Around the Traps: Sunshine Coast golfing news and events

Among the young kids who regularly contest the three-hole competitions in the Glasshouse Mountains Zone Futures Tour, Billy Zerbst stands out. This and more Coast golf news in this week’s Around the Traps.

Among the young kids who regularly contest the three-hole competitions in the Glasshouse Mountains Zone Futures Tour, Billy Zerbst stands out.

He’s always the smallest.

That’s hardly surprising. He’s also the youngest – a four-year-old taking on five and six-year-olds in a competition aimed at encouraging youngsters to learn and play the game of golf.

What is perhaps surprising is that little Billy Zerbst almost always wins.

On Sunday his success came at Bribie Island where he took 17 strokes for the three holes.

He also won at Virginia in early September, was the net winner at Kilcoy in July, and the winner at Wynnum in June.

But perhaps his best effort was at Pine Rivers last month when he took 14 strokes for three holes and recorded a net score of five. Five!

That was 10 strokes better than the runner-up and the lowest net score that anybody can ever recall for a three-hole junior event.

He also won the Nearest The Pin prize.

“He’s pretty special,” said Billy’s coach Emma Stanton, who supervises a squad of more than 20 kids at Woodford.

Billy, who is now a junior member at the club, joined the group when he was three.

“Normally we don’t take anyone younger than five,” Emma said, “but we made an exception in his case because we could see he had such natural talent.”

Billy’s dad Joel is a member of Pine Rivers and believes in giving his son every opportunity to learn and enjoy the game.

“Billy practises every day and is doing very well,” Emma said.

“Next year he will step up to six-hole competitions and then he’ll be competing with players more than twice his age,” she said.

“That will be interesting.”

Visitor too strong in Maroochy River vets event

Southport’s Toby Pelham dominated last week’s Maroochy River Vets 2-Day Carnival to score a six-point victory in one of Queensland’s most popular competitions for veteran golfers.

Toby scored 38 points on Thursday – the equal best score of the day in A grade – then played superbly on Friday to tally 42 points and run away with the title.

Kingaroy visitor Gary Carter was runner-up with Maroochy River’s Robert Collingwood third.

Les Idzikowski (Maroochy River) won second division, Wantima’s Wayne Kanofski took the third division, while Maroochy River’s Col Flaherty was fourth division champion.

They each scored 75 points.

In the women’s division, Lorraine Langford-Lane scored 71 points over the two days, while fellow Maroochy River member Lyn Day won second division with 77 points, on the back of a first round 42 points.

A field of 252 contested the 36-hole stableford event, players representing 40 clubs from throughout the state.

Smooth swinging Alan Taylor, of Maroochy River, was the A-grade leader after the first round, pipping Toby Pelham on a countback, but did not contest the second round.

Instead he played in the district vets championship at Peregian, shooting a remarkable one-under-par 71 to easily take the title.

The 75-year-old says he’s lost count of the number of times he’s broken his age, but reckons it must be at least 20.

New (old) putter does the trick for Kate

When Kate Wilkie’s father died five years ago she decided, as a mark of respect and in his memory, to discard her regular putter and replace it with her dad’s.

It worked well for a long time but recently the Headland member has struggled on the green – recording a horrible 23 putts on the front nine a few weeks ago.

So it was with some regret that she retired her father’s putter and reverted to the club that had served her well for more than 15 years.

Success immediately followed.

On Wednesday she shot 85 for a net 70, which won her the B-grade medal against the men.

Significantly, she had just 32 putts in her round.

Only a day later she backed up to win the Women’s Monthly Medal in A grade, with a net 74.

New wave of golfers at Maroochy River

The strength of Maroochy River’s young golfers was on show on Sunday when Ionna Muir teamed with former junior captain Bailey Murchie to score a runaway win in the club’s mixed foursomes championship.

Ionna, 13, and Bailey, 20, scored 111 for 27 holes – only three over par, and 12 strokes better than runners-up, David and Tam Reid.

