The calendar says we are into spring and there are signs that the grass is starting to grow and if the mowing isn’t kept up then the roughs will be just that – rough. The greens have been aerated and the most recent attack seems to have resulted in little more than some rubber burns. The earlier scars on the third are still obvious and can result in some bouncy putts. Other than that, the course is in fine condition and with the cool, calm conditions there was little excuse for not scoring well. So, what other excuses do the eighteen players have?
The be(a)st of the day was, in fact, none other than the Beast who persisted in driving pretty much down the centre of the fairway all day and so far that they were hard to keep sight of. If it hadn’t been for a couple of minor aberrations around and on the green the bottom line could have been rather less than the 66 that was carded. Bill was one of the few players that kept his jacket on for the whole round and that could explain why he was so ‘hot’.
Just a single stroke behind Bill was Dale who took a few holes to really get going. Dale’s card counted six sixes, five of which were in the first six holes. There was one five and no less than eleven fours. So, there were plenty of opportunities to have snatched the top spot. Targe, on the other hand put in a card with every number between three and eight. The three was a birdie on the 5th and it reportedly took a 10m putt to make that and, in so doing, contribute to the total of 9 birdies that we managed for the day.
There was a bit of a gap to third place where we found Ken with a net score of 70. It does seem that the number could have been quite a bit higher after Ken hit three balls from the tee on the 14th. Fortunately, for Ken, the first ball was found to be still in bounds but maybe all the effort on the tee had worn Ken out as he still managed to rack up seven strokes on the hole.
Fourth place was filled by Chrispy Pork which sounds like a crackling combination. Ryan seems content to keep gathering, at least some, points although Targe did sneak up a few on him today. Targe will miss out on scoring in the Fred Kitson so Ryan has a chance to get back his margin, and then some, if he can feature in this Major event. Chrispy’s ankle gave him a bit of angst in the later stages of the round and he thinks he might play better if he starts using a buggy (but not a cart – yet). Dave was promoted to 5th place due to an error in transcribing his net score from the bottom to the top of the card. Sorry about that Noods, Bob and Matt.
Enzo’s ears pricked up when he heard that the ProPin on the 15th had Jackpotted yet again. Rumour has it that he is going to be out all week practicing, just on that hole. The BallPin on the 4th managed to elude all comers and that, too, will Jackpot to next week. The 18th BallPin was located on the top deck and almost succeeded in eluding capture until Porks came along in the last group and took it out.
ChrisV was with us for the first time in a while but he was showing signs of being a bit under the weather (health-wise). After one bout of coughing and spluttering it was suggested that he should be at home in bed with a ‘hottie’ and maybe some honey would help. After Matt went from Mustard Jacket to Cock’s Plate a couple of weeks back, today, his companions reckoned that he was playing with a heat-seeking missile and that there was something hot in the cups. That is until the 13th where he managed to do quite the reverse and made a ‘snowman’. He wasn’t alone in that regard as there were quite a number scored on various holes among the group.
The pin position on the 14th was generally described as being ‘diabolical’. particularly by Rob who managed to travel back and forth no less than five times after Chris told him not to miss the first one. Rob blamed Chris for putting him off, to which Chris responded – you always blame the one you love. Harry can’t understand what all the fuss was about as he just read the slope and the pace from off the green and judged it perfectly to have the ball fall into the hole for his par. He almost had an even more spectacular result on the previous hole with a chip that neatly cannoned off Gordo’s ball to trickle just past the hole for the easiest of tap-ins. Lindrum could hardly have done better.
One of the real mysteries of the round was the source of a whole raw hens egg on the 11th fairway. There is a fair possibility that the raven that was pecking its way into it had carried it from somewhere. Perhaps some backyard poultry-man is going to miss out on breakfast tomorrow.
Our last Major for the year in the form of the Fred Kitson Spring Cup kicks off next week and a chance for a big move in the Championship Table, particularly with Targe out of contention and if Porks can be kept off the podium. It is everybody’s favourite competition, Par, and there will be our usual gourmet bar-be-que after the second round. Be there and be square – that might be enough to win!
Results for Saturday, 05 October 2019
1st Bill Eastoe(66) 2nd Targe Mifsud(67) 2nd Dale Webb(67) 3rd Ken Watson(70) 4th Ryan Porker(71) 4th Chris Priems(71) 5th David Mullenger(72)
Seniors Results: 1st Bill Eastoe (66) 2nd Targe Mifsud (67) 3rd Bob McDonald (73)
Nearest the Pin Results: ProPin15th Jackpot BallPin No 1 4th Jackpot BallPin No 2 18th Ryan Porker