IT was a double celebration day at the Blue Lake Golf Course last Saturday, with players donning their favourite football club colours while also competing in the prestigious Wal Hudson Aggregate award.
After a many weeks of difficult conditions, the course finally gave up some good scores in the stableford competition.
Ironically headlining footy club colours day was former West Gambier sharp shooter Jarrod Ryan who must have thought every shot was like taking a kick from the goal square.
Playing off the respectable handicap of eight, Ryan started with five regulation pars.
He had a minor hiccup with a bogey on the sixth hole, but quickly erased that with a birdie on the ninth to turn square with the card on 35.
A couple of bogeys in the middle of the back nine almost derailed him but an impressive birdie put his game back on track, with another birdie on the last hole to make up for a disappointing bogey on the 17th.
Ryan’s birdies added 10 points to his overall score of 43 with just two one-point holes.
Apart from Ryan leading the A Grade charge and cleaning up the overall prize, it was a tight race to take the grade win, with Brett Perryman and Tim Bates finishing tied on 39 points.
Perryman opened with a regulation 18 points on his outward nine, picking up four three-point holes which eased the pain of no points on the ninth.
Pars on the 11th and 13th returned three points each but better was to come with a birdie on the last helping him to four points and holding him in good stead in case of a count-back.
Bates was unlucky to be counted out to third after an impressive opening, his 37 off the stick equating to 20 points.
He also had a closing birdie, but on the 17th, now indexed to one of the more easier holes, he returned only three points for a total of19 on the back nine against Perryman’s 21.
It was two points back to third-placed Michael Johnston who could not capitalise on either of the par 5’s, scoring just the two points in total from both.
A rough double-bogey start on the first and third was split with a birdie on the second, but Johnston still showed consistency with splits of 18 and 19.
It was regulation golf for all the prize winners in B Grade, with Matthew Pritchard taking the win with splits of 17 and 19.
In stableford golf it is imperative players score on every hole and Pritchard exemplified that with just the one non-scoring hole – the third – causing him trouble.
From the 10th it was a standard two points on every one of the back nine except for a three-point par on the 12th.
There was very little to separate second and third places – Stephen Smith and Graham Burke – after both finished on 35 points.
Smith would have thought he had nailed it with a birdie on the last to give him 20 points in total for the back nine, normally enough to suffice in a count-back.
However, Burke had him covered with his three pars scoring him three points each and despite a double bogey on the last, he also had 20 points.
A double count-back had them both with 13 points over the last six holes, the decision coming down to the last three where Smith finally prevailed.
It was a lot more clear cut in C Grade with Nick Driver winning with 39 points, built on splits of 20 and 19.
Another round of consistent scoring on every hole was the secret for Driver’s success, matched by Tony Morandin in second place with 38, also scoring on every hole.
David McKenzie continued his return to golf taking third place with 36 points off a 25 handicap.
Jim Ferrazzola’s score of 37 would have been good enough to have won B Grade but he had to settle for a ball prize instead, as well as Trevor Little 36, Bruce Morale 35, Wayne Dunford, Bob White, Fred Knight, Stephen Von Duve 34, Brenton Speck, Adam Dunn and Vic Smith on 33.
David Adkins had a poor front nine but saved his best for his tee shot on the fifth hole to land within 2.5 metres and claim the pro shot, together with Ryan’s shot on the 16th.
White (A Grade), Dunn (B) and McKenzie (C) took out their respective nearest to pin shots, while Ryan finished up his haul by also taking out the novelty prize of best front nine.
Wal Hudson Award
Men’s pairs – Winners: Tim Bates and Brett Perryman 78.
Runners-up: Jarrod Ryan and Mike Dedonatis 76.
Women’s pairs – Winners: Ronda Edwards and Karen Panagopolous 67.
Runners-up: Beryl Mahoney and Helen Myers 64.
Mixed Pairs – Winners: Rosemary and Robert Martland 69.
Runners-up: Lyn Annand and Vic Smith 63.
