2021 Champions – Andrew Spitty and Heather Harley
What a great weekend for golf in our area. The 48th Northern Victorian Triple Golfanza was played over the Labour Day weekend, at Cohuna on Saturday, Barham on Sunday and Kerang on Monday.
Attracting capacity fields each day, this event was patronised with representatives from 37 different clubs, with large contingents from Goonawarra, Carrington Park, Mooroopna, Belvoir Park, Cardinia-Beacon Hills and Neangar Park Golf Clubs. These visitors come to our area every year and support the local economy with their visit, many of them staying over after the event to enjoy the great things our area has to offer, as well as playing on our superbly presented golf courses. Playing numbers were 135 at Cohuna, 160 at Barham and 133 at Kerang, making for a successful weekend for all the clubs involved.
At the presentation ceremony at Kerang on Monday, Tournament Director, Howard McClelland congratulated the three clubs on the presentation of their courses and for the welcome that each club provides to the visiting players. The hospitality and professional conduct of the tournament is a credit to each club and is the reason the event is booked out each year, well in advance of the tournament dates.
The major winners were Andrew Spitty from Kerang in the men’s event, with scores of 74 at Cohuna, 74 at Barham and a course record equalling 67 at his home course, for a total of 215. Andrew was six under par with three holes to play but bogeyed 16 and 18 to only equal his own course record. A great round of golf, Andrew – congratulations on your win. Heather Harley (Kooringal) continues her dominance of this event and her finishing round of 78 on Monday saw her win her ninth title with rounds of 84 at Cohuna, 91 at Barham and 78 at Kerang, for a 253 total.
Other major winners, Stephen Enright (Riverside – Mildura) with scores of 89, 86 and 77, for a total of 252 to be the B Grade Men’s Champion and Garry Parker (Riverside also) with stableford scores of 38, 41 and 33, for a total of 112 points and the C Grade Championship. In the Ladies, Deaniee Henderson from Kerang is the B Grade Champion with scores of 37, 35 and 38, for a 110 points total and the B Grade Champions prize, and Jenny Warren (Belvoir Park) is the C Grade Ladies Champion with 31, 30 and 38, for 99 points to win on a countback. In the handicap and runners-up sections, George Barnes (Belvoir Park) with 221 nett, won the A Grade Handicap, with Greg Horrocks (Buninyong) winning the B Grade Handicap with 223 nett, and John Mitchell (Carrington Park) with 98 points being the runner-up in C Grade. In the ladies, Noreen Mitchell from Carrington Park was the A Grade Handicap winner with 235 nett and Narelle Thorpe (Kooringal) was runner-up in B Grade with 103 points. The C Grade Ladies runner-up was Kathy Eiser (Goonawarra) with 99 points.
Overall, another very successful tournament, with players vowing to return again in the 2022 year to contest the 49th Golfanza at Cohuna, Barham and Kerang.
This article appeared in The Koondrook and Barham Bridge Newspaper, 11 March 2021.
