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Harry Riley crowned Las Vegas Open champ
Harry Riley, winner of both Division II and the
overall title of the first Las Vegas Open golf tournament played at Pattaya
Country Club on Friday, August 1, 1997.
Harry Riley scored 38 Stableford points to win both Division II and the
overall title of the first Las Vegas Open golf tournament played at Pattaya
Country Club on Friday, August 1, 1997.
“I put my card in, but I didn’t think it would be good enough to win,” Harry
said after receiving his trophy. “Usually you have to score better to win
one of these big tournaments.”
Although overall the scoring was good, the lack of a huge score at the top
may have been partly due to “rather bumpy” greens. Nonetheless, all golfers
enjoyed a fun day in this inaugural event.
PGA teaching pro and scratch golfer Mike Mclaren earned the Division I title
after putting together 37 points in a remarkable round. Mike shot 7 birdies
in his round, including a stretch of 5 in a row coming on holes 4, 5, 6, 7,
and 8, to finish his round 1 under par, scratch.
Andy “Candy Man” Wellington finished second in Division I with 35 points,
followed by Alan Rutsky with 34.
Arthur Watkins finished second in Division II with 36 points. He was
followed by Bob McLachlan in third with 34 points.
The top three finishers in both divisions each won trophies and prizes, but
the awards weren’t limited to just them. In fact, all golfers who
participated earned some sort of prize, including 14 technical prize
winners.
Long drive on hole #8 in Division I went to Jonas Bergstrom, and in Division
II to Doug Powell. Long drive on hole #14 in Division I went to Moe
Deverdenne, and in Division II to Glen Dragland.
Near pin prizes went to Wayne Tischbern on #5, Bill Collis on #7, Stan Fry
on #12, and Dave Walsh on #16.
Best front nine in Division I was earned by Svein Vistung with 19 points,
and in Division II by Serge Lafriene with 22 points. Best back nine in
Division I was earned by Vic Cross with 18 points, and in Division II by
Woody Underwood with 19 points.
The “Booby Prize” for the golfer who got the most for his money by taking
the highest number of shots during his round went to Bill Freeman who
managed to shoot a 143.
Best gross score was awarded to Neil Cameron with an 84.
It is worth noting that those who participated in the PDRH3 run the night
before faired well in the technical categories. Lassie, Moe-Ron, Groupie,
Papa Whisky and Peckerwood all brought home prizes. Well done to all.
Golfers who participated in the first Las Vegas Open each received a
commemorative golf shirt, a buffet including pig-on-a-spit with all the
fixings at Las Vegas after the tournament, and “lots of fun” prizes donated
by Peter at Las Vegas, as well as special shows during the awards
presentation ceremony.
Special thanks go to Richard, Peter, Chris, and Stan Fry from Classroom, who
also donated prizes.
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Pattaya Sports Club golf
from the Cafe Kronborg
Monday, July 28 - Sriracha
Excellent conditions provided an ideal setting for good scores in
this stroke play competition. Dougie Powell did not disappoint, returning a
net 69 to win 1st place. A little further behind in 2nd place came Joe
Smiley with a net 73, just beating Norrie Whiter on count back, also with
net 73. Jim Montgomery, not quite maintaining his form of the previous week,
was 4th with a net 74.
Two near pin prizes of the new (lemon) PSC Golf shirt were available, but
only one was claimed by Svein Vistung on the par three 12th. The new shirts
are available from the PSC Golf office at the Cafe Kronborg at Baht 200.
Thursday, July 31 - Great Lake
The continuing good weather, and possibly the prospect of playing
the excellent fairways at Great Lake, attracted a good field for the time of
year and enough for two flights in this Stableford competition.
Chris Gaines, keeping up his steady form, won the A flight with 36 points,
closely followed by three players with 35 points. Ian Halfpenny was 2nd with
35 points, beating John MacMullen to 3rd place on count back. John Ottoway,
also with 35 points, was unfortunate to lose on count back.
The B flight was won by John Cahill with 38 points. Bernie Tuppin made his
return to Pattaya evident by scoring 37 points to take 2nd place, and George
Bennison was 3rd with 36 points.
