen Ritchie Smith earn a seventh nod as Coach of the Year – High Performance at the Western Australian Golf Industry Gala Dinner on Friday night.
Representatives from throughout the WA golf industry gathered at Crown Casino in Perth to recognise outstanding performers across all aspects of the game in 2023.
A record number of rounds at Busselton Golf Club saw Grant Williams named Hilary Lawler WA PGA Club Professional of the Year, Nicole Martino was awarded PGA Management Professional of the Year for her work at The Western Australian Golf Club and Wembley Golf Course’s Andrew Thomas edged a strong list of finalists to be again named Game Development Coach of the Year.
Smith (Royal Fremantle Golf Club, pictured with PGA of Australia CEO Gavin Kirkman) and David Milne (Lake Karrinyup Country Club) were the two nominees for High Performance Coach of the Year, Smith’s stable of players all advancing their development around the world.
Maddison-Hinson Tolchard continued her outstanding college career and made her US Women’s Open debut at Pebble Beach, Hannah Green won a third LPGA Tour title, Ryan Peake enjoyed his best season on the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series circuit and amateurs Abbie Teasdale and Josiah Edwards excelled locally and abroad.
But perhaps Smith’s greatest feat was to oversee a putting change in his star pupil that saw Minjee Lee win twice towards the end of 2023 and return to the top five in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Ranking.
“Sometimes when you have a problem like this you need to make a big change and we got rid of a putter that we won two majors with,” Smith said as he accepted the Greg Norman Medal on Minjee’s behalf last November.
“We looked at the reasons why we had problems from about 15 different angles and we’ve found a formula that we think is going to work.
“So far it has been a good change.”
This past year will also be remembered for the way Min Woo Lee announced himself on the world stage.
He played his way into the final group alongside world No.1 Scottie Scheffler at THE PLAYERS Championship, won on the Asian Tour in record fashion and sent shockwaves throughout Brisbane with his pulsating victory at the Fortinet Australian PGA Championship.
Named in honour of a PGA Professional who had a strong focus in the servicing of his customers, being a mentor to other PGA Professionals and an absolute custodian of the sport, Williams received the Hilary Lawler Club Professional of the Year for the impact he has had at Busselton in a short space of time.
The Head PGA Professional at Busselton since April 2022, Williams has instituted major improvements to tee sheets to cater for the record number of rounds played, a 90 per cent conversion from evaluation lessons to coaching packages sold, a stronger retail offering and a new prepayment policy for group bookings which delivered the club $100,000 in additional revenue.
Thomas was named Game Development Coach of the Year for the second year running not only for the enormity of lessons conducted at Wembley Golf Course but also his visit to Newman to coach indigenous youth at Clontarf Aboriginal College and students at Newman Primary School.
A member satisfaction rating of in excess of 80 per cent highlighted the impact that Nicole Martino had this past year at The Western Australian Golf Club.
As Golf Manager, Martino successfully managed a club calendar of more than 70,000 rounds and various special events, empowered her team with development budgets and worked collaboratively with course, house and admin teams to ensure the best possible member experience.
Two WA legends were honoured for their contribution to the game over many years with Ross Metherell awarded the WA Golf Industry Distinguished Service Award and Stephen Leaney inducted into the WA Golf Industry Hall of Champions.
