The Ryan Trophy – Sunday 9 November 2025, one of our much-loved in-house mixed pairs events. The trophy cabinet was sparkling, the course was mint, and for once the Kelvin “breeze” took the day off – hardly a breath of wind and a real temperature jump when the sun came out. Perfect conditions for some seriously good scoring.

 

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 The Ryan Trophy – Mixed Pairs in Magic Conditions

With the lake like glass and flags barely twitching, it was over to the players to provide the drama. The 4BBB Stableford format brought out the best in the partnerships – some steady, some spectacular, and one or two playing like they’d been practising together all winter.

 Prize-winners – All Placings, Scores & Winnings

Here are your Ryan Trophy heroes, with full names, scores and winnings:

  1. 1st – Jonathan Bitcheno & Tilly Grant – 52 pts – $30
     – A superb total in perfect scoring conditions, setting the pace for everyone else.

  2. 2nd – Bruce Risby & Dezlee Risby – 48 pts – $25
     – Family chemistry clearly working a treat.

  3. 3rd – Lewis Ferguson & Sharron Payne – 45 pts – $20
     – More on this pair shortly… they had quite a day out.

  4. 4th – Allan Mitchell & Judith Mitchell – 45 pts – $20
     – Matching third on points, just edged on the countback.

  5. 5th – John “Boggy” McDowell & Ann McDowell – 45 pts – $20
     – A rock-solid 4BBB partnership doing what they do best.

  6. 6th – Grant Hardy & Julie Cooper – 44 pts – $15
    – Good, consistent scoring from tee to green.

  7. 7th – David Grant & Julie Grant – 44 pts – $15
    – Another strong showing from a very familiar pairing.

A tightly bunched top seven, but Bitcheno and Grant’s 52 in the sunshine was the standout card of the day.

 Twos – A Front-row Seat to the Fireworks

Now to the twos story, and it really was one for the newsletter.

From the prize sheet, our official 2’s club winners were:

  • Cheli Larsen – 2 on the par-3 7th – $7

  • Tom James – 2 on 7 – $7

  • Sharron Payne – 2 on 11 – $7

  • Lewis Ferguson – 2 on 11 (and 13) – $14 total

  • Jonathan Bitcheno – 2 on 14 (and not done there – more on his 5-pointer shortly) – $7

But the story behind those numbers is where it gets fun:

  • First, in the group ahead, Cheli Larsen stepped up on Hole 7 and knocked in a tidy 2 – textbook swing, dead-eyed putt.

  • Our writer’s group watched that, stepped onto the tee… and **Tom James – the self-styled “Prince of Cedar Drive” – promptly matched her with a 2 on 7 of his own.

  • A few holes later on 11, the same writer’s group saw both partners in one pairing step up: Lewis Ferguson and Sharron Payne each made 2s on 11. Two partners, two twos, one very happy card.

  • Not done yet, Lewis then drove the green on the par-4 13th and calmly rolled in the putt for an eagle 2 – and a $30 bonus to his account for that special feat. A proper highlight-reel moment.

  • And to cap it all off, as the group walked up to 14, word filtered back that Jonathan Bitcheno, in the group ahead, had made a 2 for 5 Stableford points on the hardest stroke hole on the men’s card. When you’re getting a 2 on the toughest hole, the multipliers really do pay dividends.

You don’t often see that many twos in one loop, and to witness most of them from one group was something special.

 Special Mentions – Pins & Putts

From the special prizes sheet:

  • Nearest the Pin – Matt Evans – Hole 11 – $10 Credit
    Matt dialled in the irons to take out the NTP, knocking it close on 11 and walking away with some tidy account credit.

  • Longest Putt – Tilly Grant – Hole 18 – $10 Credit
    As if winning the Ryan Trophy alongside Jonathan wasn’t enough, Tilly closed out her round by dropping a long one on 18 to claim the Longest Putt prize. Trophy in one hand, putting bragging rights in the other.

 A Day to Remember

Between the perfect weather, the tight leaderboard, and one of the most entertaining runs of twos, birdies and an eagle we’ve seen in a while, the Ryan Trophy 2025 was an absolute beauty.

  • Mixed pairs played proper team golf.

  • The sun did its best summer impersonation.

  • And the Ryan Trophy found a very worthy home with Jonathan Bitcheno and Tilly Grant after that superb 52-point total.

Here’s to more days like this – light winds, warm fairways, and plenty of golf worth talking about in the bar afterwards.
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