Waroona Golf Club’s Debra Butler dug deep to graft her way to a gritty victory in GolfWA’s Rural Bronze tournament.
Augusta Golf Club hosted this year’s event, which saw a field of 93 hardy competitors battle cold, wet and windy conditions in the 36-hole Stableford championship.
Thirty-six handicapper Butler (pictured above) made a strong start to the event, firing 36 points on day one to hold a share of the overnight lead with Wongan Hills’ Rebecca Hall.
Frontrunning isn’t easy, but Butler kept her foot on the gas on day two as she started early and returned 37 points to set a formidable clubhouse target of 73.
As contenders faltered, it was left to Dunsborough & Districts CC member Gwen Bosenberg to apply some pressure, with the 28-handicapper carding a sensational 42 points to fly up the standings.
It would not be quite enough, however, as Bosenberg’s first-day haul of 30 points left her with too much to do, and she had to settle for second, just a point adrift of Butler’s winning total.
“I’m really privileged to win,” a delighted Butler told GolfWA after securing the Lady Court Trophy.
“I’ve been going to Rural Bronze for a lot of years and although my golf’s not always the best, I always enjoy myself. Augusta is such a beautiful club, so to win here is really special.”
Despite the inclement weather and lengthy journey to Augusta, Butler said that supporting regional golf is more important than winning trophies.
“I think if you don’t support country clubs that put on events like this, after a while there won’t be any more events like this,” she said.
“Whether you’re a good golfer or not, just to come for the camaraderie and to support little local clubs is a really big thing.”
More than just a golf event
As well as the Stableford championship, Rural Bronze featured its usual array of on and off-course fun, commencing with the Canadian Foursomes event on the Friday.
This was won by Narrogin GC duo Carol Hardie and Sue Short, whose 29-point total granted them a one-point margin of victory over Carol Bridge (Cunderdin GC) and Rebecca Hall (Wongan Hills GC).
The ‘Glitter on the Green’ themed Saturday night dinner saw attendees pack out the Augusta Hotel in a variety of sparkling costumes, while there was also an impromptu fundraiser for the Royal Flying Doctor Service, which raked in more than $2000.
Kelli-Anne Brown hits the opening tee shot on Sunday, sporting the revered Provincial Dress
Following the cancellation of GolfWA’s Provincial Tournament, Donna Crouch’s famous/infamous ‘Provincial Dress’ instead made its way to Augusta for the fundraiser, where Quairaiding GC’s Kelli-Anne Brown won the right to wear it to tee off the day’s play on Sunday.
You can view all the final Rural Bronze leaderboards and category winners here.
Keep up with the latest WA golf news via the GolfWA news section and our Facebook and Insta accounts. You can also subscribe to our monthly e-newsletter here.
