The golf was very ordinary this week, embarrassingly bad scores.
So let’s start with the birthdays. Harry was missing this week and it might have something to do with a milestone birthday. Perhaps a milestone with an 8 in front of it. Happy birthday Harry!
I did commission some birthday party photos for the blog – or a video of Harry dancing – but at the time of going to publication these were yet to be received.
There’s no less than another 5 birthdays coming up this week, including Brendon with a milestone with a 5 in front of it (only 5 years until Seniors for you Brendon), plus Ken, Chris Vinecombe, Johnny Q and Kazim. A major birthday season.
Speaking birthdays, big congratulations to Porks and his partner Vicky whose second child Isabella da Gama was born back on 13 June. The Porks parenting report is that “we are all doing good”.
Meanwhile, as for the golf, Adam wasn’t kidding when he announced on Thursday there were cheap points on offer this week.
While only five and half of the field of seven squeezed into the attempted whole group selfie – Blighty, Prez, a still hung-over Johnny Q, Steve and Stan, it was Bobby (who the photographer somehow missed) who started on fire with a 4-point par on the first.
Unfortunately Bob could only muster another 21 points over the next 17 holes for a total of 25 points (reported as 22 in the after-round but was actually 25 when checked). This was good enough for both NAGA and fifth place points.
Chrispy was absent and there was no truth in the rumour he was sooking after being double robbed – Collingwood and the umpires again, plus somebody fluking an eagle on the last and beating him in the Friday comp at the Frog.
Johnny Q played with Chrispy at the Frog and said it was one of his worst rounds ever – for the first 15 holes anyway (something like 16 points after 15 holes – followed by 10 points in the last 3). Kicking on after the Friday game to produce one of his better hangovers, John debated whether he should make the Saturday morning trip to Royal Ivanhoe.
30 points later the jury was still out on that decision, but John was happy to bank the two championship points for equal fourth with Stan, even though it wasn’t quite enough to keep him in the lead in the prestigious Vardon Trophy race (best average points per round). He has now slipped to second, the proverbial bees dick 0.03 behind Michael.
As the low marker in the first group with Bobby and Steve, Stan was put in charge of making sure the group kept up a decent pace of play. Stan duly made sure they hit the ground running and stayed running all day. They went out hard and were two holes ahead of Group 2 by the time they finished the sixth.
Prez, Michael, Blighty and Johnny Q were more than a bit shocked to be finishing up on the fourth green and notice Stan, Bobby and Steve walking to the seventh tee. There’s no doubt if there was an Olympics for the opposite of slow play, Stan would win the gold hands down.
Steve managed to keep himself calm in Stan’s slipstream for most of the day and managed 31 points which was enough for third place on the podium.
Blighty played pretty well all day and made quite a few decent length putts to keep his round going, including one on the 15th that he announced “geez that was a great putt” as it curled right to left and dropped in. Another good putt rolled in on the last saw Blighty sign for 33 points and second place. He might have finished with higher honours if he could have played the 16th again. A gash there was costly.
Michael started well but then lost the plot after missing a short birdie putt on the 6th followed by a duff off the 7th tee and two more missed short putts on the 8th and 9th. He played angry all day after the 6th and was lucky to cobble together 34 points.
He was joined on the winner’s dias with 34 points by Prez Priems who hit the finishing tape at full speed with a brilliant 4-point birdie on the 17th after driving it to a few inches off the green and then a solid par for another 3 points up the 18th. Rob will need to make eagle for 4 points on the 17th next week as the winner’s penalty drops his handicap to 13 and that means no stroke on the 17th.
So yes if you are reading at home, you so could have won the day if you turned up! Perfect weather, perhaps a bit cool for the first few holes. But no wind. Very few crazy pins and lots of run on the fairways and lift and clean still in place. You couldn’t ask for easier scoring conditions and you’d have thought even the motley group of seven who turned up could do better than 34 for first and 25 for fifth!
Along the way Michael won the balls for nearest the pins on the 4th and 18th (just knocking off Steve there). The money on the 12th jackpots, with Michael’s shot just not quite close enough. So a big $7 in the jackpot pool for next week boys.
Results for Saturday, 10 Aug 2024
1st Michael Gourlay (34) 1st Robert Priems (34) 2nd Andrew Blight (33) 3rd Steven Gervasoni (31) 4th Stan Blackshaw (30) 4th John Quinlan (30) 5th Bob McDonald (25)
Seniors Results: 1st Michael Gourlay (34) 2nd Andrew Blight (33) 3rd Steven Gervasoni (31)
Nearest the Pin Results: ProPin – 12th Jackpot BallPin No 1 – 4th Michael Gourlay BallPin No 2 – 18th Michael Gourlay