Top seeds cruise at Singha TATP Championship

Singha representative Sruang Jantrautai (left) presents the crystal cut trophy to men’s champion Phassawit Burapharitta.

Urasin Khantaraphan
The Singha TATP Tour Championship Tennis Open provided few surprises as top seeds in the Pattaya tournament progressed according to their rankings with No 1 ranked Phassawit Burapharitta winning the men’s singles title.
The Sept. 27-Oct. 5 tourney at the Royal Cliff Hotels’ fitness center included both singles and doubles contests for men and women battling for a share of the 500,000 baht purse. There was also a senior-players tournament with 44,000 baht up for grabs.
With Thailand’s No. 1 player, Danai “Pink” Udomchoke withdrawing at the last minute for personal reasons, former youth champ Phassawit took over the top seeding, besting second-seed Warit Sornbutnark 6-3, 1-6, 7-6 (5) in the men’s final. The champ won 40,000 baht while Warit took home 25,000 baht.
No. 3 seed Singaekrawi Wattanakhul made it to the semi-finals, losing to Warit 6-1, 7-5. The only upset was No. 4 seed Patt Phothitat losing to unseeded Phongsiri Niroj 7-5, 6-4.
Phassawit also won the trophy in the doubles tournament with partner Kirti Siributwong, beating Pant Puravit and Peerakiat Siriluethaiwattana 6-4, 6-4 to win 20,000 baht. The losing pair took home 12,000 baht.
In women’s singles, Kamolwan Buayaem defeated Phatcharin Sheepyadeaj 6-2, 6-2 to claim 30,000 baht with the loser winning 18,000 baht.
In women’s doubles, Kamolwan Buayaem and Shanikarn Sasikhul defeated Phatsarin Shipyadeaj and Naphatsorn Seankeaw 6-1, 6-3 to claim the cup and 15,000 baht. The runner-up received 8,000 baht.
At the conclusion of the tournament, and for the enjoyment of spectators, The Royal Cliff and Singha also staged a VIP doubles match featuring Thailand’s former World No 9 men’s tennis star Paradorn Srichaphan.

Burapharitta serves to Warit Sornbutnark in the deciding set of the men’s final.

Ryder Cup stars confirmed for Thailand Golf Championship

Bubba Watson of the USA will be one of the many big names appearing at the Dec. 11-14 tournament. (Photo/Thailand Golf Championship)

Major winners Bubba Watson and Martin Kaymer will join defending champion Sergio Garcia in a star-studded field for the eagerly anticipated fourth edition of the 2014 Thailand Golf Championship, which will be staged once again at Amata Spring Country Club on December 11-14.
In addition, two of Europe’s other Ryder Cup heroes – Lee Westwood, who captured the Thailand Golf Championship in 2011, and Victor Dubuisson – have committed to play in the Asian Tour’s US$1 million flagship tournament, as has South African legend Ernie Els, who will be making his first appearance in the event.

Spain’s Sergio Garcia will be returning to Thailand to defend his title. (Photo/Thailand Golf Championship)

Adding to the excitement of a tournament that has provided so much drama in its first three years, the Thailand Golf Championship has been confirmed as part of The Open Qualifying Series (OQS), with four places at the 2015 Open, to be held at St Andrews, up for grabs.
With a little under two months to go before the action gets underway at magnificent Amata Spring, which has been voted as the best course on the Asian Tour for three consecutive years, Spain’s Garcia said he can’t wait to return to the Land of Smiles.
“I have been coming to the Thailand Golf Championship every year and I love it, but last time was especially special as it gave me my first win of the season,” said the world number three, who made a hole-in-one on his way to a four-shot win in 2013. “The event always attracts a really high-quality field and this year it is as strong as ever, so I’ll need to be at my best if I want to retain my title. I’m really looking forward to the challenge.”
In Watson and Kaymer, the Spaniard faces two players who have this season recorded their second major championship victories. In April, 35-year-old Watson put on a brilliant display of ball-striking to collect his second Green Jacket for winning the Masters Tournament at famed Augusta National Golf Club, while Kaymer powered his way to a convincing first US Open title at Pinehurst’s historic No. 2 course.
“Sergio played great last year and I’m sure all the European guys will be feeling good after their win at the Ryder Cup, but Amata Spring is a course I really enjoy playing and I know I can perform well on. There’s no doubt: it’s going to be another great week in Thailand,” declared Watson, whose best result at the Thailand Golf Championship came in 2012 when he finished in a tie for second behind runaway winner Charl Schwartzel.
Tickets for spectators cost 300 baht per day for Dec. 11 and 12, 400 baht on Dec. 13 and 500 baht on Dec. 14. A 4-day ticket package costs 800 baht. Entrance is free for spectators aged 60 or more and children under 16 years (present ID card or passport at venue.) Tickets can be purchased at www.thaiticketmajor.com.

Caddies drop bags for Amazing International Caddy Championship

Female golfers line up at the Singha Amazing International Caddy Championship 2014 held at Siam Country Club in Pattaya on Oct. 6.

Urasin Khantaraphan
Caddies from six countries put down their bags and picked up clubs to compete for a set of golf equipment and a trip to Vietnam at the Singha Amazing International Caddy Championship 2014 held at Siam Country Club.
Organized by Singha Cooperation Co., the second-annual tournament attracted 29 caddies from Thailand, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, Malaysia and China on Monday, Oct. 6. Prizes included airline tickets and accommodations in Da Nang, Vietnam and seven sets of golf clubs.
Caddies competed in four categories: International Caddy Championship, Singha Amazing Thailand Caddy Championship, Flight B (HC.15-24) and, finally, Gross Score, the winner of which won the trip to Da Nang.
In the International Caddy Championship, first prize went to Ranko Tanaka from Japan with a score of 78. Natasuki Mizukoshi from Japan shot 80 to place second and Ja Yeon Sejong from South Korea took third with an 83.
In the Singha Thai bracket, first place went to Phanida Tocheun from Suanson Pradipat Golf Course with a score of 84. Second place was Juthamas Kawsa-ard from Krisda City Golf Hills, scoring 85 off HC 13, and third went to Somkuan Kunlapa from Laem Chabang Golf Course with an 88 score.
In the Flight B (HC.15-24) bracket, Sukanya Buapralard from Plutaluang Navy Golf Course took first with a gross 85 and 34 Stableford points. In second place was Piangrutai Jangin from The Emerald, scoring a gross 88 off HC 17 and 33 points, while in third was Duanpen Kabram from the Royal Navy Golf Course after shooting an 87 off HC 15 for 32 points.
The four caddies to win the Vietnam trip in the Gross Score contest were Phanida Tocheun from Suanson Pradipat Golf Course (84), Saithong Wongwian from Laem Chabang Golf Course (90), Boobpaporn Leebo from Thai Country Club (91), and Siripen Jannin from Suanson Pradipat Golf Course (91).
Winners of the Singha golf bag in the nearest the pin contest were Natasuki Mizukoshi from Japan, (66 centimeters from hole) Duanpen Kabram, (1.24 meters), Kanyarat Jankong (1.4 meters) and Chawinee Ongsakun (1.45 meters).

Caddy girls pose for a photo at the Singha Amazing Thailand Caddy Championship 2014.

A caddy prepares to tee-off at Siam Country Club in Pattaya.

Winners of the Gross Score prizes, (front row) Phanida Tocheun from Suanson Pradipat Golf Course, Saithong Wongwian from Laem Chabang, Boobpaporn Leebo from Thai Country Club, and Siripen Jannin from Suanson Pradipat Golf Course pose with tournament officials and sponsors.

