Sunday Women’s Pennant – Round One

Women’s Pennant Division 4 v Rosanna @ Settlers Run

Shirley led the team off for the 2026 season at Settlers Run. After a good half on the first hole, she fell behind on the second and trailed until the fifth, where she fought back to square. The match see-sawed between one down and all square until the 14th — each time Shirley levelled the match, she unfortunately dropped the following hole. A mistake from her opponent on the 15th gave Shirley the lead for the first time, only for her to generously return the favour on the 16th. A solid 17th, with her opponent again in trouble, saw Shirley head to the last 1 up. Shirley found the cavernous greenside bunker and needed two shots to escape, but on the other side Rosanna was in even worse trouble, eventually blasting over the green and conceding the hole. Shirley was a very relieved winner, 2 up.

Our captain, Hayley, was next. Despite being consistently outdriven by her much younger opponent, she played steady, composed golf throughout. Her excellent putting kept her in the contest, while caddie Jody provided sound advice and plenty of encouragement. The match was always tight — all square after nine and never more than one hole separating the players. In the end, a halved result was a fitting outcome for a match played in great spirit.

Feirn was up next against a Rosanna junior nearly twice her height. Unsurprisingly, Feirn needed her short game, as her opponent was driving the short par 4s and almost reaching the par 5s in two. After nine holes Feirn was three down and struggling with her chipping. On the back nine her putting improved and she clawed one back to get within two, but the Rosanna player closed the match out on the 17th. It was a frustrating day, with several missed opportunities and below-standard chipping, despite encouragement from Elly on the bag to stay positive and take the shots on.

One of our two debutants this season was Xinglai (Alice) Zhang. A 14-year-old junior who recently moved from Shanghai with her family, Alice joined Spring Valley with her father, Dawei. This was an imposing situation for her first ever match play appearance, but she acquitted herself impressively. Anyone who has played with Alice knows she is a superb driver of the ball, regularly reaching 220 metres — and she did not miss a fairway all day. The match was close early, with Alice two up before turning one down. On the back nine, the Rosanna player tightened her approach shots and applied pressure with several close opportunities. Alice responded with some excellent chipping but was unable to convert enough putts, going down 4&3.

Our second debutant was Liz Blockley, who joined us from Albert Park and Gisborne, where she played regular pennant. Liz found herself three down after eight holes, losing one hole to a birdie against her par and struggling early with the pace of the greens. While striking the ball well, she soon adjusted, winning three holes in a row — including birdies on the 9th and 11th — to square the match. From there she edged ahead and stayed in front. A superb sand save on the 17th secured a halve and a well-earned 2&1 victory. Thanks to Ha Pham for caddying.

Playing in the No. 2 position, Fiona started strongly on the uphill par-5 first, reaching the green in regulation and securing the hole with a bogey after her opponent required an extra shot. The match settled into a rhythm early, with several halved holes, before Fiona regained the lead with a solid par on the fifth and turned 1 up after a composed front nine.

She extended her advantage on the 10th, but momentum shifted when her opponent produced a run of pars on the 13th, 14th and 15th to square the match. Showing great composure, Fiona responded with strong drives and greens in regulation on the 16th and 17th to stand 1 up playing the last.

The 18th provided a dramatic finish. Fiona recovered well from a fairway bunker to reach the green, but her opponent produced an excellent recovery after missing the fairway and won the hole to square the match. It was a high-quality contest, with Fiona showing excellent decision-making, strong ball-striking and composure under pressure — a terrific performance against a seasoned opponent.

Playing at No. 1 was our current Open Club Champion, Koya Ko. Koya recorded an impressive 4&3 victory over the Rosanna Women’s Club Champion. She played steady, controlled golf throughout, driving consistently and keeping mistakes to a minimum. Highlights included holing her approach for birdie on a par 4 and narrowly missing an eagle on a par 5 after striking the flagstick. Koya took control early and closed the match out comfortably on the 15th.

So there we have it — a win to Spring Valley! Settlers Run presented in excellent condition, with its very undulating greens making chipping and putting particularly challenging. It was a gutsy team effort from both players and caddies.

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