A great Low season crowd of 108 players, including 9 ladies, made the short journey on Tuesday, May 31 to the Phoenix course, where we played the Mountain & Lakes combination in the latest PAGS monthly tournament.
The weather was warm & humid, with very little breeze to keep it from being too oppressive, while the groups progressed at a steady pace. The rain was confined to a light shower which persisted over a couple of hours, but hardly impacted the playing conditions.
We played from the white tee markers, with most being well forward of their proper yardages, but still the course provided a solid challenge for most. The tee markers were adjusted, as Phoenix is hosting a professional tournament in June, so they are probably keeping the teeing areas pristine for their tournament.
Most months there is one, or sometimes several outstanding performances for the tournament. This month those special mentions should probably go to Jon Dean for his Low Gross win, to go with the A flight & a technical prize. All the flight winners did well, scoring 40 or more points across the board, which is a first for a long time. The short tees combined with a ‘lift, clean & place’ ruling were probably a major factor in this.
The day’s top score was in the B flight, for handicaps 15–21, with Tom Thompson (17) shooting the lights out with an outstanding 45 points. He was followed home by Phillipe Pruvot (18) with a strong score of 41 points, just the solitary point ahead of Arnstein Rustbergaard (18).
C flight for handicaps 22+ was won by Jan Johansson (27) with a fine 42 points, while Kenny Chung (25) had a solid 38 points, again just the lonely 1 point ahead of John Chapman (22) who signed for 37.
We previously touched on the winner Jon Dean’s fine efforts in the A flight, for handicaps 0–14, with his winning score of 42 points. Martin Kempton (12) got the second spot on the podium with his 38 points, while third place went to a count back as Mikael Anderson (12) edged Dennis Steele 18/17 after both signed for 37 points.
The Ladies division was won clearly by Nantaporn Rukkid (17) with 40 points, while second spot required a count back with no less than 5 ladies involved. May (16) took the prize with 20 points on the back 9, to go with her long drive on 18, after her, Noi, Wanida, Soorat and Aaliwan all signed for 37 points.
Special mentions go out to multiple winners in the technical prizes. Getting their maximum 2 prizes, were Graham Beaumont, Ken Price and Tommy Marshall.
BBQ King Dave was at it again, who with his capable staff kept all attendees well satisfied with their tasty offerings for the night. We will all look forward to another successful tournament with this month’s event again at Phoenix, with the free cart promotion, on 28 June. Contact Shane on 085 945 9689 to ensure your preferred tee time.
