Open final- Jeremy Briggs vs John Mossop

Jeremy Briggs will take on John Mossop in the battle to become the Patrick of Coonawarra Penola Golf Club Open champion on Sunday. Both are chasing their first title after previously being the bridesmaids in recent years. The absence of seven time winner, Jock Agnew, due to a career threatening shoulder injury, has no doubt paved the way for either Briggs or Mossop to claim their first title. However, each  is worthy of being crowned champion after winning their way into the final in emphatic style. 

Briggs accounted for Greg Hutchesson in the morning round with a comfortable victory, before playing very solid golf to defeat a tired Don Ferguson in the afternoon. Ferguson didn’t do himself any favours, however Briggs would have been hard to beat in any circumstances given the way he played. 

Mossop  defeated Storer in the morning  round finishing on the 15th. He took on number one ranked Nathan ‘Schnitzel’ Williams in the afternoon.  Mossop got away to a solid start and was three up at the turn. A rare three putt on the 10th from Williams put Mossop four up and the writing was on the wall. By the time the 13th was played, Williams was dormy five. However, a spirited fight back in front of a growing gallery saw Mossop only two up with two to play. He coolly drained his 3 foot part on the 17th for the half which was enough to see him into the final. 

The final should be a great contest to watch and is a hard one to pick the winner. Briggs would start slight favourite given current form, although Mossop’s mental toughness and desire to win will make him hard to shake. 

B-Grade Final  - Peter Walker vs George Kidman

This match will see the battle of power vs precision. Peter Walker has had plenty of experience and has probably played more rounds at Penola then Kidman has sheep in his paddock. Walker will be solid all day with anything more than a bogey a rarity.  Kidman will be long off the tee all day, but how accurate will be the issue. Both players had a bye in the quarter final and comfortable wins in the afternoon semis. 

Walker accounted for Mikey Redman and Kidman disposed of Tony Gleeson with a few holes up his sleeve. This game could go either way with the lead set to change at any stage. Kidman will be keen to take home his first Penola GC title, but with Walker being a stalwart of the club, it may not be a popular win! 

C-Grade – Paul Harmer vs Bill Cheers

As in the B-Grade, this match sees the number one and two qualifiers play off in an even contest. Harmer went within an inch of winning the B-Grade title last year, and back a grade in C-Grade sees him with a realistic chance of winning. Cheers has been solid off the tee all year, but the confidence, or lack of, with his putter could be the difference. 

Both players had solid wins in their quarter and semi finals to advance to the final. Cheers defeated Blue Kuhl in the morning and David Boyd in the afternoon, whilst Harmer had wins over Mal Redman and Ant Mathys. This will be another tight contest, with either a good chance of taking out the title. 

D-Grade: Allen Meyer vs Trevor Williams

This match sees Glencoe vs Tarpeena in a classic battle. Meyer from spud country,  has a solid game and uses his strengths to great advantage. He is a previous winner and would have to start favourite for this match. Meyer had a bye in the quarter final after a few late withdrawals and his job to win through to the final was made easier by John Foggo and Mark Edwards battling it right out to the 21st hole, with Foggo the victor. He couldn’t keep his winning form going as Meyer cruised to a comfortable win. Williams had to win two games to get through and solid wins against Lee Bateman and John Gregory gave him a chance to win his first title. The punter’s money would be with Meyer, but championship golf can throw up some interesting results. 

All finals will be played over 36 holes starting from 8:30am  with presentations at the conclusion of the last match, about 4pm. Spectators are welcome. 

A big field of 85 players turned out for a very successful Ambrose day at Penola Golf Club on Sunday. The charity day set out to help raise funds to run a Men’s Watch program in Penola to support Men’s Health, and at the final count, $1685 was raised from the event.

The day opened with Wattle Range Council Mayor and strong supporter of Men’s Mental Health, Mr Peter Gandolphi, addressing the crowd about the benefits of having a men’s watch program in Penola.

With loud shirts being the order of the day, each team was encouraged to have at least two non-golfers, with most teams managing a few more than that. There were plenty of airies and laughs as some players were having their debut game of golf.

