Sophie Williams and Amie Phobubpa defended their title, while dark horses Gareth Spooner and Pete Jefferis achieved a breakthrough victory at the Foursomes Amateur Championships of WA.
On a changeable day at The Vines Golf & Country Club, 46 plucky pairings competed for men’s and women’s state titles over 36 holes in one of golf’s most challenging formats.
The alternate shot nature of foursomes can be as much a test of friendship as it can of golfing abilities, with players desperate to not leave their partners too much in the lurch with wayward strokes.
Steady golf is the order of the day in foursomes, with scores around level par never likely to be too far off the top of the leaderboard. So it proved at The Vines, with no teams matching par during the opening round, despite several very determined efforts.
Lake Karrinyup teen duo James Dyer and Connor Roberts dovetailed beautifully card a first round 73 (+1) and share the halfway lead with WA state golfers Ollie Marsh (Wanneroo) and Nate Johnson (Joondalup).
In the women’s event, meanwhile, defending champions Phobubpa (Joondalup CC) and Williams (Mount Lawley) opened with a two-over-par 74 to tie the lead with Mount Lawley’s Ruby Cotton and Valerie Khuu.
In the end, it went down to the wire in both championships. The two leading in pairs in the women’s event were level pegging at the halfway stage of the final round until a crucial moment at the 11th
There, Williams & Phobubpa made birdie to Cotton & Khuu’s bogey. The two-stroke swing was ultimately too much for Cotton & Khuu to make up as they finished two shots behind their rivals at +5 for the championship.
It marked the second time running that Phobubpa & Williams had claimed the title, their previous win coming at the same venue in 2024, before last year’s event was cancelled due to stormy weather.
Sophie Williams and Amie Phobubpa successfully defended their women’s crown
Notably, it was Williams’ third straight win at the event, having partnered Gosnells’ Sasha Hofman to victory in 2023.
“I just love the teamwork aspect of foursomes golf and having someone else relying on you hitting a good shot,” a delighted Williams told GolfWA.
“I thrive pretty well under pressure and really enjoy that kind of format where you have to help your partner as you go.”
Williams paid generous tribute to partner Phobubpa, saying: “Amie’s so happy and bubbly all the time. She’s always smiling and keeping everyone else calm, it’s just so nice to win with her.”
WA state golfer Phobubpa added: “It’s nice to play in a team event every once in a while. We don’t get to do a lot of that, but we had so much fun out there.
“I put Sophie in some tough spots today, especially off the tee, but she definitely handled it well and I’m so pleased we got it done again.”
First time lucky for Spooner and Jefferis
With numerous state golfers and champions in the field, few would have tipped Gareth Spooner and Pete Jefferis for the title, but the duo were in the groove all day and lay just two shots off the pace after an opening-round 75.
Jefferis was playing at his home club, while Spooner had been a long-time member prior to switching to Gosnells GC.
Despite knowing each other for many years, this the pair’s first time competing in the State Foursomes Championship. Their local knowledge — allied with a great day off the tee — made all the difference.
They hardly put a foot wrong in their second round, carding three birdies and just two bogeys en route to a fine 71, which saw them leapfrog Jordan Jung & Josiah Lim to take a two-shot clubhouse lead at +2 for the championship.
With some of the favourites playing behind, though, Spooner & Jefferis faced a nervous wait to see if they had done enough to land the title.
Home-club partnership Declan Hoskin & Travis Wilcox put themselves in a great position with some superb, controlled golf, but reached the final tee needing an eagle to force a playoff.
They made a valiant effort, birdieing the hole for a joint best-of-the-day round of 70 to finish just one stroke adrift of the winning score.
Gareth Spooner and Pete Jefferis claimed the men’s title at their first attempt
It made for a fairytale event debut for Spooner and Jefferis, who had entered the event with limited expectations.
“It’s fantastic to be a state champion,” Jefferis told GolfWA. “We were up against all the top players, so to actually come through is a great feeling.”
The secret of their success was simple: “We just kept it in play a lot,” explained Spooner.
“We only had to play one provisional ball all day, which was key. Our playing partners probably hit 15 or 20 provisionals between them!
“Aside from that, we made a couple of good up and downs when we needed to, and we had a good group as well, so there was lots of good banter. It was great fun.”
Elsewhere in the championship, Meadow Springs’ Paul Bailie & Dustin Kemp claimed the men’s nett title, while teenage stars Hayley Rasmussen (Pinjarra GC) & Isabella Day (Mandurah CC) won the women’s equivalent.
View the final leaderboards and all category winners here.
View image galleries from the day here.
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