Golf Citizen lights up Thailand’s tourism drive

Widely known as the “Land of Smiles” for its effusive hospitality, Thailand boasts a stunning landscape varying from wide, sandy beaches to green hills, one that resonates well with golf enthusiasts keen to enjoy the fresh air and beautiful scenery that only nature can inspire.
No wonder, the vibrant golf scene has positioned the country as one of the preferred destinations for golfers from around the world. With the Tourism Authority of Thailand stepping up its drive to attract more in-bound tourists, future growth seems unlimited for a country that offers an impressive portfolio of world-class courses, many of them designed by the world’s leading architects and famed golfers.
“You don’t just get great golf in Thailand, you enjoy a memorable holiday experience,” is the overriding message from Golf Citizen, one of the most comprehensive golf reservation websites that aims at realising the country’s huge golf tourism potential by collectively promoting richly diverse golf courses on its network.
Since its inception in 2011, the profile and popularity of the website (www.golfcitizen. com) has grown tremendously – and it now boasts 18 major courses spread all over Thailand on its network with more announcements due soon.
They include: Royal Hills Golf Resort, Banyan Golf Club, Bangsai Country Club, Imperial Lake View Golf Club, Santiburi Samui Country Club, Muag Kaew Golf Club, Eastern Star Golf Club, Pleasant Valley Golf and Country Club, Pattavia Century Golf Club, Springfield Royal Country Club, Sir James Country Club, Victory Park Golf Club, Black Mountain Golf Club, Majestic Creek Country Club, Lotus Valley Golf Resort, Mountain Creek Golf Resort, The Vintage Club and Pattaya Country Club.
Golfers, according to statistics provided by the International Association of Golf Tour Operators, are known to spend up to 120% more than the average tourist when taking a golf vacation. It was pretty evident when Banyan Golf Club hit the THB 2 million mark in sales through Golf Citizen alone recently, reflecting the knock-on effects the website has had in attracting new golfers to the club.
The milestone took on special significance with the club achieving the second million in green fee revenue in just eight months, the brisk rate of bookings highlighting Golf Citizen’s position as one of golf industry’s foremost online tee-time marketers.
As an added incentive for its members, Golf Citizen is currently running the Thailand Pairs Series qualifiers at different clubs with the aim of increasing golf’s popularity and accessibility through the website.
The only one of its kind, the series sees the winning pair from each qualifying event make it to the Grand Final which will be played in Hua Hin in January 2015. The season finale winners will enjoy a VIP trip to Dubai to attend the 2015 Omega Dubai Desert Classic at Emirates Golf Club.
The next round of the Thailand Pairs Series will take place at Pattaya Country Club on Oct. 28 (check website below for details).
Golfers from any part of the world can register as a ‘Citizens’ for free and book rounds to enjoy special rates offered by many courses on its network in Thailand.
With online payment and email confirmations, Golf Citizen offers a seamless booking process while helping participating clubs and their operators leverage the service to market their courses effectively and generate more revenue from visiting golfers.
Visit www.golfcitizen.com for more information.

United slump to another home loss

Pattaya United and Saraburi FC are shown in action during their Thai Division 1 fixture at the Nongprue Stadium in Pattaya, Sunday, Oct 12. (Photo/Pattaya United)

Pattaya United suffered their fifteenth league defeat of the season last weekend with a 2-1 loss at home to promotion chasing Saraburi FC.
The visitors took command of the game through first half goals from Tanongsak Promdard and club captain Panuwat Yimsa-ngar, who scored on the stroke of half-time to dent United’s hopes of a revival.
The Dolphins fought back in the second half and managed to reduce the deficit in injury time through a finely worked goal by midfielder Tanet Benpard, however it would prove to be too little too late for United who need to rediscover their scoring form soon if they are to ward off the threat of relegation.
Pattaya United’s next league match is a local derby against Siam Navy in Sattahip on Sunday, Oct. 18. Kick-off is scheduled for 4 p.m.

Thai Division 1 Standings – Oct. 12
Team	P	W	D	L	+/-	Pts.
Nakhon Ratchasima	31	18	9	4	26	63
Saraburi	31	14	12	5	15	54
Bangkok	31	13	14	4	15	53
Siam Navy	31	15	8	8	13	53
Chiangmai	31	14	10	7	17	52
Ayutthaya	31	14	6	11	5	48
BBCU	30	13	8	9	5	47
Krabi	31	13	7	11	5	46
Ang Thong	30	10	13	7	13	43
Trat	31	11	7	13	9	40
TTM Lopburi	30	9	13	8	-1	40
Phuket	31	10	10	11	-2	40
Roi Et	31	10	8	13	-1	38
Pattaya United	31	11	5	15	-12	38
Nakhon Pathom	31	6	15	10	-3	33
Phitsanulok	31	8	9	14	-22	33
Khonkaen	30	5	9	16	-21	24
Sriracha	31	0	3	28	-61	3

Deadeye Freeman cleans up

PSC Golf Bunker Boys @ The Ranch

September Golfer of the Month, Colin Greig.

Monday, Oct. 6, Bangpra – Stableford
Three groups of golfers today for our monthly Stableford competition, once again sponsored by KPK Foods. The weather was sunny as we teed off with an apparently clear course ahead of us, but after the first four holes the leading group caught up with the golfers ahead and the pace of play slowed considerably.
The course was in good condition but we had elected to play winter rules because buggies were confined to the cart paths, a decision which turned out probably to be unnecessary since there were few occasions when the ball picked up any mud.
We welcomed back Mikito Homma and he made an immediate splash (literally), by falling into the lake on the second hole in the process of trying to retrieve his ball.
As the round progressed the temperature began to drop and playing conditions were close to ideal. Tony Robbins rediscovered his form and was the winner on the day, two points clear of Geoff Parker and Alan Freeman who had to be separated on a count back. Alan had the consolation of winning all four near pin prizes for the second time in his history with the Bunker Boys, and it’s only the fourth time this feat has been achieved by anyone over the last ten years.
1st Tony Robbins (14) 35pts
2nd Geoff Parker (16) 33pts
3rd Alan Freeman (4) 33pts
Near Pins: Alan Freeman (4)
Wednesday, Oct. 8, Royal Lakeside – Stableford
Heavy rain had fallen throughout the night, and it was still pouring down at the time we would normally be heading to The Ranch bar, so after a few quick phone calls we decided that there was little chance of getting a game today. Your scribe can’t be the only one who was left twiddling his thumbs at home wondering what to do on a rainy day in Pattaya.
Friday, Oct. 10, Emerald – Medal
Following the washout on Wednesday it was great to wake up on a bright sunny morning with the prospect of a good day’s golf ahead after the forced layoff. We arrived at the Emerald course to find the fairways were still a little soft following the recent downpours, so once again we elected to play under winter rules, and set off with a clear course ahead of us.
The course is continuing to improve following the recent renovations to the fairways, but today the greens were bumpy and slower than normal following recent spiking.
Tony Robbins was playing in the leading group and set off like an express train with four pars and a birdie in the first five holes taking an instant liking to his newly purchased Rory McIlroy driver. Unfortunately the impressive start didn’t continue and a disappointing inward nine saw Tony finish in third place one shot behind Peter Habgood who’s score was helped by a skimmed second shot on the par 4 tenth hole, which ran onto the green and into the hole for an eagle.
Alan Freeman continued his consistent run of form to take first place with an impressive score of one under par net, also collecting (another!) two near pin prizes on the day – that’s six in two games!
1st Alan Freeman (3) net 71
2nd Peter Habgood (20) net 72
3rd Tony Robbins (14) net 73
Near Pins: Duncan Lee, Stanley Barron and Alan Freeman (2).
The 9th John Preddy charity golf tournament is scheduled for Monday 24th November at the Emerald Golf Club. The tournament has been held for the last 8 years, but this year we are expanding the event to remember those golfing friends in Pattaya who have passed away recently. A new Memorial Trophy has been purchased which will be inscribed with the names of those departed friends and will be held in the bar of the winning team for one year.
The team event is intended to be an inter-society tournament including as many local golf societies as possible. Full details can be found on the website www. bunkersociety.com.
Note: The Bunker Boys are a PSC affiliated golf society, who now play out of The Ranch bar on Pattaya 3rd Road (in front of the fire station, and almost opposite the Buffalo Bar). We play on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays and meet at The Ranch at 9 a.m. for breakfast and transportation, and new players are always welcome. Contact “Buff” on 086 046 5091 or 080 605 5663 for all enquiries.

