Inside Golf, Australia. July 2014 | Page 77

the 19th hole Three aces all in a day’s work I T’S not the first time it’s happened and it won’t be the last, but it is an extraordinary feat when three golfers playing in different groups on the same day score a hole-in-one on the same hole. The eight marker’s ball landed a metre past the hole and spun back into the cup. Ian Leech, Stephen Wright and Daryl Docherty defied the odds when they aced the 122m par3 eighth hole at City Golf Club, Toowoomba during a recent Saturday competition. T  hief ‘addicted to golf’ The eight-handicapper used a nine-iron to score his hole-in-one. WHAT do you call a man or woman who steals almost $10,000 worth of golf clubs and other golfing paraphernalia from a pro shop? Not to be outdone Daryl, who was in the afternoon field, made it ace number three for the day. The short eighth hole doesn’t have a lot of protection although players have to hit over a creek to a two-tiered green, which has a bunker short right. Playing in the morning field, Ian, who plays off a 17 handicap, got the ball rolling when his well-struck six-iron found the cup, which was on the front of the green. City Golf Club golf operations manager Andrew Webb said a tree on the right could come into play. “The ball went past the pin up the hill, then rolled back down the hill and kept rolling and rolling slowly then went in,” he said. “The best shot for right-handers is to hit a fade on this hole,” he said. Stephen Wright, also in the morning field, used his trusty eight-iron to score his ace. In addition to bragging rights, the golfers received a bottle of Scotch and a $50 club Give up? A golf addict. Seriously. Police in the US state of Washington arrested a suspect who stole $US9200 worth of clubs and other gear from Gold Mountain Golf Club. ACES: Ian Leech, Stephen Wright and Daryl Docherty scored a hole-in-one at the same hole on the same day. Detectives nabbed him after he was trying to sell the equipment online. voucher and will have their names added to the honourboard. According to the local police chief Steve Strachan, robberies of this nature were often the result of addictions. There were 220 players in the field. FOOTNOTE: City Golf Club is home to the Queensland PGA Championship. However, this was the first one police had seen “that looks like golf addiction”. What next? Someone picks up your golf ball and when confronted says, “Sorry mate, I’m a golf addict addicted to golf balls”. Top shot lands Ryley victory T His next shot was through a small gap in the trees. HE late Seve Ballesteros, a master at playing miracle shots from difficult positions, would have been proud of a pressure shot Ryley Martin (Buderim) played to help him win the Central Queensland 54hole Junior Open Championship at Capricorn Resort in Central Queensland. P  oms dressing down It didn’t faze him and he executed it perfectly and watched as the ball finished within tap-in range of the hole. As they say, fortune favours the brave. THE Poms have finally twigged. Meanwhile, Blake, who was in the centre of the fairway off the tee, saw his approach shot finish up in light rough. In a sudden-death playoff with Childers Golf Club’s Blake Dowling, Ryley ݅́