Monthly Winner:
BRENTON MAY (9): The only competitor to break his handicap this month. With a round winning 38 points despite a rough first few holes on the back nine. The current NAGA season leader I'm sure your a lot happier with being at this end of the field for a round!!!

Monthly Runner Up:
DAVID MILLICAN (11): One of the very few to match their handicap this month. Spykes 36 points seems even more impressive when you look at his card and find a couple of swipes, what a day it could have been!!

Top Performances:

Best Front 9:
BRENTON MAY(9): Picking up where he left off from the MOvember Ambrose day it was a hot start to the round for Brenton with a ripping 21 points!

Best Back 9:
TROY MALONE(9) REECE TWYFORD (6) & MARK SHUTER (17): Big finishes for all three competitors whom all stormed home with 20 point back nines.

Best Gross Score:
BRENTON MAY (9): Another new name to the Best Gross list with an impressive 7 over 78 off the stick narrowly fending off the Gross King himself Reece on 79.

Round 9 NAGA Points:

Each month, the five competitors with the lowest scores earn NAGA points, which contribute to the Yearly NAGA leaderboard. After a third of the field found themselves in the NAGA points last round, Devilbend brought a more traditional spread this month. With only one new name added to the NAGA board, it meant some unfortunate upward movement for the rest of this month’s NAGA point recipients:

• SEB DRAGA: 5 Points

• MATT MCDONALD: 4 Points

• CAM ASKER: 3 Points

• CHRIS TYRELL: 2 Points

• PETE LINCOLN, DANNY KNIGHT, RYAN DALE & STEPHEN OAKES : 1 Point each

MONTHLY AWARDS:

TINDER AWARD

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

☆ MATT MCDONALD ☆ - 8 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

☆ RYAN LAVERY ☆ - 9 Point Difference (Front 10 & Back 19)

TWO FOR FIVE AWARD

After starting strong with a birdie for 4 points on the first hole, the next 16 holes were nothing short of a nightmare. By the time I stood on the 18th tee with only 27 points, I was staring down the possibility of a third consecutive round without improving my season score. Frustration had reached its peak, and my tee shot was fueled by pure aggression. The result? A brutally struck drive that rapidly soared over the left-side trees, landing 240 meters away—dead center of the 9th fairway. Suppressing the urge to snap my driver, I joked that it was the "perfect angle" before setting off up the wrong fairway—again.

From 62 meters out, with a greenside bunker to carry and another lurking long, I gave myself a clear directive: "Hit the green, two-putt for par, and finish with 30 points—a modest 1-point improvement on the season leaderboard." What followed was my best wedge shot of the day. The ball never left the flag, but from my position downhill, I couldn’t see where it ended up.

Reaching the green, I was fuming when my ball was nowhere to be found. A frantic check of the back bunker—also empty—left me questioning my choice to play this infuriating game. Still, the internal optimist in me told me to check the hole. To my absolute shock and delight, there it was—my yellow Titleist AVX sitting snugly in the cup.

I had holed out for an eagle 2, earning 5 points and finishing with 32 for the round—a much more respectable score than the dismal middle stretch had deserved. A frustrating day redeemed by a moment of pure luck!

☆ JOSH WILSON ☆

MR 27 AWARD

They say the key to golf is consistency, and if that’s true, then one of us has already mastered the game. After 9 rounds this season this player’s top 6 scores contain no less than five rounds of exactly 27 points, with a cheeky 29 thrown in for good measure! For this remarkable display of consistency, the award goes to...

☆ SEAN DWYER ☆

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.

Special Mention to Adam Findley who narrowly escaped this month's Paris Rahm Award. Your swipe on the 18th when a bogey for 2 points would have seen you win on countback seemed punishment enough. Especially, given that the swipe also saw you lose the runner up position too, sadly also on a countback!

Instead the Paris Rahm Award this month saw the infamous curse return—one that has spared no PGAC member whose home course features on our schedule. With a near-perfect track record, every member playing on their home turf has found themselves collecting NAGA points.

This time was no different. At Devilbend, despite a couple of members in the field, only one managed to put up a score—and, true to the curse, they landed among the bottom five.

This month’s Paris Rahm recipient for not using his home track advantage is none other than Devilbend member:

☆Stephen Oakes☆

That’s the Round 9 wrap up, see you at Mornington for Round 10.