THE culmination of golf over the last four weeks led to the finals of theMount Gambier Golf Club Ladies Club Championships last week at Attamurra.
Players were presented with well manicured fairways, perfect greens and sunshine to provide some quality golf.
The A Grade match between last year’s champion, Kerry Pedlar and Jennifer Van Rijthoven over 36 holes lived up to expectations, with players scoring 82 and 81 off the stick over the first 18 holes.
After lunch, both battled hard in the next 18 and Pedlar was 1-up after nine holes.
But Van Rijthoven continued to apply pressure with her long game to be square after 11 holes.
However, it was Pedlar’s accuracy on the greens on the last few holes which enabled her to claim her back-to-back win, finishing 3/2.
The B Grade final over 36 holes was between Anne Headlam and Janina Morrison.
Headlam drew on all her experience to play a solid match, while new to the golf match play scene, Morrison took on the challenge and after 27 holes, was 6-down with six to play.
To her credit she dug deep and picked up three holes, but Headlam was the victor finishing 3/2 to become the B Grade champion.
The C Grade final was contested over 18 holes between women’s president Mary Kentish and veteran Lois Harvey.
It was a close match, with neither player giving much leeway.
In the end Kentish’s long game helped her secure her title finishing on the 17th hole with a score of 2/1.
The championships were sponsored by SE Pine Sales and the prize for the best nett prize over the two qualifying rounds was won by Van Rijthoven with a score of nett 145.
The D Grade Championship was sponsored by Hopper Gabriel who supports the new players getting into the game of golf.
They played an 18 hole stableford competition and this year’s winner was Jill Johnson, who has only been playing competition golf for about two months.
Johnson scored 33 points for her round and will no doubt progress through the grades in the future. Runner-up was Maureen Sims with 29 points.
While the championship finals were played, a stableford competition was held and Carol Smith took home the winner’s voucher with 39 points from Mardi Bawden with 36.
Jan Shanahan won the pro shot on the eighth hole.
Only seven players ventured out on Easter Saturday with the hot weather deterring quite a few players.
Di O’Donnell played some hot golf to finish with 38 points from Yvonne Shirley with 35.