2023 WA Golf Industry Award Winners
WA PGA Coach of the Year – High Performance
Ritchie Smith, Royal Fremantle Golf Club
WA PGA Coach of the Year – Game Development
Andrew Thomas, Wembley Golf Course
Hilary Lawler WA PGA Club Professional of the Year
Grant Williams, Busselton Golf Club
WA PGA Associate of the Year
Fritz Arnold, Lake Karrinyup Country Club
WA PGA Tournament of the Year
Mitchell and Brown Spalding Park Open
WA PGA Management Professional of the Year – Proudly sponsored by Golf Car World
Nicole Martino, The Western Australian Golf Club
Course Apprentice of the Year – Proudly sponsored by AFGRI Equipment
Beschen Pou, Rockingham Golf Club and Links Kennedy Bay
Course Superintendent of the Year – Proudly sponsored by AFGRI Equipment
Tom Tristram, Secret Harbour Golf Links
WA Golf Industry Distinguished Service Award
Ross Metherell
WA Golf Industry Hall of Champions Inductee
Stephen Leaney
Outstanding Game Development Program of the Year Award
Womens 22 Week Beginner Program at Lake Karrinyup Country Club
Employee of the Year – Proudly sponsored by MiClub
Jessie Krznaric, Royal Fremantle Golf Club
Volunteer of the Year – Proudly sponsored by Bowra and O’Dea
Graeme Durward, Busselton Golf Club
Regional Golf Course of the Year – Proudly sponsored by ADH Club Car
Bunbury Golf Club
Metropolitan Golf Course of the Year – Proudly sponsored by ADH Club Car
Joondalup Resort
Regional Golf Facility of the Year
Karratha Country Club
Metropolitan Golf Facility of the Year – Proudly Sponsored by Golf Car World E-Z-Go
Wembley Golf Course
Outstanding Golf Achievement Award – Proudly sponsored by NGI Insurance
Minjee Lee
Bringing together PGA of Australia members from across the country with other golf industry professionals for two days of unmissable learning, sharing and more, the 2024 Golf Summit will be held from October 16-17.
Taking place in Melbourne, the event is the premier coming together of the entire golf industry in one place across the Asia-Pacific region, with tickets on sale now for PGA Professionals and other golf industry members.
Delivered through the on-going shared vision and work of the PGA of Australia and Golf Australia, the Golf Summit will see global golf leaders, fellow PGA members and other golf businesspeople as keynote speakers, leading sessions and networking.
“I couldn’t personally be more excited for the industry to come together in one place and share their experiences and knowledge for the betterment of the golf industry as a whole,” PGA of Australia CEO Gavin Kirkman said.
“The PGA of Australia network of professionals have always shared a cause and mission, however gathering in one place is not an easily achieved feat. With that in mind, I encourage as many PGA members as possible, and the rest of the industry, to join us in Melbourne.”
Held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, the Golf Summit will allow for greater expansion on how the PGA of Australia is working with Golf Australia under the shared driver of the Australian Golf Strategy, in addition to all the other amazing opportunities on offer.
With exhibitions of products and services, learning sessions and the chance to connect with fellow members of the golf industry, the event will see attendees leave with greater knowledge, best practices and greater networks to better support businesses and succeed in their respective jobs.
For PGA members, whether they are looking to grow their audience, diversify their coaching offering, learn how to best present and operate a shop, or manage businesses, the Golf Summit is unlike any other event in Australia.
Attended by representatives from clubs and facilities, government, organisations, tourism, suppliers, media and manufacturers, as well as PGA of Australia members, the two days of the Summit are supported with a social networking event delivering a chance to mix with delegates, industry leaders and partners.
Find tickets HERE.
PGA Immortal Alex Mercer and legendary Tour player Billy Dunk stole the show at a gathering of PGA Members from New South Wales and the ACT at The Lakes Golf Club on Monday.
Held every two years in recognition of PGA Members with more than 50 years of membership, Monday’s get together had a combined PGA Membership of more than 2,000 years including Life Members and past Presidents.
PGA of Australia Chair Rodger Davis, PGA of Australia CEO Gavin Kirkman and PGA of Australia Senior State Manager David Barker were also in attendance in a celebration of the formative years of the Association and those who paved the way.
There were 31 Members present with more than 50 years of Membership of the PGA and CEO Gavin Kirkman was honoured to be able to join them to mark such significant milestones.
“All of these Members have sweated the brand and positioned the PGA to where we are today,” said Mr Kirkman.
“They are the founders and the pioneers who took the PGA through the tough times when Professionals weren’t allowed in clubhouses and the like.
“We are now in a place where more than 150 PGA Members are General Managers at golf clubs throughout Australia and we conduct tournaments for men, women, juniors and All Abilities players to play together.
“We are now a leader of our sport and we have arrived here due to the hard work and the hard knocks that the founding members took in establishing the PGA of Australia.”
Due to turn 90 next month and now in his 68th year as a PGA of Australia Member, Alex Mercer carries with him a gentle aura that those within Australian golf and admire and respect.
A five-time winner of the Australian PGA Championship, Billy Dunk (below, with Gavin Kirkman) is a Life Member of the PGA and credited with more than 30 course records during his time in professional golf.