Two other juniors – Shae Coghlan and Marley Habberman – won the 18-hole gross prize, with former captain Grant Kimmorley teaming with young Ellandi Findlay to be runners-up.

Spectacular win for George

Noosa's George Giblett.

Noosa’s George Giblett warmed up for this week’s Keperra Bowl in Brisbane by claiming last week’s Mount Coolum Men’s Open in spectacular style.

Giblett, a runaway winner of the recent Noosa club championship, holed out for an eagle on his last hole – Mt Coolum’s ninth – to shoot a round of 71.

He was the only player in the field of 116 to break par.

Maroochy River’s Keith Horne defended his zone seniors title with a round of 75, beating Headland’s Darren McLeod on a countback.

Giblett is joined in the Keperra Bowl – arguably Queensland’s premier amateur event – by a host of Sunshine Coast stars including Pelican Waters’ Chris Crabtree, Justin Morley, Joel Stahlhut and Blaike Perkins, Headland’s Josh Holbrook and Ben Duncombe, and Mt Coolum’s Jack Elsley.

Among the women are Peregian’s Cassie Porter and Pelican Waters’ Sarah Wilson and Rhianna Lewis.

The event, played at Keperra Golf Club, ends on Friday.

Previous winners are Marc Leishman, Andrew Dodt and Charlie Dann, while competitors have included Jason Day, Cameron Smith and Scott Draper.

Ryza in running for holiday

Ryza Garbacz staked a strong claim for October honours when he returned an excellent 41 points to win Noosa Springs’ Sunday Series event at the weekend.

Ryza, a 14 handicapper at Noosa Springs, now has the best score for the month in the Sunday Series, sponsored by Joe Langley Real Estate.

If he holds that lead until the end of the month he will qualify for the final, to be played in December, where the prize will be a holiday at Noosa Springs with unlimited golf.

Members and visitors are welcome to play in the weekly event, with Sunshine Coast residents eligible for a discounted green fee of $79, including the cost of a motorised cart.

Who’ll be state’s best trainee?

Former Maroochy River trainee Luke Parker is back at Windaroo Lakes this week to defend his title at the Queensland PGA Associate Championship, a 72-hole tournament to determine the state’s most accomplished trainee.

But Parker will be seriously tested by another Sunshine Coast star – Caloundra’s Bailey Arnott, a first-year trainee who presently leads the season-long Order of Merit after a string of stunning wins in trainee events.

Parker transferred to Wynnum Golf Club soon after last year’s victory, and has struggled to find the form that made him last year’s standout player.

“I haven’t had the best year by way of wins however I obviously love the course and the layout suits my game,” he said.

Apart from Arnott, who has won four times this year in the regular Monday trainee events, strong contenders this week are Sanctuary Cove’s Mitchell Smith, two-time runner-up Dean Jamieson (Hills), Elliot Beel (Mackay) and Arnott’s Caloundra mate, A. J. (Alex) McCoy.

The event will end on Thursday.

The winner of the $35,000 tournament will gain a place in the Queensland PGA Championship.

District’s best compete at Caloundra

Club champions from all 34 clubs in the Sunshine Coast Wide Bay district will compete for the District Champion of Champions title at Caloundra on Sunday, October 31.

The event will be one of the highlights of this year’s district championships, which will be played at Caloundra for the first time in 22 years.

Club champions from an area covering 19,000sqkm – from Wantima in the south to Tin Can Bay in the north - will compete for the very first District Champion of Champions title.

Also on the program is the district amateur championship, an 18-hole stroke event, played in four divisions.

Prizes valued at $7000 will be awarded, and tee times are available from 6am to 8am and from 10.30am to 12.30pm.

Entry costs $25. Book by phoning the Pro Shop on 5491 1811.

Bring a partner to women’s event

Maroochy River will host a golf tournament with a difference on Friday, November 18, when it presents its Women’s Invitation Day.

It’s a 4BBB stableford event, but each pair must comprise a Maroochy River member and a visitor.

There’s a two-tee start from 7am to 9am, and the entry fee is $20.

Nominations close on November 9. See the club’s website for details.