THE Southern Ports Golf Week proved popular again this year, with Kingston, Robe and Beachport golf clubs hosting the event.
Almost 400 golfers from many parts of SA and Victoria attended, with 53 clubs represented.
Royal Adelaide Golf Club was well represented with 35 women attending.
The eight-day program teed off on the Saturday with a Men’s Pinehurst at Beachport and a Ladies Pinehurst at Robe, followed by a Mixed Pinehurst at Kingston on day two.
Those who played, either played for the enjoyment or to get some valuable practice in before the serious 54-hole Championship teed off on Monday.
The Men’s A Grade field looked set to be extremely interesting.
Four of the last five winners – Mitchell Angel, Terry Chant, Brad Beaumont and Brad Koenig – were present, joined by two scratch golfers – Heywood’s Jayden McLeod and Millicent’s Mark Pretty.
Pretty was also a winner some 10 years ago.
Pretty had a solid start on Monday, parring the course at Kingston. two strokes ahead of McLeod, with David Murdock (Thaxted Park) a further two strokes back.
Day 2 at Beachport saw McLeod turn the tables to win the day with a tidy 73.
Runner-up was Brad Koenig on 74, with Pretty a little further back on 76.
Going into the final day at Robe, McLeod led Pretty by just one stroke.
The day started out fine enough but halfway through the round the skies opened to make conditions difficult with heavy rain.
Some players did not finish but McLeod prevailed to win the day with 73, one stroke ahead of his younger brother Noah.
Pretty finished a further stroke back on 75.
The final result of the 54-hole Championship saw McLeod take the honours with a score of 220, ahead of Pretty with 223.
The nett event was won by Koenig, another Heywood golfer who has supported the event for many years, with his first win back 2004.
Koenig had a narrow win with a nett 217 ahead of Murray Bridge golfer Jeff Morgan with nett 218.
The men’s B Grade was also a close competition, with Port Augusta’s Richard Earle starting the week in great form with 40 points.
Blackwood’s Brad Harrison, on the other hand, improved as the week unfolded, with 38 points on the last day.
However, Earle managed to hold on to win by two points from Harrison, 112-110.
Just one point further behind on 109 was Naracoorte’s Glen Hamlyn who almost played himself into a winning position, with 41 points on the final day.
Going into the final day, only two points was all that separated Flagstaff Hill’s Allen Lipschitz from Robe’s Mark Murphy and Thaxted Park’s Lyle Seyfang in the Men’s C Grade.
However, the skies also opened at Beachport to again make play difficult, but it was Lipschitz who hung on to win the week with 107 points.
Glen Tilley was runner-up on 102 points, having played three rounds of steady golf.
The Ladies A Grade Championship saw the return of winners Angela Masters (Blackwood 2021) and Di McCully (Naracoorte 2020).
However, after two rounds it was newcomer, Kooyonga’s Jodie Deacon on 166 who led the field from Royal Adelaide’s Ros Brebner on 171, Kooyonga’s Melissa Nelligan 174, Di McCully 176, Mount Gambier’s Kerry Pedlar 177 and Angela Masters 178.
Deacon played three consistent rounds (83-83-84) to finish with 250, ahead of McCully who started the week badly but steadied to be runner-up with 261 on a count-back from Brebner 261.
The nett event was won by Lucindale’s Michelle Justin with a nett 217 from North Adelaide’s Merrilyn Middleton on nett 222.
The opening day of the Ladies B Grade saw Robe’s Lorraine Pryce start strongly with 40 points, followed by Royal Adelaide’s Tricia Davies and Millicent’s Bronwyn Clarke with 36.
Day 2 saw last year’s winner, Lucindale’s Rosie Legoe, come in with 40 points, Blue Lake’s Karen Panagopoulos 39 and Pryce 37.
Going into day 3, Pryce led by six points from Legoe but neither returned good cards on the final day.
It was to be Clarke who won the day, closely followed by Beachport’s Debbie Tincknell and Blackwood’s Marta Schrader.
At the end of the three days of competition, it was Pryce who hung on to win with 104 points.
A consistent Schrader (33-33-32) on 98 was runner-up on a count-back from Legoe, also on 98.
In a game where consistency is vital, Penola’s Sue Kilsby used that mantra to claim a win in the Ladies C Grade.
She returned rounds of 35-35-32 to finish with 102 points ahead of Jeparit’s Beth Preston and Lucindale’s Annie Haynes, both on 97.
The final day played at Kingston was a mixed two-ball ambrose, a not-so-serious game to finish the week off.
