Despite a loss to The Vines in the final round of competition, Royal Adelaide have won the McMillan Shield for the first time in the event’s 50-year history!
Thank you and well done to all players for representing the Club with great energy, enthusiasm and sportsmanship throughout the season.
McMillan Shield (more affectionately know as Mac Shield) is a mixed gender team handicap match play competition for juniors aged under 18 years of age. To be eligible to represent the Club in Mac Shield players must not have played any form of pennant higher than Junior Division 2.
Round 7
Royal Adelaide 1.5 lost to The Vines 3.5
Report courtesy of Michael Jay
The concluding round of this Grange inspired and organised event was held at The Grange Golf Club on Sunday. We were greeted by a LIV conditioned course on a glorious Autumn day, a fitting end to the season for the 50th anniversary of this prestigious entry level junior interclub match play competition.
We were dealt a significant curve ball on the morning with the news that our number 2 and Mac Shield stalwart, Liam Hutchison, was ill and unable to play, so 8 year old Freddie White stepped up into the number 5 position to fill the vacancy for our match against The Vines.
Sam Garrick, playing his 5th season in the competition, had a great match with his counterpart with the result in doubt until the final putt on the 18th. The result was 1 down.
Jisung Park kept his unbeaten run for the season intact by coming back from 3 down with 3 to play to square the match.
Lucas Huang met a boy who was almost double his size, hit the ball twice as far and who had a day out, going down 8/7.
Alston Ma had a wonderful game, spending most of the game down until the end, winning on the last hole.
Freddie was behind most of his match and managed to get back to within striking distance of his much bigger opponent but just fell short going down 2/1.
Final score was Vines 3.5 to Royal Adelaide 1.5.
Any disappointment the team may have had was dispelled in the clubhouse with the announcement that Royal Adelaide, for the first time, were the winners of the Shield.
A large contingent of parents, supporters and caddies of all competing teams were there to enjoy the moment.
A big thanks to Matt for his expert communication and coordinating of the teams throughout the season, Di Faull and Jane Flentje for their superior managerial skills, Paul Reader for his invaluable assistance and finally to the band of parents, relatives and friends who are integral to the continued success of our junior programme.
Round 6
Royal Adelaide 5 defeated Kooyonga 0
Report courtesy of Di Faull
The 6th round of the McMillan Shield was played on Sunday 5th March at The Vines Golf Club. The weather on the day started out mild and perfect for golf, but later in the day the skies opened with pouring rain and thunder and lightning in the distance. The lightning was not close enough to stop play so all matches were able to continue to a finish, with the RAGC team of Sam Garrick, Liam Hutchison, Jisung Park, Lucas Huang, Alston Ma and reserve Freddie White defeating Kooyonga 5 – 0.
Sam was first off in his match against a very strong opponent. It was a tight game but Sam took the first hole and managed to stay 1 up through 9 holes. A loss on the par 3 10th brought them back to square but Sam came back to win the 12th to go back to 1 up. Another loss on 13 and back to square, holes 14, 15 were squared but a win on 16 had Sam 1 up with 2 to play. He won the 17th and the match 2/1.
Liam and his opponent were on similar handicaps but Liam was in control on the front 9 with a couple of pars and a great birdie on the par 4 4th (a 3 for 5 Stableford points!). At the turn he was 5 up but a more even back 9 extended the match with him winning on the 16th 3/2.
Jisung’s opponent also had a similar handicap, but despite some wayward drives he was never down in the match. He was 3 up after 9 holes but lost 10, won 11 and lost 12. He then regrouped and won 13 and 14. On the 15th his drive was in the middle of the adjacent fairway, and his approach shot flew over the green and onto the 16th fairway. He then hit to the 15th green and a 3 putt gave him a 6 to win that hole and the match 5/3.
Lucas had a tough match giving 11 shots to his opponent, but he was in form and very focused during his match. He was 3 up after 9 holes, but his opponent started to find form with some great approach shots and brought the match back to square after 13 holes. Lucas lost 14 but won 15, 16 and 17 to win the match 2/1.
Alston had to give his opponent 17 shots, but he played really well to be 4 up after 9 holes. The match was never really in doubt although a wayward shot on 12 gave his opponent an opening. However, Alston recovered with an excellent 2 putts and won the match 7/6.
Our reserve Freddie played the final match and although it doesn’t count in the results it was played with the same desire to win and play his best. He was never down in his match and played some beautiful shots. He was 6 up with 6 to play and both boys wanted to continue to a result. However, the skies opened at that moment so they did abandon the match.
