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An almost capacity field of 97 senior golfers converged on Keysborough GC for the annual 18-Hole Senior Amateur, the first senior event of the 2018 calendar year. Included in this number were 12 women vying for the inaugural title which was added in this year.
A cool summer morning developed into a muggy afternoon on course, with an early but small shower falling on the course ensuring a mix of conditions for the field.
The course was presented in superb condition which is a testament to the efforts by the ground staff and fleet of local course maintenance volunteers.
In her first year of senior golf, Sue Wooster (The National) has taken an early lead in the Scratch Stableford state rankings, claiming today’s title with 32 points, 3 points ahead of last year’s winner Helen Pascoe (Buninyong) who returned 29 points. In the Stableford section, Liz Alston (Winchelsea) captured the win with a fantastic 38 points, too good for the rest of the field, with Heather Harley (Kooringal) her nearest rival 3 points back on 35.
It was all tied at the top of the men’s gross leader board between Simon Bracegirdle and Kym Olsen who are both from The National Golf Club. The pair returned a -1 par 72 to top the table, Bracegirdle’s one stroke less for the last 9 allowed him to win in a countback from Olsen.
Another countback was required to determine Paul Williams (Kew, handicap 11) as the winner of the men’s nett section, when he and Shane Slade (Creswick, handicap 17) both returned nett scores of 68 for the round.
The next event on the Victorian Senior Order of Merit schedule is the 18-hole Yarra Courses event starting next Monday 22 January at The Heritage Golf Club.