By Peter Owen
AN outstanding five-under-par 66 in last week’s Tuesday Club competition is evidence enough that Noosa club professional Shane Healey’s golf game stacks up against anyone’s.
And if you needed further proof, you need only look at his performances in the Legends Tour pro-am that Noosa hosts each December.
It’s the only tournament that Healey plays. Last year he shot two-under 70 to finish top 10; the year before, his 68 earned him fourth place.
But, as talented as he is, the prospect of playing tournaments on a regular basis holds no interest for a man who has lived on the Sunshine Coast for more than 40 years, and has worked in Noosa’s pro shop for most of that time.
Former head pro Mark Tickle, a regular on the Legends Tour, has suggested to him many times that Healey would find success playing for money around the country.
“But that sort of life’s not for me,” he said. “I’m much happier playing with my mates here, and having a few beers after a round.”
Healey said he liked to schedule his working week to allow him to play with the members on Tuesdays.
“I reckon I play about 30 times a year,” he said, acknowledging that last week’s round was one of his better efforts.
“I’ve always been a good chipper and putter, and that helps around here,” he said.
Healey’s round of 66 earned him 40 points in the stableford competition. He shared A grade honours with Noosa assistant professional Tim Butterworth who, like Healey, played off a handicap of plus one.
Butterworth, a former champion junior at Noosa, completed his traineeship at the club before relocating to Brisbane. He worked at Drummond stores in Brisbane and Maroochydore before recently returning to Noosa.
Great week for Muller family
A FAMILY holiday at Noosa turned really special for NSW visitor Brendon Muller when he played four great rounds of golf to win this year’s Sunshine Coast Winter Classic, which wound up at Noosa Springs on Friday.
Brendon, his parents, wife Denni, son Archie, sister Raechelle, her finance Shane Brooks and family friends Garry Spong, James Scott and Kevin Brummell leased a beach house at Castaways for the week-long tournament.
“We enjoyed every minute of it,” said 27-year-old Brendon. “A few of us came up last year and had a great time, and we’d been looking forward to coming back.”
Brendon, who grew up on the NSW Central Coast, midway between Gosford and Newcastle, lives in Sydney but remains a member of the Toukley Golf Club – as do the rest of his family.
“We get up to the Central Coast every two or three weeks and that’s where I play my golf,” he said.
Brendon began his week with an impressive 38 stableford points at Maroochy River. He followed up with 36 at Peregian, 39 at Twin Waters and 34 at Noosa Springs, giving him a tournament total of 147 and a nine-stroke victory in A grade.
Two golfers from Prosperine filled the placings – Steve Kelly (138 points) and Lewis Tuck (135). Peregian’s Lloyd Dixon (141) was the B grade winner, while Jeanette Giudice, from Keperra, was the women’s champion.
Brendon’s mum Penny had led the women’s standings with a round to go, but fell away with a disappointing 23 points at Noosa Springs, not helped by a stomach bug which struck her down the day before. She finished third, just as she did last year.
The Winter Classic, now in its third year, was launched to showcase the region’s premier golf courses and attract visitors to the Sunshine Coast during the winter months. It attracted 112 players this year – 93 percent of them from outside our region.
The event has become so popular that a Spring Classic has been scheduled for October.
Noosa Springs back on top in junior pennant
SUNDAY Moore beat gun Maroochy River junior Alex Procopis to force a draw and take her Noosa Springs team to the top of Division 1 junior pennant standings after the weekend round of competition at Headland.
And Noosa’s Division 2 team, surprisingly beaten last week by Mt Coolum, returned to their best to score a whitewash 4-0 win over Maroochy River 3 and climb into second spot on the standings.
Noosa Springs, the defending champion shared the contest 2-2 with Maroochy River 1. Alex Bray, who travels up from Brisbane each weekend to compete, notched his first win, a 3&2 victory over Maroochy River’s Shae Coghlan.
Noosa’s Division 1 team went down 3-1 to Maroochy River 2, with Nate Jav scoring the team’s only win.
Noosa Springs lost 3-1 to Maroochy River 4 in Division 2, but Noosa’s 4-0 win over Maroochy River 3 kept them in strong contention for a finals berth with only one more round to be played.
Grainger finds pay dirt at Cooroy
LEE Grainger, a former miner who moved from north Queensland to Kandanga seven years ago, scored a brilliant two-over par 72 to ensure a home town victory in the Cooroy Open on Sunday.
Grainger, who won the Cooroy club championship in 2020, scored a one-stroke victory over Keperra’s Dan Butler and Headland’s Andrew Day.
And, playing off a handicap of four, Grainger was runner-up in the net competition – two strokes behind Noosa’s Nick Cole, who returned a net score of 66.
The Cooroy Open is one of the club’s highest profile events and attracted players from all over the Sunshine Coast and Brisbane. Despite the recent flooding rains, the course was in excellent condition for the big day.
Grainger, who grew up in Weipa, is a once-a-week golfer who says he seldom practices. He describes himself as a ‘diamond or dust’ player.
Tooman shows the younger pros
NOOSA touring pro Simon Tooman showed he was in peak form for the resumption of the Legends Tour when he shot rounds of 67 and 69 to finish tied fifth in the Emerald Pro-Am, which was decided at the weekend.
Tooman’s 36-hole total of four-under 136 – equal with fellow Sunshine Coast star Shae Wools-Cobb (64, 72) – left him seven strokes behind the winner Sam Brazel, who was in great form, shooting rounds of 64 and 65.
The Legends Tour resumes on July 7 with a 36-hole pro-am at Yappoon.
