RN set to sail in golf
Volume 11, No. 56, November 16, 2006

A BRITISH Royal Navy (RN) touring party will be visiting a different “golf” when it sends 10 members from its Golf Association to compete in the ADF Golf Association National Championships in Canberra in December.

The tournament will be held at the Federal Golf Club from December 11-15 when a field of about 132 is expected to compete.
Main focus will be on the 72-hole stroke event from December 12-15, which will incorporate the Single Service Championships, Service Team Championship, State Team Championship and ADF Women’s Championship.

The titles are open to all permanent uniformed personnel and Defence APS employees, and Active Reservists who have been approved to compete by their unit CO. Players who wish to enter any of the three events may do so only if they hold a current AGU or WGA handicap.

The national final of the Regional Handicap Championship will be played as part of the 72-hole event.
The RN Golf Association’s touring party will consist of 10 players (handicaps 0-4) and four management/support staff.

Tournament Director, Wg-Cmdr Trevor Owens, said that the RN being involved in the 22nd annual event was a first, but this would likely be repeated in 2007 with a similar visit from a NZDF Combined Services golf team.

Pte Damian Jordan is expected to return to defend his title and he will face some stiff competition from Capt Daryl Whitehead, LCdr Andrei Ezergailis, Smn Troy Boswell and RAAF’s Sgt Derek Brown and LAC Mark Patton.

The women’s championship will be strongly contested by Pte Trudi Jeffrey and RAAF’s Cpl Cynarra Baker, both low single-figure markers. It remains to be seen whether this will bring WOFF Lainie Thorn out of retirement.

The week’s activities will open with the December 11 Sponsors’ Day which will comprise an official practice round and an 18-hole “welcome” stableford.
The ADFGA annual meeting will be held at Federal Golf Club on December 14 at 4pm, and the presentation dinner will be held there on December 15 at 6.30pm.

All players should note that the 2006 National Championship Week of Golf will be the primary medium from which the 2007 Combined Services representative teams will be selected. Wg-Cmdr Owens warned that 2007 contained a full representative program set by the ADFGA committee, and gaining a position in any of the Combined Services sides would be hard fought.

Visit www.sportscentreoz.com/adfgaindex.htm for entry forms. Send to PO Box 166, Amberley, Queensland 4306. Email inquiries to adfga@optusnet.com.au. Entries close at noon on November 22.