Maroochy River hosts senior title

Gordon Claney is a double national senior champion.

Defending champion Gordon Claney is one of the favorites, but the man himself tips one of his teammates to win the 2019 senior men's championship in Maroochy River Golf Club on the Sunshine Coast tomorrow.

Claney, 66, a scratch marker from Kingston Heath and an old pennant player from Melbourne, won in Spring Valley last year after winning his first national title in Western Australia in 2016.

But it's another Victorian player, Greg Rhodes, the Sunraysia legend who won the title in 2017 and 2015, which Claney said could be the winner.

Rhodes has won the last four & # 39; order of merit & # 39; titles at senior level. "If he plays to the best of his ability, he wins because he is simply better than us," said Claney, who will join Rhodes in the Victorian four-member team that will contest the team section of the tournament.

Claney played pennant golf for Kingston Heath for over 30 years and started playing senior golf when he retired from the position of assistant director at a Melbourne college in 2013. He loved the involvement. "I enjoyed it," he said. "It was something to do and I have traveled through Australia and had the good fortune to join a number of Australian teams and travel abroad.

“Playing seniors is good. There is no dummy spitting or something. We just drag along a bit and do our best with a limited capacity. "

The reinvented Maroochy River club in Bli Bli, near Twin Waters, is stepping back into the sun this week at a national level event. Designed by Graham Marsh, it was opened four years ago after the sale of Horton Park Golf Club to the city council.

The club negotiated to buy Twin Waters, but eventually bought a plot of land next to the Maroochy River and built a new job. It has since received many praise as one of the best on the Sunshine Coast, and previously organized the national women's senior amateur in 2017 and the Katherine Kirk Classic.

At 6441 meters, the par-72 format tests the best senior players in Australia with water threats on almost every hole.

Claney said the track was in good condition, but it is the wind that will be the determining factor.

"It's about the wind. Today, the wind was 35 km / h, but the locals said it was just a zephyr."

Last year's number two, James Lavender, is in the field with New Zealander Michael Barltrop and the Hong Kong-based American Doug Williams.

A strong field of 135 players competes over 54 holes this week, with the climax on Thursday.

The full field is here