Both spoke on Monday and reiterated to Kirkman, and all of those in the room, why they take such pride in their Membership of the PGA of Australia.
“To be in the room with Mr Mercer – as I call him – was not just a thrill and an honour for me but for all of the Members in the room,” Mr Kirkman added.
“What comes through is their passion and what the PGA means to them.
“Billy Dunk spoke to this, that they were successful and have very good life journeys because they were PGA Members. They don’t forget that.
“That’s why I have the best job in golf, because I get to watch the game grow and evolve and innovate but while holding true to the tradition and history of the sport.
“These are the people that helped shape and advance our Association and we certainly have a lot to thank them for.”
The only player to win the Australian Open, Australian PGA Championship and Australian Masters past the age of 50 has been at it again.
Playing in the Friday competition at Sanctuary Cove Golf and Country Club, the ageless Peter Senior shot 7-under 63 on the Palms Course, with a back-nine of 6-under 30.
Due to turn 65 on July 31, it marks the first time that Senior has broken his age.
Playing off a handicap of +3.3, Senior’s round added up to 40 Stableford points, only good enough for runner-up in A Grade.
A winner of 35 tournaments on major tours around the world, Senior has the distinction of winning in five separate decades, a feat achieved by very few in world golf.
His first victory on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia came at the 1979 Dunhill South Australian Open, what would be the first of 21 on his home tour spanning 36 years.
In the summer of 1989, Senior won the Australian PGA Championship, Australian Open and Johnnie Walker Classic.
He won the Australian PGA for a third time at age 51, won a second Australian Open at the age of 53 and won a third Australian Masters yellow jacket by holding off Andrew Evans, John Senden and a young American amateur by the name of Bryson DeChambeau at Huntingdale in 2015.
Photo: Michael Dodge/Getty Images
It’s a question that even Wayne Perske’s father had to ask, and who is still unsure of the answer he was given. Geoff Ogilvy gave him a quizzical look when Perske mentioned during the Fortinet Australian PGA Championship in November that he was contemplating entering All Abilities tournaments in 2024.
So why is a former touring professional with a Japan Golf Tour win and an appearance at The Open Championship teeing it up in a tournament with eight others for no prize money?
The same reason others have been drawn to play Webex All Abilities Players Series events.
“Purpose,” said Perske, who will make his All Abilities debut at the Webex Players Series Murray River this weekend at Cobram Barooga Golf Club.
Accompanying Perske on his return to tournament golf is his wife Vanessa, who will juggle duties as both his caddie and carer.
Even before hitting his first shot, Vanessa has seen something return that has been lacking since he was forced to retire from professional golf at the end of 2015.
“Just to get out of bed for Wayne now, he’s got this little burning passion deep down,” Vanessa adds.
“It’s nice to have that spark back in him. He’s got that little twinkle in his eye again. It’s fun.”
‘Tiger’s had one, I’ve had four’
This is not a story of an old pro with a crook back looking to recapture former glories.
Perske was born with scoliosis, a curvature of the spine not conducive to hitting thousands of golf balls a day.
After his second spinal fusion, Perske was told to never play golf again; his fourth was just 18 months ago.
It is a condition that has plagued him throughout his career and put a strain on his family.
Picking up his kids – now 17 and 18 – was fraught with danger; bending down to put a cup in the dishwasher could cause such pain that he would be laid up for days.
Wayne would spend family holidays lying in bed while Vanessa and the kids explored. They have recently downsized to an apartment in Brisbane so maintaining a lawn is not a family concern.
“Bulging discs, ruptured discs, bone-on-bone, bits of disc floating in the spinal column, nitrogen bubbles. It got to the point where I would twist and I could hear it,” Perske explains.
“Then nerve stuff. I started to have a drop-foot. I was falling over because I couldn’t lift my leg properly.
“They had to relieve that nerve pain by doing a fusion but where they fused wasn’t actually where the pain was coming from. They had to go in again but from the front because it was quite low.
“They cut me from the belly button down to my groin. They take your guts out; slap it on a thing beside you and they drill into your spine from the front.
“About halfway through the operation, I was bleeding quite badly so they had to abandon it.
“When I came out of that surgery, not only did I have to recover from the trauma of surgery from the front, but the back pain was worse.”
