Anderson wins sixth title

One month after getting back on the golf course, Diane Anderson captured the Penticton Golf and Country Club women’s championship on Sept.12-13.

It was her sixth victory in 10 years.

“For me this year it was a lot of fun,” said Anderson.

Anderson returned to action after being unable to play for 11 weeks when she learned she was a match to donate a kidney to her husband Doug, who was ill the past year and on dialysis. She had surgery on May 6. Once she was able to start swinging her clubs again, Anderson set her sights on winning the championship.

“It’s kind of a cool thing,” she said.

Anderson also pulled off the feat with a target on her back. Some of the ladies in the club told Anderson that first-year member Donna LaLonde was going after her for the championship and Anderson welcomed the challenge.

“I always like to have competition. It was just a lot of fun,” said Anderson. “We were just one stroke apart after the first day. Everybody had a really tough day the first day. The greens were really fast and the girls aren’t used to that. I thought after the first day I was going to be done because I shot 87, which is not great.”

LaLonde shot 88.

On the second day, Anderson had a strong start on the opening seven holes, which led to a turning point on hole 12. Lalonde put one of her shots in the water and Anderson doubled it to eventually win by nine shots. Annette Wood won the overall low net and LaLonde was first for flight one low gross.

Among the prizes Anderson received was money to spend in the pro shop, a bottle of champagne and a dozen pink roses.

On the men’s side, Brooks Lancaster held off Dean Bates and Kim Dixon for his second championship. Lancaster, who won the men’s open championship this summer, entered the final day with a five shot lead over Dixon after carding a 65. The club had 95 members play in the two-day championship.

Full list of results below:

Ladies

Club Champion Diane Anderson

Overall Low Net Annette Wood

Flight 1

Low Gross Donna LaLonde

2^nd Low Gross Viv Mohoruk

Low Net Elsy Mackie

2^nd Low Net Hee Won Park

Flight 2

Low Gross Janice Clary

2^nd Low Gross Elaine Vonck

Low Net Noeline McWilliams

2^nd Low Net Ann Peach

Flight 3

Low Gross Maureen Bildfell

2^nd Low Gross Heather Hutchinson

Low Net Babs Gladish

2^nd Low Net Deb Blakeney

Men’s

Club Champion Brooks Lancaster

Flight 1

1^st Low Gross Dean Bates

2^nd Low Gross Kim Dixon

3^rd Low Gross Campbell Watt

1^st Low Net Dean Gatenby

2^nd Low Net Ken Anderson

3^rd Low Net Steve Raptis

Flight 2

1^st Low Gross Ken Nickel

2^nd Low Gross Steve Thompson

3^rd Low Gross Dave Greene

1^st Low Net Bud Kadin

2^nd Low Net Wendall Clark

3^rd Low Net Gary Gibbons

Flight 3

1^st Low Gross Kaylin Hickey

2^nd Low Gross Myong Park

3^rd Low Gross Keith McIver

1^st Low Net Marty Smith

2^nd Low Net Ron Hosner

3^rd Low Net Jim Garner

Flight 4

1^st Low Net Bill McDowall

2^nd Low Net Alvin LaLonde

3^rd Low Net Sid Flebbe

4^th Low Net Gary Coy

5^th Low Net Ken MacDermott

6^th Low Net Bill Oliver