Near pin prizes went to Jim Montgomery, George Bennison, and on both the 5th
and 12th holes to Joe Smiley.
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10th Asian Open Veterans Tennis C’ships
Home team favorites came away with the lion’s share of trophies as the Asian
Open Veterans Tennis Championships celebrated 10 years at the Royal Cliff
Beach Resort.
Due to limited space this week with Pattaya Mail celebrating Her Majesty the
Queen Sirikit’s Birthday, we will reserve the full story of the tennis
championships for next week, and restrict our coverage this week to results
of the championship rounds. (All players Thai unless otherwise indicated)
Men’s Singles 35:
Soonthorn Klarharn defeated Pichet Worasettakit 6-4, 6-4.
Men’s Doubles 35:
Soonthorn Klarharn and Olan Issara defeated Suthep Thangthong and
Chairoj Sonpiensap 6-3, 6-4.
Men’s Singles 45:
Manit Kosol-Insee beat Prapas Chompoosri 6-3, 6-2.
Men’s Doubles 45:
Pichet Boratisa and Michael Clayton (AUS) beat Prapas Chompoosri and
Niratsai Pisalayabutr 6-7 (5), 7-6 (4), 6-1.
Men’s Singles 50:
Pichet Boratisa defeated Prajak Visuthakul 7-5, 7-6 (2).
Men’s Doubles 50:
Arianto Darmawan (INA) and Latief Gunawan (INA) defeated Chien Tzu Hong
(TPE) and Hsing Yu Chen (TPE) 6-4, 6-2.
Men’s Singles 55:
Wattana Butsai defeated Heu Hong Kim (KOR) 6-2, 6-2.
Men’s Doubles 55:
So Kyung Chung (KOR) and Yong Oh Baek (KOR) defeated Bunlue Wongchareon
and Yuth Sukhanonsawad 6-2, 6-3.
Men’s Singles 60:
Prasit Jitabutr beat Suteeraphan Koraluk 2-6, 7-6 (2).
Men’s Doubles 60:
Suteeraphan Koraluk and Sumeth Jenjesada beat Eun Kyu Jung (KOR) and Kyu
Hang Jin (KOR) 6-2, 6-2.
Men’s Singles 65:
Pape Burkhard (GER) beat Pracha Jongkavanit 6-2, 6-4.
Men’s Doubles 65:
Preecha Jongkawinit and Thep Sukhorn defeated Suchot Limthai and
Kriangsak Boonyarit 6-1, 6-1.
Men’s Doubles 70:
Cherdsak Sanwises and Seim Jonawanik defeated Abuhasai Hassam (INA) and
Syamsilwan (INA) 7-5, 4-6, 7-5.
Women’s Singles 35:
Junko Ueno (JPN) beat Varaporn Chuanchart 6-4, 6-0.
Women’s Doubles 35:
Toshie Sawada (JPN) and Jyunko Ueno (JPN) defeated Yasuko Siba (JPN) and
Roberta Norwood (USA) 6-3, 6-3.
Women’s Singles 40:
Sirikanya Hoonsiri beat Hui Wen Wu (TPE) 6-3, 1-0 (ret).
Women’s Doubles 40:
Hsing Yung Chu (TPE) and Hui Wen Wu (TPE) beat Toshie Sawada (JPN) and
Yuko Kudo (JPN) 6-4, 3-6, 6-3.
Women’s Singles 50:
Moon Ja Son (KOR) beat Sigrid Kothe (GER) 6-0, 6-2.
Women’s Doubles 50:
Chalathit Dunnvatanachit and Chareey Rattakul defeated Moon Ja Son (KOR)
and Kap Soon Choi (KOR) 6-3, 6-1.
The Asian Open Veterans Tennis Championships is a Category 3, Selected
Event, with participants earning world ranking points. Winners of each
division earn 160 points, runner ups earn 120, losers in the semi-finals
earn 80 points, losers in the quarter-finals earn 64, losers in round of 16
earn 48, and losers in the round of 32 earn 32.
