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JAKE Turner was locked and loaded on Saturday, taking out the Blue Lake Golf Club’s Stableford event with 40 points.
Turner started in the best possible way with a par on the first hole to gain a quick three points.
His bucket came up empty on the second, but from there he scored on every hole, turning with 19 points.
Better was to come over the back nine with a superb birdie on the 12th hole to gain four points, a par on the dog-leg 15th for another three points, before a triple-bogey on the last taking some gloss off his round, but his 40 points was always going to be hard to catch.
Mike Dedonatis led the charge of the A-graders and in a competition that does not favour the lower handicappers, his round was as strong as granite with equal splits of 19.
The four-handicapper had one bogey on the front nine for 36 off the stick, which he matched on the back nine with a birdie on the 15th hole, which did not quite making up for two bogeys.
The former bad boy of Western Border Football, Jarrod Ryan has taken to the more gentlemanly game of golf with the same acclaim and claimed second place on Saturday.
Ryan turned around a non-scoring bogey on the second hole with a birdie on the sixth to turn with 17 points.
He looked for a higher finish when teeing up on the 18th, only to paint another red score on his card, with a double-bogey ruining his chance of finishing square with his handicap of nine.
Stephen Smith’s foundations for a good score were looking a bit shaky with just 15 points on the outward nine, despite a tap in birdie on the fifth hole.
A wipe on the fourth hole was matched with two one-point holes on the eighth and ninth, but he then went on and built a solid score of 34 points after a 40 off the stick.
Colin Stratford claimed the B Grade honours with a well-measured round of 36 points.
Stratford’s experience came to the fore, scoring on every hole which is gold in stableford golf.
Using his long-handled putter to great effect with a birdie on the fifth hole, he had splits of 19 and 17.
Highlighting the vagaries of golf’s handicap system is John Robertson.
The 20-handicapper has featured in the winner’s circle for the last four weeks, backing up with another second place, yet his handicap has not changed.
If you ask him there is no change on the horizon for some time.
Playing better golf than his handicap indicates, it is no wonder he is reaping the rewards.
Matching Robertson’s score of 34 points, but being pipped in a count-back, Graham Burke can consider himself slightly unlucky to have missed out by a solitary point over the back nine.
A disappointing scratch on the 13th hole eventually cost him dearly, but he will still take some positives after his opening nine of 18 points.
As expected, scores were relatively higher in the lower grade with Bruce Tichbon following Heness home into second place with 37 points and Russell Lingham one point adrift in third.
Both can be pleased with their rounds, Tichbon having three holes of three points on each nine for splits of 17 and 20, while Lingham also showed his prowess and experience with splits of 20 and 16.
Players needed 32 points or better to win a ball prize which included Stephen Easterbrook, Tim Bates, Marc Dalton, Locky Byrne, Matt Roscow, Josh Ransom, Matt Pritchard, Matthew Kurzman, Dieter Rostig and Jacob Reed.
Derek Sargeant (fifth hole) and Pritchard (16th) were on target with their short irons and claimed the pro shots, while Easterbrook was the only one to win a nearest to pin prize with his shot on the 14th.