Hansen stays on winning path

PSC Golf from Café Kronborg

Niels Hansen (left) with Dave Richardson.

Monday, Oct. 6, Pleasant Valley – Stableford
1st Niels Hansen (13) 35pts
2nd Oddur Olafsson (13) 33pts
3rd Dave Richardson (27) 30pts
4th Mike Winfield (21) 30pts
We were off to Pleasant Valley up route 7 and despite some construction delays we were able to tee-off 30 minutes ahead of schedule.
The course was sopping wet but in fairly good condition except the bunkers, some of which appear not to have had any attention for weeks.
Back in the clubhouse a welcome went out to Elias Magnusson, back for the winter from Iceland, and goodbye to Oddur Olafsson, headed back in the opposite direction.
Niels Hansen continued his winning streak with 35 points to top the podium, Oddur Olafsson came second with and Dave Richardson was third on a count back over Mike Winfield in fourth.

If it’s Monday it must be Bolger

IPGC Pattaya Golf Society at The Elephant Bar

One of Pattaya’s iconic golfing sights: Plutaluang’s “Lighthouse Hole.”

Monday, 6th October, Pattaya was plagued by steady drizzle, but how would Bangpra fare, nestled amongst the hills which so often initiate serious drenchings to the courses in the near vicinity? Answer: very well indeed thank you!
The Pattaya Golf Society called the rain god’s bluff and played a stableford competition on the well prepared course in dry, humid conditions. True, fairways were soft with only a little run and approaches to the greens were holding any short pitched ball but an excellent competition ensued, albeit with low scores registered.
In third place was Wichai Tananusorn with a steady 34 points whilst Tony Campbell showed he had acclimatised to golf in the province with a gross 79, giving him 36 points. The winner was last week’s Monday Man, Gary Bolger, again showing his recuperation after recent surgery is almost complete, with a splendid 37 points.
Larry Ang took the ‘2’s pot with the only birdie two of the day, on the second hole. Ron Matthews and the Busstleton Boys sponsored prizes for the best points total on the par threes and Dave Lehane took that on his return with an excellent ten point haul whilst Tony Campbell, Gary Bolger and Jesper Hansen all took shares in the par five event for their ten point totals.
The non winner’s beer draw was won by Alan Flynn and the Booby Bevy went to Kevin Pross for his implosion after thirteen points on the front nine were augmented by a meagre eight points on the back. Then back to Pattaya and, you’ve guessed it...rain!
Plutaluang – great VFM
1st Andrew Purdie (11) 37pts
2nd David Thomas (8) 36pts
3rd Bunny Forde (18) 33pts
Following a no-golf Wednesday, due to extensive rain, the Pattaya Golf Society’s five groups looked forward to 10 October and Friday’s trip south, to the Navy’s Plutaluang Golf Course in Sattahip.
The weather started out fine, and stayed that way for the entire day; a welcome change from that encountered recently. We were allocated the North and West course, which many believe offers the sterner test. Whatever the case, the fairways were beautifully presented with well-defined lines clearly showing the first-cut; an important factor given we had opted for preferred lies.
Bunkers were in good order, as were most of the greens. The odd green had sand patches that were part of repair work. Unfortunately these were not marked as GUR and did cause the odd problem. Apart from this, the greens were well presented. They were slow, but consistent and true.
Overall, given the quality of course, the very good presentation and a green-fee of just 400 baht, Plutaluang represents the best value-for-money golf in Pattaya.
There were two twos, both on W3, our 12th hole. These were achieved by Svenn Lund and Gary Bolger.
Scoring in the stableford competition was modest given the excellent conditions, with only two players matching par or better. Notwithstanding they didn’t score that well, many golfers spoke favourably about the North and West layout, confirming it as a course they certainly want to play again.
Back at the Elephant Bar we welcomed new member, Svenn Lund from Norway, welcomed back new dad, John O’Sullivan and noted new member Peter Reidy had played his first competition game.
The free beer draw went to John O’Sullivan, who proudly displayed the photo of his five-day old daughter for all to see. Later, John kindly rang the bell allowing us all to “wet little Jasmin’s head”. The booby bevy went to returning Scot, Ken Page, his big toe proving sufficiently worrisome that he was prevented from playing the last three holes.

Cartwright & West too good at Pattavia

PSC Golf from The Growling Swan

David Cartwright, Duangjai Tusagad & Mark West.

Peter Blackburn
Monday, Oct. 6, Pattavia – Stableford
It was drizzling with rain as we made our way to The Growling Swan on this Monday morning but as ever we were pretty sure that the “Rain Gods” would be kind to us on the golf course and sure enough they were. Pattavia was the venue and after a late withdrawal and a late addition we were left with a field of 20 golfers who were ready to take up the challenge.
We welcomed from Bundaberg in Queensland David Cartwright & Rodney Weekes, Paul Sharples here on R & R from Oman and veteran Ted Morris having another game with us.
When checking in at the course we were told by the manager that they had started coring some greens and he offered us a 100 baht discount on the green fee, which we accepted and after preparation we were told that the back nine was to be our first nine as they had commenced the coring on the front nine.

Niall Stuart & Ted Morris.
We sent our first fourball away 5 minutes ahead of schedule at 9.55 am and in fine but cloudy weather proceeded at a steady pace with no other groups in sight ahead of us. The course was in very good shape and the greens were quite quick on the back nine. The second nine was much slower for some reason and the first 5 or 6 greens had just been cored which made them quite tricky; in fact on the number four par three hole one of our golfers got a nearest the pin but four putted the hole for a wipe – a brutal pin position on this sloping, sanded & cored green!
The rain was threatening as we completed our round but did not eventuate until well after our 5 groups were in and our very enjoyable but slow round was completed in four hours & forty minutes.
There were some very good scores & some very bad ones on the day but the best of all was David Cartwright who won the A Division with an excellent 41 points, just beating Adrian Schmidt who finished second with 40 points. Then came Mike Allidi with 34 points and a count back was required to determine fourth spot as there were 2 golfers on 33 points which resulted in your writer, Peter “Blacky” Blackburn (17 point back nine & 11 points on the last 6 holes) edging out “Buffalo” Bill Steinman (17 point back nine & 10 points on the last 6 holes).
In B Division it was the PSC Golf Chairman Mark “Westy” West who found his long lost form and was declared the winner with a fine 40 points with Roy “Plums” Dayton in second place with a steady 36 points. Another count back was required to find third & fourth place getters as there were 2 players with 29 points and it was Bob Akapita (14 point back nine & 10 points on the last 6 holes) who grabbed third place from Brad “Bad” Todd (14 point back nine & 8 points on the last 6 holes) who came fourth.
The Growling Swan NAGA Award for the worst score on the day was won by Duangjai Tusagad and she accepted the award like the good sport that she is.
Division A (0-13)
1st David Cartwright (11) 41pts
2nd Adrian Schmidt (13) 40pts
3rd Mike Allidi (2) 34pts
4th Peter Blackburn (13) 33pts
Division B (14+)
1st Mark West (14) 40pts
2nd Roy Dayton (26) 36pts
3rd Bob Akapita (15) 29pts
4th Brad Todd (21) 29pts
Near Pins: 4th – Mike Allidi, 13th – Martin Todd
Long Putts: 9th – David Cartwright, 18th – Martin Todd
Thursday, Oct. 9, Crystal Bay C & A – Stableford
It was a fine morning which was a relief after heavy rain the last couple of days but it did deter some people as we had a small field of 15 to tackle the Crystal Bay layout. I was informed early that there would be no carts allowed to be used on the course but when announced there was only one golfer that decided to opt out.
As we assembled at The Growling Swan we welcomed back Frank Donnelly after a few months back in Bundaberg, Queensland and Marc Henkel from Germany. It was sadly time to say farewell to Brad “Bad” Todd who will shortly be returning to Perth, Western Australia.
When we arrived at the course it was very quiet indeed and after checking-in our first fourball was able to get away 20 minutes ahead of schedule at 9.40 am. The course was very wet and we made the call of preferred lies through the greens but the condition of the greens was very good, which was contrary to some reports that I had recently read. The going was extremely heavy on the wet fairways and it was hot and humid which resulted in our round being quite slow at four hours & twenty five minutes but nonetheless it was an enjoyable round of golf.
With a very good round of 37 points it was veteran Ted Morris who won the A Division, with Sal Brizzi in second place on 34. There were two golfers with 29 points so the resultant count back gave third spot to John Pierrel (13 point back nine) with Takeshi Hakozaki (10 point back nine) missing out.
In Division B everyone was surprised as regular NAGA winner Niall Stuart came in with a terrific 40 points (no wipes) and that resulted in his very first win so well done Niall. In second place was Bob “Acapulco” Akapita who had 34 points and Frank “Woody” Donnelly was third with 33.
The Growling Swan NAGA Award was won by Andrew Allen.
Division A (0-14)
1st Ted Morris (14) 37pts
2nd Sal Brizzi (6) 34pts
3rd John Pierrel (11) 29pts
Division B (15+)
1st Niall Stuart (36) 40pts
2nd Bob Akapita (15) 34pts
3rd Frank Donnelly (24) 33pts
Near Pins: A8 – Bob Akapita, C7 – Graham Rice
Long Putts: A9 – Sal Brizzi
Note: Growling Swan Golf welcomes golfers of any persuasion – low & high handicappers alike, female golfers and beginners. We generally play Mondays & Thursdays, meeting at The Growling Swan in Soi Chaiyapoon at 8.00 am with transport departing at 8.30 am. For bookings or more information please contact Peter on 0806 351 386 or email to [email protected].
We also play bowls out of the Growling Swan every Wednesday and Sunday. Sunday is Lawn Bowls and Wednesday is Indoor Bowls. All are welcome and for anyone that is interested the transport leaves The Growling Swan at 10.00am on each of those mornings. For more information please contact Paul Rennison on 0843 454 005.

