Day Two
Southern Golf Club hosted the final round of the Men’s & Women’s Mid-Amateur Championships today in chilly but still conditions. The course was presented in outstanding condition and proved to be a challenge for all competitors, with only one player in each field breaking their handicap.
Daniel Ong from Kingston Heath finished strong today with an even par 72 to claim victory by one shot over Nick Tuddenham from Medway, despite the overnight frontrunners best efforts to sustain the lead. Ong, who claimed his first victory this year as the inaugural Monash Cup champion, finished with a two-round total of 145 (+1). Heading into the final round, Ong found himself three shots back from Tuddenham, who had a stellar two-under par round of 70 at Sandhurst yesterday to claim the lead. Ong played consistently on both nines, turning one under 35 before holding his composure coming in with one over. Third place was fought over in a count-back on 148 with Mark Brasher (Kew) carding 73 today to edge out Bendigo duo Liam Carney and Brent Rothacker.
Meanwhile Lisa Holmquest is the Women’s Mid-Amateur Champion, taking the title by one shot over Southern’s Geraldine O’Callaghan. Holmquest hails from Sandhurst but is also a recent member of Southern which is quite fitting as these were the two host clubs for the championship. O’Callaghan and Holmquest were tied after round one with a pair of 76’s, but an 81 today from Holmquest claimed her victory. The duo was followed closely by Sue Semmen’s from Spring Valley, who shot 77 today to take out the best round for this morning.
The men’s nett section was also decided by a count-back between three players; Marc Raymond (RACV), Leszek Kunc (Spring Valley), and round-one nett leader Seok-Gu Oh from Kingswood. Raymond, off a handicap of 12, was the lone player in the men’s field to better his handicap, shooting a fantastic score of nett 69 for a total of 142. Kunc and Oh came in with nett 73 and nett 74 respectively, but it wasn’t low enough to chase down Raymond.
The women’s nett section was taken home by Geraldine O’Callaghan of Southern, with rounds of nett 73 and 79 for a total of 152. The 3 marker also finished runner-up in the gross section one shot back from Holmquest. Going down the line were Commonwealth’s Anna Alston and Belinda Osborne from Kingston Heath taking out 2nd and 3rd places with nett totals of 154 and 159.
Thank you to Sandhurst Club and Southern Golf Club for their assistance and hospitality, and all players for participating. The 2014 Men’s & Women’s Mid-Amateur Championships have been rescheduled to January at venues to be confirmed at a later date.
Click here for final results.
Day One
The first round of the Victorian Men’s & Women’s Mid-Amateur Championships was held at the Sandhurst Club today with 106 players competing for the state titles. This year’s championship boasted a highly competitive field, with almost double the players compared to last year and 16 starters on a handicap of scratch or better.
Men’s clubhouse leader Nick Tuddenham from Medway capitalized on the mild playing conditions to shoot a two under par score of 70 on the par 72 Champions Course. One shot behind Tuddenham are Bendigo’s Liam Carney and Greg Jackson of Huntingdale both shooting one red. Leading the nett section is Kingswood’s Seok-Gu Oh (Handicap 12) with a solid score of nett 68.
Local Lisa Holmquest (Sandhurst) and Southern’s Geraldine O’Callaghan took a commanding tied lead in the women’s field with a pair of 76’s. They are five shots in front of their nearest competitors Tracy Kudelka (Huntingdale) and Julie Swanson (Pacific Dunes) who both carded 81 on the par 72 layout. Commonwealth’s Anna Alston off a handicap of 12 is leading the nett section with a score of nett 71.
The second round will commence with tee times from 7:30am tomorrow morning at Southern Golf Club via a seeded draw based on the 18-hole scores from round one.
Click here for draw and full results.