Ford takes out stroke round

THE first of three qualifying rounds for the 2026 Blue Lake Golf club Women’s Handicap Championships sponsored by Caffe Belgiorno was played in stroke format last Wednesday with 34 hitting the fairways.

The was cool but mild conditions were appreciated as the long course set up for the qualifying along with some tricky pin placements saw a few extra strokes played with double bogies coming into play.

Division One saw a three-way countback between Annette Ford, Helen Myers and Ronda Edwards.

Ford was the victor signing for 100/27/73 with only one par on the dog-leg 15th in her splits of 53/47.

Next was Myers 91/18/73 after two consistent nine’s of 46/45 that Included a birdie on the par three 5th and a par on the 12th.

Third on the podium with 90/17/73 was women’s captain Edwards also with pretty even nines of 44/46 that saw pars on the 3rd, 5th and 15th with a fine birdie on the 12th.

Division Two winner was the evergreen Vivienne Wilson signing for 111/32/79 also with consistent nine’s of 55/56 that Included a par on the 12th.

For the second and third spots there was a four-way countback between Trudy-Anne Doyle, Lee Anderson, Bernadette Pedlar and Trudy Herbert after all signing for nett 81.

Doyle 115/34/81 claimed second spot after an outward 63 strokes reining it in with 52 strokes on the inward nine with a birdie on the 12th and a par on 16th.

Anderson 116/35/81 was also consistent on both nines with 59/57 albeit with a few too many double bogies creeping in.

Nearest to the pin 2nd shot on the 16th winners were Rosemary Martland (1.40) and Carol Melhuish (.80).

Pro-shot winner was Helen Myers (2.26). Birdies scored by Edwards 12th, Myers 5th. Chip-in ferrets awarded to Lesley McPherson 3rd, Lyn Gill 4th, Martland 6th and 10th, Myers10th, Edwards and Bernadette Pedlar 12th.

APRIL 11 RESULTS

This was a par round that attracted 23 women vying for a chance to be in the running for an end of year playoff in the Jen’s Hotel prize.

The weather was a bit on the wet, windy and cold side but that didn’t seem to impact on a few good scores recorded especially the winner Liza Kirby, who is pretty new to competition golf.

Kirby not only topped the women’s section but was the overall winner getting a spot in the Jens Hotel playoff later in the year signing for +3. Kirby played off a 36 handicap and scored 8 pluses, four squared along with several pickups.

Next was Fiona Pulford +1 after forcing a countback with Helen Stratford and Anita Klem also +1.

Pulford off 29 scored five pluses, Stratford off 22 had four pluses and Klem off 33 had nine pluses.

Other placegetters were Carol Downing 0 and Karen Panagopoulos-1.

Nearest to the pin and pro-shot winner (3.88) on the 5th was Helen Stratford.