MURRAY Downs players, Sean Baumgurtel and Chris Warburton are this year’s Northern District Golf Association champions following competition at Kerang on Sunday.
Baumgurtel – on his debut the Kerang course – carded a one-over par round of 72 to finish one stroke ahead of fellow Murray Downs member, Andy Graham, with Luke Merritt (74) making it a trifecta for the border club.
Warburton finished her round with an 85, one shot better than Pyramid Hill’s Kate Bartels.
A number of other titles were decided on the day, with Bartels (86) claiming the ladies Champions of Champions title. Kerang’s Don Ross (77) won the men’s Champion of Champions title.
In other results, Nyah West’s Peter Wilkinson (71 net) won the Medallist of the Year honour, with Lalbert’s Luke Doolan (70 net) claiming the junior net score title. Tyntynder’s Glen Bailey (76) won the over 50s scratch title on count back from Kerang’s Gary Thorne.
In the grade competitions, Ross (77) won the B Grade title, with club member, Joe Tartaglia (86) the C Grade winner. Nyah West’s Dave McClelland (70 net) and Lakeside’s Dave Williams (67 net) were the B Grade and C Grade handicap champions respectively.
Warburton was the ladies A Grade scratch winner form Bartels, with Kerang’s Shirley Forbes (71 net) the handicap champion from Pyramid Hill’s Sue Marshall (72 net).
Baumgurtel, Merritt, Graham and Grant Ford united to help Murray Downs win the Fogarty Shield for the best scratch scores, with McClelland, Wilkinson, Andrew Flanagan and Gideon Van Zyl helping Nyah West win the Greenwood Shield for the best team handicap score. Lalbert (Doug Meehan, Luke Doolan and Dave Doolan) and Kerang’s second team, consisting of Tartaglia, Graham Wyte and Scott Harry, qualified for the 2018 Country Teams event.
Ross, Thorne, Craig Lauer (Tooleybuc), Steve Amos (Pyramid Hill) and Terry Turvey (Kerang) were nearest the pins in the men’s competition, with Lynette Van Zyl (Nyah West), Lois Carnie (Lakeside), Jeanette Naylor (Pyramid Hill), Michelle Dillon (Kerang) and Janet Brauer (Nyah West) closest to the flag in the ladies section.
It was the first time the men’s and ladies competitions were held on the one day, following on from the recent merger of the two associations.
All clubs were represented, with 80 golfers taking advantage of the ideal conditions.