Despite this, there were lots of prizes on offer thanks to generous donations from local businesses, individuals and the Williams family.

The overall winners on the day was the team of Jock Agnew, David Marcus, Billy Whennan and Steven Skeer, who shot a very commendable 67.

In the Men’s division, the winners were John Wilkinson, Phil McDonald, Ben Chapman and Ant Mathys who went round in 72. The runner’s up were Sam Davidson, Tony Gleeson, Jordan Galpin and Jacob Pfitzner who finished with 73.

The handicap prize was won by Birdie Burgess, Tony O’Connell, Paul Fitzpatrick and James Gosse with a very respectable nett 56. They were followed closely by Brett Williams, Andrew March, Spog French, David Williams and Sid Jones who came home with nett 57 ½.

The mixed teams seemed to have much more success than the men’s teams with a few very good scores. The gross winners were Greg and Cindy Hutchesson and Hayley Smith who scored very well with 69 off the stick. They were closely followed by Leo and Sue Price, Mark Edwards and Michael Mourbey, who had 70.

The mixed nett winners were Peter Walker, Luke Walker, Bradley Walker and Janice Coote with nett 55 5/8. Runners up were Richard Barnes, K Delaney, Joe and April Possingham, who finished with nett 56.     

The Kalangadoo crew of Bruce Redford, David Boyd, B Morcom and G Casey didn’t go home empty handed as they managed to take out the NAGA prize.

The best dressed team went to Deb and Blue Kuhl and Greg and Ange Foster with their Hawaiian themed cart.

The nearest the pins went to James Moorish (7th), Spog French (9th), Aaron Peek (13th), Carmen Clayfield (13th), Tony Gleeson (14th) and Jock Agnew (16th).

Long drives were won by Carmen Clayfield, Cindy Hutchesson, Janice Coote and for the men, Sam Burgess, Joe Possingham and Richard Barnes.

Despite the cooler weather and showers on arrival, players still turned out to brighten up the day and raise money for a good cause. Further information about the Mens’ Watch program will be advertised soon, with an information night due to be held in early December.   

The golf on Saturday was as hot as the temperature the day before with one of the biggest fields for the year with 32 players starting for the stableford competition.

The standout golfer with a magnificent 44 points was David Strother to win the B grade and have score of the day. Stroth played well above himself and was scoring freely with only a slight hiccup on the last 2 holes of the front 9 to finish with 21 points before the hotdog break. After the break Stroth really had a hot streak with 5 pars to have a impressive 23 points.

A countback was needed to separate the runner-up with Tony Gleeson edging out Trent Nankivell with both having 42 points. Gleeson had the better back 9 with 22 points with 6 pars and may have had a chance for the win had he not wiped the 4th hole. Nankivell had a great start with 24 points on the front but slowed considerable on the back.  Ant Mathys rounded out the last position with an uneventful 40 points.

There was a log jam in the A grade with 3 players all carding 40 points. In the last group of the day, Shane Anderson got over the line with 23 points on the back 9 to edge out John Mossop who was clubhouse leader. Lofty had 8 pars and a birdie on the 9th and was enjoying the atmosphere of his playing group.

 Mossop had 2 birdies and 9 pars in his round and thought he had done enough to beat Lindsay Storer, who had burned up the course on the front 9 for 24 points, which was one under par, before struggling after the break. Another countback for fourth was needed with Don Ferguson edging out Leo Price with 38 points.

Patrick’s of Coonawarra nearest the pin winners were Peter Walker the 7th, Mal Redman the 9th and Andrew Hutchesson on the 16th. The best 2nd on the 12th went to Daniel Rixon visiting from the Mount Pleasant Golf club. The Toffee and Treats Naga went to Mal Redman who had a day not to remember with a struggle all day which still would not have fazed him.

This Sunday will see a four ball Ambrose starting at 10 o’clock with proceeds’ going towards Men’s Watch. It is open to Men and women golfers and non golfers with some great donated prizes up for grabs. Hopefully a large turnout will attend for this worthwhile cause.

