This coming Saturday is the annual Masterton Eagles Halberg Day and should be strongly supported by all our members. The Eagles Society is a group of current and past players dedicated to putting something back into golf for all the pleasure they have received from past participation. Each year the Eagles hold a fundraising tournament at clubs throughout NZ and the money raised goes to the Halberg Disability Sports Foundation. This fund is dedicated to provide grants, lessons, camps and equipment to enable disabled children and young people with a disability to become more active more often. The fund not only allows disabled children to participate with their peers, but enhances their quality of life and provides them with the same sense of enjoyment we all experience when we play sport. The Eagles have partnered the Halberg Foundation since 1969 and have raised almost $5m.
Our tournament, involving both our men and women members, has a $10 entry fee and excellent prizes. Cards have to be in by 12 noon. There will not be a club competition on this day. Our members are also supporting the day by providing cakes for the traditional auction after the golf and these should be at the club house by 10am, although ‘late’ entries will always be accepted!
Meanwhile this week the weather has cooperated and all our golf days have been well attended.
The ladies got a cloudy, but fine day for the Tuesday women’s club day which featured the Christiansen Trophy, a combined stableford event with silver and bronze drawn partners. Results were-
1st Jan Williams and Isobelle Weaver 72
2nd Jeanette McNae and Jane Buchanan 70
3rd Carolyn Stevenson and Trish Newcombe 69
The Quilters Lane Nearest the Pin was Brenda Blatchford and the Nearest the Pin on No 18 was Rachel Monk.
The Monday vets held the monthly ambrose round with a big field. Results were-
1st Helen Falloon, Charles Anderson, Derek Bamford, Bob Macfarlane 33
2nd Rex Fowler, Alan Sadler, Jack Richmond, Jill Slight 32
3rd Mary Herrick, Murray Wolland, Brian Pollock, John Carroll 31
The Fagan Ford Nearest the Pin was Murray Wolland.
On Thursday the New World Supermarket stableford competition had a runaway winner in Graeme Jones. His 43 points saw him way out in front of second placed Simon Buckley on 41 and third equal Nooroa Rota and Trevor Smith with 40. The All Teed Up Nearest the Pin was Simon Buckley but the ‘big’ winners of the day were Sereana Phillipps and Geoff Masters who shared a very small birdsnest.
The Wednesday 9 holers had a stroke round which was won by Mary Herrick with a 35 nett, followed by Jill Slight on 36 and then Lorraine Jones on 37. Val Diedrichs won the PGG Wrightson Longest Drive.
On Saturday the men played the qualifying round for the Maunsell Trophy while the women had a stableford round. The traditional way of competing for the Maunsell Trophy is to play a stroke round to qualify and then the top 16 play a par round, in this case, two weeks later. Results of the club competition were- Men
1st Ray Verhaart 66 nett
2nd Joe Tuoro 68
3rd Simon Buckley 69
4th Gavin Harris 70
Women
1st Nooroa Rota 36
The All Teed Up Nearest the Pin went to Allan Williams and No 18 to Gavin Harris.
Two major club competitions reached the finals stage over the weekend. In the mixed Jimmy Shearer 4BBB final Nooroa Rota and Simon Buckley played Marilyn and Jamie Strang over 18 holes. The first 9 holes were fairly even with very few holes being halved but then Nooroa Rota and Simon Buckley took control and won a number of successive holes to win 5 and 3.
The men’s Baker Fourball finalists have now been found and Carl Christensen and Ash Peterson will play Ray Verhaart and Simon Smith in the final.
This Saturday is Halberg Day but on Friday night, prior to the Halberg golf, the club is holding a quiz night so if you haven’t got your team of six organised do so quickly and be ready for a 7pm start upstairs in the 19th. In addition to the quiz there will be an auction for some great goods including a signed 2016 Hurricanes rugby jersey. Advance telephone bids will be taken!