The forecast said no wind or rain but expect it to be cold at tee off time. And it was! The only players not complaining about the cold were the smart ones who had planned ahead and had the hand warmers or ski gloves deployed in between shots over the early holes.
However by the time our first round leaders in the Fred Howe Winter Cup got to the 6th, things were well and truly hotting up. Brendan creamed his 3 wood second shot to within an inch or two of the hole for a tap in eagle and first claim for the day on the Eagles Nest balls prize (more later on the unlucky second eagle of the day). Having birdied the 5th, Brendan was well and truly on fire! 21 points on the front meant he was going to take some catching.
The pair who started the day in second place, Raj and Harry, were left lamenting a few lost opportunities. Raj had no less than four 3 pointers in his first six holes, but two wipes and then another at the 8th saw him turn with 16 points. Harry faired one better with 17 points, despite a few gettable putts sliding by the hole.
Meanwhile, the big dark horse looking most likely to knock Brendan off his perch was last week’s third place starter Prez Priems who matched Raj with four 3 pointers on the front 9. Without any wipes blemishing his card, Rob turned in 21 points and was looking poised to make a charge if Brendan stumbled.
But Brendan kept the 2 and 3 pointers ticking over on the back 9 and apart from a wipe at the 17th, his scorecard suggested calm consistency throughout for 19 points on the back, 40 for the day, 76 over the two weeks and what turned out to be an easy five shot win. Apparently the scorecard belied a few anxious moments during the journey for Brendan. Having been sledged for slow play by a group of women playing behind, Brendan was apparently fired up and hitting them miles off the tee. On the 14th, what looked like an excellent drive to about pin high just off the green turned into something else when it hit the path and ballooned way past the green into the rough besides the lower 15th tee. Thankfully, Matt was on hand to help Brendan find the ball and after pitching back over the green he eventually managed a good chip back and a one putt par.
Meanwhile the wheels had fallen off Rob’s challenge with a wipe and four one pointers to start the back 9. He regathered himself for a strong finish, including a four point birdie on the 17th, with 37 points for the day, 71 for the two rounds and solo second place.
Raj finished the day with the same score as last week, 35, for a total of 70 and third place on his own. Reports suggest that Raj’s stellar chipping was the main feature of his game today. His 6 points for third also see him charge to the lead in the championship race.
Harry, despite his unlucky putting, finished with 32 points for the day, 67 across the two rounds and solo fourth place, along with another first place in the Seniors. He is now the unbackable favourite for the Seniors Championship, with a lead of 14 points over Geoff in second place.
Michael and Matt limped into 5th place with 66 points across the two rounds. The highlight of Matt’s round was an eagle on the 17th after a drive near the green and a chip that never looked like missing. Unfortunately, when announcing himself the winner of the Eagles Nest, Matt was unaware of Brendan’s earlier eagle on the 6th. Apparently the rule is first eagle of the day wins the balls, any subsequent eagles win nothing, except some sledging at the presentation.
Michael and Matt were joined in 5th place by Jonathan who followed up last week’s 28 points with 38 today. Along the way he hit some shots that suggest he will not be a 20+ something handicapper for long, including a 5 iron from way back in the left rough on 5th that negotiated the big trees and finished 3 metres from the pin. Unfortunately he missed the birdie putt but rectified that with a birdie on 6th after two shots got him close to the green. He then made one of the best up and downs you’ll ever see for par on the 8th from near the back fence after his unlucky second shot bounded through the green. The Punters Club could do worse with their money than to back Jonathan for a few wins in the near future.
Today’s nearest the pin saw Michael win the jackpot “double ball” on the 4th, SOS take out the ball on the 18th and CJ blitz the field with a shot to 2.33 metres to a tough back pin on the 12th.
Whitey was just out of the points in 6th place. He started on fire with a birdie on the first for 4 points, one of 11 birdies for the day across the field. There is a rumour he is soon to jet off to England to replace Pat Cummins as Captain for the 5th test of the Ashes series. Either that or Pat will give him a ring to get a few suggestions on bowling strategies and field placements.
Chris J and Blighty were neck and neck at the tail of the field today, with Chris J eventually getting his nose in front with 2 four point birdies on the back 9.
The best birdie of the day belonged to Brent who was locked at all square in his Match Play semi final against James standing on the 18th tee. With the pin up the top he flew it all the way back there to an inch or two off the green and then made the putt to secure a win 1 up. Brent was the 2021 Match Play champion and runner up in 2022, so he is keen to go again in 2023. He awaits the winner of the other semi between Matt and Porks, with the final scheduled for late August.
Big thanks to SOS for organising the BBQ after the round and a few others stepping in to make sure we all got a decent feed while swapping stories of the day. The playing partners of Chris J, Jonathan and Rob all looked happy as they enjoyed a free drink to go with the hamburgers and snags on offer.
Results for Saturday, 22 Jul 2023
1st Brendon Mitchell (36, 40, 76) 2nd Robert Priems (24, 37, 71) 3rd Rajesh Mahto (35, 35, 70) 4th Harry Boughen (35, 32, 67) 5th Michael Gourlay (31, 35, 66) 5th Matt Hunt (32, 34, 66) 5th Jonathan Lau (28, 38, 66)
Seniors Results: 1st Harry Boughen (35,32,67) 2nd Michael Gourlay (31,35,66) 3rd Chris Priems (30,35,65) 3rd Rodney White (29,36,65)
Nearest the Pin Results: ProPin – 12th Chris Priems BallPin No 1 – 4th Michael Gourlay BallPin No 2 – 18th Stephen O’Sullivan
Eagle’s Nest Results: Eagle – 6th Brendon Mitchell