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The South Australian Men’s Senior Amateur Championships has been won by South Australian John Davey from Tea Tree Gully Golf Club and the Women’s Senior Championship winner was Josie Ryan from Headland Golf Club.
Played at the Tanunda Pines Golf Club in the Barossa Valley, in SA's Mid North District from 4 – 6 September, conditions were difficult from the onset as players encountered extremely cold conditions and 40km/hr freezing south westerlies, constant rain, and some hail late on day one.
Despite the heavy overnight rain, the tricky greens held up well, with lift, clean and replace initiated for days two and three.
Davey finished the 54 hole tournament as the only player to break 80 in each round, after posting scores of 78, 79, 74. And in doing so broke a drought of some 12 years since a local South Australian, namely Chris Whitford, has won the championship.
Day one saw Davey with 78 sharing the lead with Chris Gordon (New South Wales) and Greg Ellis (Forster-Tuncurry) with Geoff Cranfield (Long Reef), Wayne Buick (Royal Canberra) and Stephen Musgrave (St Michaels) one shot further back.
Defending champion, Greg Rhodes (82), Stephan Albinski (80) and David Hannah (80) were high on the leaderboard and local favourite Norm Cordina with an 85 a few shots further back.
Day two saw Davey return a 79, with Rhodes tying on aggregate with an excellent 75.
However, Cranfield’s 76 saw him take a two shot lead into the final day, with Albinski, Buick and Ken Brewer (Concord) still in the hunt.
Davey would prevail though, with the tournament’s best round of 74 to hold off Greg Rhodes (76) to defend his Senior Amateur title.
It was a fine display of golf by Davey, who recently turned 60 and was selected in the Australian Team to compete in the Asia Pacific Senior Amateur at Royal Adelaide in October.
Although there was only a small field of six players in the Women’s Championship, all players competed well despite the conditions. Josie Ryan from Headland Golf Club was the eventual runaway winner posting three consistent rounds of 84, 85, 84 (253) to win ahead of Glenys Ferguson (281( from Wanneroo Golf Club in WA.
To visit the Australian Senior Amateur Golf website > Click here