20 Feb 2020 | Amateur golf |
De Wit Takes Out Vic Heart Open
by Golf Australia
Gary De Wit from Horsham Golf Club is the 2020 Victorian Heart Open Champion, and also took out the Don Lawrence Trophy.
De Wit, off a 14 handicap, returned 38 points on the Victoria Golf Club layout to take out the titles.
With any of the 86-strong field eligible to win the overall title, but only those players who have had open heart surgery eligible for the Don Lawrence Trophy, De Wit held off 2016 Champion Graeme Burns and 2019 Champion Michael Louey, who both returned 37 points.
He was thrilled with the win.
“I have been playing in this event for so many years and it is great to have finally returned a score that resulted in my win,” he said.
The men’s and women’s Grade Divisions were won by:
Women’s A Grade: Pam Burton (Latrobe Golf Club), 28 points
Women’s B Grade: Lish Boadle (Peninsula-Kingswood Country Golf Club), 27 points
Men’s A Grade: Graeme Burns (Lonsdale Golf Club), 37 points c/b
Men’s B Grade: Ken Forsyth (Yarrawonga Mulwala Golf Club), 36 points
A nearest the pin competition was held in conjunction, with proceeds from the nearest the pin entrants going to the Monash Heart Hospital. Over $1,700 was raised for the hospital on the day, with a presentation made at the event dinner updating participants of the hospital’s developments.
Once again of the four Kerin brothers contested the event, illustrating how special the day is, as well as two competing husband and wife pairs.
The event is a special event for men and women, amateurs or professionals who have undergone a heart procedure (e.g. open heart, bypass, stents, etc). On this basis alone, the event is as much about celebrating life through golf on top of the actual competition that brings together players from mainly across Victoria.
The inaugural event was held at the Royal Melbourne and Victoria Golf Clubs in 1989 and has continued ever since. The significant progress in modern medical treatment saw the conditions revised in 2015 to welcome a further range of players that had been the recipients of alternate heart treatments.
The 2021 Vic Heart Open will be held at The Metropolitan Golf Club on Monday 15 March.