Shootout on the back nine

RESIDENTS of the Pakenham/Berwick area will get a rare opportunity to see two leading golf professionals tackle a local course next Monday 15 December.
Steve Allan and Ashley Hall, who both ply their trade in the US as well as on the Australasian PGA tour, will do battle on Berwick-Montuna’s tricky back nine.
The shootout, starting at 2pm, follows the Steve Allan Junior Open to be played at Berwick-Montuna earlier in the day. The event is part of the prestigious Geoff Ogilvy Trophy series for boys and Future Champions Trophy series for girls.
The talent on show will range in age, with Berwick Montuna 20-year-old Bradley McGill, 15-year-old, Bailey Clapton, and Pakenham’s 10-year-old star on the horizon, Charlie McKenna, all competing on the big stage.
For Allan and Hall, the day is an opportunity to give something back to the club where both players learned the game before forging successful professional careers. Allan is a former Australian Open champion while Hall has chalked up victories in the Victorian Open and the Victorian PGA.
Steve Allan Open sponsor and former club president Richard McClunie says the shootout is designed to give juniors who played earlier in the day the chance to see two seasoned professionals tackle the same holes they played.
It is also a chance for club members and any other golf fans in the area to see Allan and Hall take on the Berwick-Montuna back nine, starting with the club’s signature 10th hole, which has been voted one of the best public-access golf holes in Victoria.