Final Round
Lucas Herbert from Neangar Park Golf Club has won the 84th Victorian Country Championship following the final round played at Royal Melbourne.
The demoralising, damp and windy weather terrorised players on the brilliant MacKenzie designed West Course. Although players were reprieved from yesterday’s gale force winds, a gusty westerly made conditions cold and scoring problematic for the 160 players that took to the course.
The overnight leader fired a closing round 76 for a two round total of 3 over-par 147 to win by a single stroke from Wodonga’s Zach Murray and Devil Bend’s Greg Wilson on 148.
Teeing off the 1st, the Victorian representative had bogies at 6 and 9 on his way to an outward nine of two-over 38. With the Championship in his sight, the +3 marker remained steady and duplicated his front nine 38 on his way in.
Herbert’s name will now sit alongside the likes of Jarrod Lyle and Craig Scott as winners of the premier title for Victoria’s Men Country Golfers.
In the colts section, a playoff was needed to separate both Andrew Schonewille and Harrison Savage who finished on 151 apiece. After halving the first three holes with pars and darkness falling, Schonewille eventually prevailed on the fourth playoff hole after scoring a par 3 on the 7th West after Savage failed to make his up and down from the front greenside bunker.
Tom Couling (Traralgon) was next best in the Colts section one shot adrift after rounds of 77 and 75.
Herbert also claimed the honours in the Junior trophy with Murray also finishing runner-up. Kyle Michel (Shepparton) notched out Mitchell Anketell on a count back to take out third on a 36-hole total of 153.
Players competing in the individual stableford event over at Croydon (Yering Meadows) also faced unsavoury weather as scattered showers swept across the challenging links style layout early in the morning.
Allan Davidson from RACV – Healesville was able to claim victory this morning after returning an outstanding 35 points, 6 points clear of his nearest opponent and Buninyong member, John Robertson on 29 points. Cameron Kearney of Woomelang placed outright third on 28 points.
Country Golf Week continues on Wednesday 2 October when the Country District Teams matches commence. The 16 Country Districts are divided into three divisions to contest the Shield, Plate and Bowl competitions in round robin matches that conclude on Friday.
Click here for final results
Round 1
Player’s competing in this year’s Country Week faced crippling wind gusts of up to 90kph as they contested in the opening round of the Country Championship and the 4BBB stableford event.
Lucas Herbert from Neangar Park Golf Club fired an impressive one-under par 71 to lead the 2013 Men’s Victorian Country Championship following the first round played at Settlers Run Golf Club.
The Victorian State Team member leads by just a single shot from Cobram-Barooga’s James Zappelli who returned a level par 72 this morning.
Herbert belied the morale draining and seemingly impossible scoring conditions to return an opening nine of 36 while holding his composure to come home with a one-under 35.
Sill near the top of the leader board and a further shot back sits Tim Coffey, Thomas Cowie, Michael Harricks and Andrew Schonewille after rounds of 73 today.
Herbert also finds himself poised at the top of the Junior title whereas Cowie, Harricks and Schonewille are tied for the lead in the Colts section.
Meanwhile, Roger Stephens and Kevin Robinson claimed honours in the 4BBB event at Kingswood. The Buninyong pair fired 42 points to ward off three couples that carded 41 points this afternoon. Another Buninyong duo of John Ciezki and Tim Duncan claimed second spot after notching out the others on a count back.
The final round of the Country Championship will commence tomorrow morning at Royal Melbourne Golf Club and the individual stableford event will commence from 7:30am at Croydon (Yering Meadows) Golf Club.
Click here for today’s results