Conor's Series brings world to Redcliffe

Redcliffe is hosting three events in a new competition which hopes to be the biggest amateur golf tournament in Australia in three years.

Conor’s Amateur Series held its first qualifier at Redcliffe Golf Club on Friday. It will return in January for the regional final and national final in February.

The latter will be the first official World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) tournament to be staged on the peninsula course.

All entries for the series of qualifiers also go into a draw to win a free trip to see all four days of the US Masters, at August National.

New name

Organiser Stuart Gray, main picture, - who grew up in Redcliffe, played at Dolphins with his brothers, at Redcliffe rugby union and boxed locally - named the event after his son Conor.

Conor was a budding actor at the Playhouse Theatre, who had extra roles in Shortland Street, Ash Vs the Evil Dead and A Matter Of Time, made by the New Zealand Film Commission.

He was diagnosed with Desmoplastic Small Round Cell Tumor or DSRCT, one of the rarest forms of cancer, in June 2021 and died in July this year, aged 22.

Originally called The Amateur Series, the name was changed last Christmas with Conor only agreeing under certain terms.

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Donations

They included that $5 was donated, for every player, to the Australian Cancer Research Foundation to be used in child cancer research.

“This young man was truly a brave person,” Mr Gray said, “I'd ask him each morning how are you son? “I'm fine” or “I'm okay” (he said).

“I don't only love him with all my heart, I respect the great young man he had become.

“During this terrible year I've thrown myself into working on creating the best possible event as Conor's legacy.

“I think working on the Series helped keep my mind off the nightmare befalling my boy.”

Callum wins

The Redcliffe qualifier had 141 entries, including event ambassador Cameron Boyce, the Australian international T20 leg spinner.

Callum Gardener, from the host club, took the day’s top prize, winning by one shot with a two under par round of 69.

The top three gross and stableford scorers won gold, silver and bronze medals. Winners at the regional and national events will receive medals enhanced with small gems.

Six medal winners from the national final will form an Australian team to travel to Queenstown, New Zealand to take on the Kiwi’s.

Anzac Cup

Both teams win four-day passes to the New Zealand Open and play three days at Jack’s Point in a Trans-Tasman final, using the Ryder Cup format, for the Conor’s Anzac Cup.

The top three on each side will be elite players, but the stableford players could be five, 10, 20 or 30 handicappers.

The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews, Scotland – the sport's world governing body - said the series met all Rules of Golf and is recognised as an “elite amateur tournament”.

“This is an event that provides the twin benefits of being really exciting and special for golfers, but also will deliver real benefits to the community via its charitable objectives,” said the R&A.