Chris Hams from Willunga Golf Club and Imogen Jessen from Kooyonga have taken out the Men’s and Women’s South Australian - Play 9 State Final held across the back 9 holes at Glenelg Golf Club.

With the windy conditions challenging all players and the pressure on with the huge prize on offer, Hams with a GA handicap of 12 posted a strong score of 16 stableford points to win on countback over 16-year old Louis Pretty from The Vines of Reynella.

In the Women’s Final 13-year-old Jessen with a GA handicap of 22 proved too solid for the field, scoring 14 stableford points, which included sinking a long par putt from off the green on the final hole to pick up a valuable 4 points. Lynette Tobin from Flagstaff Hill golf club was runner up scoring 10 points.

All 4 players have won an all-expenses paid trip to the national final with Golf Australia bringing together 28 lucky golfers from around the country (4 from each state) – to play 9 holes (after the completion of the 3rd round) at The Men’s Australian Open, at The Australian Golf Club in Sydney on Saturday 7 Dec.

Play 9 - is part of a national commitment to promote nine-hole golf and to incentivise clubs to stage nine-hole competitions. The initiative started in 2017 when 9-hole cards could be submitted for the first time for handicapping purposes.

In South Australia there were over 9,500 - 9hole competition rounds recorded and processed through Golf Link across the five month qualifying period (6 May - 14 Oct) with the top 60 players (30 men and 30 women) qualifying for the State Final.

There were qualifiers from all over the state with 25 players from country affiliated clubs and 35 from metropolitan.

And in a once in a lifetime opportunity the best individual male and female stableford scores of the 28 players at the national final will fly to England next July, to compete in the R&A's nine-hole championship final at St Georges – the venue for the 149th Open.

Congratulations and best of luck to the four players who will be playing in a single stableford competition at the national final and also be representing SA in a state team’s event:

RESULTS - State Final at Glenelg Golf Club Sat 16 November 2019


Women’s Winner - 14 points - Imogen Jessen (Kooyonga)


Women’s Runner up - 10 points - Lynette Tobin (Flagstaff Hill)


Women’s Third - 9 points c/b - Al Shobbrook (Copperclub)

Men’s Winner - 16 points c/b - Chris Hams (Willunga)


Men’s Runner up - 16 points - Louis Pretty (The Vines)


Men’s Third - 14 points c/b - Don Thomson (Swan Reach)

The winner and runner up receive:

1. Play 9 at The Australian Golf Club on Sat 7 Dec 2019

2. Finalists will play in a Single Stableford competition – across the back 9 holes.

3. There will also be a state teams event with the best 3 – 9 hole scores counting.

4. The field will consist of 28 players (4 per state) who have qualified via their State qualifying competition

5. Finalists will receive a weekend pass for the 2019 Emirates Australian Open as guests of Golf Australia

6. Return flights to Sydney and two nights’ accommodation (Fri & Sat nights)

7. $200 grant to offset ground transport and meals costs whilst in Sydney

8. Attendance at the Play 9 Event presentation cocktail party

9. Tickets to the Emirates Australian Open champion’s cocktail party on Sunday evening

10. A player gift pack.