CLUB captain Peter Waters appreciated returning to the green, green grass of home with a victory in Thursday’s men’s stableford competition at the Mount Gambier Golf Club.
Waters played several courses during a four-week holiday interstate and in his first competition round since returning home, putted the lights out to record 40 points.
That was enough to edge out Terry Janeway on a count-back, with Chris Anderson one point further back in third place.
“I’ve never putted that well in my life and I’m pretty sure I never will again,” Waters said after posting his winning score.
Playing off a 10 handicap, he shot an excellent 38 off the stick on the front nine to pick up 20 points and added another 20 on the back nine after picking up three-pointers on 10, 11, 12 and 13.
To show how well he was putting, he missed the green with his tee shot on the par 3 10th hole and his chip up the hill barely made it onto the short grass.
Despite facing an extremely-long putt for par, he knocked it straight in to keep the momentum going.
“As soon as I hit the putt I knew it was going in,” Waters said.
“I just couldn’t miss.”
His score could have been even better had he not wiped the easy par 4 18th hole, but he had still done enough to take out the top prize.
Janeway and Richardson both had 21 points on the front nine, but could not repeat that on the back to just fall short.
Max Tollner actually looked like he could be the man to beat at the half-way mark after posting 23 points going out, but fell away with just 14 on the inward nine to slip out of contention.
Some difficult pin placements made life tough for players in Saturday’s monthly medal and when the dust settled, only one player in the 121-strong field had managed to beat his handicap.
That was 10-marker Sam Letizia whose net 71 added his name to the list of this year’s medal winners and also gave him victory in Division 1, finishing just one clear of Jake Dempsey.
Letizia was well-placed after firing a two-over par 38 off the stick on the front nine and despite dropping four shots on the final three holes, had done enough to claim victory.
In Division 2 it was a drought-breaking win for Jack Jennings whose day started badly when his golf cart ran out of power on his way to the first tee.
Fortunately his game was working on all cylinders, posting a net 72 thanks to no three-putts and nothing worse than a bogey.
However, it was playing partner Darren Griffin who had the ultimate hard-luck story to tell.
Playing off a 15 handicap, Griffin looked certain to finish with a net score in the 60s when he got to the 17th tee, but the golfing gods had other ideas.
Unfortunately his third shot to the long par 4 ended up in the greenside bunker, but worse was to come.
He left his first sand shot in the pot, blasted the second one well over the green, left his chip short, finally made it on for seven, then three-putted just to rub salt into the wound.
He regrouped to par the final hole, but the damage had been done and he was forced to settle for second place behind Jennings with a net 73.
In Division 3 first prize was taken out by Daryl Hutchins who recorded a net 72 to beat Charlie Finch by a single stroke.
