Still a novice, but Gabby’s already a champ

Paul Grant enjoys the highs and lows of golf.

Despite knowing nothing about the game only two years ago, Gabriella Latham-Callcott is now Noosa Springs’ women’s matchplay champion.

And she couldn’t be more excited.

A late starter in golf, Gabby, 21, took up the game as something to do when Covid pretty much shut down everything else.

In mid-2020 she persuaded her dad Mark to take her with him one day while he practised.

“That was it,” she said.

“I hit a few shots and I was hooked.”

She had some lessons, practiced what she’d been taught, joined Noosa Springs and quickly went about reducing her 36 handicap.

At the beginning of this year she was off 18, and won her first women’s competition – tallying 37 points in a mid-week stableford event.

That prompted her to put her name down for the women’s handicap matchplay championship – despite having never played the format – and she was drawn to play Rowena Faerch in the first round in February.

After beating her opponent 1 up, Gabby then toppled Jill Yeatman 6&4, Deb Oates 2&1, Jen Carr 2&1 and Kelly Lynch 3&1 to reach the final and a meeting with experienced Tereza Holley.

That match took place on Friday, with Gabby holding on to win 3&2.

“I’m so excited,” said bubbly Gabby, who now works in the Noosa Springs Golf Shop.

“It’s my first honour board event.”

Now owning a Golf Australia handicap of 15.6, Gabby has been representing the Noosa Springs’ women’s team in the Sapphires division of this year’s district pennants competition, and finds she loves the matchplay format.

She wants to make a career out of the game and is considering applying for a traineeship and perhaps becoming a professional golfer.

Her immediate goal is cut her handicap to single figures by the end of the year.

That endeavour will have to wait, though, because almost as soon as the last putt dropped on Friday, Gabby left for a month’s holiday in the United States with her family.

“We’re going to Los Angeles, then Las Vegas for the July 4 weekend, and stopping over for two weeks in Hawaii on the way back,” she said.

“Dad and I are planning to play a few courses while we’re away,” she said.

Remarkable turnaround for Paul

A fortnight ago, Paul Grant recorded his worst ever score at Noosa Springs – a paltry 21 points in a midweek members’ stableford competition that left him wondering if his golf game had deserted him.

Fast forward seven days and Paul’s name sat atop the leaderboard as he celebrated an astonishing round that delivered him 44 points. Same format, same golf course, same equipment – vastly different result.

And, like everybody who plays this intriguing game, Paul Grant has no idea what brought about the transformation from one Wednesday to the next.

“It just felt a bit different from the start of play,” he said.

Five pars and a birdie on the fifth hole gave him 22 points for the front nine and he matched that tally on the back nine, largely a result of four-point birdies on the 16th and 18th holes.

He took only 79 strokes for the round – his best effort since relocating to Noosa from New Zealand 15 years ago.

Though he’s still involved part-time in the building trade, Paul manages to play three or four times a week, and encourages his grandchildren to take up a game that has given him so much pleasure over the years.

His recent heroics saw his handicap trimmed by two strokes to 13, but he doesn’t care. He says golf is a day-by-day activity – and he enjoys every time he plays.

Maddison tackles state’s best

Noosa’s Maddison Kelly is part of a strong contingent of young Sunshine Coast golfers competing in the Queensland Junior Amateur Championship at Bargara this week.

Maddison, who boasts a Golf Australia handicap of 1.4, has been spearheading the Noosa team in zone junior pennant competition this year.

But pennants have taken a break this week to allow the region’s best players to compete in the state titles.

Maddison is joined at Bargara by Noosa teammates Eli Cookman and Nathan Jackson, and a host of other junior Coast stars.

The titles, which wind up on Friday, are being contested by the cream of Queensland’s junior golfers, as well as youngsters from Victoria and NSW.

Good start for George

After an excellent first-round 68, George Giblett, the reigning Noosa club champion, slipped to 12th position in the Central Queensland Open after a second round 78 at Rockhampton last week.

Giblett’s 36-hole total of four-over-par fell well short of the winner, James Mee, of Royal Queensland, who recorded rounds of 62 and 70.

Several Noosa golfers made the journey to Rockhampton, including Dino Degotardi (Noosa Springs, 68, 79), Bronson White (Noosa, 77, 77), Jason Norris (Noosa, 76, 91) and Brady Graham (Noosa, 81, 108).

Bronson was fourth in the junior boys’ division.

So close for young Taj

Former Noosa junior Taj Egea shot a solid one-over 72 to finish second in the Dave Mullen Jug, an elite amateur tournament played at Brisbane’s Oxley Golf Club.

Taj, who moved to Brisbane when his dad Andrew took up the position of head professional at Wolston Park, finished two strokes behind outstanding Queensland amateur Will Florimo.