I would like to acknowledge the excellent short game skill I observed in all of our players, including some spectacular chips, putts and bunker shots that really won holes for them. Considering the sudden change in the weather at crucial times in some matches, winning all 5 was a great result. Well done team and well done to the parents/caddies who also had to stay out in the weather until each match was over.
The result puts our team in to first position on the ladder, with just one round to go, to be played at The Grange GC (against The Vines GC) on Sunday 19th March. Please come down and support our young golfers if you can, as they tackle (half of) the LIV event course which will soon see the likes of Cam Smith, Dustin Johnson and Bryson DeChambeau competing on it! Play starts at 12pm with presentations to follow.
Round 5
Royal Adelaide 3 defeated The Grange 2
Report courtesy of Jane Flentje
What an exciting match the fifth round of the McMillan shield was at Thaxted Park against Grange on Sunday 26th February. Our team of 5 hit off around midday on a beautiful mild Sunday afternoon.
Sam Garrick hit off first and was never down although he didn’t have it all his own way, a couple of wayward drives in the middle of the round and some missed putts, but otherwise Sam played steady golf and won 5/4.
Alston Ma playing second had a steady round and matched his opponent all day, hitting straight off the tees and some lovely fairway shots. He was 2 down after 9 but went into 18 only 1 down unfortunately losing the final hole.
Jisung Park was playing fairly steady golf. 1 down after 5 holes, he then played some terrific golf to be 5 up after 10. He then lost control of his drives and lost balls on 12,13 and 14. He was able to steady and win the short downhill par 3 15th and long par 4 16th to finish 4 /2.
Lucas Huang had a tough day, he and his opponent were off the same handicap and while Lucas was playing very steady golf his opponent was hitting longer drives and a little tighter around the greens. Lucas lost 8/6. Freddie White’s match was tight. He had to give her 12 shots and she was playing a terrific touch game into greens. She holed a 100m shot on the 9th and put several other 40-80 m shots within a club length of the pin. But Freddie was steady and consistently straight and went into 17 1 up which he won convincingly.
A great result of 3/2 against a tough opponent. Thanks to the terrific support team of parents and caddies.
Round 4
Royal Adelaide 4 defeated Glenelg 1
Report courtesy of Michael Jay
Kooyonga was the venue for Round 4 of the McMillan Shield on Sunday 19th February.
Same team as last week with Freddie White a reserve. Glenelg, our opponents, had several players ill so only turned up with 5. Freddie however played with the 5th pair and played exceptionally well according to his caddie and father Mark.
Alston hardly put a foot wrong and had a resounding 8/6 win giving his opponent 12 shots.
Sam Garrick was never headed playing some really solid golf with a 6/4 win. Liam Hutchison had a tight match which was even well into the second nine but was edged out 3/2. Liam has played 4 seasons of this competition and its pleasing to see his development, confidence and lengthening shots over this time.
Lucas Huang was always in front, being a little too consistent for his older opponent. He was rarely off the fairway with his touch around the greens always a threat. He was challenged into the second nine but steadied when he needed with a 3/2 win.
Jisung Park shot out of the blocks, only 3 over the card after 5 holes and playing some memorable shots. At one point he was 5 up but his opponent fought back and took the lead at the 17th hole. Jisung however parred the 17th and his opponent lost a ball on the 18th with the match finishing in RA’s favour 1 up.
Final result was 4 matches to 1 in our favour. It was great to see the early finishers supporting their team mates and all parents and players enjoying some clubhouse refreshments and post match banter at the completion of the day’s activities.
Thanks once again to the faithful band of family supporters who make themselves available for this important golfing journey for our juniors.
Round 3
Royal Adelaide 1.5 lost to Thaxted Park 3.5
Report courtesy of Jane Flentje
The third round of the McMillan Shield was played at RAGC on a very windy but sunny afternoon on the 12th of February.
Royal Adelaide played against Thaxted Park and unfortunately went down 3.5 to 1.5. But this score does not reflect the tight match for everyone.
Sam Garrick hit off first and had a tight match for 18 holes. He was 4 down after 4 but won the next 5 holes, he was all square after 10 and 2 down playing the 17th, he won that but unfortunately tied the 18th to finish one down. He hit a couple of wayward drives but was playing some excellent fairway shots to recover. Liam playing number 2 was also all square after 11 playing very steady golf, then he lost a couple of holes in a row with a couple of wayward tee shots, he lost 4/2 on the 16th. Jisung playing 3 had an amazing game playing an inform opponent. Jisung was long and wayward off the tees on the front 9 but making some spectacular recovery shots to win holes against an opponent who was hitting straight. He was 3 up after 8 holes and never down. He hit much straighter drives on the back 9 and won his match 5/3.
