Having won the WA State Final of the event, the team of Alyssa Keir, Devon Hartley, Rachael Yagmich, Georgia Shears and club professional Mark Tibbles earned a start in the final, held on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast last month.
‘Alyssa, Devon and Rachael joined The Vines Junior Golf Program as 10 year olds, with Georgia joining the program earlier this year, so it was a great thrill for me to play with them in a national final,’ Tibbles said.
‘The girls played some fantastic golf, there was a great team spirit and we can be proud of the way they played throughout the tournament.’
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READ NOWAfter a slow start, the team found themselves eight shots behind first-round leaders, the Sanctuary Lakes Golf Club, from Victoria. However, after a sizzling score of 11-under par in round two, The Vines team reduced the deficit to six shots going into the final round.
While it was always going to be tough to catch the leaders, the biggest concern was the constant threat of thunderstorms in the area.
The Vines team got off to a good start with six birdies in the first eight holes. However, before they could complete the ninth hole, play was suspended with lightning flashing all around the course.
Play resumed and by the time the team had reached the 18th tee they were 11 under par and knew that the Sanctuary Lakes team were only 7 under playing the hole behind.
A win was still possible when Devon Hartley boomed a drive down the par 5 finishing hole.
The green was reachable in two shots but the team was anticipating a birdie or possible eagle to finish strongly.
However, a storm struck again and play was eventually abandoned for the day, leaving The Vines team just short of their championship goal.
The Championship was decided on the two-round total and The Vines Team finished runner-up to Sanctuary Lakes.