For a while there, it looked as if there might be a field of one. After a stir up, the numbers trickled in, and we had enough for a competition with a couple to spare. A subsequent withdrawal meant that, in the end, there were seven ‘non-punters’ who took to the field, and questions were being asked, would anybody miss out on points or would all of the points on offer need to be allocated? It was a beautiful day, the sun was shining, the birds were singing, and the whole world was happy. The course was well mowed, and the greens were good, if a little littered with fallen leaves and bark. The ground was quite dry and there were even a few cracks showing in places, and some bare patches made for some awkward lies if you were unlucky enough to finish in that particular spot. There was plenty of run to be had, and the low trajectory ball often had much to recommend it. So much so, that Keith’s drive on the 8th won the long drive for the group by a considerable margin.
Another factor that could have contributed to the potential for good scoring was the fairly benign set-up of the course. Whether this was in compensation for the tee placements at Moonah or not, but the placement on the second, in particular, came in for comment as something the likes of which had not been seen before. What’s the bet that the hole will be about 100m longer next week! The conditions obviously suited Old Reliable, who managed not to stray too far from the straight and narrow to card 74 off the beater and a very respectable total of +3 points.
ChrisJ started off with a flurry with a massive drive, a pitch onto the green and sank the putt for the birdie. Despite the forward tee, the second hole did not produce a similar flash of brilliance, with erratic ball contact playing havoc with the outcome. And so, the standard of his game oscillated for the balance of the front nine to finish the half at one under the pace. Things settled down for the back half, and a final result of plus 2 was not to be sneezed at. Targe earned the sobriquet of The Professional from a lone golfer who joined in to complete the second group when he started out, also in fine style. The little fellah also picked up his game a notch on the back and, despite missing numerous putts by mere millimetres, he managed to snare a share of second place and to continue the whittling away of his obviously over-generous handicap.
Michael has had a bit of a break from golf for a number of reasons, not least of which was a dicky knee, that did cause him some concern that he might be coming back too soon. His fears were largely unfounded, as he seemed to take up exactly where he left off, if not a little better, as is often the case after a break. If it had not been for a few putts that missed by a whisker, the bottom line might have been rather better than the +1 that resulted. It should be added that a couple of ‘putts’ from off the green holed, so maybe it was swings and roundabouts.
BrentL seems to have been completely unfazed by the rather steep fall in his handicap, and today he played right to the mark to take out the fourth spot. Brent had his chances, and a bit of a slump in the middle of the back nine made all the difference between a good break and the square result that eventuated. Harry’s front nine fell victim to the ‘just missed putt’ syndrome as well, much to the frustration of Michael, who could not help but suggest some small change in set-up or technique. Michael felt much vindicated when H smashed a long putt on the 14th, to the dead-centre of the pin, where it dropped in for the birdie. This was one of seven for the day, which is not such a bad total from the small field. H’s back nine was much improved over the front, and he was able to eke out the fifth placing with his final total of -4. Yes, he knows he should be embarrassed to accept it, but a point is a point!
Unfortunately, the lack of more tied scores meant that one person did miss out on getting a point today. Won’t mention any names, but he did appear briefly on television recently. The ProPin today was on the 4th, and, although the green was well surrounded, nobody did manage to get close enough to claim the $7 on offer, so the Pool will jackpot to be contested again next week. The first BallPin was on the 12th, and Michael thought he was in with something of a chance. That is, until Old Reliable came along and spoiled the party and collected the ball on offer. It was a different story for the second BallPin on the 18th, where Michael was unworried by any competition and collected the ball in that case.
The Matchplay seeding draw will be made after the round next week. If you want to be in it and have not registered, then you had better do so sooner rather than later. No registration, no place in the comp. Last year’s finalists who register will be seeded 1 to the number registered. The rest of the seed positions will be filled by draw from the hat, and the standard 32 player single elimination table will be filled as appropriate. That is, No1 plays No 32, 2 plays 31 etc. Less than 32 in the draw means byes in the first round for the top seeds. We currently have fewer than 32 registrations.
Results for Saturday, 19 February 2022
1st Craig Cameron (+3) 2nd Chris James (+2) 2nd Targe Mifsud (+2) 3rd Michael Gourlay (+1) 4th Brent Loeskow (□) 5th Harry Boughen (-4)
Seniors Results: 1st Craig Cameron (+3) 2nd Targe Mifsud (+2) 3rd Michael Gourlay (+1)
Nearest the Pin Results: ProPin – 4th Jackpot BallPin No 1 – 12th Craig Cameron BallPin No 2 – 18th Michael Gourlay