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The 2018 Victorian Women’s Autumn Tournament kicked off this morning, as 214 female golfers teed it up at the spectacular Murray Downs Golf and Country Club. Players were treated to a beautiful 30-degree day with a magical stillness that made for a very pleasant day on course.
Helen Pascoe (Buninyong GC) hit off in the morning and finds herself leading the A-Grade gross competition after recording the best score of the day with 72 off the stick. Pascoe’s round was highlighted by her magnificent back nine of 33 in which she made 4 birdies in the space of 5 holes. Stephanie Wearne (Victoria GC) is trailing by 5 shots but showed her potential to go low with her bogey-free back nine of 35. Karen Fitzgerald (Rich River GC) leads the A-Grade nett after an excellent first round of 67 which gives her a 4-shot buffer over Pascoe, Tracey Clouston (Numurkah GC) and Lauren Higgins (Warrnambool GC). Fitzgerald’s nett 67 also puts her atop of the leaderboard for the Vi Teasdale Trophy.
In B-Grade it was Julie Payne (Traralgon GC) who led the way with a score of 94. Closely following Payne is Port Fairy’s Jane Thompson who sits just one shot back on 95. Dorothy McGilivray (Heathcote GC) and Jan Livingston (Ballarat GC) sit in third position after opening rounds of 96.
Livingston, who played off a daily handicap of 22, leads the way in the nett after her first round of 74 puts her just one shot ahead of McGillivray who finished with 75 off her daily handicap of 21.
Murray Downs local Barb Cadd leads the way in C-Grade as she drew upon all her local knowledge to post a 96 and take a commanding 4 shot lead into the second day. Julie Mahney (East Framlingham) and Robyn Hose (Port Fairy) will be chasing Cadd as they sit 4 shots back and tied for second place. Cadd also has the pole position in the nett competition, having finished with 73 off her daily handicap of 23 which puts her two in the clear from Hose.
D-Grade is poised for a great finish with 9 players all within 4 shots of the lead. The two out in front are Clifton Springs duo Shirley Fifer and Pat Egan who finished with 105. Robyn Ballinger (Warnambool GC) will be one of many trying to catch the pair as she sits just one shot back. In the nett, Fifer’s 77 off a daily handicap of 28 places her 1 head of Egan who played off 27. Also posting a nett 78 was Marg Midgley (Coomealla GC) and Cindy Burnett (Euroa GC) who played off daily handicaps of 30 and 29 respectively.
Beautiful conditions are forecasted to continue for round 2 tomorrow as players battle it out for supremacy at the pristine Murray Downs Golf and Country Club.
To view overall results & both the Gross & Nett Championship leaderboards, please click here.