Ian ‘Jock’ Agnew is poised to take out his seventh Patrick of Coonawarra Open Club Championship at Penola Golf Club on Sunday after winning his way through to the final. Remarkably, Agnew has faced six different opponents in his previous wins, and on Sunday he faces a seventh, in Leo Price. Price was the number one qualifier and is no slouch when it comes to match play golf, having a terrific record in pennant matches over the past few years. He is certainly capable of beating Agnew on his day, but if Agnew is switched on, Price will need to near par the course to win.

Agnew won his way through to the final after winning in two entertaining quarter and semi-finals matches. He took longer than expected to defeat a stubborn David Murray 4&3 in the morning, before having a good battle with Jeremy Briggs in the afternoon semi-final. Briggs accounted for Lindsay Storer on the 19th in the quarter final, and was always in touch with Agnew throughout most of the semi. However, Agnew’s consistency helped him get over the line 3&2.

Price had a tough match with George Kidman, which went all the way to the 17th before Price prevailed 2&1. In the other quarter-final, John Mossop accounted for Don Ferguson 4&3, surprisingly, it was Mossop’s short game which was superior and helped him account for Ferguson.

The semi-final between Mossop and Price started out very scratchy, with players take a while to find their games and a par. It soon warmed up and pars and birdies started flowing before Price won 3&2.

The final promises to be an intriguing contest, but with it being over 36 holes, it would be hard to see Agnew getting beaten

Evans to take on Harmer in the B-Grade Final

The B-Grade winner’s board will have a new name after Curt Evans and Paul Harmer both won through to the final, with neither having one a B-Grade title before. Evans has improved his accuracy and consistency since joining up at Penola 12 months ago and will be a good chance to win the title given current form. This will be Harmer’s second crack at the B-Grade title after going down to Grant Stephenson two years ago.

Both players didn’t have an easy passage through to the final, playing extra holes in the quarter finals. Evans accounted for Tony Gleeson on the 19th before taking on the odds on favourite, Peter Walker, in the afternoon. Walker wasn’t quite on song but take nothing away from Evans performance, coasting home 4&3 in the afternoon semi-final.

Harmer took 20 holes to defeat Andrew Hutchesson in a game that could have gone either way. Both players had their chances before Hutchesson stumbled on the 20th.

In the semi-final,  Harmer took on Shane Anderson, who had earlier easily accounted for John Wilkinson, despite suffering from a 24 hour virus. Anderson stocked up on medication and was a tough opponent in the afternoon. He looked the likely winner after being one up with one to go. However, Harmer parred the 18th and went on to win on the 19th hole, his 39th hole for the day!

This looms to be an even contest, although Evans would have to start marginally favourite given current form.

The butcher to take on the Bullock

The C-Grade final looks to be an interesting one with former butcher and now your friendly grocer, Shane McPherson, taking on Pete Bullock. Bullock is no stranger to winning titles after doing so many years ago. After a long layoff, he is back this season and showing great form. McPherson is struggling from a bad shoulder, but had enough painkillers to get through two finals. He is another player who on his day can play well above his handicap.

Bullock had the easier run through to the final with a bye in the morning due to player withdrawals, but in the afternoon he had a potentially tough opponent in Steven Skeer. Skeer has been in good form in recent weeks and only took 14 holes to account for David Strother in the quarter final. However, Bullock was solid all day and eventually got his nose in front before winning 3&2.

McPherson had to do it the hard way, accounting for David Boyd in the morning on the 15th before taking on a well-rested Bill Cheers, who also had a bye. It was a close and absorbing battle before McPherson came out on top winning 2&1

Bullock would have to start favourite, however, if McPherson can get his shoulder right, he won’t be far off the mark.  

Mathys and Meyer to battle it out

Ant Mathys will take on Allen Meyer in the D-Grade final, after the latter defeated Trevor Williams in the semi-final. Mathys is yet to win a championship, and after finishing runner up last year, he will be keen to get his name on the board. Meyer will also be keen to add to his trophy cabinet and will attempt to win his second title. Mathys form has been good of late, and if he doesn’t succumb to the pressure, would be a good chance.

