Round 1 - Hill View
Round 1 of the Mulligan Masters season rolled into Hill View on one of those days that lies to you about how easy golf is – warm sun, light breeze, firm fairways and greens just quick enough to embarrass anyone holding the putter too tight. New season, fresh handicaps, same old decision-making.
Up the pointy end, Isaac slid straight back into “former pro” mode – calm tempo, boringly straight ball flight and that neat, no-fuss finish that quietly says, “I’m still the yardstick.” Maxwell joined him as the Back-Nine Bandit, surviving a scratchy start before suddenly catching fire after the turn and making everyone else wonder how many shots he’s actually getting this year.
At the louder end of the spectrum, David McArthur turned the course into a live show. He walked onto the first tee like he was leading the coverage, then sprayed it like a broken Karcher. His shot radar looked like a Supreme Cheese Dorito – left, right, nowhere near the dip bowl – but the theatre, running commentary and occasional club toss were premium subscription viewing. Fraser and Tim backed him up in the chaos department: Fraser bouncing between pure strikes and full-blown disasters, Tim playing the 20-handicap wildcard perfectly as his ball toured every corner of Hill View, with just enough proper golf mixed in to keep things interesting.
Nick W lived in the “nearly” camp – plenty of decent golf, enough misses to sting. He hit it well enough to flirt with a very tidy number but watched a few too many short putts slide past when it mattered. Jabin, on the other hand, rode the full Mulligans narrative arc: solid for most of the day, full meltdown on 18, and somehow still enough on the card to pinch the Round 1 win once the Stableford dust settled. His post-round message about how good moving to Stableford is after his win did not go unnoticed.
Harry added his usual flair – a couple of gorgeous holes, a couple of shockers, and a card that read more like a drama script than a score summary. In the “quiet but dangerous” category, Paz and Dave did their thing with very little noise and plenty of sense. Paz stuck to smart lines, solid drives and tidy wedges – grown-up golf that always seems to sneak into the frame. Dave played the assassin role: nothing too flashy, just fairways, sensible misses and the kind of steady card that ruins a mate’s day when the scores are read out.
Down in the engine room of the field, Blechy embraced all 111 of his shots with enthusiasm, striping plenty of fairways, still somehow finding water on a dry track and copping a couple of drink penalties with a grin. Chaddy bagged his first-ever sub-100 and the longest drive on the back nine, then ripped his pants open like a man truly committed to the cause – huge effort from someone who also clocked the k’s up from Bunbury.
Josh stumbled through a day of doubles and three-putts but at least salvaged closest to the pin on the back, proof that one swing turned up. Jonny lifted the bat for his century, sending a mix of thick edges to all areas of the boundary and the odd laser around Hill View like he was tracing snack shapes in the air. Jibba started with an extra chromosome, then lost it around the fifth hole and turned it into a decent grind. Mitch came out hot on the front, lost the plot after the turn and finished squarely in that classic Mulligan space: don’t ask for the card, ask for the story.
If Round 1 is any indication, this season is going to be full of blow-ups, comebacks, dodgy fashion, broken dreams, wounded egos and absolutely elite company – exactly how the Mulligan Masters is meant to be played.
