DUO’S DOUBLE GOLF DELIGHT
INNISFAIL Golf Club president Jake Cockle battled through “scrappy” starts on both days of the Gordonvale Open to claim the men’s Agrade crown last weekend.
Cockle took out the men’s top division after carding rounds of 73 and 72 for a twoday total of 145, but it wasn’t without adversity.
After the first round, Cockle was one off the tournament leader Wayne Christensen, who shot an unbeaten 72 on the opening day.
However, after stumbling his way through the first three holes in Sunday’s second round, Cockle’s hopes of winning his first Open tournament since 2013 at Groote Eylandt took a massive hit.
“I bogeyed the first three,” he said. “I was thinking to myself, ‘just keep your head, don’t go losing your cool and try and make a few birdies and get those bogeys back’.”
Cockle said he was hitting “solid” approach shots from the sixth, but didn’t hit a birdie until the eighth.
“Then, on number nine, I chipped it to six-foot and made another birdie,” he said.
“On 10, I drove it over the drain, hit a five-iron onto the green and had a 12-foot putt for eagle, which just lipped out, so made a third birdie there.
“That kick started the back nine for me and I was able to hold it together.”
Completing an Innisfail double at the event, Cockle’s fellow club member Addi Butorac took out the women’s Agrade division.
Butorac shot 77 on the first day and followed it up with 76 on day two.
“I was putting a lot better on the first day, but overall I can’t complain,” she said after her victory.
“I made a mental mistake on the 16th (on Sunday).
“The day before I birdied it, but I got a double on that hole the next day – but that’s golf.
“Apart from that, everything was pretty solid.
“I was very happy with the way I played and that I was able to take it out.”
The players will be gearing up for another solid outing when their home course hosts the Innisfail Open next month.