Monthly Winner:
Tom Bailey (9): The now three-time monthly champion did it again with another stellar performance. His back-to-back birdies on 17 and 18 (earning a combined 8 points) secured the win on a countback over Jarryd Dietzel and Steve Ryan. In some good news for the rest of the competition, if history repeats itself, Tom will be heading for the NAGA points again this month!

Monthly Runner Up:
Jarryd Dietzel (20): Falling short only on a countback, Jarryd delivered an exceptional round. A lucky bounce out of a bunker on his approach shot to 18 gave him a chance at victory, but the ensuing three-putt proved to be the difference. The real highlight was on the 15th, after a wayward tee shot left him "completely Peter Brocked," Jarryd recovered brilliantly with a chip back to the fairway, followed by an unbelievable 70m hole-out for birdie that never looked like missing!

Top Performances:

Best Front 9:
Steve Ryan (18): A sensational performance saw Steve fire a 3-over 39 for a whopping 24 points—an incredible front nine effort that left the rest of the field trailing far behind.

Best Back 9:
Tom Bailey (9) & Jarryd Dietzel (20): Both players lit up the back nine with remarkable scores of 23 points each, showcasing some serious form under pressure.

Best Gross Score:
Daniel Allwood (9): A fantastic round from Daniel on a challenging course, shooting a superb 78 off the stick. It’s great to see a new name take home the best gross score honors!

Round 8 NAGA Points:

Each month, the five competitors with the lowest scores earn NAGA points, which contribute to the Yearly NAGA leaderboard. However, this month’s below-average numbers led to a very crowded NAGA points list, with no less than 13 players amongst bottom five positions. This month also set a new high for the lowest score to earn NAGA points at 28—an exceptionally competitive threshold. Notably, some of the PGAC 24/25 season's standout players, including Lavery, Twyford, and Shuter, finally showed they're human by picking up their first NAGA points. The NAGA points earners for this month are:

• RYAN LAVERY: 5 Points

• DYLAN HALL & JARRYD SADLER: 4 Points

• ADAM FINDLEY, JOEL WELSFORD & TRAV JONES: 3 Points

• REECE TWYFORD, DAVID MILLICAN, MARK SHUTER & BRENDAN DENSEM: 2 Points

• JOSH WILSON, DAVE LLEWELYN & CAM ASKER : 1 Point each

MONTHLY AWARDS:

TINDER AWARD

The player/s with the most swipes on their scorecard.

☆ JARRYD SADLER ☆ - 7 Swipes

GATTUSO AWARD

Awarded to the player with the greatest variance between their front and back nines. This accolade pays tribute to the passionate Italian football coach/player Gennaro Gattuso and his truly descriptive quote surrounding his teams performance. This 5 second YouTube video is a must see to truly understand the Gattuso Award:

https://youtu.be/QJHUbtR0yI8?si=LEK88SKComSvQQhl

☆ STEVE RYAN ☆ - 9 Point Difference (Front 24 & Back 15)

LONG DRIVE AWARD

Undoubtedly, at first glance, you might assume this award is destined for the longest hitter among us. But you’d be mistaken. Instead, this special recognition goes to a competitor whose dedication to the PGAC competition outshines us all. This legend signed up for the competition, only to relocate to Bendigo shortly afterward! Yet, that hasn’t stopped him from making the long journey south each month to join our little event. Just this month, he left home at 7 a.m. to make his 11:30 tee time at Portsea. For demonstrating such extraordinary commitment, he truly deserves this special mention!

☆ MICHAEL LEIGH☆

STORM CHASER AWARD

Over more than 300 rounds of our competition, many of us have endured horrendous weather and questioned our sanity, but we had never had a DNF—until now. With the month winding down and determined to squeeze in their Portsea round, two daring souls decided to face the elements despite a truly grim forecast. While our esteemed Melbourne meteorologists often miss the mark, this time, they got it spot on.

The daring duo endured an eventful six holes, punctuated by two evacuations from the course due to lightning strikes in the area, and for good measure, nearly stepped on a tiger snake. Despite their valiant efforts, the day’s play was ultimately called off, giving rise to the first-ever DNFs in our competition’s history.

☆ CALLUM COLLIER & CHRIS GRUNDY ☆

THERE'S NO NAGA HERE. HERE THERE’S NO NAGA, NAGA NO AWARD

Out of nearly 40 competitors who have posted at least six rounds, only four consistent legends have managed to steer clear of the dreaded NAGA points—a truly impressive feat in my book. Well done, lads! The big question is: can you keep it up for the final three rounds?

☆ CONOR WINCHESTER, DAN FLEMING, LUKE HARRINGTON & TREV CLANCY ☆

PARIS RAHM AWARD

This award, named in honor of the 2023 Masters Champion's infamous collapse at the Paris Olympics, recognizes those who stumble at critical moments—whether by faltering over the final few holes, squandering home-course advantage, wasting good form, or struggling in perfect conditions. There are countless ways to earn this less-than-prestigious title.

The Paris Rahm Award this month goes to a man who was absolutely on fire during his front nine, shooting a phenomenal 3-over 39 for a staggering 24 stableford points—the equal highest 9-hole stableford score in the PGAC. Playing in the group behind, I watched the scoreboard struggle to keep up with his blistering pace, and I thought Pete's season-high 44 points might be in serious jeopardy.

However, an unfortunate 8 on the par-5 11th (his first hole on the back nine) halted his momentum, and a later quad bogey on the 13th dashed his hopes for a runaway victory. What looked like a locked-in monthly win turned into a disappointing 3rd place finish on a countback.

This month's Paris Rahm recipient is none other than the Yarrawonga Cup HIO hero:

☆Steve Ryan☆

Thats the Round 8 wrap up, see you at Devilbend for Round 9.