The 2019 Women’s Pennant season will come to a close this weekend as Divisions One, Two and Three battle it out for glory.
The race to the finals was incredibly tight across all the top three divisions and the contenders have well and truly earned their spot.
Division One
The Western Australian Golf Club finished the regular season undefeated and have earned the privilege to host the Division One final this Sunday.
WAGC’s most recent Division One Pennant came back in 2006 and the club will be looking to add another to their collection this Sunday. A home course advantage will prove a significant boost for WAGC, as will the support of their members on course.
Yokine will face a strong test on Sunday with Mount Lawley Golf Club looking to win their fourth consecutive Division One title. Hartfield achieved this feat most recently, winning four titles between 1990 and 1993.
A win on Sunday would solidify Mount Lawley’s position as one of the most dominant women’s pennant teams in recent history. However, they still have a way to go to beat Royal Perth’s record of 22 Pennant victories between 1956 and 1981.
Yokine defeated Mount Lawley 6-1 early in the second round of the season when the two teams met at Lake Karrinyup.
Mount Lawley’s chance of victory may lie in the hands of Kirsten Rudgeley and Eve Cohen, their two state representatives.
Both women were missing when Mount Lawley faced Yokine earlier in the year and they also missed the final round of the regular season last week.
Rudgeley is currently away representing Australia in Japan and it is unsure if she will be back in time to play on Sunday. Her leadership at the top of the Mount Lawley team could prove a deciding factor in who takes out the 2019 title.
Division Two
A win in the final round of competition boosted Royal Perth into top spot on the Division Two table.
Four teams tied on eight points in Division Two. Royal Perth separated themselves from the pack with a superior win/loss record having only dropped 11 matches all year.
Royal Perth’s Shelley Bell has yet to drop an individual match all year and she will be hoping to continue this form and get the team off to a winning start on Monday.
Mount Lawley will be looking to steal victory away from Royal Perth after scraping into the finals ahead of Melville Glades.
Royal Perth defeated Mount Lawley 5-2 in the opening round of competition back in April.
A lot has transpired since this contest and the scoreline on the day pleased the ladies from Royal Perth. Two victories were won on the 18th hole and one match had to be extended to the 19th.
The Division Two final is set to be an exciting encounter that could come right down to the wire.
Division Three
To say Mandurah Country Club has dominated Division Three this year would be a gross understatement.
Mandurah, led by Kathryn Norris, WA’s highest ranked female amateur have only dropped two matches all season.
Joondalup Country Club has enjoyed a consistent season and thoroughly deserve their place in the final.
These two teams met back in Round 3 and Mandurah won this contest 7-0. This statistic might hint at a one-sided final but looking more closely at this previous encounter the final may be closer than expected.
Despite the 7-0 scoreline, Mandurah was forced to go to extra holes to win four of these matches. Joondalup have the opportunity to apply some real pressure and could even run away with a surprise victory.
Finals Fixtures
- Division One: WAGC v MLGC @ WA Golf Club, Sunday, June 23rd (from 8:30 am)
- Division Two: RPGC v MLGC @ Sea View Golf Club, Monday, June 24th (from 8:30 am)
- Division Three: MCC v JCC @ Sea View Golf Club, Monday, June 24th (from 8:45 am)
