THE penultimate event of the 2014/15 Victorian Race Series was played at another of Melbourne’s famous sandbelt courses - Huntingdale Golf Club.
Overcast skies and only a zephyr of breeze to speak of meant conditions were perfect for scoring.
The main challenge facing golfers would be mastering the course itself, which was presented in outstanding condition just a week out from hosting the Victorian PGA Championship.
By the end of the event, there were 12 players who managed to break handicap, the best of these being a score of 41 points by Glen Hill, who was the overall winner on the day. Glen’s win sees him qualify free for the State Final in March at Yarra Yarra Golf Club and also takes home a brand new Cobra Puma Golf stand bag and the winner’s medal.
Coming in second and third overall with 40 points were A-graders Damien Cooper and Mel Osborne, with Damien taking the A-grade win after a count back. It took another count back in C-grade to split four players all on 37 points, but in the end it was Darren Neil.
The Golf Buddy NTP Challenge on the par-three 12th-hole saw Luke Redpath come within just a few centimetres of claiming the national lead, his approach to 25cm now sitting him second on the national Leaderboard. Luke still walked away with a brand new Golf Buddy GPS golf watch for his efforts. On the second NTP hole, the par-three 3rd, Cliff Dobbie went within 1cm of $1,000 with his approach, the superb shot setting up the easiest of tap in birdies.
James Carrrolls’ drive of 290 meters was a super effort and won him the Men's Cobra Puma Go Looong Challenge while Julie Beswick was the ladies winner with a shot of 209 metres which, is now the second longest female drive of the year.
There is now just one qualifying event remaining and it is still Adam Sutherland who sits atop the Victorian Order of Merit. Adam put in his worst performance to date at Huntingdale to give the next three players a mathematical chance of catching him, but he still maintains a healthy lead of nearly 100 points to his nearest competitor and will certainly be hard to beat.
Don’t forget, the higher you finish on the Order of Merit, the lower your entry fee for the state final. As such, securing as many points as possible is certainly in everybody’s best interests, even if you cannot win the Order of Merit. To view the full Victorian Order of Merit standings click here.
The sixth and final qualifying event in Victoria will be held at a new venue for the Race Series - the Portsea Golf Club on the 6th of March. Don’t miss your chance to play this great links layout and be part of the 2014/15 Race to Bonville. We are expecting a large field so make sure you book early to avoid missing out. Click here to book.
As always, all the photos from the day can be found on the Golf Link Facebook page.
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