Schmitt storms home at Laem Chabang

PSC Golf from Lewiinski’s Golf Society

Sunday, Oct. 5, Green Valley - Stableford
A Flight
1st Thierry Petrement (13) 41pts
2nd Peter LeNoury (10) 39pts
3rd Paul Smith (3) 37pts
B Flight
1st Rune Askdal (22) 40pts
2nd William Peach (16) 36pts
3rd Peter Terry (19) 36pts
Near Pins: No 5 Colin Davis No 8 Graham Newport No 12 Colin Davis Peach No 16 Rob Morrison

Christian Boysen – Lewiinski’s golfer of the month for September.

Thierry Petrement was man of the match with a top flight rousing 41 points, but he needed every one of them to edge B Flight’s man on fire Rune Askdal with a splendid 40 points. Peter ‘the right honorable’ LeNoury followed Thierry up the podium steps with a fine 39 point return. The bronze spot went to a count back with Paul Smith and Yui Bietry log-jammed on 37 points; the old ‘ladies before gents’ saying went out of the window as Yui was left potless at sea level.
A count back was required to sort out the minor B Flight places between Sir William Peach and Peter Terry, with William emerging with the silver and Peter the bronze.
Colin Davis a pair and six others shared the 2’s pot.
Tuesday, Oct. 7, Laem Chabang A & B - Stableford
A Flight
1st Adrian Schmitt (13) 40pts
2nd Chris Stephenson (15) 36pts
3rd Rob Morrison (10) 36pts
B Flight
1st Jim Elphick (26) 37pts
2nd Phil Davies (16) 37pts
3rd Christy Knight (22) 36pts
A fair sized field enjoyed the low season opportunity to play Laem Chabang. The always well-conditioned course yielded the best score of the day to A Flight winner Adrian Schmitt who returned an excellent 40 points. That left a trio of players tied with even par rounds, Chris Stephenson, Rob Morrison and Irishman Tom Gorey, but there was no luck of the Irish for Tom as the resulting count back handed Chris the silver and Rob the bronze.
It was the same count back story in B Flight as Jimmy ’two shots’ Elphick and Welshman Phil Davies vied for the top podium spot, both with solid 37 point hauls with Jimmy edging Phil for the gold. It was a pleasure to see Christy ‘good’ Night on the podium but it also needed a count back as Christy got the nod over the unlucky Aiden Murray, both with even par rounds.
No 2’s were recorded so it is a rollover on Wednesday.
Wednesday, Oct. 8, Burapha A & B – Stableford
1st Dilap Kotecha (12) 34pts
2nd JP Maffray (11) 34pts
3rd Serge Straeton (17) 33pts
Dilap Kotecha snuck off with the top bag of loot on the day whilst JP Maffray was thinking about some other things as both were locked on 34 points.
Monsieur Serge Straeton had a similarly unsuspecting count back opponent in Alistair Gall and the outcome was the same, both a shot back.
Chris Martin was the sole heir to the rollover 2’s pot
Friday, Oct. 10, Mt. Shadow - Stableford
A Flight
1st Adam Barton (14) 38pts
2nd JP Maffray (11) 38pts
3rd William Peach (16) 35pts
B Flight
1st Peter Henshaw (19) 35pts
2nd Ian Jones (22) 35pts
3rd Bernard Green (29) 30pts
Well the battle for golf supremacy of the day was settled with a count back as Adam Barton edged his friend JP Maffray for the A Flight trophy. William Peach, in consistent and fine form, rounded out the flight with a useful 35 points.
Peter ‘the silver surfer’ Henshaw was the top man in B Flight with 35 points but needed the luck of the Irish in a count back to edge the unlucky Ian Jones 22-21. Bernard Green closed the flight on 30 points.
The management, i.e. Colin and Peter, split the 2’s pot.
Note: Lewiinski’s is situated on Pattaya land Soi 1, Beach Rd Soi13/13 near Walking Street. Anyone wishing to play with us just pop in and add your name to the list or call Colin on 089 826 0764. Transport is provided.

Wegner waltzes to victory at the Valley

PSC Golf from The Outback Golf Bar

Tuesday, Oct. 7, Bangpra - Stableford
With one no show, we could only muster seven starters, which is disappointing for this great course but I guess, the daily heavy rain maybe having some bearing on attendance. Even with the recently cored greens the course was in great condition and the weather perfect for golf. Rod Crosswell was the runaway winner with 36pts from Milli Popovic; welcome back to you both.
For you Bangpra lovers, the Outback as last year, has once again negotiated a special green fee rate for the high season, as we return here at least twice a month, details coming soon.
There were no ‘2’s..
1st Rod Crosswell (15) 36pts
2nd Mili Popovic (16) 30pts
Wednesday, Oct. 8, Laem Chabang - Stableford
10 players decided to tackle the course in slightly wet conditions but the boys said that the course was wet with very little run on the ball but still very playable.
Ed Turner won the day with a lowly 33pts from Usman Janjua on 28, with Brad back in third on 27.
Just as many of the guys were leaving for the Airport on their way to Chiang Rai, the players from Laem Chabang returned to the bar, in time for Jack to welcome the return of Lance Robinson, Martin Burbidge, Gordon Etheridge and Keuth Wheeler who are all here on another golfing tour.
There were two ‘2’s today and they both came from Usman on B8 and C8 and when the result was announced he kindly rang the bell. Good on you pal.
1st Ed Turner (20) 33pts
2nd Usman Janjua (14) 28pts
3rd Brad Jordison (05) 27pts
Friday, Oct. 10, Green Valley - Stableford
The rainy season is upon us in good force but today was perfect to have a game of golf, with partial clouds and sunshine. We had 24 Outbackers playing today, which normally would have been our DeVere Sponsored Monthly Medal but with 25 people away on tour in Chang Rai we postponed it until Friday 24th October.
We had preferred lies on the fairways (winter rules) today and at times your ball was caked in mud and plugged, but as this is one of the fastest draining courses about it didn’t happen too often.
Sel Wegner, who hit a gross 75 on this course on Wednesday, followed up with a gross 77 today to romp in clear of the field by seven, winning the A Div with 45pts. Second was course specialist, Paul Greenaway (38pts), who beat the steady the six-marker John Cunningham on c/b.
Div B went to Bob Lindborg on 36pts, beating Waldo on c/b with B2 taking third with 35.
There were three ‘2’s from Tony McDonough (5th) and John Cunningham & Paul Greenaway both on the 12th.
Div A (0-14)
1st Sel Wegner (14) 45pts
2nd Paul Greenaway (08) 38pts
3rd John Cunningham (06) 38pts
4th Bob Finley (13) 36pts
Div B (15+)
1st Bob Lindborg (22) 36pts
2nd Stephen Blazsanyik (21) 36pts
3rd Bruce McAdam (26) 35pts
4th David Davies (24) 35pts
Note: The Outback Golf Bar is situated about 6km from Sukhumvit Road along Soi Siam Country. Call Jack on 081 578 1956.

