ONLY three men have won three green jackets this century.
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You've probably heard of two: Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson.
But you've likely not heard of Sean O'Neill.
But you should, because he's chasing his fourth.
It's not quite the Masters, but it might as well be for a group of avid golfers from the East Belmont Cricket Club in Geelong.
For the 10th time in 11 years, they have taken over the Rich River Golf Club for their annual golf trip: the East Masters.
“We're calling this the 10th anniversary,” group member Mitch Grinter said.
“We missed out last year because of COVID restrictions, but we're excited to be back.”
What started as a group of eight has grown to 16 over the year, with the group heading to the club for a week over the Queen's Birthday long weekend.
Over five days of the trip, eight rounds of golf are played, with the winner taking home their own green jacket as the champion.
And they mean it — a commemorative jacket is just part of the trip, with annual shirts and caps made for the players just to show how serious they take it.
As with most competitions, the games have their intense moments, but naturally there have been more than a few stories both on and off the course.
“You get some great moments, things like someone who isn't the best golfer hitting a miraculous putt that gets bigger every year, or the two aces we've seen throughout the years,” founding group member Damian Fiolet said.
“We've had some funny ones to tell. Our biggest handicapper was playing the 13th on the East. Now, his best shot is a really mad hook, it will go a metre above the ground and totally sideways. That's all he's got.
“The 13th is a par three, there is a bridge and a lot of water, so for him to get it near the green he has to aim dead in the trees and hope it goes through, clips a few and rolls out near the green.
“First he has four air swings, and between each he takes a minute to get ready. Finally, he makes contact. It goes down beside the bridge and hits this bluestone rock.
“It comes flying back at us like a rocket, and hits his tee. He picked his ball up, had a few choice words, and that was him done.”
“My funniest one came off the course,” Grinter said.
“There was an all-you-can-eat seafood buffet here one year, so I would load up on oysters. One night, I see glass in my food. So I put my hand up and call the waitress over.”
Fiolet interjects.
“In a way that now the whole club are looking at us. He was loud and got everyone's attention in the process.”
Grinter continues.
“So I show the waitress and she kind of panics and runs and gets the chef. He takes one look at it and goes ‘yeah, that's rock salt mate.'
“I went back into me shell pretty quickly after that.”
For the group, Rich River is the perfect venue.
“We love making the trip up here every year,” Fiolet said.
“There are two fantastic golf courses here, which make for a great tournament, but the people here is what really stands out to us.
“The staff are incredibly kind, they look after us really well and make the experience so enjoyable.
“And the courses really suit the group. We have a couple of blokes who could have a handicap of 80 and that wouldn't be enough, and we have a scratch golfer, but this course is a level playing field for both.
“We obviously love our golf, but you also want to enjoy your trip and this club makes it so easy to do so.”
And following a year where everyone was pushed apart by COVID, the importance of the trip has never been greater.
“Sport brings people together,” Grinter said.
“We are all connected by the cricket club, and during the four months of the cricket season you basically live in each other's pockets and then you're done for eight months.
“So having the trip together each year keeps that connection, which is really important. It's like a standing annual leave request at work for us all now.”
“We really just love coming here,” Fiolet said.
“It's an important part of our lives to come and play, and that's why we love this club so much.
“They've always been fantastic, and we will be back happily every year.”
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