Sydney legend Geoff Nicholas has won the 2019 Queensland Inclusive Championship – and a little bit more.
Nicholas carded a second consecutive great round at Redcliffe Golf Club on Monday to add the Queensland title to Nicholas’s decorated resume.
But in addition, having outduelled fellow New South Welshman Shane Luke, Nicholas is also in prime position to take control of the No.1 Australian ranking position and highest ranked amputee on the World Rankings for Golfers with Disability (WR4GD).
And the person he stands to supplant is none other than Luke, himself.
Nicholas (74-75) took control early against Luke after starting the second and final round square and eventually won by six strokes at seven over par.
And as Luke (74-85) battled to keep pace with his veteran mate, young gun Cameron Pollard (76-79), of Sawtell in northern NSW, passed him as well, relegating Luke to third.
In the nett event, the Gold Coast’s Tarun Kanji got home two strokes clear of New Zealand’s Andrew Woo.
Woo returned home as the first New Zealand player on the World Rankings for Golfers with disability, this week supported on the bag by LPGA and LET Tour member Cathryn Bristow.
The stableford event winner was Redcliffe and Special Olympics Queensland member Matthew Curley with impressive tallies of 38 and 40 points across the two days. Curley overtook Gold Coast’s Mark Green to win the 36-hole event by two points.
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The Queensland Inclusive Championship also included an eight-hole challenge for golfers as a pathway to the 36-hole championship. It was won by Sunshine Coast players Brendan Monaghan, Adam Leak, Graham Macduff, Damon Dionysius and Ryan O’Malley.
For many of the participants, the championship afforded the opportunity to join the R4GD.
Administered by the R&A and USGA, the R4GD has been developed to create pathways for people with a disability to national and international representation through events such as the Australian All Abilities Championship and the European Individual Championship.
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Click HERE for final scores.
Click HERE for further information on inclusive golf.