Big field takes to golf course for Narooma Open

Narooma Golf Club general manager Dominic Connaughton said this was the biggest field for the Narooma Open since the year 2000. 

The tournament was made possible by more than 20 volunteers, some of whom were on the course and in the clubhouse from 6.30am to 8pm each day of the event, he said.

“It was our biggest field in a while and so it was a big three days on our course,” Mr Connaughton said. “Thanks to all all volunteers from the spotters to those keeping score, we could not have done it without you.”

Robbie Furner from Yass is the 2017 Narooma Open winner with 148, three shots better than Geoff Walker from Young. James Toomey from Links Shell Cove won the B Grade gross with 166, two better than Derek Brown from Moruya.

C Grade gross saw another Links Shell Cove winner in Bradley Wills with 169 , well ahead of Kevin Whitwell from Liverpool on 182 on countback from Scott Cameron from Queanbeyan.

Also taking to the course for the open this year were 28 players on the “Break Away Tour”, which has been coming to the Narooma course for the past 20 years on or around the time of the Narooma Open.

The tradition started 20 years ago when a group of friends from the Muirfield Golf Course started coming to Narooma. Over the years, they have all aged and now come from a variety of courses around Sydney.

Matt Sedgman who won the Breakaway event last year for the third time was inducted into the Narooma Break Away Tour Hall of Fame this year after 20 continuous years of attendance.

“The highlight of Matt’s year is the annual trip to Narooma,” said fellow Break Away tour member Scott Evans, who just happened to win this year Breakaway event. 

Now here is a day-by-day account of the 2017 Narooma Open by regular golfing scribe, Ralph Imberger:

On the opening day of the Narooma Open 166 players took part in the Fourball where the scratch was won by Michael Flaherty from Federal and Michael Kilfoyle from Royal Canberra with  a five under- par round of 41 points off  their respective handicaps of five and four.

John Bull from Queanbeyan and Brad Page from Young filled the second position with 38 points. The nett was won by the Queanbeyan pairing of Murray Elton and Fred Stanborough off 11 and 15 handicaps respectively with 45 points, one ahead of Nathan Vogel and Kayne Carmichael from Catalina on countback from Paul Davis  from Catalina and Luke Bell from Yowani and the Belconnen pair of Rob Cole and Trevor Vandeyk.

The nearest the pin winners were Michael Flaherty on 3, Michael Kilfoyle on 9 and 14 and Franco Cerundolo from Yowani on 17, while the ball competition went down to all on 41 points.

A capped field of 215 players experienced excellent weather conditions and fast greens in the first round of the Narooma Open where the DSR emerged as a consistent 73.

The A Grade gross was won by Robbie Furner from Yass with 73, one better than Geoff Walker from Young. The nett saw another Yass player, Brad Porter, come out on top with 68 off a handicap of 8, one better than young Mitchell Austin from The Grange.

In B Grade Russell Wood from Lynwood took out the scratch with 80, followed by David Taylor from Young  on 82 on countback from Derek Brown from Moruya and James Toomey from  Links Shell Cove.

Scott Thornton from Catalina took out the net with 70 off a handicap of 14 on countback from John Bailey from Cumberland. In the C Grade gross Bradley Wills from Links Shell Cove finished with 83, two better than Scott Cameron from Queanbeyan, while in the net Scott Evans from GGSC won clearly with 66 off his handicap of 21, six shots ahead of Kevin Mitchell from Yowani who headed Adam Danilczak from Yass on countback.

The nearest-the-pin winners were Mark Crutcher from Young on 3, John Bailey on 9, Robbie Furner on 14 and Rob Cole from Belconnen on 17, while the long drive winners were Nathan Bull from Queanbeyan in A Grade, Andrew Lobel from Murrumbidgee in B Grade and Matt O'Brien from Queanbeyan in C Grade. The ball competition went to 76 net.

The field found the course a tad more difficult with the DSR emerging at 74/73 because of the wind. In A Grade Jerry Smith from Queanbeyan took out the gross with 75 on  countback and Josh Campbell from Murrumbidgee finished second with 76.

Robbie Furner from Yass finished in front in the net with 71 off his handicap of 4, one ahead of Harry Smith from Queanbeyan who headed Peter Ward from Narooma and the Catalina pair of Paul Davis and Rob Borowski.

In B Grade Geoff Lanham from Narooma landed the gross with 83, two shots better than Jeff Chapman from Hawks Nest who edged out Jim Jones from Catalina on countback. Mark Crocker from Federal won the nett with 72  off a handicap of 14 on  countback from Bradley Wills from Links Shell Cove.

In C Grade Adam Danilczak from Yass won the gross with 87, followed by Paul Morshead from Queanbeyan  on 89 who edged out Kevin Whitwell from Liverpool and Peter Sergi from  Queanbeyan on countback.

Gary Leahy from Narooma triumphed in the nett with 71 off a handicap of 20 on countback from Chris McGaffin from Thurgoona. The nearest-the-pin winners were Michael Flaherty from Federal on 3, Peter Ward  on 9, Jerry Smith on 14 and Paul Davis on 17.

The long drive winners were Billy Toy from Murrumbidgee  in A Grade, Mark Meredith from the same club in B Grade and Steve O'Neill from SGA in C Grade, while the ball competition went down to 77 net.

Following this final round the overall winners were declared. Robbie Furner from Yass is the 2017 Narooma Open winner with 148, three shots better than Geoff Walker from Young.

The net winner in A Grade was Brad Porter from Yass with 143, three ahead of Narooma's Peter Ward who edged out Robert Rees from Royal Canberra  on countback.

James Toomey from Links Shell Cove won the B Grade gross with 166, two better than Derek Brown from Moruya. Russell Wood from Lynwood headed the net list with 139 ahead of Beau Watts from Queanbeyan on 149.

C Grade gross saw another Links Shell Cove winner in Bradley Wills with 169 , well ahead of Kevin Whitwell from Liverpool on 182 on countback from Scott Cameron from Queanbeyan. Adam Danilczak from Yass won the C Grade nett with 143 , one better than Jeff Ryan from Yackandandah.