The Fifth Annual Mornington Peninsula Golf Classic was a massive success over the week of 5 to 10 October. A field of nearly 220 players travelled from around Australia and New Zealand to play the four tournament courses – The Ocean Course at The National, Portsea, Flinders and The Dunes.
Many golfers also enjoyed the opening day’s golf at Sorrento as well as the final day of golf at Mornington. Nearly half of this year’s golfers had played the MP Golf Classic previously and were able to catch up with friends from previous Classics as well as make many new golfing buddies.
Groups of golfers from clubs such as Cronulla, hawks Nest, Pennant hills, Royal Canberra, Sanctuary Cove, Shortland Waters, South Lakes and Yowani joined with other golfers to play in the graded tournament.
The Men’s winner was James Rutter (7 hcp) from hawks Nest with a score of 143 points. The runner up, with a score of 142 points on a countback at The Dunes, was Steve McCosker (10.4 hcp), from Ryde-Parramatta. The women’s winner was Netti Buchanan (12.1 hcp) from Pennant hills with a score of 127. The runner up was Sarah Hodgkinson (21.9 hcp) from New South Wales, with a score of 125 points. Sarah was also the runner up on a
countback at Portsea.
The overall winner was James Rutter and the overall runner up was Steve McCosker. All the winners were presented with their prizes at the fantastic Presentation Dinner on the final night at The National Golf Club.
Five of the golfers were also presented with their “5 Year Participation” awards and to join in the spirit, a couple of them also wore their previous years’ Golf Classic polo shirts throughout the week.
There was also a busy social program as part of the MP Golf Classic – The Welcome Party at Sorrento Golf Club, complete with jazz musicians; a superb Gala Food and Wine Dinner at the 1 Chef’s hat Flinders hotel (attended by five of the well-known local winemakers) and the local produce-themed Celebrity Dinner at eagle Ridge. Diners at the Celebrity Dinner experienced the best of golfing talent anywhere – Peter Thomson AO (five-time British Open winner), Ross Perrett (golf course architect) and golf professional David Good. Leon Wiegard was the very entertaining MC.
Many golfers managed to take in the other nearby attractions by visiting a number of the wineries, the Peninsula
hot Springs, the Archibald Prize as well as sampling the great cafés and some of the other great golf courses.
All said and done, everyone enjoyed the experience and many will be back next year with other golfing mates.
The overwhelming feedback was that October is a fantastic time to hold the Classic, so make sure you put an entry in your diary for 5-8 October 2015!
To register your interest in next year’s Mornington Peninsula Golf Classic, send an email to info@golfmorningtonpeninsula.com.au •
Australia's Golf News Leader, Inside Golf gives you in-depth coverage of Australian golf news, golf events, golf travel and holiday destinations, Australian and international golf course reviews, the hottest new golf gear and tips and drills to improve your golf game. Written by award-winning journalists, Inside Golf also features interviews with Australia's top professional golfers, the game's rising stars, industry leaders and golf equipment manufacturers. You can even win great golf prizes and equipment. It’s all in Inside Golf. FREE at Australian golf courses, driving ranges and golf retailers across Australia. 
