After a better roll-up this week (12 compared to last week’s 7) the quality of the golf improved markedly.
Indeed last week’s winning score would have missed out on points this week.
Leading the field was SoS who played a blinder, 76 off the stick for 42 stableford points.
Despite a 1-point double bogey on the 1st, SoS hit the turn on 21 points and added another 21 on the back. His round included 3-pointers on holes 3, 4, 6, 9, 10, 12, 14, 17 and 18. It was reported to be one shot off his best ever round.
Harry is always pleased when he can lop more than a shot or two off a handicap and SoS’s stellar round will cost him 3 strokes.
Along the way SoS also collected the $19 on offer (including last week’s mega $7 jackpot) for nearest the pin on the 12th. There was a bit of debate within his group regarding who called what when about potentially sharing the money, but with a few calls being made while balls were in the air rather than agreed beforehand, I think SoS ended up keeping the lot for his shot to 2.77 metres. No doubt it will be invested wisely.
Old Reliable is certainly back in town in a big way. Playing off a 10 handicap, Craig hit the turn with 18 points, then had 2-pointers on the next 6 holes before finishing strongly with 3-pointers on 16, 17 and 18 for a total of 39 points and second place on the podium. Harry again was happy to get on the chop (albeit only one stroke off Craig’s handicap) and Craig returns back to a single figure handicap for next week.
Johnny Q was out early practicing his putting after a poor putting round last week and another bad day with the putter at the Frog on Friday. The practice obviously helped with John making a few bombs early in the round and having just the one three-putt. Like Craig, John finished strongly with 3-pointers on his last three holes for 20 points on the back, 38 overall and third place.
Michael played in the third group with Harry and Targe and post-round confidently slapped his 36 point card down on the table (2 better than his winning score last week) and was promptly told he might be lucky to get a point or two with that score this week. Indeed, after the usual swearing and cursing at Craig for beating him again, Michael felt lucky to bank 4th place points, shared with Steve whose 36 points included two of the field’s four birdies of the day, both 4-pointers (4th and 17th). The birdie on the 4th was a 5-pointer on his “inside” card where he gets an extra stroke with his GA handicap.
The highlight of Harry’s 5th placed 35 points was 5 x 3-pointers in the last 7 holes of his back nine of 20 points. We won’t mention the gash on the 11th, although it might have been what fired Harry up for the run home. Harry also made his fair share of putts today, more than he missed, including a beautiful left to right curler from about 20 feet to the difficult back right pin at the 9th. Michael had made one from a similar distance and then Harry stepped up and whacked his in dead centre.
Of the rest of the field, CJ’s 34 points included more than a few of his now routine favourable “Priemsy” bounces off trees. “The Priemsy” has been a feature ever since his hole-in-one off a tree (true story!) about 20 years ago, albeit in a social round, so not recorded in official club records. Peps was a witness to that hole-in-one and was again today on the 16th where CJ smacked his shot into the big tree on the right and somehow it ricocheted left and forward and onto the green. Peps was shaking his head in disbelief again while CJ was miffed it didn’t go in the hole.
Brendon and Peps both had one of those golfing days where things didn’t quite go according to plan but they played a role in a fiercely contested ball pin on the 18th (with the additional stakes of the money for the “inside” NTP on the line). With the pin front left, Craig playing in the first group, hit a great shot to about 3 metres and assumed this would be a big chance. Peps in the second group then hit his 9 iron inside Craig only for Brendon to come along and hit it closer. All 3 missed their birdie putts, Peps the stiffest after a lip out.
Stan, Prez Priems and Targe brought up the rear of the field. Stan’s back 9 score more than doubled his points scored on the front, so the positive spin there is Stan is working his way into form for future weeks.
Prez Priems might have been feeling the pressure of being so close (12.8) to bettering his brother’s handicap (11.4) before this week’s round. Both have now gone out 0.2 so that contest stands at Rob 13.0 and CJ 11.6 for 12. One more big round from Rob might do it and test CJ’s promise to retire if Rob ever does get there. No pressure boys! (Note to Adam, put them in the same group next week?)
Targe had what he thinks might be his highest ever off the stick score today. Certainly his card marker Michael was feeling mathematically challenged by the numbers as the round progressed.
However it must be said that unlike his playing partners (Michael and Harry) who did their fair share of grumbling and cursing, Targe kept a happy and positive disposition throughout, a few lessons there for a few of us.
Meanwhile Gordo, if you are reading down this far, how are you going? Harry won the ball on the 15th with a great shot in that was just inside the mark set earlier by CJ. However Michael wanted to claim the special “Gordo ball” there, being closer than Harry but an annoying “Gordo inch” off the green.
Hopefully we can muster a half-decent field again next week. I’ll be missing due to family commitments in Sydney, but, as always, will look forward to reading Harry’s take on proceedings.
Will SoS cope ok with his new handicap?
Will my prediction for Stan coming into form be correct?
Will Harry’s putts keep going in or go back to doing that Harry “just shaving the edge of the hole” thing?
And those Priems brothers? Will we be planning CJ’s retirement party?
Results for Saturday, 17 Aug 2024
1st Stephen O’Sullivan (42) 2nd Craig Cameron (39) 3rd John Quinlan (38) 4th Steven Gervasoni (36) 4th Michael Gourlay (36) 5th Harry Boughen (35)
Seniors Results: 1st Craig Cameron (39) 2nd Michael Gourlay (36) 2nd Steven Gervasoni (36) 3rd Harry Boughen (35)
Nearest the Pin Results: ProPin – 12th Stephen O’Sullivan BallPin No 1 – 15th Harry Boughen BallPin No 2 – 18th Brendon Mitchell