GOLFERS are committed in any weather, but the swapping of sun visors for snorkels during the Merbein Open due to heavy rain tested even the most fanatical players.
While the “Royal Merbein” avoided being repackaged as the Royal Yacht Club, Riverside duo Ashley Whitehouse and Lisa Garioch navigated the waters better than most.
Whitehouse managed an even par 72 in the wet on Saturday with a second-round 75 on Sunday seeing him take victory with 147, three strokes clear of Greg Rhodes (77/73) and Darryl Morgan (75/75).
Garioch denied Broken Hill’s Jenny Stephenson a second consecutive Open ladies victory, her opening round 81 putting her in the box seat to finish on 165 following a second-round 84.
Stephenson finished two strokes behind after rounds of 84 and 83.
“It’s always good to have a win, you don’t always get those chances so it’s nice to take them,” Whitehouse said.
“It was as hard as it gets Saturday. You just try to stay as dry as you can but it’s not that easy when umbrellas are flying all over the place.
“It’s all about making sure you can keep your grips dry and I probably would have gone through half a dozen gloves.
“Once your grips start getting wet it’s a test to keep hold of your clubs. Really windy days can also be a challenge but this was tough as it was just non-stop for the whole day.”
Garioch said despite the weather she managed her best scores around the Merbein Golf Club course.
“I actually played pretty well so it worked out okay for me,” she said with a laugh.
“The course itself is the best it’s been since I’ve played there but obviously the rain makes life harder.
“I was lucky my husband and I own a cart so it wasn’t too bad for me.
“There wasn’t a real lot of run on day two because the course was so damp but it still played pretty well.”
Despite the downpour, Whitehouse said many golfers were keen to compete as often as possible.
“I think a lot of us were keen to play considering Riverside and Coomealla have been out of action,” he said.
“In saying that, I was waiting for one of the three other blokes I was playing with on day one to text to say they were out because I probably would have stayed home!
“I managed a few under par and score 34 on the front nine but I gave a couple back on the back nine.”
Whitehouse only finished day one a single stroke ahead of young gun Ben Doherty, and despite the 19-year-old dropping out of the top three he could be poised for big things in 2023.
“I haven’t played with Ben for a couple of years, but the way he’s going I reckon he’ll be knocking on the door of the Country Week team,” Whitehouse said.
“He’s been really impressive.”
