Lockington’s Steve Jones, holding his championship trophy, with Rich River Golf Club captain Wayne Eden.
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Lockington golfer Steve Jones ploughed through non-stop rain to shoot a sizzling 73 and win his first Rich River Golf Club championship on Sunday.
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After nearly hitting an ace on the par-3 fourth hole and racking up birdies at 10 and 11, Jones felt he “might be a chance”.
That was backing up his first two rounds carding 73 and 76 in the title race.
However, Jones admitted there was no way he was counting any chickens early this year after being in a winning position a few years ago, with just a handful of holes to play, and “finding a way to lose”.
But this time not even a stumble and bogey at the 17th was able to unsettle him and when he reached the tee on the last, he knew he was three shots clear of Wade Jeffries, who was already in the clubhouse.
And he wasn’t going to do anything rash on the 18th, with everyone watching. But with the trophy, and his clubs, in the bag, Jones had to be both relieved and excited.
Although first impressions suggest he may also go down as the most laid-back winner in the championship’s history.
Instead of celebrating his victory, the 53-year-old, now living just outside Lockington, was more concerned about his age and being old enough to qualify for the club’s senior championship in two years.
“That brings you back to earth with a bit of a thud,” Jones laughed.
“I have been a member at Rich River for about 35 years, so yes, it was great to win the championship, but there are no major golf aspirations coming off the back of this,” he said.
“For me, golf is more about playing once or twice a week to catch up with my mates. It’s just that I also play off scratch. So yes, I’ll be happy just playing with them rather than worrying about more championships.”
When he’s not flogging the golf ball around, Jones runs his fencing business Post ’n’ Rail out of Lockington. It produces heavy-duty, steel-reinforced precast concrete posts and rails.
Wade Jeffries, who was the main challenger for the championship, in action at Rich River Golf Club. Photo: Jordan Townrow.
While Sunday was a first for him at Rich River, it is the third championship Jones has won in his decidedly amateur career.
He has also taken out the title at Horsham and Lockington.
“I was hitting them well off the tee on Sunday, the shot at the fourth was nearly a hole-in-one, but with my driving and irons I was glad to be reaching the greens in regulation and not rely on my chipping because it is not always very reliable,” he said.
“But the closer we got to the end of the round, the less I wanted to know about who was leading who, I just wanted to focus on my game because I was pretty sure I didn’t want to do anything wrong while thinking about it.
“The 18th is a par-4 and I hit the fairway off the tee and just played it out from there.
“Wade Jeffries, who came second, was in the group ahead of me, and Aaron Loader, who I was playing with and who had been in the hunt, bogeyed the last.”
By then, Jones was the 2026 Rich River Golf Club champion.
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