Voller doubles up for the week

Jomtien Golf with the IPGC

Chris Voller (left) and Colin James.

Monday, Oct. 6. Green Valley – Stableford
The rainy season has kicked in here but as we arrived at the course today the weather did not look too bad. Two divisions out and we teed off just ahead of schedule. The weather began to look a little threatening but all of the groups except the last got in before the heavens opened and after a short spell the last four-ball quit on the 16th green and return to the clubhouse.
Alan Bissell returned the best score of the day, winning division 2 with 39 points, while Paul Hartley was second with 36. Chris Voller won division 1 with 36 points, three ahead of Terry Madsen on 33.
There was only one near pin winner today, and that was also Chris Voller. In the ‘2’s Alan Bissell birdied the 8th from around 18 inches away and Paul Hartley did the same on the 13th to split the pot in division 2 while the aforementioned Chris Voller cleaned up in division1.
Friday, Oct. 10, Eastern Star – Stableford
Wednesday’s game at Plutaluang was washed out due to the rain but we had seven groups out on Friday at Eastern Star. After a close inspection of the course we did not need to implement ‘pick, clean and place’ and the cut today was 9-16 and 17+ in division 2.
Three 35’s were returned in division 1 and with count backs of 19/15/15 it was Chris Voller who took the top podium position ahead of Mikael Andersson in second and Alan Hansen third.

A welcome return to Miss Nut and Don Head.

Frank Kelly won division 2 honours with 34 points while Chris Slota came in second two points behind and Joe Kubon finished third after beating Rod Howett 16/15 on the back nine, both with 31 points each.
Near pins went to Arthur Hancock, Alan Hansen, Reijo Heiskanen, Frank Kelly and Chris Slota.
Mikael Andersson birdied the 6th and the 13th and Frank Kelly the 6th as well to record the only ‘2’s of the day.

Herrington nabs top spot

PSC Golf from Tropical Bert’s

Landis Brooks (right) with Bob Watson.

Derek Brook
Tuesday, Oct. 7, Bangpra – Stableford
Well hasn’t it poured down of late, it seems every time I look out onto Beach Road the heavens have opened and the water is rushing down the street.
As I looked out on Tuesday morning it was raining as usual and the sky did not look good. I feared a sad end to the day. We started off for Bangpra under heavy skies and falling rain and the weather did not seem to improve and until we were close to Bangpra.
Surprisingly carts were allowed on the course which had drained well; the fairways were fine, the greens acceptable and the rough soggy and wet. All in all we had a good time and got around well, even if we were a bit windswept.

Walter Baechli (left) and Bob Watson (right) accuse Tom Herrington (center) of stealing first place at Greenwood.

Back at Bert’s soon we were quickly able to declare the results. Not that they were very pretty, but on a hard day for golf we all said what a great day. The winner with 34 points was Landis Brooks ahead of a count back on 33 points that saw Bob Watson in second, Andre Van Dyk in third and Don Carmody in fourth. In fifth was Max Scott with 31 points.
Near Pins: Tom Herringtonn
Friday, Oct. 10, Greenwood – Stableford
On Friday the Tropical Bert’s golfers prepared to tackle Greenwood. We had a few faces not seen in a while and there were many hearty handshakes. Every golf outing lately is prefaced by worrying about the rain that might come, or the rain that just was. Such was the case this Friday. Still, the weather looked clear compared to recent days, and no rain forecast. After breakfast at Bert’s everyone saddled up for the long trek to Greenwood.
Greenwood is an excellent layout and good value, and that was obvious as soon as we arrived since there were at least two other golf groups playing this day. Everyone knows Pattaya needs more rain, but as far as golf courses go there can be too much of a good thing. Our A & C course condition could politely be described as soggy, but also the word swampy comes to mind. ‘Lift and clean’ was immediately invoked, but even so the course played very long, and even low drives had virtually no roll. Fortunately most greens are elevated and were in good condition.
Such conditions lead to unpredictable results, and no one would speculate how the scores would end up. When all was tallied it came to pass that Tom Herrington (18) won on count-back over his playing partner Walter Baechli (17), both having 39 points. Tom has been in a golf funk lately so could this be the sign of a comeback? In third place was Bob (Mr. Consistent) Watson (3) with a fine 38 points off his microscopic handicap, followed by Tom Cotton (24) who won a count-back over Mark West (14) both with 34 points, and then Mike O’Brien (22) with 33. Quite a day it was!
Near Pins: Bob Watson, Maurice Roberts, Steve Hamstad.

Bangpra bears its teeth

PSC Golf from Siam Country Resort

Paddy Devereux & Willem Lasonder.

Tuesday, Oct. 7, Bangpra - Stableford
Tuesday was a visit to Bangpra, with the course playing long, under threatening skies. The course management had deemed that carts were allowed on the fairways, so in keeping with PSC guidelines, the ball was played as it lay.
The rain held off, but the course played right up to its rating, with good scores, thin on the ground. The best of the day was Jonathan Pratt (H/cap 11) leading the way with a rather meagre 29 points, ahead of Jeff Wylie (7) with a paltry 27 points.
The greens had recently been cored and combined with the recent rain they were certainly noticeably slower than they can be. Near pins were won by Paddy and Jeff.
Thursday, Oct. 9, Greenwood - Stableford
Thursday saw a good crew head up the 331 to Greenwood, with the C & A combination our test for the day. The course was quite sodden, with carts confined to the paths so we played ‘lift, clean & place’ on the closely mown surfaces. The course had already been well drenched, so the heavy shower which came over on our 12th hole added even more surface water to the rest of the holes.
Once again it was Jeff and Jonathan battling it out for top spot on the podium, with Jeff getting the nod after signing for 35 points. Jonathan completed his round with 33 points, declaring that he should have had more. Willem Lasonder (18) came home with a wet sail, his last 2 hole pars saw him edge Paddy Devereux (23) 15/14 on count back, after both signed for 31 points.
Near pins were spread around between Willem, Paul & Stan.
Note: Siam Country Resort, Restaurant & Bar is located just off Siam Country Club Rd, after going under the arch past the 7/11, turn right after 50 metres, with the venue on the left another 200 metres along. Golf from here is generally played on Tuesday & Thursday, with the Resort hosting prompt presentations on both days. As a PSC affiliated venue we welcome ALL golfers, including ladies & seniors (>60s) who have opted for the “Silver” tee option. Call 0890941841 for scheduling or enquiries.

Golf for ducks

IPGC golf from The Haven

Hal Hart, Jon Yarrow & Markku Tynell.

