What was it about the back nine today? You can’t really blame the weather. If anything, the back enjoyed the best of it, as the cold, and even a mist of rain, gave way to sunshine. Although the course looks green, the grass hasn’t really got a grow on, and there was plenty of run to be had, with the downside of the occasional bare lie to play from. As it was, fifteen members set out to battle it out in the first round of the Fred Kitson, and they managed to knock out five birdies in the process. If last night’s SnapChat/WhatsApp was to be believed, there would have been more, but maybe it was the sherbet talking.
When asked how he went, Nalin’s response was that he had hit seven trees from the first seven tees. Then, he handed his card in. According to reports, there was a suspicion that he had stolen Bobbie’s putter, as he replicated Bob’s last week’s performance by sinking just about everything from just about everywhere. Some were travelling so fast that they were in danger of leaving the green, if they had not hit the pin dead centre, which prevented the possibility of damage to the back of the cup. Not to be outdone, Harry’s putt on the first was saved from a similar potential fate by catching the pin dead centre at high speed from about five or six metres, to stop dead and drop into the hole for an unlikely par. Nalin finished the front three up, but ‘faded’ slightly on the back to square the nine, to lead the field comfortably on plus three.
Craig played his usual steady game on the front, and should have finished better than plus one for the nine, if some of his putts had been slightly better directed. The near misses with the flat stick continued on the back, and the final tally was minus one to slot into second place on the Leaderboard. Targe turned up looking as if he had just come from, or was about to head off to a disco, if his pants were any guide. At least he wasn’t wearing high-heeled sneakers. His golf was largely unaffected, however, and he was able to match Craig to share second place. Gordon finished just a single point further back from a round that seemed to lack any highlights, other than that his super-powerful second shot on the third brought down a ‘major’ branch from the tree that got in the way. SOS joined him as one of the few who recorded a better score on the back nine than they did on the front. SOS did claim that he managed to hit thirteen trees in the process, but it is not clear whether this was an unlucky number or not. He did remember to hit <record> for his shot on the 18th today, and, although he did not get the HIO, he did get a shot of his BallPin winning shot. There was some consideration of declaring the claim over Brendon (who was barely on the green) because of the ‘obscene’ gesture inscribed on the chit. Bob also shared a piece of third place, with his main complaint being that he had picked up twice when he still had strokes left. This usually happens when people go out rather than having taken a big cut last week.
Harry was pretty happy at the turn, and, on the 10th tee, promised better things. Things did look better for a few holes, but four gashes in the last six holes tore the guts out of the score. Dan should have been right up there with Nalin, after finishing the front level-pegging on plus three. The rot set in when he marked and picked up his ball off the green on the 10th. Six of the next eight were losses. Porks joined the merry band on minus three, as another who scored ‘better’ on the back. Brendon would probably prefer to forget his back nine on his way to minus four for the day and the last spot on the Leaderboard placings. A lost ball on the 13th fairway, did not contribute much to his level of happiness.
There was a BallPin on the 4th, and the prize was hotly contested, with Dan and Stan putting their hands up. Unfortunately, Matty’s usual course was being ‘cored’, and he came to Ivanhoe to ‘take home the chocolates’. Barbecue tools and a ball from the 4th will be the only ‘chocolates’ that he will get. The ProPin was on the 15th, and, despite the tee being well back, and the pin as well, the five-metre circle proved elusive, and there will be a Jackpot on offer for next week. Despite Matt’s rather poor showing in the scoring arena, he absolutely shone compared to Raj, who is apparently front-runner in the Shank-king Stakes after today’s effort. One shot, at least, was not a shank, because the ball was missed completely. Just don’t write him off just yet, though. CJ had a couple of home chores to attend to this afternoon after the round, and he was undecided which one terrified him the most. One was doing the vacuuming, the other was meeting up with the Ice-man who rear-ended Carolyn’s car.
Results for Saturday, 18 Oct 2025
Leaderboard Round 1: 1st Nalin Samaranayake (+3) 2nd Craig Cameron (-1) 2nd Targe Mifsud (-1) 3rd Gordon Hill (-2) 3rd Bob McDonald (-2) 3rd Stephen O’Sullivan (-2) 4th Harry Boughen (-3) 4th Dan Marie (-3) 4th Ryan Porker (-3) 5th Brendon Mitchell (-4)
Seniors Leaderboard: 1st Craig Cameron (-1) 1st Targe Mifsud (-1) 2nd Gordon Hill (-2) 2nd Bob McDonald (-2) 3rd Harry Boughen (-3)
Nearest the Pin Results: ProPin – 15th Jackpot BallPin No 1 – 4th Matt Hunt BallPin No 2 – 18th Stephen O’Sullivan