Tight at top as big day looming
IT’S a packed leaderboard in the Tasmanian Open Golf Championships as competitors prepare for a marathon day today.
After the opening day was cancelled because of high winds and greens that were too slick, organisers have decided the field will play 36 holes today to ensure the event remains a 72-hole competition.
Both the men’s and the women’s leaderboards are crammed, especially in the men’s section where just one stroke separates the top five.
Defending champion Aiden Didone (Victoria), James Conran (NSW) and Toby Walker (Victoria) all shot one-under-par rounds of 71 in partly cloudy conditions at Ulverstone Golf Club.
Didone was at two-under going into the final hole, the par-three 18th, but dropped a shot to be left in a three-way tie for the first round.
Just a shot behind the leading trio is local hopeful, Brayden Field from the Wynyard Golf Club, the leading Tasmanian at even par along with Western Australia’s Hayden Hopewell. It was a tough scoring round in the women’s side with no one breaking or reaching par.
Victoria’s Alexandra Hilliard and last year’s runner-up Kathryn Norris of Western Australia are tied for the lead after the first round of the Women’s Tasmanian Open Golf Championship.
Norris and Hilliard both returned one-over-par rounds of 74 and lead a quartet of golfers on three-overpar.
Port Sorell’s Sarah Johnstone, Queensland’s Rhianna Lewis, Amelia Whinney of South Australia and Tasmania Golf Club junior Mackenzie Wilson all returned 76.
Queensland’s Stephen Toyne leads the Men’s Tasmanian Senior Masters by one stroke at five-over-par from Tasmania’s Robbie Bernie and Richard Denholm, Queensland’s Brad Dowling and Victoria’s Stephen Valentine.
Prospect Vale Golf Club’s Tammy Hall holds a commanding four-stroke lead in the Women’s Tasmanian Senior Masters.
Hall leads fellow club member Lindsay French and Royal Hobart Golf Clubs Lindy Goggin, both at 14over.