Monday, Oct. 6,
Mt. Shadow (Blue Tees) - Stableford
CSS 75 NC
1st Hal Hart (21) 35pts
2nd Erik Donnestad (4) 31pts
3rd Wayne Waywood (16) 31pts
4th Trevor Schirmer &14) 30pts
5th Peter Skinner (12) 30pts
With the rainy season well into full swing the week started out at a very wet Mountain Shadow course where a month ago, when it was last played by the group, the CSS went down unusually, but on this occasion it was once again back to its normal difficulty with the CSS rising to 75 and the day becoming non-counting for upward review of handicaps. But the winner was happy to find that his handicap will be a shot lower when he tees it up the following week.
That winner was Hal Hart whose one over handicap, and two under the CSS, was good enough to take the top spot and even though he had a very slow start that included three zeros on the front nine, a strong finish at two under handicap saw him home with plenty to spare.
Erik Donnestad led in the chasing group four points behind after he won a count back over Wayne Waywood, carding a better 16 to 14, but too many single pointers spoiled his chance of rising to the top step and Wayne, who had started well, slipped a bit over the closing holes.
Trevor Schirmer also won a count back against Peter Skinner to take fourth spot even though his card included three zeros, as Peter’s did likewise but without the benefit of the couple of three pointers that Trevor had scored.
There were no 2’s in the first division but Hal Hart added to his day’s haul with the sole one in the second division that swept the pool which included several rollovers.
Before the presentations were made there was a welcome back for Vincent Gras.
Wednesday, Oct. 8, Green Valley - Stableford
CSS 71
1st Jon Yarrow (15) 41
2nd Markku Tynell (23) 39
3rd Philip Cass (18) 37
4th Erik Donnestad (4) 33
After the rain had bucketed down for most of the night and continued into the early morning it was not surprising that many of the regulars did not even turn up for breakfast, a few hardy souls did but as the downpour continued right up to the leaving time and following a call to the course who had confirmed things were very wet on the course a few more of the group decided to rest up for the day but enough players opted to give it a go and set off for the course.
Having driven through the hammering rain for thirty minutes they were pleasantly surprised on their arrival at Green Valley to find the rain had ceased and carts were allowed, at 90 degrees, on the fairways.
Under heavy clouds but refreshingly cool the group set off and just once, for ten minutes, had to raise their IPGC umbrellas and everyone completed a good round of golf, which had looked unlikely at the outset, as the scores attested at the end of the day. But it again showed that weather conditions are not always the same in Pattaya as at the courses some 30 kilometers away as it had continued to rain throughout the day back at base.
Jon Yarrow, having taken a day’s rest away from his usual position at the top of the winner’s podium on Monday, returned to form, and better, with a five under return that will ensure that he will be going down another shot again this week as he left Markku Tynell despairingly in second place after the latter had returned a round that would normally have expected to be the winner.
Philip Cass also had a very nice round at one under handicap but had to settle for just third place, finishing with just the one scratched hole on his card which left Erik Donnestad in fourth but once again figuring in the placements with a three over gross 79.
There were no 2’s in either division.
Friday, Oct. 10, The Emerald – Stableford
CSS 73
1st Markku Tynell (23) 36pts
2nd Trevor Schirmer (14) 35pts
3rd Erik Donnestad (4) 33pts
4th Terry Hodgkiss (23) 30pts
5th Murray Frost (34) 29pts
The week’s weather had seen it rain every night and most of the days in the Ban Chang area and had left its mark on the Emerald course, which was found to be exceedingly wet with absolutely no run on the fairways and even with the usual “lift and place on the fairways” local rule in play scoring was at a premium.
Markku Tynell made up for his disappointment on the previous occasion with a first place, albeit by the slimmest of margins after returning an even level handicap card for both nines with just the one zero on the tenth hole, which is arguably the easiest one on the course. But he recovered immediately to score eight points on the next three holes to get his round back to an even keel and continued serenely to the end and the top step.
Trevor Schirmer returned to some sort of form after a few rounds in the wilderness as he claimed second spot following a very tidy round that included just the one wipe, also on the tenth hole which was obviously playing at its most difficult with the pin placed on the small plateau in the far right section of the green.
Erik Donnestad again just failed to return a score that would stop his handicap rising but was the only player on the day to par the tenth and score two points as the rest of the field could score just one at best, but it was sufficient once again to see him onto the podium.
Terry Hodgkiss took fourth place as he played his last game before returning to OZ for a short break.
Murray Frost rounded out the podium to record his best finish also in his last game before returning to the grind deep in the Australian bush lands.
Once again there were no 2’s in either of the divisions.
Prior to the presentations there were welcome backs for Lyle Blaw, Todd Pahl, and Phil Stevenson, together with farewells for Terry Hodgkiss and Murray Frost.
Note: If you would like to play with The Haven group, you can contact mobile 094 567 5726 or call in to The Haven Hotel, at 185 Soi 13, between Beach Road and 2nd Road. All transportation to the course is arranged and you do not need to sign up prior to the day, but you should be there by 8.15 on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday on the days that you wish to play. A schedule of courses to be played can be found on our web site at www.thehaven-hotel.com.

Sykes simply sublime at Greenwood

Travellers Rest Golf Group

Ged Higgins & Jim Sykes.

Andy Rich
Was it really only last week that I was telling you it was uneventful in Pattaya at the moment? “Au contraire!”
This past week the rain hit us big time, soaking anybody brave enough to venture out. It was by far and away the wettest week of the year but amazingly we got in three days of golf without anybody drowning.
Then on Wednesday we had an unfortunate motor accident on the way to play Laem Chabang with luckily no one injured just the driver”s pride. Good piece of advice I guess is never pick a fight with somebody bigger than you, especially a twenty tonne lorry. Anyway we all arrived eventually at the course in James Bond mode “shaken not stirred”
To finish the week off on Friday we had by far and away the best score of the month so far. Whilst the rest of us just kept hearing the same plopping sound as our balls buried themselves in marshmallow fairways, Jim Sykes managed to get his balls to walk on water and amassed an unbelievable 43 points at Greenwood.
Monday, Oct. 6, Plutaluang - Stableford
On Monday the TRGG headed off under leaden skies to do battle at Plutaluang (East and South courses). Despite all the rain over the weekend there were some very good scores posted and it was Ged Higgins who clambered to the top of the pile but only just. It required a count back before it was discovered that Ged had just managed to get his nose in front of Graham Hurdon. Daryl Ottaway was tucked in close behind to take third place.
1st Ged Higgins (20 39pts
2nd Graham Hurdon (8) 39pts
3rd Daryl Ottaway (6) 38pts
Wednesday, Oct. 8, Laem Chabang - Stableford
On Wednesday we all headed off to play Laem Chabang (C and B courses). Because of the aforementioned accident everything got delayed, which was not a bad thing as it gave the course a chance to dry out a little from early morning rain. However it certainly didn’t help the players’ scores where after every shot it required ‘lift, clean and place.’
The outcome was an extremely tight finish with the top four places all within 2 points and it required a count back to decide who had finished in second, third and fourth places. There was no doubt, however, who finished in first place, it was “moi” who ended up “le grande fromage” for the day. I think everybody agreed it was a tough day.
1st Andy Rich (20) 32pts
2nd Jim Sykes (12) 31pts
3rd Jim Cleaver (8) 31pts
Friday, Oct. 10, Greenwood - Stableford
Weather-wise Friday was the best day of the week but boy was it hot and steamy out there as we made our way over to Greenwood (A & C courses), a last minute change of venue after we discovered that Pattavia had just sanded their greens.
Again ‘lift, clean and place’ was the order of the day but Jim Sykes, who finished first, and Mike Sanders in second made light work of the difficult conditions and returned terrific scores. Even Graham Hurdon on 35 points deserves a mention as believe me it wasn’t easy out there.
1st Jim Sykes (13) 43pts
2nd Mike Sanders (6) 38pts
3rd Graham Hurdon (7) 35pts
Good luck to all you golfers for the coming week and if you would like to play a round of golf with the TRGG please phone Fergus Brennan on 0860567019 or pop into the Ned Kelly Bar in Soi Lengkee and add your name to the weekly lists which are posted on the notice board.