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Pattaya Sports Club Golf
PSC Golf next week
With seven tournaments already completed in August, the schedule
for next week offers a further six opportunities to play competitive golf at
some of the best courses in the area.
Monday, 11 August gives a choice of beautiful Bangpra from the Cafe
Kronborg, or a more challenging 18 holes at Laem Chabang from the Green
Bottle, both Stableford competitions.
On Wednesday the 13th a return trip to Bangpra could be considered from the
Green Bottle, to play Stableford again; or a relaxed pairs medal round at
Phoenix from the Hare House.
On Thursday the 14th there is a welcome regular return visit to Eastern Star
from the Cafe Kronborg, this time for a stroke play competition.
Finally, another chance to play the lush fairways at Great Lake in a stroke
play competition from the Green Bottle on Friday the 15th.
In all, a great week in prospect.
Pattaya Sports Club Charity Classic
Looking ahead now to September, here is some early news about a
major Charity Tournament that is scheduled for Friday, September 26, 1997 at
the Phoenix Golf and Country Club. Pattaya Sports Club is sponsoring the
Pattaya Sports Club Charity Classic aimed at raising a considerable sum of
money for designated charities in the Pattaya area.
The tournament, organized by PSC Golf, is intended to be a fun day for
golfers at every level, and will feature “Charity Mulligans” which may be
purchased to improve your score by having another go if you should fluff a
shot! The Mulligan tickets will also double up as Lucky Draw entries at the
prize giving. High value technical prizes will feature on every hole, and
there will be team prizes, too.
Details of how you may participate or contribute to this major event will be
featured in the next issue of Pattaya Mail, and will be displayed at PSC
Golf venues.
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Wednesday quiz neck and neck
In which 1967 film did you hear the song Springtime for Hitler? What was
the name of the pink spotted cow in TV’s The Magic Roundabout?
In a series of exciting matches on July 30 in the midweek trivial
pursuits league, front runners Cheers and Britannia managed to hold on
to their narrow lead. They are still deadlocked in tied first position.
Fawlty Towers, who had looked like staging a late comeback, faltered in
the final picture round and went down to a narrow defeat against host
bar Cheers. Rising Sun had a spectacular top score of 96/120 or 80%,
finally seeing off Bob’s chances of retaining the cup for the umpteenth
time. The strongest subject in all the bars at present appears to be
movies and TV, with some players demonstrating excellent recall of
series as far back as the 1950s. However, it is not well known that the
first semi-talkie in Britain was Alfred Hitchcock’s Blackmail in 1929.
In the neighborly Sunday quiz, there now seems little chance for any bar
to overtake the forces of the Rising Sun who, week in and week out are
producing the highest totals. In what proved to be rather a difficult
competition on July 20, they emerged with the top 78%. Second best in
the league overall are Palmer’s, strongly followed by Cheers with a
single point less.
Answers to the questions above are The Producers and Ermintrude. Put
meaning and significance into your life, and give your brain a real
treat, by joining one of the bars any Wednesday or Sunday just before
8.30 p.m.
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Improve your Bridge
by Barrie Kenyon
It has been said that it’s better to be a card player than a
rabbi because the former is seldom, if ever, called upon to attend a
circumcision. But what bridge players must do all the time is to
communicate with their partner during the bidding auction. Playing the
Acol system, how would you respond with the following hands? In each
case your partner has opened one heart and your right hand opponent has
passed.
Problem one. You hold Spades K Q 6 5, Hearts J 10 6 3 2, Diamonds Void,
Clubs 7 5 4 3. Would you respond: a) one spade, b) two hearts, c) three
hearts, d) four hearts? Well, it is normally wrong to hide a four card
major in Acol, so one spade can’t get you sent to jail. Two hearts looks
about right with your meager seven high card points, but surely
minimizes the value of your void in the diamond suit. Three hearts is an
invitation to game in Acol, but usually has more high card points. The
best bid is probably four hearts. Look at it this way. You have an
excellent heart fit, so why bother showing your spade suit? Admittedly,
four hearts may be a bit over the top but it has a pre-emptive value
which makes it much harder for your left hand opponent to place an
interference bid if he has a reasonable hand. This is likely as there
are a lot of high cards unaccounted so far. Partner will most probably
be delighted with your void in diamonds and has a fair shot at game
unless he opened desperately weak.
