Perfect things come in threes for Gisborne golfer Fletcher

Vonnie Fletcher won the approach in a tournament at her home Poverty Bay course with the perfect shot on Wednesday — holing her tee shot on the par-3 sixth. She went on to post the top score of the day.

Vonnie Fletcher doesn’t speak Latin, but would be the first to agree with this phrase in the ancient language.

“Omne trium perfectum.”

Translated: “Everything that comes in threes is perfect.”

Or, as it has evolved in English over the years ... “good things come in threes”.

So it was for the Poverty Bay Golf Club member on Wednesday.

A week after winning the junior women’s club championship title at her home Awapuni Links — her third junior crown — Fletcher was back in the winner’s circle at the Kiri Te Kanawa Retirement Village tournament.

Her overall net-winning 92-30-62 was not only her best round in many years, it featured a “perfectum” shot — a first hole-in-one.

Fletcher watched on the par-3 sixth tee as her nine-wood-struck ball flew into the air, landed on the green, rolled up to the pin and dropped into the hole.

She summed up her reaction in one word ... “disbelief”.

A bit of celebratory dancing followed while a man who was on the nearby practice green and witnessed the shot “came running over” to join in the festivities.

The sixth was also the approach hole for the Kiri Te Kanawa competition.

Fletcher, after picking her ball out of the hole, signed the approach flag and then had the pleasure of inserting it into the flag proper, signalling to others someone had aced it.

Fletcher could have been forgiven for being put off her game by the historic shot. But it was the opposite. She went on to shoot 92 — her best score other than a round she had in the 80s “quite a while ago”.

Her handicap had already taken a hit the week before when she carded 94 off a 33 during her win over Colleen Skuse in their club champs matchplay final.

Wednesday’s winning effort has dropped her to her lowest handicap index (24.7) in three and a half years.

Fletcher was still chuffed hours after shouting the bar.

“I was playing such dreadful golf, but have turned it around in the last couple of weeks.”

Fletcher and husband Rob went “out for dinner” to mark her ace effort.

However, she doesn’t need reminding that he still has hole-in-one bragging rights in the household.

Rob has had two aces, including the sixth at Poverty Bay.

Poverty Bay Golf Club's women champions were crowned on finals day last week. The18-hole winners were Vonnie Fletcher (left), Debbie Kirkpatrick and Jan Utting.

Poverty Bay women’s golf results:

WEDNESDAY

LGU, 9-holers, division 1: L. Daniels 45-14-31.

Division 2: J. Loffler 57-29-28.

18 holes, silver division: G. Young 72.

Bronze I: M. Lane 72.

Bronze II: V. Fletcher 62.

Twos: P. Wanklyn, L. Holmberg.

Hole-in-one on 6: V. Fletcher.

Kiri Te Kanawa Retirement Village-sponsored day, 9-hole net: J. Loffler 28, L. Daniels 31, W. Linton 31.

18-hole net: V. Fletcher 62, O. Thompson 71, G. Young 72, M. Lane 72.

Approaches, 9-holers: L. Daniels, J French.

18-holers: K. Sarich, V. Fletcher.

Longest putts: J. Muir, W. Linton.

MONDAY

Women’s South African pairs stableford: T. Lewis/M. Lane 76.

Women’s stableford: M. Francois.

Twos: M. Francois, C. Nelson.

WEDNESDAY (Aug 28) — Women’s stableford: L. Holmberg 37.

MONDAY (Aug 26) — Women’s stableford: J. Muir 46, J. Steele 41.

WEDNESDAY (Aug 21) — Women’s stableford: R. Spence 38, J. Utting 35.

Twos: R. Spence, J. Utting.