In other tournament news, Noosa’s Simon Tooman (78, 74, 74) and Brad Burns (75, 78, 76) finished well back in the Rockhampton Pro-Am, and Sunshine Beach product Katherine Kirk (74, 76) missed the cut in the Women’s PGA Championship in the US.

Great response for Cooroy Open

The Cooroy Women’s Open, postponed because of last month’s heavy rain, has attracted a strong entry for the rescheduled event on Friday 22 July.

By early this week, more than 140 women from clubs throughout south east Queensland, had entered Cooroy’s signature event.

Officials have declared the tournament field will be capped at 124. The event is part of the season-long Race to the Coast – a competition based on players’ performances in open days throughout the district.

Club competitions

NOOSA

Monday 20 June

Women’s stableford, 9 holes: Maris Dunworth 19.

Tuesday 21 June

Men’s stableford: James Cervi 39, Brian Jackson 38c/b, Gary Kruger 38, Shane Healey 37c/b; B grade – Brad Edwards 40, Wayne Mallett 39, Mark Ostwald 38c/b, Geoff Clayton 38; C grade – Danny Woodward 42, Peter Turnbull 39, John Pawley 38, Geoff Smith 37c/b.

Wednesday 22 June

Vets stableford: A grade – Alan Meredith 39, David Weir 38, Ted Clark 37c/b; B grade – John Brodie 38c/b, Steve Little 38, Michael Norman 36c/b; C grade – Jim Crawford 39, Ted Burgess 38, Michael Breed 35c/b.

Thursday 23 June

Women’s stableford: A grade – Cindy Lawson 43, Orawan Millar 40, Peta Mancktelow 36; B grade – Pamela Lavender 38, Karen Johnston 37, Pauline Hull 36c/b; C grade – Reyna Sharwood 39, Irene Kerr 38, Trisha Dunn 37.

Saturday 25 June

Men’s stableford: A grade – Mark Cronin 41c/b, Thomas Freeman 41, Gary Kruger 40c/b; B grade – Michael Norman 38c/b, John Osmaston 38c/b, Bruce Hallett 38; C grade – Phil Griffiths 41, Greg Kane 36, Dave Stewart 34; women’s: Arlene Penlington 37, Rosemary Caffyn 36, Orawan Millar 35c/b.

NOOSA SPRINGS

Monday 20 June

Men’s 4BBB stableford: Manny Ribeiro & Ola Andresen 49, Phillip Morgan & David Townend 47, Kerry Sunderland & O. Andresen 46; women’s: Elizabeth Balmforth & Margaret Stawski 44, Julia Gamble & Rosemary Perkins 43c/b, Dana Angus & Sandi Probert 43.

Tuesday 21 June

Men’s stableford: John Mulquiney 38, Greg Doyle 35, Andrew Aitken 34; women’s: Berenice Holmes 35, Sue Dyde 24.

Wednesday 22 June

Men’s stableford: Div 1 – Paul Grant 44, Alex Wyer 39, John Glennon 38; Div 2 – Terry Gee 38c/b, Bob Bateson 37, Roy Young 36c/b; women’s: Berenice Holmes 38, Tereza Holley 37, Diana Foulsham 36.

Thursday 23 June

Men’s stableford, black tees: Craig Willian 36, Coman Reynolds 35, Alan Holley 30c/b.

Saturday 25 June

Men’s stableford: A grade – Ben Kearney 40, John Gavin 39, Simon Reeve 38, James Agace 37; B grade – Timothy Smith 33c/b, Michael Pherous 33, Chris Harrold 32c/b, John Buchanan 32c/b; women’s: A grade – Fran McLaughlin 40, Julia Caldwell 38c/b, Elise Fisher 38; B grade – Wendy Hopping 40, Di Cutting 37, Barbara Sweeney 36.

Sunday 26 June

Men’s stableford: Ray Brown 41c/b, Ian Lowe 41, James McCulloch 40.

COOROY

Tuesday 21 June

Women’s stableford, 9 holes: Toni Mason 19, Janine Wynwood 18, Sandra Viney 16.

Wednesday 22 June

Vets multiplier stableford: Div 1 – Tony Hayes 40, Kerry Davies 39, Peter Brown 38; Div 2 – Bruce McLean 37c/b, Doug Pearce 37c/b, Neville Kunst 37c/b; Div 3 – James Henderson 40c/b, Paul O’Hare 40, Matt Saunders 39.

Thursday 23 June

Women’s 2-person Ambrose: Hunt & Viney 75, O’Hare & Butler 76, Gladman & Rabjohns 77.

Saturday 25 June

Men’s stableford: Div 1 – Pat Carroll 42, Peter Bychbach 39, Scott Bennett 38c/b; Div 2 – Philip Hutchinson 37, Gavin Slater 36, Nate Crosby 34c/b; women’s: Kim Gladman 44, Wendy O’Hare 36, Sarah Brogden 35.