The whole field was on tenterhooks. There had been some good rain during the week. Would the course be wet? Would the rain stay away today? Would the wind blow a dog off a chain? Would there be an upset in the top placings on the Championship Table? Would the sausages get cooked? Would there be any money around for the Auction? So many questions!
But, the question that really mattered was, who would win the final Monthly Medal for the year? Chrispy desperately wanted to so that he could get himself a place in the Champion of Champions field. Noodles desperately wanted to so that he had a chance to oust JQ. Simon desperately wanted to so that he could oust Noodles and Gordon desperately wanted to so that he could oust Simon. As it turned out, there was precious little ousting done.
The man who managed to beat the field with a very impressive 71 off the stick and a nett score of 66 was none other than Pepsi who managed to do it with only three birdies on his card and in that small way he contributed to the 15 birdies that the 19 members who turned up could score for the day. The win boosted him up the table in the Vardon Trophy and he went close to pipping JQ at the post in this new event. The damage to the handicap will require him to keep his head down just that little bit more over the next two weeks.
Blighty was second on the day after being Club House leader for some little while with his nett 67 scorecard. And for that he should be thankful to his playing companions who pointed out that he was teeing up in front of the markers rather than letting him play for the penalty. And this from a guy who is usually so pedantic about lining things up.
Now, several weeks ago this particular member was contemplating giving the game away it had gone so bad (or so he said). However, the last few weeks have shown that talent, if not good looks, will win the day and he went reasonably close to getting his Champion of Champions qualification. Obviously the man in question is none other than Chrispy who presented to the judges with a nett 68.
Porks managed to spray a few off the tee today but then pulled off some impressive recovery shots including one on the 5th that finished on the green close enough for the birdie result. With a slightly more measured approach off the tee the placing could very well have been much better. Next, came a swag of players in fifth spot with Trevor, Simon and JQ sharing that honour and a point each.
That means that the placings at the top of the Championship and the Seniors Championship are unchanged and congratulations must go to JQ and Simon for a great year of golf. To the runners-up and the also-rans, take consolation in the fact that there is a whole new year about to start and this could very well be your turn to shine.
The BallPin today was on the 7th and with the course set up for the black course (white markers) there was a fairly long hit though the ground staff did have a little pity and set the whites in front of the blues (go figure). Daniel looked as if he might have the ball within his grasp but then along came Simon who managed to get his ball closer. Not close enough to make the birdie though. The Jackpot ProPin on the 15th went to JQ who made it to 1.95 m and he eventually got his money when he realised how much he was spending at the Auction and needed to raise more funds. The ProPin on the 18th managed to keep everybody more than 5m from the pin and so there will be a Jackpot to be had next week.
As well as the 15 birdies, there was another Eagle today on the 10th hole which would have to be a fairly rare occurrence. The man who managed a Hole-in-One from about 112m a couple of weeks ago for just the one ball, today managed to put one into the hole from about 130m out to collect 2 balls. The poor old Eagle is starting to cry tears of blood. Just in case you didn’t realise, today’s Eagle man was the Beast. And, just before tee time, somebody commented that Bill’s body had been invaded by an alien. Maybe they were right!
Porks only had the 13th to complete his set of birdies for the year and it would have really consolidated his position at the head of the Eclectic. Unfortunately, he could only manage the par and so he was reduced to running back and forth to check on whether Brendon had made any valuable birdies. No such luck for Brendon and so Porks held onto his reasonably comfortable margin to take the Eclectic.
Peter reckons there is a hex on him on the 1st tee as he managed not even to get past the white tee markers with his first shot. It wasn’t a good day off the tee for Peter as he sconed them time after time. On the 3rd, the ball looked to be heading out of bounds when it hit a tree and came back in but did not reach the red markers. Next off the tee, Harry went close to missing the ball altogether and barely made it to the second tee box let alone the one carrying the red markers.
Gordon decided he needed more room to set up his bag and buggy so he ensconced himself in the Golf Academy coaching room and sorted everything out to his satisfaction. Then, when he made to leave the room, he found that the buggy wheels were too wide for the door so he had to unpack it all again to get out. And that probably set the tone for his golf for the day. And, speaking of buggies, Rob has repaired his again and so far it has lasted three rounds but it hasn’t improved his game at all.
A few times during the round, the weather tried to intervene. There were a couple of showers that warranted an umbrella but nothing needing the wet weather gear. And a few times the breeze did get up just a little. While Bill was searching for a place to set up the bar-be-que that might be a bit sheltered and would allow the burners to stay alight, he managed to get this snap that suggested that there was more than a zephyr involved. Either that or Harry always stands like that.
Daniel did a great job of cooking the snags and onions so it is not often that we can claim that we had a chef-cooked lunch and that on his day off. And he wasn’t getting paid for it. Now that is what you would have to call dedication to the cause.
After the bar-be-que, the usual shenanigans happened at the Auction and the usual suspects dug deep to buy their fancied steeds. And maybe some that they didn’t necessarily fancy. Gordon will collate all of the sales and will advise purchasers of any monies still owing. Buyer’s should ensure that they pay all monies to Gordon at their first opportunity, offer the half share option to the jockeys and collect any such half-share monies. They are also responsible for distributing any winnings after the event.
Results for Saturday, 24 November 2018
1st Andrew Petricola(66) 2nd Andrew Blight(67) 3rd Chris Priems(68) 4th Ryan Porker(69) 5th Trevor Jackson(70) 5th Simon Powell(70) 5th John Quinlan(70)
Seniors Results: 1st Andrew Blight (67) 2nd Simon Powell (70) 2nd Trevor Jackson (70) 3rd Gordon Hill (74)
Nearest the Pin Results: ProPin No 1 15th John Quinlan ProPin No 2 18th Jackpot BallPin 7th Simon Powell
Eagle’s nest Results: Eagle 10th Bill Eastoe