Visitors flock to Sunshine Coast’s week of winter golf

By Peter Owen

IF the goal was to attract visiting golfers to Queensland during the quieter winter period, then this year’s Sunshine Coast Winter Classic ticked all the boxes.

A sellout field turned up to play four of the region’s premier golf courses in a 72-hole amateur tournament aimed at club golfers.

Players travelled from all corners of Australia’s eastern states as well as New Zealand.

After beginning the week at Maroochy River, the players moved on to Peregian, then to Twin Waters and finished up at Noosa Springs.

They played an individual stableford competition – two grades for the men and one for the women.

When the dust settled, the winner was Brendon Muller, a visitor from Toukley Golf Club on NSW’s Central Coast.

Muller, 27, shot rounds of 38, 36, 39 and 34 for a 72-hole tally of 147 points. It was the best result of any player and gave the six-handicapper a nine-stroke victory in the A grade division.

For Muller, his parents and sister Raechelle, it was their second Winter Classic.

This time they came back with an even bigger group – a team of eight, the Muller family supplemented by friends, Raechelle’s fiancé and a newcomer, Muller’s 10-month-old son Archie.  

Muller, who lives in Sydney and returns to the Central Coast every couple of weeks to play golf at Toukley, said the tournament was a highlight of his golfing year.

“It was great to see some sunshine and to play on four such outstanding courses,” he said. “And to do it all with your family makes it so much better.”

Runner-up in A grade was Proserpine’s Steve Kelly (138 points), with Lewis Tuck, also of Proserpine, third.

In B grade, Peregian’s Lloyd Dixon flew the flag for the locals when he scored 141 points to beat Richmond Golf Club’s Andrew McCormack and Cromer’s Graham Osborne.

Muller’s mum Penny led by three strokes coming into the final round but could score only 23 points at Noosa Springs and fell away to third, the women’s title going to Keperra’s Jeanette Giudice (127 points).

The Winter Classic, now in its third year, was launched to showcase the region’s premier golf courses and attract visitors to the Sunshine Coast during winter. The event is supported by major partner, Sunshine Coast Council. Now a Spring Classic has been scheduled for October 10-14. To book, go to www.golfsunshinecoast.com.au/2022-sunshine-coast-classic/