SOUTHERN PENINSULA scoreboard
Juniors hit Australian Open By Ben Triandafillou MORNINGTON Tennis Club junior players were front and centre at this year’s Australian Open as they hit the tennis courts to showcase their hidden talents. Elite Tennis Academy coaches Kate Antosik and Hanna Wilson took a group of 20 juniors from the ANZ Hot Shots League to the Open to have a hit on one of the outside courts on Wednesday 17 January. The juniors showed their skill on the court prior to the round two match-up between Andres Seppi and Yoshihito Nishioka with one lucky player, Oliver Priest, also being chosen to toss the coin for the match. Priest was selected by the coaches to be the person for the job as he had been awarded the player of the season in the Hot Shots League for the final term last year. The following week, some of the Mornington Tennis Club juniors returned to the Australian Open to compete in the ANZ Hot Shots Match Play Challenge where they were encouraged to engage in team spirit with an overall prize for best dressed. A green ball team consisting of Oliver Priest and Daisy Shannon - as well as an orange ball team consisting of Eli Campbell, Jude Shannon
and Lachlan Donnelley - represented the Elite Tennis Academy at the competition on Friday 26 January. The juniors embraced the Australia Day theme and “dressed to impress” with massive green and yellow sombreros and Australian flag sunglasses to win the best-dressed award which was presented to them by Tennis Australia. The juniors, who were chosen by the club for winning the Hot Shots League in the final term at Mornington, played doubles and singles matches at the challenge and were very competitive having won half of their matches on the day. The teams also got a behind the scenes tour of Melbourne Park which included a walk down the champions’ tunnel into Rod Laver Arena as well as visiting the players’ cafe. Mornington Elite Tennis Academy director Kate Antosik said all the players loved the experience and the opportunity to attend the days. “We are very thankful for the opportunities provided to us by Tennis Australia to have ETA involved at the Australian Open,” she said. “It’s a great experience for our players and a reward for all of their hard work and commitment to their lessons and leagues.”
Lucky junior: Mornington Tennis Club junior Oliver Priest was chosen for the coin toss between Andres Seppi and Yoshihito Nishioka. Picture: Supplied
Schonewille chips through three-way playoff By Ben Triandafillou ROSEBUD Country Club member Andrew Schonewille has secured his spot on the PGA Tour Series- China after winning a three-way playoff for the 15th and final card on Sunday 4 February. After sitting down with his coaches and planning out his year ahead, Schonewille decided to target the four-day Qualifiers at Mission Hills in Haikou on the Chinese Island of Hainan. Schonewille finished one over the card (73/70/70/76/289) to tie for 15th on the final day with fellow Australian Corey Hale and Singapore golfer Joshua Shou to head into a three-way playoff for the final spot on the series. All three players parred the first hole of the playoff before Shou made a bogey on the second to drop out. Both of the Aussies scored a par with Schonewille sinking a 20-foot putt. On the third and final playoff hole, Schonewille landed a birdie to secure his place on the tour while Hale missed out scoring a par.
Schonewille said the conditions were different to what he was used to but is stoked that he is able to continue to play golf for a living. “The sun wasn’t there for the play-off so it was definitely different playing under the lights,” he said. “I’m more relieved than anything to win the play-off as I have now pretty much got a job and can play golf and have four round tournaments to play in throughout the year. “My confidence had been quite low as of late as I haven’t done much over the last four or five months and nothing really went my way at the Australian Tour School at the end of last year.” Schonewille said that the highs and lows since joining the professional ranks this time last year have made him a better all-round golfer. “I think I’ve matured a lot since last year,” he said. Delayed celebration: RCC member Andrew Schonewille wins the three-way playoff for the final card to the PGA Tour Series-China. Picture: Supplied
“I got off to a really good start last year and I think I was a little immature with how I handled it all but because I have been struggling over the last five months or so I feel like have matured a lot and have been able to hold myself better as a professional.” “Everyone goes through those lows and I haven’t completely come through it yet but I think I have taken a forward step in the right direction and hopefully it’s upwards from here.” Schonewille believes the tour will be more competitive than what he has played recently with a lot of the players competing to make it onto the Web.com Tour. “The top five in the order of merit [for the PGA Tour Series-China] will then make it onto the Web.com Tour which is the tour under the US PGA. It’s the incentive that the US and Australian guys go to do,” he said. Schonewille will now prepare for his trip back over to China with the PGA TOUR Series-China resuming in March.
Noonan racing in flying form MORNINGTON-based horse trainer Tony Noonan has struck a purple patch of form to start the year with five winners from his last 10 runners. Noonan saddled up his four-year-old gelding Manolo Blahniq at Caulfield on Saturday 3 February and started what became a three-start winning streak. Manolo Blahniq raced away with a 2.8 length victory in the $100,000 benchmark 84 before Mr Optimistic comfortably won at Sale the following day for the Mornington trainer. The four-year-old gelding Steel of Madrid then made it three in a row for Noonan two days later, with his son, Jake, guiding him to the winning post for another dominant victory. Trainer Tony Noonan said he hasn’t changed much around the stable but
rather that his horses are feeling better within themselves that is making the biggest difference. “Overall the horses are just happy,” Noonan said. “They’re just at a really good spot and have really matured well. You obviously have to have horses with ability to win races but if you have them sound and feeling good you give yourself a better chance.” “He’s [Steel of Madrid] a perfect example of horses taking time to mature. Sometimes horses can have growing pain and sometimes struggle but he has really found his form and his confidence is high. “We have good staff and a good group of people involved with us and the stable is just full of enthusiasm
and so are the horses.” Tony Noonan said that his son, Jake Noonan, is also making a difference as he has been riding a lot of the work and takes the majority of the race rides. “It’s definitely a positive to have him because he knows how his father trains and he works them and has a good knowledge of the horses,” Tony Noonan said. “He’s in good form at the moment and its clearly paying off for us.” Jake Noonan has ridden four of Tony’s last five winners. Ben Triandafillou
Kicking clear: Jockey Ben Allen rides Manolo Blahniq to victory at Caulfield. Picture: Supplied Southern Peninsula News
13 February 2018
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