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This weekend we saw the running of the 2025 Parkes Open.
What an event this turned out to be after some dire weather predictions leading into it.
We had 25mm of rain that topped up the great work that Logan and Brenton, our greenkeeping team, and our loyal team of volunteers had done in the weeks leading up.
The new format of the Bridgestone 4BBB event was presented on the Friday then the SCT Open over 18 holes on Saturday and Sunday.
The players obviously were onboard with the change, as were our long-term sponsors, and 53 pairs played the Friday event and 171 individual players lined-up for Saturday, then 2nd 18 on Sunday.
There were 37 different clubs represented on the weekend.
A huge shoutout to SCT who have been with us for the long haul, just like their national, multi-modal transport and logistics company.
Bridgestone Mining Solutions Australia have joined us in more recent times, Truserve who have provided support for an extended period and Cam Standen, Standen Building, who provides the entertainment via the Friday evening shootout, a real crowd-pleasing event.
On Friday we had the unusual 10th start for all players that made them concentrate from the 1st hole. Starting here allowed the Standen Shootout to go uninterrupted later in the day.
The 37 different golf club’s represented signified that the venue and the event is very much at the forefront of players' event schedules across NSW and interstate as well.
The event was also a large stimulus for the local economy as well.
The Bridgestone Mining Solutions Australia event is the bookmaker’s biggest headache as the players are fairly secretive, form unknown, then there is the amount of seriousness or not each team take into the event.
A lot of the competitive nature is more between the travelling teams and their groups than the actual 4BBB trophy.
In the Scratch Stableford the brothers Brownlow were to the forefront with Andy and James recording a 39 point haul.
Both players are at the event each year so it was good to see them turn up on the winners' spot this year.
Runners-up in the scratch were past Open champion and also Parkes born Peter Kirwan now from Cowra and his partner Nicky Basson also from Cowra.
Nicky is also well seasoned on the Parkes layout.
The winners of the Handicap Stableford were long time friends but unlikely champion golfers in home grown, Geoff Carey and home town Michael Dellaca.
They blasted the opposition out of the water with a 49 point haul and both claiming they played better than the other.
This has been the pass mark for the last couple of years, so all teams knew they had to play well to get to the top of the heap.
4 back were the Cowra pairing of John Jensen and Chris Wilson getting home via a countback over one of the SCT teams in Peter Handel and Chris Bird, loving the relaxed day out.
Others to fair well were local father and son Stephen and Michael Riley on 44 and Steve Bell and Matt Hetherington also on 44 points.
The Truserv NTP results for the day were – 1st Mark Kelly 341cm, Ian Hannam 171cm, 11th Andrew Fisher 179cm, 17th Will Johnston 135cm.
We then moved to the crowd pleaser, the Cam Standen shootout. This really draws the attention of the punters as the 18th green becomes an amphitheatre for the crowd on the hill to watch the golfers have 100 metre shots in to try and get the great prize by getting the nearest the pin.
The event always ebbs and flows and the winning gets harder and harder as the shots get closer.
This year the club president, and wannabe golfer, Peter Magill, got lucky and got one to 108cm to see off all comers. Bragging rights went with him into the night.
The opening 18 holes of the SCT ’25 Open commenced with a magnificent spring day and a course ready for the taking for those good enough.
In A grade where the handicap cutoff was 10 this year, Caleb Hanrahan, from Forbes, was the low score on the day with a 2 under par 70, followed in by John Betland with a par round of 72.
Close behind was Lachy Buesnell and Steve Betland firing 2 over 74s.
Caleb had 6 birdies on the day and was hitting immaculate irons close to the pins.
Unfortunately, he made 4 errors that turned into bogeys to muck up the brilliant round.
John on the other hand was much more measured shooting 2 birdies and a bogey on the front and a bogey on the back.
Lachy had a 3 birdie, 3 bogey round but a double on the 10th put him 2 over.
Steve Betland, again was very sound with a 2 birdie, 2 bogey front and a 2 bogey back.
In the net event Karl Crowe jumped out to a 2 stroke lead over Caleb and a 4 stroke lead over Lachy, Adam Freeman and local Wayne Powter.
In B grade where the handicap cutoff was 18, Brent Jenkins, now playing from the Duntry GC hit an opening 82 with a solid 40/42 split and he was one stroke in front of Ian Hannam from the Northbridge course and Will Currall also from Duntry and Adam Ruperto from Forbes.
Mitch Wheeldon from Parkes was poised a stroke behind.
In the net event Mick Dellaca, backing up his form from Friday, was leading Brent by a stroke with his 68, with Riley Dunbar on a Pro’s invite, on 70 and 4 others pressuring on 71.
In C grade the champ from The Coast, Dominic Romeo jumped out of the gates to lead by 3 strokes after shooting an 88, with a 43/45 split.
He led local cult hero Finne Latu, who in turn had 2 strokes on Rob Norman from Parkes and Brien Hodges from Dubbo.
In the net side of the event Dom’s 66 was 5 better than Michael Riley who was the nearest chaser.
Coming into the championship round there was high expectations of a tight finish in the A grade and perhaps another of those playoffs.
John Betland wasn’t having any of that as he stamped his class on the field and fired a 3 under 69 to seal yet another Betland PGC SCT Open win.
John had a regulation front nine with a single birdie on the 8, then bogeyed the 10th only to pick up birdies at 13,15 and 16 to put the other contenders to the sword.
Ed Brownlow from the Australian GC was up to the challenge but could only manage a par round which contained 6 birdies but unfortunately also 6 bogeys.
Aaron Wilkie showed more glimpses of his ability to finish with a 73. So, John yet again showed himself to be one of the premier golfers west of the mountains winning by 4 shots from Caleb Hanrahan, 145, and a further 4 back to Aaron.
