Waihi Pro-am attracts a big field
The start of the Waihi Golf Club season could not have started off any better this week with the Expol Legends Pro-am Tournament on Thursday being a huge success. However, the official opening of the 2024 season on Saturday was disappointingly curtailed by wet weather.
The Expol Legends Pro-am tournament had a big field of 115 players, and the organisers were thrilled to include 43 professional golfers, including 23 coming from Australia, and two from the United States. Most of the pro-golfers had never played Waihi before, and all were in high praise of the layout and playing conditions. The weather. with a cooling westerly breeze. couldn’t have been better, and the organisers and staff had left no stone unturned to make this inaugural event a success.
The players played in groups of two pros and three club players for a teams competition, and there was an overall Stableford competition for the Maureen Murray Cup and the pros played for a gross prize.
The winner of the Professionals Best Gross was Chris Taylor from Australia, with a great 6 under 66. It was the first time Chris had been to the course, so it was a great result, as it was for Bradley Burns also of Australia who was second with 69.
The winner of the overall stableford, and the Maureen Murray Cup was Waihi Life Member Avon Gordon with a wonderful 43 points. She headed off Chris Taylor on 42, with Rex Knight, Shoneen Dunning, and Glenn Ross on 41.
The Top Teams prize went to Andy Roche, Ron Arthur, and Glenn Ross, and their pro-paul Parlane (NZ). In second place two shots adrift were Gary Dunning, Daniel Oliver, Rex Knight, and their pro-gregory Rix (Aust).
A lively and fun prizegiving hosted by the club comedian Frank Van Hattum concluded this event which is planned to become an annual event thanks to the generous sponsorship of Expol.
The official club opening day was expected to be well attended but after an extended period of sunny weather, the day started with continuous heavy showers and a strong wind. A large number of members who had booked in withdrew their names, and it was a small group who gathered at the appointed start time.
It was decided to continue, and with the showers easing more members started to join the field. In the end, 32 players made up the field. The opening day competition is for the Don Browne Memorial Shield for teams of four.
The teams were computerselected at random from the entries. By a strange coincidence the organiser of the day John Libby found himself in the winning team, along with Vaughn Meads, Craig Sandlant, and Glen Braddock. In second was Logan Phillips, Graeme Parkinson, Craig Pooley, and Ian Diver.
Whangamata Mah Jong
Sixty-five players including 4 Monday players hit the tables on Friday.
The day started with 16 games with some hands deleted and some added, which created a challenge for some. The results were:
1st equal with 30 points - Carol Ferris and Irene Burns
3rd with 27points - Donna Lowrie Monday’s winner was Diane Mcgarald with 17 points