This was the last round before the BOM declares the start of winter, even if the solstice does not. The temperature at tee time was a relatively mild 7C, and it promised not to warm up too much before the day was out. Some layers and neck-warmers did come off after the halfway mark, and the promise of no rain did prove to be correct. All in all, a pleasant enough day for the thirteen members who ventured out to vie for some points before the real winter gets here. Numbers might have been a bit better if it had not been for ‘significant’ birthdays and frog hunting expeditions that kept a number of our members otherwise occupied. The first group was a little surprised to find a leprechaun seated cross-legged beside the 17th tee, but, on closer inspection, it turned out to be JQ, who is back from his recent travels and who decided to get some fresh air while kibitzing on members form as they tried their luck from the tee. There would appear to be little truth in the story that Pepsi and Brendon both went exploring in the shrubbery after being told they would find a pot of gold there.
If, perchance, the scrub bashing on Brendon’s part was due to an errant drive, it could very well have saved him from even greater damage to his handicap, because it certainly wasn’t enough to stop him from putting in the best score for the day. A string of five fours in a row from the first got him off to an excellent start, and he rounded the turn with twenty points on the card. A few less than stellar holes on the back were offset to some degree by a birdie and four points on the 13th. A grand total of thirty-eight, took the top spot for the day, but Brendon chose a low-key celebration by settling for butter for the scones rather than jam and cream.
Stef stuttered a few times during the round, but he was still able to put together two nines, each two over the card, that garnered him a tally of 37 points and second place on the podium. In the process, he managed to pull off what would have to just about count as the shot of the century. His drive from the 11th was one of his usual monsters, and the ball found its way into the penalty area beside the green. The ball was found, both under water and barely visible. Undaunted, Stef opted to play as it lay, and, amid a shower of mud and water, launched the ball out of the hazard and onto the green where a couple of putts made for the ‘easiest’ of pars.
Harry started off well with some fine chipping giving him a chance to make some scores. None less than on the 4th, where the ball headed unerringly for the hole and dropped in for the birdie and a four pointer. This effort helped our total of birdies to eight for the day. Things slowed down a bit after the 5th, and at the turn, things were not looking too promising. A bit of a second wind on the back nine helped immeasurably to bring the final total to 36. Pepsi also produced a four pointer in his round when he rattled one in for an eagle on the 14th. So, after a bit of a scare last week, the old bird’s worst fears were realised, and she once again finds herself with only a single egg in the nest. Pepsi matched Harry’s scores on both nines and in the final tally to share third place.
Now, most people would be pretty happy to have a four pointer on their card. Steve turned out today for his first round of formal competition. He started the back nine with a par, and four points. He finished the back nine with a birdie and five points. In between, he racked up enough scores to finish with twenty-four points for the nine holes. This intel resulted in some nervous glances between the clubhouse leaders as they wondered what the grand total would be. Unfortunately, Steve had taken the first nine holes to warm up, and he could only manage a total of 35 for the round. It had been predicted that it would not be long before he appeared on the podium. And he probably won’t be on a handicap of 29 for long either! Geoff maybe didn’t check his handicap, and sold himself one short, so he moved up a notch to 33 points and a share of fifth place. If he hadn’t taken several holes to get going, the total and the resultant points could easily have been much greater. Ryan put together a pair of 38’s off the stick on his way to 33 points as well. An errant tee shot on the 14th finished OOB, while his provisional finished just on the green directly below the hole. The putt was only just off centre, and hit the pin with just enough speed to flick out of the hole and come to rest, teetering on the brink. So close to an unlikely par!
There was a BallPin on the 4th today, and Ryan was the only one to get his name on the card after he put it close in the first group out. The second BallPin on the 18th was much more keenly contested, with three names on the card and others in with a chance. In the end, it was Steve who won the day. The ProPin was on the 12th, and Stef was able to hold off some challengers with his shot to 4.7m. However, the marker pin should be placed accurately at the ball finishing position to obviate the possibility of misunderstanding as to whether the distance has been accurately recorded.
There were some matches contested today as part of the second round of the championship. Pepsi took on Keith with the rather daunting prospect of having to give away twenty-two strokes. Pepsi got off to a good start and won the first three holes before Keith got his motor warmed up and started to stem the flow Pepsi’s way. Unfortunately, his finger wasn’t big enough to block the hole in the dyke, and, eventually, it gave way and Peps won another four on the trot to take out the match with a fairly convincing margin of 8 and 6. Ryan had to hand Gordon ten strokes in their match. For a while this looked to be too tough a call as Gordon made his way out to a three hole lead. Gordo’s touch seemed to abandon him after the ninth, and, slowly but surely, the lead was whittled away until, at last, the battle was lost at the 17th with Porks victorious, 2 and 1. The third match was what you might call a Claytons. Stef did battle with Mehm to see whether Stef really did deserve to go through to the third round. Mehm played pretty well on the front nine and had gathered 19 points in the main competition. Unfortunately, Stef did better when it counted, and, at the turn, Mehm was three holes down. A gallant defence ensued, but victories proved elusive and eventually Stef took the match at the 14th with the scoreline at 5 and 4. Thus, Stef does get to keep his spot in the third round. Only two more matches to go in Round 2. You know who you are, so get on with it.
The last group had some interested spectators as they finished off on the 18th. Michael and Steve both had good tee shots onto the green and sank their putts for birdies. Targe was just off the green from the tee. His chip went very close to going in, and he made his par with ease. Geoff made it to the edge of the top deck with his second. His putt trickled over the edge and finished centimetres from the hole. The tap-in didn’t quite work, and he had to settle for a five to finish the round. Earlier, Brendon was seen pfaffing around with measuring tapes and NTP markers as he made sure he got his name where it counted most. Keith was buying drinks after the round following a draughtie from the 3rd tee. The ball also finished up behind a tree, prompting Pepsi to comment that Keith was not going to like where it finished, and he owed him a beer. One of the contributing factors to Steve’s ‘warm-up’ on the front nine was not just one, but two freshies. Not a very common occurrence, or at least, not one that people own up to.
Results for Saturday, 28 May 2022
1st Brendon Mitchell (38) 2nd Stefan Belevski (37) 3rd Harry Boughen (36) 3rd Andrew Petricola (36) 4th Steven Gervasoni (35) 5th Geoff Lyall (33) 5th Ryan Porker (33)
Seniors Results: 1st Harry Boughen (36) 2nd Steven Gervasoni (35) 3rd Geoff Lyall (33)
Nearest the Pin Results: ProPin – 12th Stefan Belevski BallPin No 1 – 4th Ryan Porker BallPin No 2 – 18th Steven Gervasoni
Eagle’s Nest Results: Eagle – 14th Andrew Petricola