Lucas struggled into the wind off the white tees against a bigger opponent, he got into difficulty off the tee on several occasions and could not recover but hit some beautiful fairway shots. He was 2 down after 9 and finished 5/4 down.
Alston also struggled into the wind against a bigger opponent but played a terrific match all the way to the 18th. Alston was hitting lovely drives and terrific fairway shots but was 2 down after 10 and 3 down with 4 holes to play. He won the next 3 holes, going into 18 all square, then squared 18 to square his game, very exciting.
Freddie was our playing reserve, he had a similarly exciting game going to the 17th hole where he lost 2/1. A few missed putts was the difference.
A tiring day for all in the wind, but fun and enjoyed by all.
Thanks to all the parents who caddied for the day.
Round 2
Royal Adelaide 3.5 defeated Tea Tree Gully 1.5
Report courtesy of Di Faull
The second round of the McMillan Shield was played at Tea Tree Gully Golf Club on Sunday 5th Feb in near perfect conditions, with the RAGC team playing Tea Tree Gully on their home course. One player down again this week meant it was always going to be a tough competition.
Sam Garrick and Liam Hutchison were first off in their respective matches. Sam started well but the home ground advantage was definitely working for his opponent and he was 3 down after 9 holes. Undaunted by this Sam produced some excellent golf and the match turned in his favour with great short game skills working to his advantage. They halved the 10th then Sam won the next 6 holes to win the match 3/2 on the 16th.
Liam also faced a tough match having to give his opponent 8 shots. All square after the 9th Liam played steadily and produced some fantastic long chips to win 3/1 on the 17th.
Jisung Park and Lucas Huang played their matches in the next group against fairly evenly matched opponents. Despite some errant drives Jisung’s match was never in doubt and his recovery shots from neighbouring fairways were fantastic. He was never down, only losing 2 holes on the front 9 and was 6 up after 12 holes with the match finishing on the 14th 5/4.
Lucas played his first full 18 hole match off the white tees, a long 5 hours for him and very tightly fought. Lucas played some exceptional shots to win or square holes when needed. He was 2 up after 9 but the match was all square after 16 holes. He lost the 17th so was 1 down with 1 to play coming up the 18th, despite the pressure he played superbly and won the 18th to tie his match. Final result RAGC 3 1/2 to Tea Tree Gully 1 1/2 !
Fantastic golf from all the players and great sportsmanship shown in all matches. Thanks also once again to all the parents and caddies for their ongoing support.
Round 1
Royal Adelaide 3 defeated Country Districts 2
Report courtesy of Michael Jay
Glenelg hosted the first round of the McMillan Shield in slightly overcast but mild conditions with our match against Country Districts.
We started one short with our intended number one player Sam Garrick a late withdrawal, so we were one down with a 10/8 against on the score sheet. The team were all closely handicapped between 32 and 35 but our opponents were a contrast with a spread from 12 to 37.
Jisung Park, playing number 1 and with a sore right shoulder lost the first hole but only one more, either winning or squaring the rest. Jisung hit some amazing shots enormous distances with the match finishing at the 14th with a 5/4 victory.
Lucas Huang was playing his first representative and competitive match play game of golf and executed some wonderful shots. His opponent, on a handicap of 14, had 2 birdies and a number of pars off the stick so a result of 6/4 down was a very creditable performance under the circumstances.
Alston Ma, our number 3, played exceptionally well, completing 9 holes in 45, against an opponent who was almost double his size but half his handicap. No surprise that the match finished early on the 12th at 7/6.
Freddie White was evenly matched on handicap and was 2 down after 2 holes but then proceeded to show his form and win 6 of the next 11 holes finishing with a 6/5 victory.
End result was 3/2 to Royal Adelaide.
Both teams conducted themselves in exemplary fashion, showing great sportsmanship and appreciation of their opponents game. Well done everyone and particularly parent caddies and family supporters. Made for a really enjoyable day.
Teaching professional Matt Antell helped the nervous, yet excited Mac Shield squad hone their skills at their training session on Monday 23rd January.
The team for Round 1 will be as follows.
ROUND 1
Sunday 29th January
Glenelg GC
10th tee at 11.45am
Royal Adelaide vs Country Districts
Sam Garrick
Lucas Huang
Alston Ma
Jisung Park
Freddie White
Michael Jay (Manager)