Count-backs galore at Blue Lake

ALL SMILES: Jorja Morale was in impressive form on Saturday at the Blue Lake Golf Club.

WHILE the focus is on the men when there is a monthly medal competition at the Blue Lake Golf Club, this week a special mention goes to female golfer Jorja Morale, who set the course alight with an impressive score of nett 58.

On a day where the dreary weather matched the scores not one male golfer managed to break 70 which makes Morale’s effort even more meritorious.

More on Morale’s round in the women’s wrap.

Tricky weather conditions call for some tricky shot making and the best to do that was Richard Neale (96-26-70) who survived a three-way count-back to take the overall win.

Neale, Rob Ellis and Jacob Reed all returned a nett 70, but it was Neale who prevailed, helped by pars on the 13th, 14th and 15th holes for a closing 47.

The 26 handicapper was four under the card over his last six holes which was always going to stand him in good stead in a tie-break situation.

Ellis was unlucky, turning with 40 on the front nine and five consecutive pars through the middle part of the inward nine had him eyeing off an overall win, but a double bogey on the last relegated him back into a tie.

Reed was also tracking well and the thought of the grand prize must have got into his head over the closing three holes, with the best he could manage through them was a double bogey or worse.

Ellis had to settle for the A Grade win, with another count-back required to decide the minor placings.

Tim Smith and Shane Stevens, both off six handicap and Colin Ferguson all tied on nett 71, the former getting the nod for second.

All three players had two birdies each and while Smith and Stevens both shot splits of 39 and 38, Stevens did his better work on the front nine, reversing those figures.

Ferguson probably had an overall win in the bag after shooting 36 off the stick over the outward nine but then closed with a 40 to be counted out of the placings.

Another count-back was needed in B Grade to separate Tony Brooks and John Brown after both returned a nett 73.

Both players opened with 42’s but Brown’s double bogey on the last hole cost him dearly to just miss out on the grade win.

David Johnston skimmed the cream off the top to take third with his 89-15-74.

There was a clear winner in C Grade, with Jacob Reed taking the prize after his round of 106-36-70.

Making the most of his handicap he almost took out the medal but a disastrous blowout on the par 5 17th hole cost him dearly.

Three strokes further back was Cory Davis with 106-33-70 in second while Tony Morandin survived a count-back to claim third after finishing with a nett 74.

After being counted out of the prize winner’s list on count-back Ferguson led the list of ball winners together with Garry Fox, Bryce Smith, Aaron O’Donnell 73, John Millhouse, Scott Sawyer, Stephen Easterbrook, Jarrod Sanders 74, Brett Perryman and Steve Jelly on 75.

Roger Gale picked up the novelty prize by having the least putts while monthly medal winners in each grade were Ferguson, Brooks and Neale.