Biraj Silwal from Asquith, came in with a 69 for the best net score in A grade in the 2nd round.
He was chased in by Steve Bell from Headlands GC then John and Ed back on 71.
Overall, Karl Crow had the lowest A grade net score of the Open with a 139 beating Steve Bell by 3 and Caleb by 4.
In B grade the trophy was there for the taking by any number of players.
The young gun from Toowoomba, Riley Dunbar, was up for the challenge and struck a great 82 off the stick, including a 40 on the front 9. Riley strikes them a mile and just needed the finesse to click in, which it did.
Adam Ruperto from Forbes again had a solid round with his 83 leading the next bunch of chasers on 85.
The margin was enough for Adam to get home by 2 strokes over the 2 rounds from Will Currall from Duntry, with Riley another stroke back.
In the net event Riley was by far the best on the day with a 65, beating home local Rabbitohs supporter, Mick Dellaca on 68 and Ben Coultas 2 further back.
So over the 2 rounds Riley had a 135, beating Mick by a single stroke with Adam a further 6 behind.
In C grade an outstanding 83, 42/41 split, from Eamon Johnston from Wenty GC blew the field away and Dom Romeo the overnight leader by 3, then finished 8 behind in round 2.
Greg Martin from Duntry and Ken Keith from PGC both finished a stroke behind.
Unfortunately, his 1st round of 97 had caused too much damage and Dom had snuck in by a stroke, and Finne Latu was a further 7 in arrears.
In the net event for round 2 was taken out by Eamon’s 63 net which was outstanding and Scott Duncan from The Coast was 6 behind with local Sean Sloane and Dom. That left the final overall net scores with Dom on 135, 5 clear of Eamon and 2 further back to Michael Riley.
4BBB results for Friday
Scratch Stableford Winners - James and Andy Brownlow
Scratch Stableford R/Up – Peter Kirwan / Nicky Basson
Handicap Stableford Winners – Jeff Carey / Mick Dellaca
Handicap Stableford R/Up Chris Wilson / John Jenson
Ball winners – Chris Bird / Peter Handel 45, Michael and Steve Riley, Steve Bell / Matt Hetherington 44, Andrew Marshall / Brendon Simpson, Pat Laboyrie / Andrew Yanz 43, Lex Dransfield / Don Dixon 42, Andrew Huntley / Brett Skinner, Dylan Hoo / Justin Middleton c/b 42.
The Truserv NTP results for the 4BBB day were – 1st Mark Kelly 341cm, Ian Hannam 171cm, 11th Andrew Fisher 179cm, Will Johnston 135cm.
SCT Logistics Parkes Open Saturday results
A Grade Scratch Winner – Lachy Buesnell 74 c/b
A Grade Scratch R/U – Steve Betland 74
A Grade Handicap Winner – Adam Freeman 71 c/b
A Grade Handicap R/U – Wayne Powter 71
B Grade Scratch Winner – Brent Jenkins 82
B Grade Scratch R/U – Ian Hannam 83
B Grade Handicap Winner – Hugh Macdonald 71
B Grade Handicap R/U – Peter Cottee 72
C Grade Scratch Winner - Finne Latu 91
C Grade Scratch R/U – Robert Norman 93 c/b
C Grade Handicap Winner – George O’Mana 72
C Grade Handicap R/U – Bill Wakim 73
The Truserv NTP results for the Saturday were – 1st A - Andrew Dunbar 427cm, 4th C - Finne Latu 886cm, 11th B - Peter Magill 365cm, 17th Vets - Doug ‘ Nugget’ Waddell – lucky card draw.
Bridgestone Mining Solutions Australia Long Drive
A Grade John Betland 275m ; B Grade Hugh Macdonald 255m ; C grade Andrew Dunbar – lucky card draw.
SCT Logistics Parkes Open Sunday results
A Grade Scratch Winner – James Brownlow 72
A Grade Scratch R/U – Aaron Wilkie 73
A Grade Handicap Winner -Biraj Silwal 69
A Grade Handicap R/U – Marty Black 72
B Grade Scratch Winner – Ben Coultas 85 c/b
B Grade Scratch R/U – Jonathon Savil 85
B Grade Handicap Winner – John Warrington 71 c/b
B Grade Handicap R/U – Aaron Leete 71
C Grade Scratch Winner Greg Martin 92 c/b
C Grade Scratch R/U – Ken Keith 92
C Grade Handicap Winner – Scott Duncan 69
C Grade Handicap R/U – Nick Kelly 72
The Truserv NTP results for the Sunday were – 1st Greg Keeley 35cm, Nicholas Strudwick 186cm, 11th Peter Campbell 500cm, Vets Marty Black 161cm.
Bridgestone Mining Solutions Australia Straight Drive
A Grade Lachlan Buesnell 193cm ; B Grade Aaron Leete 120sm ; C grade Hampus Larsson 212cm.
Overall winners
A Grade Scratch Winner- Fred Funnell Trophy – John Betland 141
A Grade Scratch R/U – Caleb Hanrahan 145
A Grade Handicap Winner – Karl Crowe 139
A Grade Handicap R/U – Steven Bell - 142
B Grade Scratch Winner – Adam Ruperto 166
B Grade Scratch R/U – Will Currall 168
B Grade Handicap Winner Riley Dunbar 135
B Grade Handicap R/U – Mick Dellaca 136
C Grade Scratch Winner – Dominic Romeo 179
C Grade Scratch R/U – Eamon Johnston 180
C Grade Handicap Winner – Mick Riley 142
C Grade Handicap R/U - Sean Sloane 145
Pro Division Winner – Will Gunn 151
Keith Clarke and Derrick Skaife Veterans Memorial Trophy – Marty Black 156 c/b
