Stawell golfers dominate Wimmera Golf Championships

Stawell’s Tim Coffey won the A Grade Championship’s scratch section over 36 holes on Saturday with a total of 141.

Chalambar’s Michael Harricks came second with 149, followed by Stawell’s Mat Dalton, 152, and Horsham’s Levi Burns, 154. 

Stawell’s Jayden Dignan won the B Grade scratch section with a score of 84 on countback from club-mate Phil Willcock.

Adding to the host club’s success was David Hooper triumphing in the C Grade scratch and handicap sections.

Both B and C grades were played over 18 holes.

Stawell duo Graeme Trickey and Greg Dean combined to win the four-ball best-ball competition on Friday with a score of eight, while Mark Rooke, Brian Iseppi and Ian Sibson won the three-person ambrose scratch and handicap sections on Sunday.

Stawell vice-captain Rod Sheppard said the club had not forecast having such success.

“It was very surprising,” he said.

“We didn’t expect to take off with the A, B and C grades.”

Stawell’s Greg Earle won the A Grade handicap and Willcock won the B Grade handicap.

Sheppard said the event as a whole had been a positive for the club.

“It was very successful as far as we were concerned. It went off without a hitch,” he said.

“We had about 200 players, which was pretty much what we expected.”

He said the course had provided a challenge for some of the Wimmera’s best golfers.

“There was some very high quality golf among the A Graders,” he said.

“The course was in very good condition.

“The greens were fast and a lot of people had trouble handling them.”

Sheppard said Coffey and Dignan both had strong form coming into the tournament.

Coffey claimed the Victorian Men’s Sand Greens title at the Grampians Golf Club last month, while Sheppard said Dignan had recently won a golfing scholarship to a United States university after playing at the Royal Melbourne Golf Club.