The Haven Golf Society
Monday, August 21, Mt. Shadow (blue tees) – Stableford
CSS 75 NC
1st Jon Batty (6) 32pts
2nd Markku Tynell (21) 30pts
3rd John O’Sullivan (23) 29pts
4th Craig Thomas (14) 28pts
5th Hal Hart (19) 28pts
6th Darryl Burkett (11) 26pts
Mountain Shadow is always a tough test of any golfer’s ability and on this occasion it was made even harder as the greens were particularly slow, but still maintained their ability to offer huge breaks for the unsuspecting putter. The difficulties of the day were born out by the CSS moving out to 75 and becoming non-counting for upward movement of handicaps.
Jon Batty was easily the best of the day, even at four over handicap after eventually getting to grips with the greens and taking eighteen points from the inward half and the win.
Markku Tynell was second best another couple of shots behind and one in front of third placed John O’Sullivan.
They were followed by a count back between Craig Thomas and Hal Hart which the former won with a better 16 to 15, to leave Darryl Burkett on the last step on the day’s podium in sixth.
There were no 2s in the second division but Jon Batty had the sole one in the first division to sweep the roll over pot clean.
Wednesday, August 23, Khao Kheow A & C – Stableford
CSS 75 NC
1st Jon Batty (6) 33pts
2nd Craig Thomas (14) 31pts
3rd Larry Gibb (22) 31pts
4th Murray Frost (26) 26pts
5th Mark Cooper (11) 26pts
Another hard day was in prospect when the group took on the always difficult Pete Dye designed Khao Kheow layout where the tricky C course was the starting nine followed by the shorter a course.
Jon Batty again proved to be the master of the field, again by two strokes but with a slightly better score than on the previous outing after once again improving on his opening nine holes through the back nine. He was followed in by Craig Thomas after he had won a count back over Larry Gibb with a better 15 to 14.
Murray Frost at last got his name somewhere near the top of the results sheet although albeit with an unspectacular score after he won a count back over Mark Cooper with a better 14 to 12 for fourth and fifth places.
There were no 2s in the first division but Hal Hart slotted in one on the 165-yard C 8 to claim the pool in the second division.
Friday, August 25, Pattaya C.C. – Monthly Medals
CSS 72
Division 1 (0-15)
1st Darryl Burkett (11) net 71
2nd Craig Thomas (14) net 75
3rd Andrew Purdie (6) net 80
Division 2 (16+)
1st Shuichi Kodaka (20) net 68
2nd Murray Edwards (20) net 71
3rd John O’Sullivan (23) net 73
Once gain the monthly medals were held at Pattaya Country Club where the course was found to be playing reasonably well considering the amount of water it must have absorbed over the last days and the CSS for the day remained at the par of 72.
Darryl Burkett capped a good run of form throughout the month with his first medal of the year to become the 11th player to qualify for the end of year Gold and Silver medals. He returned a very good one under card which was good enough to take the first division by four ahead of Craig Thomas in second, as Andrew Purdie placed third.
The second division was claimed by Shuichi Kodaka to end a very barren spell that had seen his handicap rise to its present level from 17 as he returned an excellent four under medal card. Murray Edwards took second place with a good one under return that would normally have been good enough for the win but on this occasion second place was the result. John O’Sullivan took the last place after a very good and solid round another two strokes behind.
Shuichi Kodaka added to his day’s pleasure when he claimed two 2s in the second division, one on the 5th and one on the 12th hole whilst Andrew Purdie almost made it a day to remember and one that would have spoilt Shuichi’s a little, when he hit the pin on the difficult 16th hole and was left with a four incher for his ‘2’.