Ultimately, Perske would go under the knife for a third time to have four rails inserted that stretch from the base of his spine to halfway up his back, held together by eight screws.
“I’ve now got four fusions in my spine. Tiger had one fusion, I’ve got four,” he adds.
‘It was a dilemma for me’
The idea of playing in All Abilities tournaments was first sparked in Perske by watching the 2022 Australian All Abilities Championship at Victoria Golf Club.
It was a new avenue into a world that he formerly inhabited and which is becoming more and more populated by outstanding golfers playing in events all around the world.
After making contact with Golf Australia, he was assigned National Eligibility Assessor Sam Taylor, who conducted a physical assessment to ensure that Perske met the minimum impairment criteria set by the International Golf Federation (IGF).
After this physical examination, Perske was determined to meet the minimum impairment criteria for a World Ranking Pass (WR4GD).
Then it was a matter of making it public.
“I was a little anxious in terms of a lot of people who don’t know the full story,” Perske admits.
“People on Facebook just know me from my previous careers as an elite professional and now a coach.
“I post something about my back operation, people say ‘Get well soon’, but they don’t really understand the extent of it. They still expect me to shoot really good scores. And to be honest, I still have that expectation that I’m going to go out and hopefully win.
“I just want to get out there and enjoy it without the expectation of performance.
“It’s always going to be there, underlying, so it’s a dilemma for me.”
Yet while he can’t deny the competitive instinct that fuelled his former playing career, Perske wants to impact All Abilities golf in a broader sense.
He has signed on as the Touring Professional for Gunabul Homestead in Gympie that caters specifically to All Abilities golfers, has sponsorship deals with Wellness Group Australia and CRE Insurance and is playing Wilson Staff golf clubs.
Combined with his coaching commitments at Golf24 in Brisbane, Perske wants to leverage his past to give others a prosperous future in golf.
“Once I was told that I don’t have to feel guilty, that I do have a significant impairment that stops me from playing with the big boys, why not play?” Perske says.
“And now I see myself as potentially raising the profile of that area of golf.
“Events such as the Webex Players Series are amazing and probably the future of golf in Australia with the inclusion of women, juniors and All Abilities players.
“The vibe around here is amazing and I hope I can be part of making it even bigger and better.”
For the third straight year, Yarra Yarra Golf Club’s course record fell on day three of the Sandbelt Invitational.
However, despite Brett Coletta, Phoenix Campbell and Sarah Hammett all etching their name on a brand new honour board in the clubhouse, Daniel Gale still leads by four with 18 holes to play.
Coletta and Campbell signed for 63s to knock off David Micheluzzi’s 64, with the pair of record setters sitting eight-under overall and only behind Lachlan Barker on 11-under and Gale at 15-under. Meanwhile Hammett’s 66 sees here just one back of Jazy Roberts on seven-under in the low women’s amateur category.
Enduring two suspensions due to electrical storms, Gale clearly felt no hindrance from the stop-start nature of Wednesday’s play, although the wind whipping up as he finished his third round saw him drop shots at the par-4 12th and 18th. The bogeys giving Barker and the rest of the chasing pack some semblance of hope as they head to Royal Melbourne (East) for the final day.
Gale happy with his position but far from getting ahead of himself as he chases what he called “nice Chrissie bonus” a day earlier.
“I mean it’s the position you want to be in,” he said.
“That’s what all the hard work’s for, it’s just another day of golf really. I’ve never seen the East, so I will do a little research tonight, see if there’s anything here or there that I can pick up heading into tomorrow.”
Similarly experiencing the East Course for the first time will be Barker, who for the third straight day will play with Gale.
The South Australian continuing to look comfortable on the Sandbelt despite lacking familiarity, his five-birdie day at Yarra Yarra only spoiled by a dropped shot at the uphill 16th. Barker’s main round three takeaway being his mental strength on a somewhat difficult day.
“Got off to a pretty hot start,” Barker said. “Then we had a little bit of adversity, which I think I handled quite well.
“Little bit of mental fortitude, and sort of more accepting attitude sort of helped.”
That mental fortitude includes a mantra of “keep doing what I’m doing” on the final day, when he and Gale’s friendly dynamic of the week and pushing each other along might change if things get tight on the back nine.
