Golf
28 October, 2024
Davidson and O'Loughlin win Horsham Golden Putter Tournament
Horsham's Brendan O'Loughlin and James Davidson won the second annual Horsham Golf Club Golden Putter tournament on Saturday, October 26, and Sunday, October 27. They won with a score of 19 on countback from Horsham's Roger Sordello and Phil Butsch.
The Golden Putter is a 36-hole 4BBB (4 Ball Best Ball) Par event played over two days. This year, it featured 112 players.
On Saturday, the winners were Liam Dixon and Nick Thomson, who had 11-up, and runners-up were Liam Lannen and Keegan Lannen, who had 9-up.
Darryl McRae won the nearest to the pin on the 2nd, Jason Rainbow won the 11th, and Gary Parater won the 13th.
On Sunday, Bernard Lindsay and Andrew Delahunty won with 12-up. The runners-up on countback were Dean Yendell and Marc Munday, who finished 11-up.
Tracey Hobbs won the nearest to the pin on the 2nd, Brad Couch won the 11th, and Jeremy Schmidt won the 13th.
Consistency is the key, and Brendan O'Loughlin and James Davidson reigned supreme, winning the overall.
James Davidson said their entry was more for fun than anything else.
"We thought we would join it from a sponsorship perspective and to have fun and enjoy the weekend, so we weren't in it to win," Davidson said.
"We did okay on Saturday, but I don't know what happened today. This was the first time playing a Golden Putter event."
Brendan O'Loughlin said that things came together.
"We had a reasonable day on Saturday, finishing +6, and then we chimed in and out today when we needed to and were there for each other," O'Loughlin said.
"When I had a bad hole, Jimmy would stand up, and there weren't too many times I stood up for him, but thankfully, I was there for a couple of occasions that I needed to be.
"Honestly, we are utterly surprised, and it's a little embarrassing. We were nervous about playing in a competition like this, but it might motivate us to play more."
"We went out there and tried hard, and it's good to play at a venue that's so fantastic in our backyard, and that's the luxury we have here in Horsham."
"We get a lot of fun out here and enjoyment as well, and it adds to the livability of Horsham with such a brilliant course."
Peter Hayes and Brian Mannix organised the event. Players from Melton, Ballarat, Bendigo, Eynesbury, Sandhurst, Coomealla, Thirteenth Beach, Moore Park, Birchip, Nhill, Kaniva, and Spring Valley all travelled to play, and Hayes was thrilled with the participation rate.
"It's been a massive success, and seeing so many visitors has been brilliant. The local support is also good," Hayes said.
"We have had great support from the sponsors, and the event couldn't go ahead without them.
"I have been to a few Golden Putter events, and we decided Horsham needed one, so Brian, a few others, and I decided to take it on. We got the sponsors as well, which is great."
Club President Gerard Bardell said the event has been brilliant for the club.
"We wanted to make it a feature event for the Horsham Golf Club, and it's been booked for a week or so," Bardell said.
"Full credit to Brian and Peter for organising this. We are looking forward to next year, and I think people will need to get entries early to get a spot in the field.
"We were very fortunate with the weather, and we had a wonderful couple of days, and it's good to see so many people come to play here."
"I was talking to a few on Saturday night, and it was their first time to Horsham and the club, and they were blown away with the quality of the course that was presented to them, and they are looking forward to telling their friends and getting up here again, and that's what it's all about."
The Golf Club, in general, is thriving at the moment, and Bardell said there is a lot of positiveness around.
"A positive sentiment and moment is happening at the Golf Club," Bardell said.
"It's been a positive 12 months financially for the club, and we want to keep that momentum going.
"We want to see more people out here playing golf, and we are so fortunate to have such a wonderful course, so we want people to experience the greatness this course offers."