Clarke wins Mildura Open

AARON Clarke has been trying to win an Open golf tournament in Sunraysia for years, and now he’s finally broken through at his former club.

Now residing in Ballarat, the former Mildura Golf Resort junior was the winner of the weekend’s Mildura Open.

Clarke, a multiple-time winner of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Golf Championship, had rounds of 71 and 76 to finish with a scratch score of 147.

Cameron Stewart finished second in successive Mildura Opens, just one stroke behind Clarke with rounds of 72 and 76 over 36 holes.

Stewart was runner-up in a dramatic play-off against Greg Rhodes in the 2020 tournament in November.

Broken Hill’s Trinder Josiah finished in third with 148, the same total as Stewart, with Ashley Whitehouse rounding out the top four with 151.

Rhodes, who went into the Open as favourite, surprisingly did not qualify for the seeded draw.

Regular women’s tournament winner Sue Laird added another trophy to her bulging cabinet, winning the ladies’ Open with rounds of 74 and 83. Fellow Coomealla Golf Club member Lee Bottomley was second some nine strokes behind on 166.

Coomealla’s Tim Knight claimed the B Grade men’s title with 167 ahead of Mildura’s Josef Moisidis on 172, while Stuart Watson (Coomealla) won a tight C Grade with 189, just one stroke ahead of Riverside’s Callum Winslow.

Despite not featuring in the seeded draw in A Grade, Rhodes was the Veterans scratch winner with 156, while Coomealla’s Ben Doherty finished with 168 to take out the Junior title.