Draw for the Patrick of Coonawarra Club Championship finals on Sunday 12th October

8:45am  D-Grade- Ant Mathys  vs Allen Meyer   

9:00am C-Grade- Pete Bullock  vs Shane  McPherson 

9:15am B-Grade – Curt Evans vs Paul Harmer

9:30am Open – Jock Agnew vs Leo Price

Leo Price was right on his game to take out the Bernie Flood Conveyancers Monthly Medal at Penola Golf Club in Saturday. His score of nett 69 was not only good enough to win the A-Grade but to be round of the day as well. Leading into club championships, it was just the form Price would have liked. He had 36 off the stick on the front nine which included 5 pars and two birdies before slowing down on the back nine.

A solid field of 24 golfers enjoyed the warm conditions, although the strong winds and tricky pin placements made some holes more difficult than usual.

The A-Grade field wasn’t large, but they showed why they are in that grade with all but one having satisfactory scores.

Runner up was Jock Agnew, who had 76 off the stick for a nett 71. He also had 36 of the stick on the front nine, having played this nine last. A rare 4-putt on the 12th was the only blemish on his card and may have cost him the win.

In third place was the silver fox himself, Don Ferguson, with a nett 72. He had a solid consistent performance that included five pars and two birdies. 

John Mossop rounded out the placings finishing fourth with nett 74. This was a good result after a picket fence start of five single pointers. His finishing nine included six pars which the big fella would have been happy with.

In the B-Grade, a count-back was needed to separate three players who all finished with nett 70. Steven Skeer got the nod after scoring 22 points on the back nine which included six pars.

Runner up was Peter Walker with 19 points on the back nine. Whilst more consistent, walker would be disappointed with having 32 putts and this probably cost him the win. He still had seven pars and a birdie on the 17th to show no signs of slowing down.

Graham Pope finished third after another solid round. Despite his handicap drifting out, he showed that he still has a bit of form left with five pars in a consistent performance.

Paul Harmer finished fourth with nett 71. The highlight of the round for him would have been the birdie on eighth.    

In the C-Grade, Mark Edwards was the winner with nett 73. After a not so great first nine, he was six shots better on the back nine which helped him get over the line. He was helped considerably by a chip in for birdie on the 12th for a birdie.

Ant Mathys was runner up with nett 74 after another sound round, beating John Foggo on countback.

In the nearest the pin competitions, the winners were John Mossop (7th), Allen Meyer (9th) and Tony Gleeson (best 2nd on the 12th).

The longest drives were won by Ben Doolan, John Wilkinson and Mark Edwards in the A, B and C grace respectively. Apparently Mark Edwards drive was only marginally longer than one of his drives in lawn bowls. Dave Murray won the putting competition on his own countback.

2014 sees the end of the over 25 years of sponsorship from Bernie Flood Conveyancing. The club would like to publicly thank him for his support over the past 25 years. Small clubs like Penola would not be able to survive if it wasn’t for the support of loyal sponsors.

With daylight savings back on, twilight golf will begin again this Friday, October 10th. This competition is open to all players, both members and non-members. Cost is only $10 (members $5) which includes 9 holes and a free BBQ at the conclusion of play. Tee off is between 5:00 and 5:30pm at the Penola Golf Club. 

With daylight savings about to kick in, twilight golf will begin again on October 10th. This competition is open to all players, both members and non-members. Cost is only $10 (members $5) which includes 9 holes and a free BBQ at the conclusion of play. Tee off is between 5:00 and 5:30pm at the Penola Golf Club. 

With finals fever in the air, the Penola Golf Club is the next club to go into finals mode. This Sunday sees the Club Championship Quarter and Semi-Finals, both played over 18 holes. The finals will be played next Sunday, 12th September.

Order of play will begin with the C-Grade. Matches will be 9.00 S Skeer (4) v D Strother (5), 9.06 S McPherson (3) v D Boyd (6) with Pete Bullock (1) and Bill Cheers (2) awaiting their opponents in the afternoon.

In the B-Grade, the matches will be 9.12 C Evans (4)  v T Gleeson (5), 9.18 S Anderson (3) v J Wilkinson (6), 9.24 P Harmer (2) v  A Hutchesson (7) with Peter Walker (1) having a first round bye.

