IT was a relief for the Blue Lake Golf Club women to have another 7.30am shotgun start ahead of the forecast high temperatures last week.
The 28 women teed off early in the first of four rounds of the Metro Bakery and Cafe sponsored Silver Salver.
The format was par and a rarely achieved score of +9 was posted by Jorja Morale.
Par is considered one of golf’s most unpopular formats as it often does not favour the low handicapper.
Morale said she started well, just went for it and the golfing gods obliged.
She played off a 23 handicap, but the handicapper has now shaved three off that and 20 will be what she plays off in her next outing.
Morale was the Division 1 outright winner, having set herself up with a par on the second hole, with handicap plusses on the sixth, seventh and eighth and only one wipe on the ninth to turn to the 10th 3-up.
It only got better from there, with pars on the 11th, 12th, 15th and 16th holes, along with birdies on the 17th and 18th and only one more wipe, on the 14th hole for a score of 6-up.
Vice captain Ronda Edwards (14 handicap) claimed the second-place voucher after signing for 2-down.
She worked hard to hold her game to few mistakes, with pars on the first, second, and eighth holes, three squared holes and wipes on the fifth and sixth to turn at 1-up.
A slight lapse in concentration saw her having wipes on the 10th, 15th and 16th holes, along with six squared for a total of 3-down.
Rosemary Martland (15) came home in third place and also had to work hard for her 3-down.
It looked like doom and gloom after a start of three wipes, then a par on the sixth hole, a wipe on the seventh, along with four squared holes gave her 3-down on the turn.
The inward nine score of all square was made of wipes on the 10th and 18th holes, balanced out with birdies on the 16th and 17th, plus six squared holes.
Shannon McDonnell (41) was able to take advantage of her extra strokes to win the Division 2 top voucher after a count-back from Vivienne Wilson, both returning a score of 1-up.
McDonnell was all square on the front nine after four pluses, four wipes and a squared hole, then followed that up on the back-nine with another four pluses, three wipes and two squared holes.
Wilson (34) also worked well to be 1-up and her front nine score of three pluses, three squared and three wipes saw her go with confidence to the back-nine to score three pluses, four squared and two wipes for 1-up.
Third place went to Janine Dunn on a count-back after her and Lyn Gill signed for all square.
Dunn has been in a purple patch of late and has dropped her handicap to 36.
Her card registered three pluses, two squared and three wipes for 1-down on the front nine, with four pluses, two squared holes and three wipes on the back for 1-up.
Gill (45) was well pleased with her efforts in the early morning start.
The pro-shot winner was Lucy Richards, with birdie prizes to Edwards, Martland and Dianne Perryman.
Chip-in ferret prizes went to Gill on the first hole, Lee Anderson on the seventh and Perryman on the 17th.
Meanwhile, the second round of the Saturday Summer Trophy sponsored by Jetts Fitness centre Mount Gambier was played in stroke format.
With the extreme weather conditions expected, the heat policy was activated again, with only six women joining the men in a 7.30am shotgun start and with most finished by 11.30am, the 19th hole was a welcome relief.
Karyn Coon (106/33/73) was the winner after splits of 55/51 that included a par on the seventh hole.
Her front nine was three-over her handicap, but she made up ground in the back nine to play one under.
Martland posting 89/15/74 for second place, with consistent splits of 45/44 that included pars on the fourth, 12th, 14th and 15th holes, for 2-over on the front-nine and 1-over on the back.
Helen Stratford (96/21/75) claimed third place with splits of 51/45 that included a par on the 12th hole.
