By Casey O'Connor
We are midway through March and already it has been a hectic month for Warwick Sporters with big fields and the final of the much-anticipated 2022 Sporters Shootout.
Seventy-four sporters members and visitors got March off to a strong start teeing off in the March Pro Shop sponsored stroke event.
The winner, Jessie Ollerton returned a strong score of 63 nett off his 19 handicap. runner up Trevor Davies returned 64 nett off his handicap of 27. (I’m told Mr Golflink should be looking closely at this pair and has some work to do.)
Good fields continued with another large group were on course for the March Bells Butchery Stableford trophy. The winner Sam McLennan returned 36 points off his two handicap ( still too high?) ahead of runner up Robin Farrell 35 points.
Last week (16/3) Sporters played the much-anticipated 2022 Sporters Shootout. The Shootout is the culmination of 12 months play and the highlight of the Sporters’ year.
The 19 qualifiers gathered on the club deck before heading to the first tee to receive their Shootout Shirts from long time sponsor Danny Lyons of Danny Lyons Sports.
In what may be a miracle (at least beyond recent memory, I am told) not one of the 19 involved in the final went out of bounds at the first. The hole ended in a chip off between Ian Skillen and Terry Bennett with Ian winning the Brandman trophy. Despite his best efforts, Terry was unable to invoke a Presidential pardon and departed the field at the second. Others including Keith Clarke, Doug Rickert, Mort Henderson and Wayne Watt followed shortly after.
As the lunch break rolled round Ray Dudley and Mal Galloway had also joined that group.
Two of the big money favourites, Sam McLennan and Unlucky Garry Adcock fell by the wayside at the 10th and 11th.
Ross Kingston bombed his chip in on 13th and was the next to go. Danny Lyons came to grief on 14.
The bad luck story of the round came on the 15th. After hitting his drive into the rough on the left (why go there in the first place), Stu Wade found his ball stuck in a log and had to take an unplayable one stroke penalty.
Despite that set back, Wade almost pulled the fat out of the fire until Mark Thomas hit his third shot into the burn and it somehow rebounded back onto the fairway. Bye bye Stu.
Charlie Morrison bombed the 16th leaving Mike Hoskin, Garry Two Names and Mark Thomas to do battle on the money holes.
Hoskin departed at the 17th as the final two teed off on 18.
Garry Two Names saved his absolute worst for the money hole and never hit the fairway opening the door for Mark Thomas to claim the big prize and bragging rights.
A major event such as the Shootout does not happen without a great deal of hard work and effort behind the scenes.
A big thank you from all Sporters to Treasurer, Don Warrener who maintained the shootout scores for the full year. Thanks also to Keith Farrell and Con Seibel who as referees of the shootout added yet another journey over the 18 holes to their resumes.
This year they were joined by apprentice referee Gary Hanson and newly elected Sporters Secretary, who showed he is not adverse to remonstrating with noise makers and errant royal buggy drivers.
The substitute Stableford event played after the shootout saw 27 non qualifiers tee off in the Warwick Hotel trophy and was won Ron Simon (36 points) from Peter Hynes on a countback. Figuring in the ball rundown was Laurance King, Mick Banks and Trevor Malone. (Sporters, the only club in Oz with two Kings and three Presidents).
After the highs and lows of the Shootout, Sporters shared this thought from Ralph Waldo Emerson, “Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.’ (Here is a man who obviously never hit a ball into the left hand rough on the 15th).
