A record number of players were in the field for the 26th Australian Deaf Golf Championships at Royal Pines RACV Golf Resort on the Gold Coast.

This year marked a successful return for the championships, with the last being held in 2019 due to COVID-19 restrictions, and it attracted 51 deaf and hard-of-hearing golfers from across Australia, New Zealand, and the USA.

Victoria’s Jack Besley (VIC), who plays off an impressive +2 handicap, took out the men’s gross category with consistent play across the three rounds, while Chantell Greaves (NSW) stormed away from the women’s field with a strong second round and held on to claim the gross championship.

Queensland’s Mark Aird, who like Besley was part of the Australian team at last year’s World Deaf Golf Championships in Hawaii, took out the senior men’s title.

A state team event was also woven into the championship, with the three best scores taken each day to form a collective score. New South Wales managed to take both the men’s and women’s team events.

Royal Pines will also be playing host to the World Deaf Golf Championships next year, where Jack Besley will be looking to better his top-5 finish in Hawaii last year.

Results:

Men

Champion - Jack Besley (VIC); Runner-up - Andy Honeysett (NSW); 3rd Place - Luke Ellis (NSW)

Women

Champion - Chantell Greaves (NSW); Runner-up - Debbie Byrnes (NSW)

Senior Men

Champion - Mark Aird (QLD); Runner-Up - Craig Douglas (NSW); 3rd Place - Jason Baird (VIC)