IPGC Pattaya Golf Society at The Links Bar
The Pattaya Golf Society visited Crystal Bay on Monday, 7th March to play a stableford event on the B and C nines. The course was in good condition, if a little dry, and the C greens were slightly slower than those on the front nine. However an almost empty course helped the day go well.
The single flight saw four birdie ‘2’s with Huw Phillips and Chris Norman scooping B4 whilst Andrew Purdie and PJ Mitchell reprised the effort on B6.
The competition proper saw Chris Norman have his most successful day to date, finishing with 34 points to share the runner-up place with Dave Moriarty who birdied the eighteenth hole for a boost in his score. The winner was Welshman Huw Phillips and his 40 points showed the levels of which he is capable of achieving despite his admitted weakness in chipping. But that’s a problem many of us share!
Eastern Star –a tougher test than most.
The Booby Bevy went to Jim Ferris for his admirable hero-to-zero attempt in producing almost the lowest score of the day after such success in recent events.
It had been another good day at Crystal Bay, a course which has seen the PGS winning golfer break par in every one of the last forty-five PGS competitions there. Of course, it’s the golfers not the track!
Moriarty masters Eastern Star
An empty Eastern Star welcomed the Pattaya Golf Society on Wednesday, 9th March as the group called to play a stableford competition on the breezy course, which was generally in quite good condition. OK, fairways were dry with tight lies everywhere but there was enough run to please most of the field. Again the greens were quicker than most expected, excusing the more recent golfers.
The course plays difficult these days and good scores are at a premium but Alan Thomas, Mr Len, Masa Takano and Karl Flood did their best to share second place with 32 points. The best round of the day was a very solid 34 points recorded by Dave Moriarty. It was no more than his consistent skills deserved and it represented a fine win as Dave draws his stay to a close in a couple of rounds time.
There were no birdie ‘2’s and Aussie Pete Dunsmore, still carrying bruises from a mysterious bathroom fall, struggled on the front nine but improved sufficiently on the back nine to win the Booby Bevy for the largest split figures of the day. Coincidentally, it was also his final round this trip and the group wished him well until his return later in the year.
Huw? Phew!
The Pattaya Golf Society week ended with a visit to the sumptuous course at Pattana on Friday, 11th March. A warm day with only a little breeze saw the group play a stableford event on the B and C nines in two flights from the white and yellow tees. The cut was at 15.5 and under.
The course was splendidly set up, the only disappointment being the greens which were slower than expected and the pace certainly caught some golfers out. Apart from that the day was made for good golf.
The second flight, playing from the more friendly yellow tees, saw some fine golf with John Chelo taking third place with 35 points and Larry Slattery taking second place with 36. A gob-smacking 26 points on the front nine by Mike King gave notice of something special but the wheels came off the King wagon on the C nine leaving him on 40 points to take the flight by storm.
In the top flight scores were very similar, with Canadian Kevin McConnell enjoying his final round this trip with 35 points in third place, one behind Karl Flood’s 36. The winner was Huw Phillips who followed his forty point haul on Monday with a superb 42 points here. He will certainly have his wish for a greatly reduced handicap from the weekend.
The ‘2’s pot was shared by Kevin McConnell, Karl Flood and Alan Thomas in the top flight and by John Chelo, John Tallet and Mike King in the yellow flight. The Booby Bevy went to Greg Gawron after his low scoring round.
