There really isn’t much that Melita Watson hasn’t done as a player and administrator in the Hunter River District golfing scene, but her incredible surprise victory as the Closed Champion at the Hunter River District Foursomes Championships surely has to take some beating.
While Merewether’s Dom Kelly and Maitland’s Katrina Skinner-Oyston won the Open Foursomes title with a score of 86, Watson and her partner, Renee Bean Wyper, firing off an 88, proved to be the incredible story of the day.
It was 1969 when Hunter Valley’s Watson won her first title, the inaugural Foursomes Championship with Pauline Thomas.
Fast forward to 2025, 56 years and 11 titles later, Watson teamed with Bean-Wyper to blitz the field, winning the Closed Foursomes Championship (Closed is for HRDGA members only) , the Closed best nett and the Best nett over the entire field.
And even more remarkable is that today’s stunning suprise victory almost didn’t happen at all.
Watson was set to play with her daughter Peree and Bean-Wyper was initially playing with fellow Kurri member Sue Ford, but both ladies had to unexpectedly withdraw, so just the night before the round, Watson and Bean-Wyper decided to give the Foursomes a try.
“I never ever thought I would get my name on a Hunter River Championship, I thought those days were well and truly gone but it was a real thrill,” Watson said.
With a gap in age and difference of 8 in handicap, Watson admits to being awkward playing with her younger partner today.
“I was very nervous today, I thought she was a bit out of my league but Renee was very nice,” she said.
“I was just trying to stay on the fairway and not doing anything stupid.”
Consistency has always been the key to Watson’s winning ways. While she has tasted singles success seven times over a 26 year period, her name has been missing from the silverware since 2016 when she won the inaugural HRDGA Sand Greens Championship.
But if you ask Bean-Wyper, Watson is still a wonderful player.
“I tell you what, she is a straight shooter she hits it so straight down the middle,” Renee said.
“I would put her in a couple of bunkers and she would just get out, we were a good team.”
But Watson was also impressed with the big hitting and short game prowess of Bean-Wyper.
“I was in awe of her iron shots,” said Watson.
“I just wish I was able to sink a couple of those birdie putts that she put nice and close, but anyway a great day.”
While Maitland’s Katrina Skinner-Oyston was happy to win the Open Foursomes Championship with Dom Kelly, as the favourites, she admitted they could have played a bit better.
“We had some good holes but we only got one birdie, we were hoping for a little more, ” she said.
“There was nothing really special, no chips in or anything exciting, we sort of fought for every shot really.”
In Division Two, the perennial HRDGA winner, Lynda McDougall from Pacific Dunes teamed up with Charlestown’s Robyn Watson to take the title over 5 shots from the Vintage’s Robyn Moore and Dagmar Niedergesass.
From L-R Renee Bean-Wyper, Melita Watson and Katrina Skinner-Oyston (absent Dom Kelly)
Closed Foursomes Champions, Closed Foursomes Nett Champions and Nett Champions Over the Field Renee Bean-Wyper (Kurri) and Melita Watson (Hunter Valley)
2025 Foursomes Champion Maitland’s Katrina Skinner-Oyston ( absent Dom Kelly)