In the Open Championship  the order will be 9.30 J Mossop (4) v D Ferguson (5), 9.36 J Briggs (3) v L Storer (6), 9.42 J Agnew (2) v D Murray (7)and  9.48 L Price (1) v G Kidman (8).

The D grade will tee off at 11:00 with A Meyer (2) taking on T Williams (3) to decide who will meet A Mathys (1) in the final.

Don Ferguson has found a good patch of form heading into this weekend’s championship finals after a very solid nett 68 in tricky conditions at Penola Golf Club  on Sunday. Despite the Bureau of Meteorology issuing severe weather warnings for gale force winds, 22 golfers took on the course for the Monthly Medal stroke play championship. Ferguson would have been chuffed with his win, but unfortunately he hadn’t won a Monthly Medal in the past 12 months and therefore was ineligible to be crowned the A-Grade stroke play champion.  This didn’t take the swagger out of his step as he hit 11 pars and a birdie on the 8th on his way to a comfortable victory.

Runner up was Lindsay Storer, who more importantly, won the A-Grade stroke play championship as the highest placed monthly medal winner. Storer had nett 72, mainly thanks to a strong back nine where he picked up 21 points after having 38 off the stick.

John Mossop finished third with nett 73 and would have learnt a lot after playing with his quarter final opponent. Peter Walker finished fourth in another steady display, shooting nett 74.

In the B-Grade, Pete Bullock had a stellar day as he hit nett 69 to win the day’s prize, as well as the B-Grade stroke play championship. He was consistent all day with pars coming regularly and had an added bonus of sinking a putt from off the green on the 7th for a birdie.

A three way countback was needed to decide the runner up, with Ant Mathys winning with his nett 76. His score was also good enough to win the C-Grade stroke play championship.

Allen Meyer finished third on countback also with nett 76, narrowly ahead of Paul Harmer.

The nearest the pins were won by Paul Harmer (7th), Jeremy Briggs (9th), Tony Gleeson (16th) with the best 2nd on the 12th taken out by Greg Hutchesson.

A small field of 9 players contested in a stableford competition on AFL Grand Final day. David Strother finished with the best score of 37 points, narrowly ahead of Bill Cheers and Leo Price on 36 points.   

Next Saturday is the Bernie Flood Monthly Medal, with the forecast so far set to hit a toasty 28C. This event will be followed the next day by the club championship quarter and semi-finals. 

A dedicated group of 19 players battled out the final round of the Captain’s Stableford Trophy in perfect golfing weather.

The best scores came from the B grade where a countback was needed to determine the winner with Ant Mathys winning over Bill Cheers. Both players had 40 points but Mathys had the better back 9 which gave him the victory. He managed to avoid the dreaded wipe out, with nothing worse than a double bogey. A birdie on the 17th was a highlight which yielded him 4 points for that hole.

Cheers was having a day out early with 21 points on the front with a clinical card of 2 pars and the rest bogeys. A little trouble after the break saw him score only one point on the first 2 holes before finishing strong, also scoring a birdie on the 17th.

A further one point behind was Allen Meyer who on most days would have done enough for the win. He too started strong with 21 points before the turn before having a run of 3 doubles before getting onboard the bogey train to finish with 39 points. Pete Bullock again was in the top 4 with a lazy 37 points. He had a stellar front with 23 points before struggling home with a meagre 14 points.

In the A grade Jeremy Briggs again came out on top with 37 points. With his current form he is looking to be one of the favourites come Championships. A countback saw Curt Evans beat out Peter Walker with both scoring 36 points. Evans was more consistent on the back 9 which was the catalyst of his score with Walker having a rare wipe on the 14th potentially costing him the overall victory. Rounding out the last position was President Stump Murray with 35 points.

Patrick’s of Coonawarra NTP winners were Bullock the 7th, Walker 9th with Briggs taking the best 2nd on the 11th. The card steward, Andrew Hutchesson, was reluctant to write in the NAGA as he had a day not to remember with a paltry 28 points which was low enough to take home the chocolates.