Thierry stars in Chiang Rai as Yui bags an ‘Ace’

PSC Golf from The Outback Golf Bar

Keith Etherington with Yui Bietry, Thierry Petrement and Steve Mann.

Day 1 - Thursday, Oct. 9, Santiburi
Leaving the heavy rain and storms behind in Pattaya, a group of 32 set off for Chiang Rai in search of sunny weather and fantastic golf on another Outback tour. On arrival we checked into the very comfortable Wiang Inn in the centre of Chiang Rai and were joined by two more golfers and friends who had driven up, bringing the group up to around 40 with 25 of them, reputedly golfers!

Anton Rowbottam (left) with “Ace Lady” Yui Bietry.
After one of the best hotel breakfasts about, we left for the Singha owned, Santiburi course which is less than 25 minutes away, to be warmly greeted as ever, particularly by the caddies. We teed off the whites at our leisure in lovely warm sunshine and blue skies but maybe a little humid for the early part of the round. The course as ever was in great condition but the greens a little slow as they had not fully recovered from recent coring.
The highlight of the round had to be Yui Bietry’s first ever hole-in-one on the tricky 17th, a 9 iron shot for her across water with very little room between the water, front bunker and the pin. She went on to win Div A with 39pts. Second was Thierry Petrement with 38 while in third was Bob Maloney who needed the front nine to get up a head of steam; beating Steve Mann and Keith Etherington on c/b, all with 37.
Anton Rowbottam arrived for the tour and jumped straight in to win Div B with 37pts, beating Tony Aslett on c/b, playing in the same group as Bob Maloney but with opposite fortune on the two nines as Tony ran away with the front nine with 22pts but managed only 15 more on the back! Third was Pierre Bietry on 36 and fourth Brendan Cope with 35.

Tim Knight and Chris Davisson.
Presentation was done at the clubhouse as General Jack hastily fed all the scores into the computer but one thing we could say for sure, if you’re going to have a bell ring to celebrate a hole-in-one, what place better to do it than a Singha owned course – still the best value beer on any course I know – well done Yui and thanks from everybody for the drink!
Div A (0-15)
1st Yui Bietry (08) 39pts
2nd Thierry Petrement (13) 38pts
3rd Bob Maloney (13) 37pts
4th Stephen Mann (11) 37pts
Div B (16+)
1st Anton Rowbottam (18) 37pts
2nd Tony Aslett (24) 37pts
3rd Pierre Bietry (16) 36pts
4th Brendan Cope (28) 35pts
Day 2 – Friday, Oct. 10, Happy City A & B
A very different looking, yet still unfinished Happy City Golf & Country Resort awaited our arrival on the second day of our Chiang Rai tour. It was rumoured that the clubhouse was ready but it wasn’t, with much of the internal finishing still to do. From the outside the five massive accommodation blocks looked almost ready but I suspect they are still suffering the same fate.

Mili Popovic.
Nevertheless, the temporary changing rooms in the driving range block are adequate and the hospitality of the staff is second to none; the rate for the day, 1000 baht all up including cart!
The weather remained wonderful and the 29 hole course, this time A & B, less the A5 and B15 holes had improved dramatically from last year and was a pleasure to play, although only one drink stop open, which served both nines, leaves one decidedly thirsty on the back nine.
Winter rules were in place as carts were not allowed on the fairways; the A loop hardly required that ruling and the greens were very hard, but even though B was wetter, the course was extremely OK underfoot.
With the blues up around the 6800 yard mark, we elected the white tees at about 6400 only to get caught out again, as everywhere in Thailand, the tee boxes have been moved around and we often found ourselves playing from the red stones.
With a considerable amount of water, one really had to plot one’s way round this course as the choice of club off the tee often was tricky but even though short, there was some awesome scoring in Div B, trouncing the Div A players by miles.
Brendan Cope, who came in with a big smile, must have thought he’d done the business with his 43pts only to discover he’d been outdone by Tim Knight, who did everything right at last to bag a winning 44. They were way in front of John Lawton off 16, the lowest he’s been for some time, with 38pts and fourth going to Pierre Bietry on 37.
Top score in Div A was 37pts by Chris Davisson, followed by the steady Keith Etherington on 36 and once again Thierry Petrement finished in the frame with 35. Peter LeNoury, who couldn’t hole a putt all day, took fourth, also on 35.
As a result of Yui’s ace on Thursday the ‘2’s fund was restarted as Brad Jordison (A3), Wayne Waywood (A3), Thierry Petrement (B3) and Brendan Cope (B5) all filled their boots.
Div A (0-15)
1st Chris Davisson (14) 37pts
2nd Keith Etherington (06) 36pts
3rd Thierry Petrement (13) 35pts
4th Peter LeNoury (10) 35pts
Div B (16+)
1st Tim Knight (24) 44pts
2nd Brendan Cope (28) 43pts
3rd John Lawton (16) 38pts
4th Pierre Bietry (16) 37pts
Day 3 - Saturday, Oct. 11, Santiburi
After our final night in Chiang Rai, we checked out in the morning and were off back to Santiburi for our final round, this time from the blue tees. Hmmmm, whose idea was that?
Upon our early arrival, once again we were give the prerogative of teeing-off when we were ready, with as usual the tail-enders going out first. The blues certainly made this course a completely different kettle of fish as on some holes the tee was almost 100 yards further back making it very difficult to reach the fairway for some.
The scoring generally was significantly lower than Thursday’s round from the whites, with the course playing 3 strokes tougher (74) compared with 71 but in the main, most were happy with the longer tee.
Thierry Petrement continued his very steady scoring with an excellent best of the day 37pts to take Div A from Yui Bietry, having the advantage of staying on the red tee, with another fine round here, on 36. Steve Mann, who was only firing on 3½ cylinders, once again found himself in third on 35. Another player who has been knocking on the door was in fourth, Keith Etherington with 34.
The big winners of Day 2 fell away today, whether it was three days golf in a row or just the pressure of playing in the final group, we will never know; as Mili Popovic, who flew over especially for the tournament and playing in the first group out after two dismal rounds, sprang into life to win Div B with 34pts over Mick Beresford on same score. Pierre Bietry (29) was third and Thierry Temime fourth, also on 29.
Thierry Petrement got the only ‘2’ on the 17th.
The presentation was held once again at the clubhouse and with only one ‘2’ today and four from yesterday, just 5 people shared the substantial ‘2’s pot.
Div A (0-15)
1st Thierry Petrement (13) 37pts
2nd Yui Bietry (08) 36pts
3rd Stephen Mann (11) 35pts
4th Keith Etherington (06) 34pts
Div B (16+)
1st Mili Popovic (16) 34pts
2nd Mick Beresford (17) 34pts
3rd Pierre Bietry (16) 29pts
4th Thierry Temime (22) 29pts
3 Day Overall
1st Thierry Petrement 110pts
2nd Keith Etherington 107pts
3rd Stephen Mann 105pts
4th Yui Bietry 104pts
T5th Pierre Bietry 102pts
T5th Tim Knight 102pts
7th Mick Beresford 101pts
Note: The Outback Golf Bar is situated about 6km from Sukhumvit Road along Soi Siam Country. Call Jack on 081 578 1956.

