Headland Golf Club has produced a rare double in 2021 with both men’s and women’s club champions – Adam Richards and Josie Ryan – winning their respective titles over a four-decade period.
Arguably, it’s a first for a Queensland club with a playing membership of 1000-plus.
Josie joined Headland in 1992 but did not contest the championships until two years later.
She won the first of her 19 championships in 1997 and since then has been beaten only four times.
RIGHT: Prolific winner Josie Ryan shows off the trophy she has collected 19 times.
Adam, who has now won 15 honourboard events at Headland, captured his first club championship as a 20-year-old in 1994 and won again in 2002 and 2014.
And 2002 – and well as 2021 – were the years when they performed the double act.
AdamRichards says winning his fourth Headland club championship over a four-decade period is his proudest achievement in golf.
With rounds of (76-74-74-75 – 299), Adam held on to beat grade 12 Siena Catholic College student Josh Holbrook (78-76-75-72 – 301).
“I’m proud that, at 47 years of age, I can still compete with the young guys,” said the 2021 champion who won his first title back in 1994 as a 20-year-old.
“But to win each of my championships over the past four decades is, I believe, a very rare feat.”
He was also proud to have his parents and his two daughters among the gallery as the final group came home, as well as having long-time mate Simon Mitchell on his bag.
JOSIE AGAIN: It was club championship number 19 for Josie Ryan.
Following what she considered three “very ordinary” opening rounds – 89, 86 and 89 – Josie was resolute in her promise to find some form and did so with a superb 76, three-over par on the difficult final-round layout.
Her card on day four revealed four bogeys, 13 pars and a birdie – the birdie coming in front of a large and appreciative gallery courtesy of a five-metre putt at the par-three 18th.
Josie (340) prevailed over Sharon Thomas (354), who had led the championship after the first two rounds.
Josie has obviously been a prolific winner – her name is on the Headland honourboard 38 times.
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