What a great weekend for the Christchurch Golf Club in all respects; the course was magnificent, the organisation ran smoothly, the weather held, and the golf was spectacular!!
Congratulations to Anthony Doyle who secured back-to-back titles and demolished the rest of the field by 11 shots posting a four round total of -14 including a course record of 63 in the second round (29 on the back 9!!). Anthony showed himself to be the complete professional with his solid exhibition of ball striking and short game but also with his demeanour on and around the course. As a Club we can be truly proud of Anthony's achievements and to some extent we bask in his reflected glory - lets go for a three-peat!
In addition two of our amateur players were also to the fore. Jess Guenzerodt birdied two of the last three holes to record an 8 over three round total and get into a sudden death play-off with last years winner Emily Perry and Sylvie Williams from Waimairi. Unfortunately Jess could not extend the play-off past the first extra hole but her performance bodes well for the future.
Our Woodward Cup captain Tom Turner had a very steady tournament and amongst a strong field posted a +5 total to finish tied for 17th overall but well within the top ten Amateurs. Unfortunately a couple of untimely doubles cost him a much higher placing. However the experience will add to his skills as he once again seeks to make the Canterbury team for the Toro inter-provincial competition.
We could not run the Shirley Open without the support of Sponsors so a big thank you to all those who made this a success especially our naming sponsor United Fisheries and our associate sponsors Placemakers, The Carlton Bar & Restaurant and the Christchurch City Council. We recognise your contribution over what has been a very difficult time for business in the Canterbury region. We also acknowledge the support of all those members who supported the club and entered a team in the Pro Am. (Yes it was won by the United Fisheries No.1 team which included yours truly and Andre Kotzikas amongst others and recorded a best nett score of 56 a mere 16 under par!!)
We must also recognise the efforts made by the greens staff who toiled tirelessly to turn out the course in its best possible condition- smooth quick greens, manicured fairways and penal rough!! Well done to Mark Lawson and his team. To our back room staff well done, I doubt the Open would have proceeded had it not been Struan Cain as he left no stone unturned in securing contributions to the tournament.
Finally a big thank you to all the volunteers, not least of all the referees, who turned out over the four days, your efforts were much appreciated by the players and was the subject of very favourable comment. Our thanks to New Zealand Golf and the NZ PGA who ensured we had a seamless operation. We now draw breath for 12 months and look to do it all again.
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