Crumpton Oaks Cider Monday Pool League

Results & Standings Oct. 6 (week 9)

Team	P	W	L	+/-	BP	Pts.
Nicky’s Bar	9	8	1	25	0	24
Links Bar	9	7	2	28	1	22
Legends	8	7	1	27	0	21
Rest Stop	8	6	2	23	0	18
Shoot Pool	8	5	3	7	1	16
Sweethearts Bar	8	5	3	3	0	15
Dean’s Bar	8	4	4	-5	1	13
Offshore Bar	8	4	4	-3	0	12
Cheers Bar	7	3	4	-12	1	10
Wok ‘n’ Rok	9	2	7	-28	1	7
Classroom	7	2	5	-21	0	6
Mates Bar	9	0	9	0	0	0
Two Dogs	8	0	8	-44	0	0
Results:  Links Bar 10-6 Legends, Nicky’s Bar 10-5 Dean’s Bar, Offshore Bar 10-6 Classroom, Rest Stop 10-6 Cheers Bar, Shoot Pool H-W Mates Bar, Sweethearts Bar 10-7 Wok ‘N’ Rok

Asia Back Packer’s Monday Darts Super League

Results & Standings Oct. 6 (week 14)

Team	P	W	L	F	A	B/L	Pts.
Buffalo Jack’s	14	12	2	82	40	9	24
Load Out	13	11	2	80	33	8	22
Legends	14	11	3	74	48	10	22
W. Tankies	14	8	6	69	53	8	16
Double Top	13	8	5	62	47	8	16
Jantha Coffee	14	7	7	62	60	9	14
i-Rovers ‘A’	13	5	8	45	68	7	10
Don’t Tell MaMa’s	14	3	11	44	69	3	6
i-Rovers ‘B’	13	2	11	27	81	3	4
Bye	14	1	13	30	76	3	2
Results:  Buffalo Jack’s (8-1)-(1-0) v W. Tankies, Don’t Tell MaMa’s (2-0)-(7-1) v Jantha Coffee, Legends (5-1)-(0-0) v Bye

Pattaya 8-Ball Pool League

Results & Standings Oct. 6 (week 8)

Team	Played	Won	Lost	For	Agst	Diff	Points
Smile Bar	8	8	0	88	32	56	24
Phimai Geordie	7	7	0	86	19	67	21
Asian Nomads	8	5	3	55	65	-10	18
Funny Girls	7	5	2	56	49	7	17
San Snack Bar	7	4	3	60	45	15	15
Connections	8	2	6	49	71	-22	12
Parrot Inn	5	3	2	38	37	1	11
Ta Bar	7	2	5	46	59	-13	11
Pom Bar	7	2	5	42	63	-21	11
Crazy Eddie’s	7	2	5	39	66	-27	11
Doggy Style	8	1	7	40	80	-40	10
Buffalo Jack’s	3	0	3	16	2	-13	3
Results:  Crazy Eddie’s v Buffalo Jack’s, Funny Girl p v p Parrot Inn, Doggy Style 1 v 14 Phimai Geordie, Smile Bar 13 v 2 Ta Bar, San Snack Bar 7 v 8 Asian Nomads, Pom Bar 8 v 7 Connections

Links Bar Wednesday 9-Ball Pool League

Results & Standings Oct. 8 (week 17)

Team	P	W	D	L	+/-	Pts.
Legends Pool	14	11	1	2	64	34
Links Bar	14	10	0	4	50	30
Pook’s Bar	15	9	2	4	20	29
Mates Bar	17	9	2	6	-4	29
George & Dragon	14	7	2	5	16	23
FCUK Inn	14	4	5	5	-6	17
Classroom	17	5	2	10	-36	17
Crazy Eddie’s	15	4	3	8	-14	15
The Ranch	14	4	2	8	-20	14
Queen Vic	15	4	1	10	-50	13
Connections	13	3	2	8	-20	11
Results:  FCUK Inn 9-11 The Ranch, Legends Pool 12-8 Crazy Eddie’s, Links Bar 12-8 George & Dragon, Pook’s Bar 11-9 Classroom, Queen Vic 11-9 Mates Bar

Darkside Thursday Darts League

Results & Standings Oct. 9 (week 26)

Team	P	W	L	F	A	T/G	Pts.
Chill Bar	24	24	0	177	35	24	48
Oscar’s Sports Bar	25	17	8	135	86	12	34
PJ’s Bar	26	15	11	132	94	14	30
Load Out	26	15	11	122	108	14	30
Moonies	26	14	12	126	100	14	28
CS Coffee	26	10	16	99	131	13	20
Double Top Bar	25	7	18	71	146	7	14
Moonie Blues	26	0	26	20	182	4	0
Results:  Load Out (0-0)-(9-1) v CS Coffee, Moonie Blues (0-0)-(5-1) v PJ’s Bar, Moonies (5-1)-(0-0) v Double Top Bar

Darkside Tuesday Darts League

Results & Standings Sept. 23 (week 5)

Team	P	W	L	F	A	T/G	Pts.
Chill Bar	5	4	1	32	13	5	8
Double Top	5	4	1	23	22	2	8
Oscars Bar	6	4	2	36	18	4	8
Load Out	6	3	3	33	21	2	6
Double Dutch	5	1	4	11	34	2	2
Moonies	5	0	5	9	36	1	0
Results:  Load Out (6-1)-(3-0) v Oscars Bar

Tuesday Darts League

Results & Standings Oct. 7 (week 14)

Team	P	W	L	F	A	B/legs	Pts.
Londoner	14	14	0	127	34	11	28
Legends	13	10	3	81	48	6	20
Yates’ Bar	14	10	4	74	52	11	20
Buffalo Jack’s	14	9	5	87	60	7	18
Jantha Coffee	14	9	5	77	67	11	18
The Swan	14	8	6	76	56	12	16
Crazy Eddie’s	13	8	5	74	56	6	16
i-Rovers	14	6	8	69	66	7	12
Nervous Wreck	14	6	8	67	73	6	12
Shoot Pool	14	5	9	57	78	5	10
Bye	14	5	8	36	61	5	10
Scandalic	14	4	10	58	87	6	8
W. Tankies	14	2	12	36	90	1	4
Bye	14	0	13	0	91	0	0
Results:  Buffalo Jack’s (7-0)-(5-1) v i-Rovers, Bye (0-0)-(7-1) v Yates’ Bar, Jantha Coffee (8-0)-(5-1) v Scandalic, Londoner (8-1)-(4-0) v Shoot Pool, The Swan (7-1)-(0-0) v Bye, W. Tankies (2-0)-(7-1) v Nervous Wreck

Wednesday Darts League

Results & Standings Oct. 8 (week 5)

Team	P	W	L	For	Against.	Pts.
W. Tankies	5	5	0	40	5	10
Buffalo Jack’s	5	5	0	32	13	10
Jantha Coffee	5	4	1	37	8	8
Oscar’s Sports Bar	4	2	2	23	13	4
Yates’ Bar	5	2	3	22	23	4
i-Rovers ‘A’	4	2	2	19	17	4
Bye	5	2	3	15	30	4
i-Rovers ‘B’	4	1	3	7	29	2
The Clinic	5	0	5	12	33	0
Moonies	4	0	4	0	36	0
Results:  Jantha Coffee (8-1)-(1-0) v The Clinic, W. Tankies (9-1)-(0-0) v A Bye, Yates’ Bar (3-0)-(6-1) v Buffalo Jack’s

Top seeds cruise at Singha TATP Championship

Ryder Cup stars confirmed for Thailand Golf Championship

Caddies drop bags for Amazing International Caddy Championship

Golf Citizen lights up Thailand’s tourism drive

United slump to another home loss

Sel shoots a scorcher

Pattaya Sports Club Bowling League

Cordeiro takes home the bacon

Deadeye Freeman cleans up

Hansen stays on winning path

If it’s Monday it must be Bolger

Cartwright & West too good at Pattavia

Schmitt storms home at Laem Chabang

Wegner waltzes to victory at the Valley

Voller doubles up for the week

Herrington nabs top spot

Bangpra bears its teeth

Golf for ducks

Sykes simply sublime at Greenwood

Thierry stars in Chiang Rai as Yui bags an ‘Ace’

Crumpton Oaks Cider Monday Pool League

Asia Back Packer’s Monday Darts Super League

Pattaya 8-Ball Pool League

Links Bar Wednesday 9-Ball Pool League

Darkside Thursday Darts League

Darkside Tuesday Darts League

Tuesday Darts League

Wednesday Darts League