Problem Two. You hold Spades J 7 6, Hearts Q 3, Diamonds King 10 4,
Clubs Ace King 6 5 3. So what do you bid after partner opened one heart
as before? Your choices are: a) two clubs, b) two hearts, c) two no
trumps, d) three no trumps. If you chose two clubs, you can’t be shot as
you do have a strong five card suit. Two hearts is an awful bid - what a
mess you will be in if partner has only four to start with. Two no
trumps is a bit misleading as you have 13 high card points and Acol
tells us you should have 11 or 12 for this response. The best bid is
arguably three no trumps, but can you see why? You have an opening value
hand opposite partner’s opening bid of one heart, so there should be a
chance of game somewhere. Your partner will be delighted to see your
long club suit which should play well in a no trumps game. Of course, it
will be unfortunate if your partner, as well as you, has a poor spade
suit. By bidding two clubs, as a matter of fact, you are more likely to
indicate to the opposition you have a weakness in the uncalled major. An
immediate raise to three no trumps makes it that bid harder for the
opposition to know what to lead.
Problem Three. After partner’s one heart bid, you hold Spades K 8 7 3,
Hearts Void, Diamonds J 10 7 6 3 , Clubs Q 8 5 3. You choice of bids
are: a) one spade, b) one no trump, c) two diamonds, d) no bid. You
won’t lose your head for replying one spade given the general
advisability of showing a four card major, but you are stuck for a rebid
if partner repeats his hearts. Two diamonds is not acceptable - your
hand is far too weak to raise to the next level. One no trump keeps the
bidding low, but it is rather misleading with a void in partner’s suit.
Many players would elect “pass” given your low points, 6 in total, and a
complete misfit with partner. You would be wrong to pass only if partner
happens to have a powerhouse and a secondary fit in one of your other
suits. Whatever you bid, the reasoning is what counts.
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Little takes back to back titles
Maurice Bertrand, winner of 3 closest to the
pins in a row.
Bertrand nearest to pin three times
Jimmy Little followed in another first time winner, Billy Russell’s
footsteps by becoming the second repeat winner in the Pattaya Golf
Society this season. Jimmy earned his second straight weekly win in the
race for the 2nd Rainy Season trophy with a net 4 under par 68 at
Pattaya Country Club on Tuesday, July 29. Jimmy’s steady round included
3 pars.
Maurice Bertrand from Jersey Island, meanwhile, became the first ever
PGS competitor to win 3 of the 4 closest to the pin honors, all three in
succession. Maurice planted his tee shot closest on holes 5, 7, and 12.
Les Winch managed to break his sweep by attaining the honor on #16.
Ken Carr returned to the podium with a net 1 over par 73, good enough
for second place. Maurice rode his par three excellence to a third place
finish (fitting), with a net round of 2 over par 74.
Peter Johansson placed fourth with a net 4 over par 76, while Brian
Kelly rounded out the top five with his net 5 over par 77.
All golfers had to battle a strong wind, but on the positive side, it
did keep temperatures down and make for a beautiful day of golf.
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Bailey Captures Second ‘Players Cup’
(L to R) Martin Furzer, 2nd place; Player’s
Cup
Champion Arthur Bailey; and Bill Thompson, 3rd place.
1st Arthur Bailey 189 Points
2nd Martin Furzer 181 Points
3rd Bill Thompson 180 Points
For the second time, one of the Pattaya Sports Club’s best golfers
captured the Splinter Players Cup. The Players Cup is a points
competition based on a player’s best 15 rounds in Splinter Group Golf
competitions over a three month period. The competition awards
consistent play and in this case the Splinters’ most consistent player,
Arthur Bailey, was the winner by nine points. A close race did develop
between second and third with Martin Furzer beating out cup sponsor Bill
Thompson by a single point. A disappointed Bill said in his flat
Missouri twang, “If I have to buy my own trophies, next time I’ll get
‘em all the same size”. The next round of the Players Cup is to start in
September.
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