The inaugural Down Syndrome Charity Golf tournament was played at Phoenix Gold Golf Course on Tuesday, June 30 and turned out to be a huge success. The course was in great condition and special thanks must go to Nat, the General Manager of Phoenix and his friendly staff for looking after the 132 golfers who took part in this event and making the day the success that it was.
What started out as a casual conversation at the Billabong Golf Bar between Paul Greenaway, Scott Qua and Bob Philp turned into a monstrous day out. We don’t have space to name all of the sponsors here as there were so many but please take it as said you are the most generous people in the world. The money raised was 550,000 baht (far exceeding our expectations) which will be distributed among three schools for these special children.
The winning team of Andrew Scaiffe and Charlie Brown are presented with golf vouchers by Scott Qua and Bob Philp.
Major sponsors (though not the only ones) were Jim Grieve, Chris Dodd from Ross Auctions in Perth, Baan Tong Tong Resort, Royal Fremantle Golf Club members, Scott Qua’s work mates in Chad central Africa, Alan Bartlett, Mark McDonald just to name but a few of the generous people who not only gave their money but also their time for this worthy cause.
Special thanks also to the committee, consisting of accountant John Player, Scott Qua, Bob Philp and Paul Greenaway, and all the others who helped out to make this day run as smoothly as it did.
Runners-up Mark Reid and David Brannigan with Scott and Bob.
The post golf auction also turned out to be a just as successful, with lots of prizes donated including four Scotty Cameron putters, memorabilia from the Ryder Cup and various golf hole flags all signed by pro golfers, plus a clothing and shoe bag from the Old Course at St Andrews.
Twenty-nine of the pairings received prizes on the day but here is a list of the top 5 in the team scramble competition played over the Mountain and Ocean courses. Fifth prize went to the pairing of Bob Philp and Greig Ritchie with a net 64, fourth went to Matt and Fred Tindrell, who travelled from Perth Australia and sponsored two holes as well, and returned to the clubhouse with a net 63.5. In third place came An and Sue, also with 63.5 but with a better count back and second was taken by Mark Reid and David Brannigan with 63.25. First place and the title of inaugural champions went to Andrew Scaiffe and Charlie Brown with a fine score of 62.25.
John Collingwood (left) starts the auction for a Scotty Cameron putter.
So, round over it was then back to the Billabong for a few cold beers and prize giving, which included green fee vouchers for some prestigious golf courses, golf clothing, Boston bags etc.
A superb buffet dinner with two 45kg spit roasted pigs, three legs of lamb and a host of other food to suit both Thai and farang tastes was then served to satisfy the horde of hungry golfers.
A limited edition picture of the 2006 Ryder Cup clubhouse was one of the many great prizes.
The real winners on the day though were the children with special needs. If you would like to donate clothing, toys, books or even cash to these Down Syndrome centers please contact Bob Philp on 082 204 3411 or William Macey on 086 152 2754. Every little bit helps.
Due to the huge success of the day, the committee has already commenced planning for next year’s event and all sponsors are most welcome. Please contact Scott Qua on 081 965 8785 or Bob Philp on 082 204 3411 for more information.
Scott and Bob get three cheers from Kelly for running a successful tournament.
Noodle (left) from the Billabong, receives thanks from Scott for being a big help on the day.
The lady golfers know how to have fun.
