A bumper field of 106 players took to the course this morning in one of the final remaining Mazda Victorian Fourball qualifying rounds of the 2016 calendar hosted by Lang Lang GC. Crisp overcast conditions greeted the field in what was the inaugural qualifying round held at the Par 70 layout known as the ‘hidden gem’ of the South Gippsland region. Despite the favorable conditions, many pairs found the going tough amongst the tight tree lined fairways & narrow greens, where accurate & strategic play complemented the day’s best scores.
Today’s mixed category came right down to the wire, with the top three positions separated by a single point. At the conclusion of play, the Waverley duo of Veena Mali & Yakub Shariff took home the top prize with a score of 42 points. In second place, surviving a countback was Grant Green (Barwon Heads) & Lyn Green (Lonsdale) with 41 points.
The women’s component of today’s event was an equally tight finish, with two pairs finishing the round with 44 points. The Devilbend mother & daughter pair of Carol Scarff & Ledesi Hughes finished the stronger of the two pairs tied at the top over the closing holes to secure first place on a countback. Jenny Chandler (Cardinia Beaconhills) & Marilyn Johns (Phillip Island) finished runners-up.
In today’s men’s event, Andrew Peake (Australasian) & Michael Alford (Australasian) produced the day's highest overall score, a classy 46 points to finish on top in the men’s category. The Sanctuary Lakes pair of Ken Newman & Alex Diatas finished runners-up on a countback with 45 points.
The final two qualifying rounds of the 2016 calendar will be held at Mildura & Shepparton GC’s on Sunday 6 March.
Click here to view full results of today’s event.