Meanwhile, Yandina’s Brad Burns (76, 70, 69) overcame a slow start to finish tied 10th in the Fiji Legends Golf Classic, while Sunshine Beach veteran Katherine Kirk shot rounds of 68, 71, 73 and 72 to be tied 64th in the Meijer Classic on the US LPGA Tour.
How we fared in women’s pennants
NOOSA Springs beat Caboolture 4-1 in Sapphire B zone ladies pennants last week. The division is open to women with a maximum handicap of 24, and Noosa Springs’ winners were Lee-Ann Hay, Tereza Holley, Meredith Bunn and Di Kemp.
In Sapphire A competition, Noosa lost to Cooroy 3-2, Cooroy’s winners being Kate Sawrey, Tina Thomas and Kim Gladman, while Karen Haynes and Sharon Vickers won for Noosa.
In the premier Diamonds division, Noosa lost to Bribie Island 3-2, with Noosa’s winners being Olivia Doolan and Annie Quarmby. Noreen Scanlon, Kathy Jones, Irene Kerr and Cristine Baker led Noosa to a 4-1 win over Mt Coolum in Rubies B competition.
Club competitions
NOOSA
Monday, 13 June
Women’s stableford: A grade – Barbara Daly 41, Paula Jeffrey 36; B grade – Tracey Frawley 41, Narelle Cook 35c/b; women’s stableford, 9 holes: Jenny Drummond-Gower 20.
Tuesday, 14 June
Men’s stableford: A grade – Shane Healey 40c/b, Tim Butterworth 40, Stephen Thorn 38c/b, Cody Pyne 38; B grade – Ron Male 38, Bruce Howden 37c/b, Kenny Lindsay 37c/b, Gary Tye 37; C grade – Colin Dean 42, Jerome Stuart 38, Stephen Jackson 37c/b, Stephen Ball 37.
Wednesday, 15 June
Vets stableford: Graham Farrell 39, Paul Sanderson 36, Ted Clark 35c/b; B grade – Peter McDonald 40, Dieter Hoffman 37c/b, Murray Joseph 37; C grade – Graeme Rickard 39, Michael Tsolakkis 37c/b, Tony Faull 37.
Thursday, 16 June
Women’s stroke: A grade – Paula Jeffrey 71c/b, Peta Mancktelow 71c/b; B grade – Kathy Jones 70, Noreen Scanlon 71c/b; C grade – Christine Baker 69, Margaret Storrer 70.
Saturday, 18 June
Men’s stableford: A grade – Neville Hazlett 39c/b, Coman Reynolds 39, Brendon Strid 38c/b; B grade – Graeme Caffyn 39, Bruce Davidson 38c/b, Alan Meredith 38c/b; C grade – Graeme Rickard 38, Rex Lawn 37c/b, Robert Upham 37; women’s: Jess Fleming 37, Cindy Lawson 36c/b, Noreen Scanlon 36c/b.
NOOSA SPRINGS
Monday, 13 June
Men’s stroke: A grade – Alistair Rooney 68, Andrew Horner 70c/b, Graeme Maddern 70; B grade – Bruce McKenzie-Forbes 71c/b, Joe Langley 71c/b, David Cohn 73c/b; women’s stroke: A grade – Kelly Lynch 68, Susan Ellis 71c/b, Amanda Harburg 71; B grade – Margaret Hart 72, Marlo Douglass 74, Barbara Sweeney 75.
Tuesday, 14 June
Men’s stableford: Geoff Hay 34c/b, Dylan Hayes 33, Ian Torney 32.
Wednesday, 15 June
Men’s stableford: A grade – John Betar 37, Andrew Horner 35c/b, Alistair Rooney 35, Richard Tasso 34c/b; B grade – Bob Bateson 37, William Costin 35c/b, Jeff Forbes 35, Ray Brown 34; women’s: Rosie Randall 38, Dana Angus 37, Tereza Holley 35; B grade – Frances Clements 40, Niki Matthews 34, Marlo Douglass 33.
Thursday, 16 June
Men’s stableford, black tee: John Betar 38, Chris Wright 35, Dylan Hayes 34c/b.
Saturday, 18 June
Men’s stableford: Div 1 – Allan Carter 45, Stuart McFarland 42, Ola Andresen 39, Brian O’Keefe 36c/b; Div 2 – Peter Butt 37, Ross Marlow 35, Ray Fisher 34c/b, John Moloney 34c/b; women’s: Div 1 – Jenny Hickey 37c/b, Fran McLaughlin 37, Dianne Tonge 34c/b; Div 2 – Judy Gosper 35, Di Cutting 34, Birgit Wehrenberg 32c/b.
Sunday, 19 June
Men’s stableford: Ray Brown 43, Paul Grant 40, Alex Wyer 34c/b.
COOROY
Tuesday, 14 June
Women’s stroke, 9 holes: Kathleen Butler 38, Wendy Morse 39c/b, Sandra Viney 39c/b.
Wednesday, 15 June
Vets 4-man Ambrose: Mark Kelly, Robert Noble, Andrew Stewart & John Stewart 56; Wilson, Smith, Wuersching & Butler 56, Brett LeMoy, Davies, Bronco Price & Esposito 56.
Thursday, 16 June
Women’s stableford: Carolyn Foster 37, Christine Michael 35, Kim Gladman 33c/b.
Saturday, 18 June
Men’s stableford: Div 1 – Kevin Ross 38c/b, Mike Kent 38, Noel Ackland 36; Div 2 – Andrew Aves 41, Garry Stephens 34, Michael Lunney 33; women’s: Sue Piggott 35c/b, Aileen Morton 35, Janelle Thorburn 34.
