MURRAY DOWNS MEN
THE Free name has long been synonymous with golf in the Mid-Murray region, and following the results from the Juniors on the Move tournament, held at Deniliquin last Saturday, it will continue to be at the forefront of events for a long time to come.
Two of Murray Downs’ up-and-coming juniors, Lucas and Tara Free, took out their respective Open Juniors on the Move sections, with Lucas being the leading boy and Tara the leading girl.
The event was organized by Golf NSW as part of the Jack Newton Foundation and will continue to be regular feature for junior golfers across the region into the future.
These events are open to all junior golfers and they are encouraged to take part.
On the local scene, last Saturday’s competition was a 4BBB Stableford, beat the professional (Lisa Jean) and captain (Mick Kiley) event, from which the pro and captain were very generous, as they rewarded every pair that took part in the competition with a golf ball for their efforts.
The best score of the day came from Anthony Carroll and Harry Simpson with 44 points, who were just ahead of Scott Mathiske and Jason Perry (43) and Alistair Ferrier and Stuart Brumby (42).
The nearest the pins were taken out by Stuart Mclean on the 2nd, Jason Perry on the 5th, Justin Thompson on the 11th and Ross Hastings on the 15th.
Sunday’s competition was a singles Stableford event, played across two divisions.
Both divisions were decided by the countback system, with each player recording 36 points.
Division 1 went to Tristan Ramadge ahead of Jason Baird, while in Division 2, Riley Daniels came out on top, ahead of Justin Condely.
Other players required a score of at least 32 points to get a ball, with the nearest the pins going to Jonathon Hirst on the 5th, Darryl Domaille on the 11th and Tyrone Parkinson on the 15th.
Last Thursday’s competition was also a Stableford event, in three divisions, which saw Jorgen Leschke (9) the best in Division 1, with 38 points, and was followed by Barry Lacey with 36.
Malcolm Talbot (20) took out Division 2, also with 38 points, ahead of Andrew Cameron on 36, while in Division 3, the best there was Greg Daniels (26) with 33 points, just ahead of Paul Lea (30) of Blackwood Golf Club on 31 points.
The magical number required in the ball run-down was 32 points, while the nearest the pins went to Jorgen Leschke on the 2nd, Justin Thompson on the 5th, Chris Merritt claimed the jackpot on the 11th, with a shot into 56cm, and Rob Hinton on the 15th.
Tuesday’s play was a medley competition against par, where Shane Kelly (20) came out on top, with one up, over Ian Johansen (12) who finished with the same score. Mark Warren and Paul O’Loughlin led the ball run-down at square with the card, while the nearest the pins were taken out by Ross Hastings and Mark Warren on holes 5 and 15 respectively.
This Saturday will be the fourth round of the Swan Hill Wholesalers Premier League competition, which will have the Royal Goat Trackers up against the Sticky Bandits, who are expected to have a comfortable win, while the Presidents Cup are hoping to record their first win of the season against the Mallee Bulls, who should prove to be too strong.
In the other games, the match between Royal Capri and Mavericks will go right down to the wire, Bushrangers should be too good for Birdies and Quo Vadis Gladiators are hoping to have a win over Wannabees.
The ladder as it stands has Bushrangers and Royal Goats sharing top position with three wins and 12 points each, followed by Gladiators, Bulls and Mavericks all with two wins and eight points. Next is Birdies, Capri and Wannabees with one win each, while the Presidents mob and Sticky Bandits are bringing up the rear, with both teams yet to register a win.
MURRAY DOWNS LADIES
MORE than 70 ladies assembled on Wednesday morning to join the field for the inaugural Holt’s Mitsubishi Isuzu Ute two-person Ambrose day.
Trevor and Bev Holt have been valued major sponsors for many years going back to the days of the Donnington Golf Club and this event is much coveted by the Murray Downs ladies.
Winning the day, with a score of 69.75, was Lynne Bishop and Paula Pickert.
Marg Moore combined well with Rhonda Barrow (70) as second place getters, while coming in third was Val Hedwards and Chris Warburton (70.25).
Dianne Planrt and Nadine Cox topped the ball rundown with 70.25, while the nearest the pin winners were Janette Tucker, Lynne Bishop, Georgina Douglas and Jo Watts.
On Saturday, 15 pairs faced off with the captain and professional in a Stableford 4BBB competition. Barb Cadd combined superbly with Nadine Cox to finish with a very good score of 45 points, while the leaders of the ball rundown went down to 39, with Kerry Gammon and Sally Fearn (44).
Wendy Talbot, Lyn Merrett, Tina King and Ruth McAlister were all rewarded for close shots to the par 3s.
Sunday’s Stableford winner was Colleen Roberts who, on coming back from injury, hit a very respectable 38 points.
Shelley Wilkins (37) and Maz Morrison (37) both took home a ball for their efforts.
Sincere Condolences are extended to the family of Judi Benbow, who sadly passed away recently. Judi loved her golf and her company was enjoyed by all who played with her.
A highlight of her golfing days was winning the 2022 Murray Downs Golden Putter with Jenny Lynas, a prize that all local golfers aspire to win.
LAKESIDE
FIRST week of Club Championships was played on a beautiful sunny day, with Lois Heil finishing as the winner on (34) 70 points.
Runner-up on countback was Mandy Male (7) with 76 points, while the ball rundown went to Tina King and Trish Whitney.
Nearest the pins were won by: 3rd Lake Boga Cafe – Mandy Male, 7th Lake Boga Marine – Jenny Lynas, 12th HEC – Ruth McAlister and 18th J.Foster – Jenny Lynas.
