Dino Degotardi, the Noosa Springs star who divides his time these days between the US and Noosa, turned in the best performance of his life to finish runner-up in last week’s Northern Territory Amateur Championship at Alice Springs.
Degotardi, back in Australia during a summer break from his studies at North Colorado University, shot rounds of 71, 73, 74 and 69 in the 72-hole event for a one-under total of 287. Another Sunshine Coast golfer, Pelican Waters’ Joel Stahlhut, was two strokes back in fourth place.
“It was pretty windy at Alice Springs,” he said. “I got off to a good start, ground out the next two rounds and had a good final round. I’m pretty happy.”
Degotardi will take that good form back to the US in a fortnight, where he is midway through a four-year course in sports management. He also represents the college in golf.
“Things are almost back to normal in the US and it’ll be nice to go back and play golf whenever I want,” he said.
If Covid allows, he’ll return to Noosa for a short break at Christmas.
Game’s good, but nowhere to play
It’s not easy being one of Queensland’s most promising amateur golfers and having virtually nowhere to compete in this pandemic-dominated year.
But Noosa’s George Giblett isn’t complaining, reasoning that others are in the same boat and acknowledging there’s just nothing he can do about it, anyway.
Giblett showed his golf’s in fine shape when, playing off a handicap of plus two, he won the Tuesday Club A grade competition at Noosa last week with 38 stableford points.
“It was a bit of a giggle,” he said, but then confided he realised he was in the mix with a few holes to play, put his head down, sunk a couple of birdie putts and was proud of the way he finished.
Giblett’s sights are now set on the Queensland Amateur Championship next month, the Keperra Bowl and, later in the year, amateur tournaments in Victoria.
“But you can’t plan anything, really, can you?” he said.
He’s looking forward to the zone A grade pennant final, which was postponed from Sunday because of the lockdown. It hasn’t yet been rescheduled, but Giblett’s expecting it to be played before the end of August.
Lockdown puts a stop to golf
The snap lockdown, called on Saturday and later extended until 4pm Sunday, has brought golf to a halt on the Sunshine Coast.
The sport was considered a form of exercise in previous lockdowns, and was allowed to continue, albeit with strict conditions – no more than two players in a group, preferred lies in bunkers, pins to remain in holes on greens, and the like.
But this time Chief Health Officer Dr Jeanette Young has ruled nobody is allowed on a golf course, or a practice facility, other than greenkeepers.
Golfers at Noosa Springs and Cooroy were able to complete their competition rounds on Saturday, but others clubs decided to call them off. And the zone pennant finals, scheduled for Sunday at Gympie, have been postponed. No alternate date has yet been fixed.
How to turn your game around in two days
A paltry 24 stableford points in a Monday Club event at Nambour last week was hardly any indication of what was to come for Mark Kelly when he returned to his home course at Cooroy on Wednesday.
Playing in a Vets stableford competition, six-handicapper Mark shot an outstanding even par 68 to tally 42 points and easily win the A grade division.
And his return to form couldn’t have come at a better time.
It coincided with the second round of Cooroy Vets’ Old Course Challenge – a separate competition decided by players’ scores on Cooroy’s original nine holes – holes one, two, three, four, five, six, 16, 17 and 18.
Mark scored 23 points on those holes. Coupled with the previous week’s return of 18 points, it gave him a two round total of 41 – good enough for a one-point win in the Old Course Challenge from Mike Kent, who distinguished himself on Wednesday with eagles on the 11th and 16th holes.
Mark, a long-time nurse who retired late last year from his training role at the Sunshine Coast University Hospital, recently bought a new home just outside Cooroy, which he’s presently renovating.
He said he’d taken a good, hard look at his game after Monday’s hit-out, and was delighted with his improved form at Cooroy.
Burns shows why he’s a winner
Prolific Yandina Creek professional Brad Burns, one of Australia’s busiest golfers, fashioned an impressive three-under 67 to tie for second in the Toowoomba Legends Pro-Am last week.
A day earlier he had shot two-under 68 to be third in the Legends Pro-Am at nearby City Golf Club in Toowoomba.
Burns – a three-time winner of the Legends Tour Order of Merit – is steadily making his way up the standings in this year’s COVID-disrupted schedule, though he’s still well behind current leader, Andre Stolz.
Noosa’s Simon Tooman shot one-over 71 to be 16th at Toowoomba, with Eumundi’s Hugh Dolan (74) tied 31st, and Noosa’s Mark Tickle (81) 56th. Tickle did much better at City, shooting 72 to be tied 20th.
Club competitions
NOOSA
Monday, 26 July
Women’s stableford: A grade – Karen Turnbull 39, Judy Patterson 38; B grade – Robyn McManus 39, Diana Stagg 37; women’s 9 hole stableford: Maris Dunworth 20.
Tuesday, 27 July
Men’s stableford: A grade – George Giblett 38c/b, Justin Morgan 38c/b, Alan Coey 38c/b, Michael Napier 38c/b; B grade – John Purdue 39c/b, Michael O’Connor 39, Dave Butler 38, Ray Egge 37; C grade – Matthew McNally 40c/b, Ken Reed 40, Neal Moloney 39c/b, Greg Smith 39.
Wednesday, 28 July
Vets team stroke (best 2 net scores count): Paul Cruise, Daryl Bates, Ray Egge & Peter O’Brien 121c/b, Graeme Rickard, Eugene Barry, Glenn Penfold & Mike Law 121.
Thursday, 29 July
Women’s stableford: A grade – Paula Jeffrey 40, Mandy Webb 37, Heather Alsop 36; B grade – Raye Cairns 40, Karen Turnbull 39, Rosemary Caffyn 38c/b; CX grade – Kathy Jones 44, Joan Jacka 38c/b, Julie Preskett 38.
NOOSA SPRINGS
Monday, 26 July
Men’s stableford: Robert Hobson 38c/b, Paul Liddy 38, Peter Degotardi 36c/b.
Wednesday, 28 July
Men’s stableford: Graham Dill 45, Niels Faerchy 41, Dick Whittington 38c/b; women’s: Janet Dunn 38, Jeni Sunderland 37, Jen Carr 36.
Thursday, 29 July
Men’s stableford: Ian Torney 36, John Mulquiney 33, Bob Goode 32.
Saturday, 31 July
Men’s stableford: Terry Gee 40, Joost Wamsteeker 38, Chris Collinge 37; women’s: Kelly Lynch 41, Ruby Jaede 40, Jean Brady 37.
COOROY
Tuesday, 27 July
Women’s stroke, 9 holes: Julie Collis 34, Kaye Gilmour 35c/b.
Wednesday, 28 July
Vets stableford: A grade – Mark Kelly 42, Laurie Staples 38c/b, Andy Stewart 38; B grade – Ray Lally 38c/b, Terry Wilson 38c/b, Andrew Dick 38; C grade – Gary Webster 40, Bob Read 38, Andrew Aves 37.
Thursday, 29 July
Women’s stableford: Deb McAulay 41c/b, Jenny Tucker 41.
Saturday, 31 July
Men’s 3-person Ambrose: Div 1 – Thorburn, Crosby, Pronger; McEwan, Clark, Orchard; Div 2 – Horn, Kent, Jones; Clemow, Pearce, Nash.
