Sunday Women’s Pennant – Round Two
Published on 3rd March 2026 in Guests News, Latest News, Public Latest NewsWomen’s Pennant Division 4 v Gisborne @ Yering Meadows
For our second round of the season, Spring Valley faced Gisborne at Yering Meadows Golf Club. It was a warm, humid and windy morning. We also welcomed our second pennant debutante for the season, Aleisha Hannam-Lewis, joining the team. An experienced pennant player from Commonwealth, Aleisha has quickly become part of the “young guns” group at SVGC.
Alice was first off and immediately under pressure, losing the 1st and 2nd holes. There was a clear discrepancy in driving distance between the two players, which proved advantageous to Alice on the longer holes. She squared the match quickly and made the turn 1 up. Winning the 10th, 11th and 12th with greens in regulation and steady two-putting extended her lead. The Gisborne player fought hard, forcing Alice to hole out under pressure to halve several holes, but Alice remained composed to secure her first ever pennant victory, 5&4.
Jody’s match was a test of patience, with both players evenly matched and waiting for the other to falter. Jody turned 1 up, but neither could break away. Heading to the 17th the match was all square. On the 18th, both players reached the green in two, leaving the result to the putter. Under pressure, Jody rolled in a superb uphill birdie putt to close out the match 1 up — a composed finish to a high-quality contest. The team has since nicknamed her “Seve” of Spring Valley!
Hayley produced another display of consistent golf, despite not enjoying the slow greens. Conceding only one hole for the entire match, she turned 2 up before pulling away on the back nine to record a comfortable 5&4 victory. Our Captain is leading from the front with two wins from two matches.
Feirn played in a match that see-sawed all day. After a wayward start on the 1st, she recovered a few holes later to square the match. Excellent recovery play defined her round, including an up-and-down on the par-3 7th and a penalty-area recovery on the 8th to halve both holes. She was square at the turn and edged ahead early on the back nine. As the heat intensified, her opponent regained the lead, but Feirn kept the pressure on, winning the 16th after her opponent found the water. Standing 1 down on the 18th, Feirn executed a stunning bunker shot onto the green to win the hole and halve the match. A terrific battle.
In her first Spring Valley match, Aleisha showed exactly what she is capable of. After halving the first two holes, she put her foot down, birdieing three of the next five to go 3 up. Her opponent fought back and by the 14th the match was all square. A great drive on the tricky 15th restored Aleisha’s lead. Solid putting on the 17th secured a par while her opponent narrowly missed, closing out the match 2&1. A fantastic return to competitive golf after a year away.
A nervy start saw Fiona double the 1st but still manage a half. Wins on the 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th put her 4 up. The 8th was dramatic — two water balls for a 9 — yet somehow still a half! A win on the 9th had Fiona 5 up at the turn. A superb 5-iron into the par-3 12th made the match dormie with six to play. Fiona finished in style on the 13th with a 30-metre bunker up-and-down for par, sealing a dominant 7&5 victory.
Koya, playing at No.1, started last but finished first. She delivered an outstanding performance, winning 7&6 and finishing on the 12th hole with steady and, at times, aggressive play. After adjusting to the slow greens over the opening holes, she two-putted every green thereafter and birdied the 11th. Turning 4 up after nine, she swiftly claimed three consecutive holes on the back nine to close out a commanding win.
While Gisborne may not be the strongest side this year, they were determined and placed genuine pressure on our players. Although the final result was comprehensive, it was far from easy. Closing out matches under pressure highlights the Spring Valley team’s resilience and fighting spirit.
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.
