The Vintage’s Jane Holmes has streeted the field to take out both the Open and Closed Hunter River District Championships at the Hunter Valley Golf Club.
The Open event is for all competitors while the Closed Championship is for Hunter River District Members only.
Firing off an impressive 82 despite several difficult pin positions, Holmes defeated last year’s winner Lyn Banks and Singleton’s Jodie Dunn by two shots.
While most players reported putting woes, the flatstick was Jane’s best friend today.
“My putting was pretty spot on, I’d say I would have had about 28 or 29,” she said.
“A couple of the pins today were in absolute vicious positions, especially the first and the
15th, they really stick out as pretty nasty, but I think I was able to avoid three putting which was nice.”
Jane relocated from Sydney a few years ago and is delighted to add today’s trophy to her Hunter River Sand greens championship win in 2022.
“It was great to win at Merriwa, but this is my biggest win in the Hunter, so I’m pretty stoked.”
In the Division Two championships, Pacific Dunes’ Lynda McDougall made it back to back wins having won at Cypress Lakes last year.
“I’m not sure how I did it today, I’m really surprised,” she said.
“I think a few trees helped push the ball back out on the fairway when they were going haywire and the weather probably helped as there was a lot of run on the ball.
“I had no idea I would be able to achieve this, it’s just huge, I’m ecstatic.”
Lynda shot 97 defeating the Vintage’s Robyn Moore by one stroke, not that Robyn was too unhappy. Her 98 off the stick was enough to see her crowned the Division Two Closed Champion and more impressively her nett 68 score meant she took out the Overall District Nett Championship.
“I came in today thinking I was making up the numbers, this is my first big win here, so I am very happy,” she said.
“I did have a good day out today, I didn’t get in any bunkers and didn’t doing anything stupid.”
A golfer for just three years, Everglades’ Margaret Burton wasn’t even sure if she should have entered the tournament.
“I’m glad I did now,” she laughed. “I never played in England but when I came out here I took it up and I just love it.”
The Division Three Championship is a Stableford event, and Margaret’s stronger back nine of 19 points meant she was able to defeat Aberdeen’s Dawn Jamieson on a countback.
Not that the ever pleasant Dawn was complaining. She went home with the Division Three Closed Championship.
“I just came along today to play and I didn’t expect to place in anything,” she said.
“But my drives up the fairway were good and I didn’t get into the bunkers which was a nice change,” she laughed.
“I’ve enjoyed it and I enjoyed the company; it was great.”
The final day of the Hunter River District Championships concludes tomorrow with the Foursomes tournament to be contested at Cypress Lakes Golf Club.
