Massey cards best score

WITH conditions looking threatening a smaller than normal field of only 81players took part in the Men’s Par Round, sponsored by Empak Homes, at the Mount Gambier Golf Club on July 19.

The weather fluctuated throughout the day and made golf difficult at times which resulted in only four players, all A Graders, been able to beat their handicaps.

Best score of the day went to Hayden Massey (2) in A Grade (-9.0 – 10.0) with +3.

Massey started well, birdieing the opening hole and then followed this with four pars, before birdieing the par 3 sixth hole.

Pars on the seventh and ninth holes were separated by another birdie on the par 3 eighth.

This had Massy firing a 3 under par 33 off the stick and his score at +3.

Massey held his form on the back nine to match his handicap, closing out the round with a final birdie on the last hole.

David Lightbody (2), from the Blackwood Golf Club, was runner up with +2.

Lightbody shot two bogies, five pars and two birdies on his front nine, to be square with the card before playing the back nine with six pars and two birdies to get to +3 before a double bogey 6 on the seventeenth hole had him finish at +2.

Jason Millhouse (12) took out B Grader (11.0 – 16.0) with a score of square, courtesy of a countback that separated him from Tony Geddes (12).

Millhouse played the more consistent golf, playing to his handicap on both nines, while Geddes couldn’t retain his good form from his outward nine.

Geddes turned at +3, after a double bogey, two bogies, five pars and a birdie on the par 3 sixth, to have shot a 3 over the card 39.

The tenth, fourteenth and seventeenth holes weren’t kind to Geddes as he handed back the scores for him to finish at square overall.

C Grade (17.0 – 45.0) saw Peter Emetlis (18) take out the win with 1 down (-1).

Like a lot of players on the day, Emetlis had a better score on the front nine.

Turning at +1 which included a couple of pars and a birdie on the par 4 third hole. The back nine had more challenges, with him scoring –2 .

A countback was required to determine the runners up spot with Kevin Lennon (20) edging out Cameron Buchanan (32) after both ended up on a score of –2.

Lennon’s splits of +1 on the front and –3 on the back just eclipsing Buchanan’s +2 and –4.

Apart from Massey and Lightbody, only Robert Perryman (9) and Nic Clayton (7) were able to score better than their handicaps.

To win one of of the remaining 18 balls players needed a score of –4 or better on a countback. Hayden Massey (2) won the nearest to the pin on the eighth hole with Tony Revill (14) taking out the win on sixteenth.JULY 17 RESULTS

Eighty-six golfers contested the Thursday Stableford competition, with Darren Earl (10) reigning supreme over the field finishing with 38 points.

This continues Earl’s good form of late which includes victories in some of the local Veterans events.

Earl’s front nine finished with him having 18 points, to be square with his handicap.

His back nine started well, scoring three points for a par on the tough par 3 tenth hole.

Further pars on the twelfth, thirteenth and seventeenth holes and a birdie on the par 3 sixteenth added an additional 20 points to his tally.

It was a close call for Earl, as he required a countback to take the win from Peter Miller (13) who also finished on 38 points.

However, scoring only 17 points on the inward nine meant Earl took the win.

Having his first wipe for the day on the very last hole would have no doubt have annoyed Miller and certainly cost him the win.

Nic Clayton (6) and Chris Gabriel (14) both finished with 37 points to be the only other players to better their handicaps on the day and take out the minor placings.

The remaining players required 34 points or better to earn one of the remaining 14 balls.

Pro Shot winners were Bob Dalgarno (12) on the eighth and Bryan Hunt (11) on the sixteenth.