SQUASHED BY SQUANCE

Numerous proposals for an Eastern States tournament away from Mornington have been raised and have lapsed with equal fervour. Various locations were proposed at the last AGM, including the Hunter Valley, and, as the most recent Mornington Masters champion, Chris was charged with deciding where, and for how long, the next event would be. As the following history will show, he really hit the jackpot! An unforgettable series of social and golfing experiences brilliantly organised and unique to the Valley.

On the golfing side, the Dominator continued his knack of dominating new tournaments. Following on from his South West Masters win, Squancey triumphed on three of the four golfing days, entering the final day with a 5 point buffer – Rollicking Ronzo and Jaunty Jacko his main rivals. But he was never seriously challenged taking out the Open by a convincing 11 point margin and the only player to equal or better their handicap (twice). CONGRATULATIONS SQUANCEY!

The golf had its highs (Cypress Lakes a clear favourite) and lows (all those tee shots over acres of water) with course difficulty, and on one occasion the weather, resulting in scores of 30 or more being achieved in just under one-third of games.

The social side was headed by the excellent outcome from a decision to program a rest day mid-tournament. The Hunter Horse Drawn Carriage Tour punctuated with two wine tastings and concluding with cheese and chocolate tastings combined with a great lunch at the Blaxland Inn Steakhouse was a show stopper. Chris's gourmet meals together with a pre-game buffet breakfast and fine dining at Amanda's on the Edge completed the real deal.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Walks's Great Escape
• Having Jeff join us for the first 2 days
• Our 5-star accommodation
• The mainly cool and kind weather, non-stop rain holding off until Friday evening
• Rydges buffet breakfast at Hunter Valley GC - great food selection and great service
• The Wednesday lay day outings
• Cypress Lakes golf course
• Amanda's on the Edge fine dining
• Chef Chris's fantastic fare.

Champion	Runner Up