WITH fine weather, temperatures in the high teens and the course in top condition it was surprising no one returned a hot score in Saturday’s stableford competition at the Blue Lake Golf Course.
A lot of players struggled to put consecutive scores on their cards, either registering four-point birdies or scrubs.
However, Bryan Scott loaded up with 39 points to take the outright win.
It was a steady haul of points rather than bucket loads at any stage for Scott, with splits of 20 and 19 for each nine.
Scott almost saw his hopes of a win disappear vwith a double bogey on the fourth hole, but bounced back immediately with birdie on the fifth.
Another double bogey on the long par 3 14th hole was the only hiccup in the rest of his round with no less than four three-point holes on the way in.
Taking the A Grade win was all-round sportsman Bruce Morale with a run of 10 points over his last four holes to almost catch Scott for the overall victory.
Morale’s 40 off the stick on the outward nine earned a regulation 18 points and he was eyeing off a big finish after starting par and birdie on the inward nine.
However, a run of one-point holes eventually proved costly before his hot finish.
It was a welcome return to the prize podium for Jamal Jakubenko, taking out second place with 36 points.
It was all or nothing in Jakubenko’s round, a couple of disappointing double bogeys almost derailing his round before throwing in two birdies on the fifth and the last holes which scored him seven points in just those two holes.
Tree trouble on the ninth and 14th cost him, scoring just the one point on those two holes, but a closing 20 points underlined the potential he does possess.
Rounding out the prize winners, Bob White had a roller coaster ride.
White started with two wipes but then birdied the third hole and followed up with a closing four pars and another birdie on the seventh for 20 points on the outward nine.
More all or nothing was to follow, with one point over the first two holes on the back nine before birdying the 12th for three points.
A disappointing wipe on the docile 16th saw him struggle to 15 points on the inward leg for 35 in total.
B Grade winner Kevin Howell turned back the clock with two birdies (10 and 14) in his round of 83 earning him 38 points to fall just short of the outright win.
Normally a steady golfer who goes by the mantra of scoring on every hole, Howell had a relatively up-and-down round with scores of four points on two holes and two non-scoring holes as well as the full range of one, two and three points.
His two birdies on the 10th and 14th saw him storm home with 21 points to almost catch Scott for an outright win.
Brett Lewis put a rough start of 16 points behind him, opening with a par and birdie on the 10th and 11th for seven points but unable to build on it, scoring just another 13 points over the rest of the nine to take second prize.
That solid back nine held him in good stead to take the chocolates in a count-back with David Gould.
Gould had a strong start, with a four-point birdie on the opening hole but he could not quite capitalise on that until the end with pars on the last two holes, falling just short of Lewis.
It was tight in C grade with just one point separating first and second and second and third.
Jim Ferrazzola was one of small number of golfers who managed to score on every hole, adding an impressive 20 points on the back nine to his opening 16 to take the win.
Second-placed Ken Milsop was on track to match Ferrazzola until the 17th hole.
If he had just two points there he would have leap-frogged Ferrazzola but it cost him dearly in the end.
Frank Pinneri also missed on just the one hole on his way to 34 points to take third.
Rewarded with ball prizes were Robert Martland 35, Wayne Dunford, Justin Ploenges 34, Russell Lingham, David Johnston, Greg Cooper, Gavin Sparrow, Jarrod Ryan, Lachlan Byrne 33, Tony Morandin, Steve Jelly and Trevor Little on 32.
Tim Bates cleaned out the eagle’s nest with his two on the ninth hole.