“He’s a good fella. I’m pretty casual, but he’s probably got me on the casual side of things. We are keeping it cool, calm and collected out there. It’s good fun,” Gale said.
“We’ve been feeding off each other. It’s good to see, it’s been great golf.”
Great golf it has been, including from Campbell who was wary not to get too far ahead of himself over his pursuit of Gale.
“Can’t think about it too much, I’ve just got to think about my own game and if I can roll a few putts in and stay patient I might be a red hot chance,” Campbell said.
Gale similarly unable to be drawn in by questions of what it might feel like to hold the trophy aloft tomorrow
“After the 72nd hole, and if I’m in the lead, that’s when I will be thinking about it.”
PHOTO: Daniel Gale on his way to a 66 at Yarra Yarra today.
Nudgee Golf Club and Yarrawonga-Mulwala Golf Club have both overcome slow starts to complete wire-to-wire wins at The Scramble Championship Final at Sanctuary Cove.
Both Nudgee (Women’s Scramble) and Yarrawonga (Mixed Scramble) began the third and final rounds at The Palms Golf Course at Sanctuary Cove Golf and Country Club with slightly more than a five-shot advantage.
It would prove to be a crucial buffer as contenders threw down the gauntlet throughout the front nine.
Led by 2016 champion with Balaklava Golf Club, PGA Professional Chris Duke, the Nudgee women’s team of Lisa-Maree Jones, Lara Forster, Wendy Edmiston and Brooke O’Keeffe saw their overnight lead eaten away as both Mosman Park Golf Club and Lucindale Country Club made their charge.
After kicking off their final round with ‘Red’ by Taylor Swift, the team switched the playlist mid-round to AC/DC.
It helped to ignite a charge around the turn that saw them return a score of 61 for nett 55.3 and a total of 48.1-under par for the three days and a three-shot win. With a nett score of 53 in Round 3, Lucindale claimed second spot at 45-under par with Mosman Park third at 41.4-under.
With just two birdies in their first eight holes, the Nudgee team needed a spark as they moved into the back nine.
They got a boost with a birdie for a nett eagle on nine and then made eagle when Brooke chipped in from 40 metres out at the par-5 10th.
“There was a bit of indecision about clubs and the like,” Chris said of their third shot on 10.
“Brooke stepped up and said she would go first and proceeded to chip it straight in.
“Never looked like missing as soon as it left the clubface.”
“I used a sand wedge and thought that there was a little ridge behind the hole so I could be aggressive because if it went long it was going to roll back,” said Brooke.
“Checked perfectly, released and straight in the centre of the cup. Best shot all day.”
Yarrawonga, too, answered the challenge laid down by Ulverstone Golf Club and Kooindah Waters Golf Club with a timely eagle on 10.
With four holes to play, the team of PGA Associate Dale Crothers, Fletcher Kelly, Jason Hanson and Scott and Lachie Thom trailed Koondah Waters by 1.8 shots. They then made birdie for a nett eagle on the par-4 15th and converted Dale’s tee shot to 10 feet for birdie at the par-3 16th.
With three nett eagles and a nett birdie in their final five holes, Ulverstone set the mark in the clubhouse at 59.7-under par.
Although he didn’t tell his team-mates, Dale knew that their lead was just 0.3 of a shot standing on the 18th tee but the leading team all week completed their victory in style, making birdie for a nett eagle and a total for the three days of 62-under par for a win by 2.3 shots.
Dale is a two-time Victoria/Tasmania PGA Associate champion but said that there was something special about winning in a team of boys spread along the Murray River.
“Jason has been into me all week about that, he thinks this is the biggest win of my career now,” said Dale.
“Definitely the most fun. Sanctuary Cove has put on a really good show for us so pretty happy to come out of it with a win with the guys.”
In the Women’s Consolation Final, Rossdale Golf Club’s nett score of 56.8 saw them pip defending champions Launceston by just 0.3 of a shot with Muirfield Golf Club third with a score of 57.9.
In The Scramble Consolation Final, Portsea Golf Club’s nett score of 51.6 saw them finish a shot clear of Townsville Golf Club (52.7) with Geelong Golf Club (53.2) snatching third from Meadowbrook Golf Club by just 0.1 of a shot.
