Around The Traps

Cassie Porter scooped the pool at the Invincibles annual presentation dinner

AT THE DINNER: Roy Mclean of Drummond Golf Maroochydore presents Cassie Porter with one of her trophies. Picture: Contributed

CASSIE Porter - the highest-ranked 16-year-old female in the country - rounded out a sensational year of golf when she took home a swag of awards at the Invincibles annual presentation dinner at the weekend.

Cassie left the function at Pelican Waters clutching trophies for Best Individual Performance, the Representative Award, Achiever of the Month Award for November, and Best All-Round Junior Golfer.

During the year the Peregian star won a host of titles including the South Australian Junior Masters, the Easter Cup at Toowoomba, the Ian Baker-Finch Classic, and was runner-up in the South Pacific Junior Open in New Caledonia and the Queensland Girls Amateur Championship. She set course records at Twin Waters, Pelican Waters and Toowoomba's City Golf Club.

Cassie, whose ambition is to make golf her career, said she was delighted with her performances throughout the year, and thanked the Invincibles Sunshine Coast Junior Tour for its support and encouragement.

Other major winners on the night were Brock Armitage (Gold Cup of Cups champion), Tyler Duncan (Golf Representative Award (boys), Players' Player Award, A grade matchplay champion), and Will Martell and Caitlin Vanderkruk (Encouragement Award). Will also won the Best Team Person award.

Disappointing

THE accommodation was fine and the scenery great, but that's about as far as it went for the two Sunshine Coast golfers who teed it up in the PGA Professionals Championship Final at Hamilton Island last week. Noosa Springs teaching pro Hamish Robertson shot rounds of 81, 80 and 78 on a very testing course to finish 32nd while Jacob Boyce (82, 85, 76) was four strokes further back. Victorian Scott Laycock won the event.

IBF tees it up

IAN Baker-Finch will make a rare tournament appearance when he lines up in the Wynnum Pro-Am on Monday. He'll be joined by the likes of John Senden, Rod Pampling and Peter Senior, who will compete for prizemoney of $50,000 in Australia's richest one-day golf event.

Local victory

SHANE Wilkinson, who works behind the bar at Maroochy Rivers when he's not hitting golf balls, shot a fine two over-par 74, then beat Noosa Springs' Sam Haines on the first playoff hole, to win the Maroochy Rivers Men's Open on Sunday. Nett winners on a day when all golfers played from the testing black tees were Jason Witney (A grade, 69), Neville Kent (B grade, 74) and Robert Collingwood (C grade, 76).

Sophie stars

SOPHIE Thomsen of Pelican Waters is only 11, but she's going places in golf. At the Junior Golf Queensland awards at Nudgee last week, Sophie was named the '9 hole player of the year'. She won eight separate events in girls' division 1 company throughout the year.

Better with age

KEN Anderson, the Headland marvel who says the more he practices the luckier he gets, shot a score less than his age for the 14th time last week. Ken, 77, who is now on a generous six handicap, shot a two over-par 74 in Headland's midweek four ball best ball aggregate event. He first beat his age in 2011 when Ken, then 70, scored a five under-par 67.

Originally published as Around The Traps