SUBHEAD: IPGC Golf from The Haven
Monday, Jan. 30, Crystal Bay B & C – Stableford
CSS 72
Division 1 (0–19)
1st Peter Skinner (10) 36pts
2nd David LeHane (19) 35pts
3rd Graham Davis (9) 35pts
4th Andrew Purdie (7) 34pts
Division 2 (20+)
1st Tony O’Neil (23) 38pts
2nd Hal Hart (20) 33pts
3rd Wilf Wellman (31) 33pts
4th Dave Paul (25) 32pts
A very short week, due to the two days on Tuesday and Thursday set aside for the IPGC Championships, was also affected by the number of entries by the Haven group members but there were still enough players for the starting event to require two divisions divided at an abnormally high level of 19 and below for the first division.
The top flight was won by Peter Skinner after starting out inauspiciously with a zero-pointer on the first hole, but a two under handicap back-nine wrapped up the win. He was closely followed by David LeHane, in second place, after he won a count back over Graham Davis with a better 12 to 11 over the last six after they had tied the nine in 18 apiece. Andrew Purdie rounded out the podium for the division another one back in fourth.
The second division was taken by Tony O’Neil, ensuring his golfing holiday in Pattaya ended on a high note as he cruised home with five strokes to spare ahead of a count back for second place which Hal Hart won, scoring a better 17 to 16 to leave Wilf Wellman ruing the zero-pointer on the 17th after he had dropped his tee shot into the water. Dave Paul, having failed to score on the last hole made up the podium numbers having shown that he is beginning to get to grips with the Thailand conditions and promises better results in the near future.
There were no 2s in the second division but Peter Ditz scored the solo one in the first division to sweep the pot.
Wednesday, Feb. 1, Khao Kheow A & B (yellow tees) – Stableford
CSS 73
1st Wilf Wellman (31) 37pts
2nd Tom McCarthy (21) 33pts
3rd Victor Reimer (21) 31pts
4th Graham Davis (9) 31pts
The smallest group since the start of the high season took to the two nines of the course that was being played in the IPGC Championship. The numbers were also affected by golfers returning home and the end of their tours to Pattaya, but that should not detract from the results as the winner’s score would have been leading his division by a clear nine points ahead of those playing from the same yellow tees on the first day and two ahead of those playing from the same tees on the second day.
That winner was Wilf Wellman with his best round in Pattaya for almost two years and his first win with the group since records began in 1996. It was duly acknowledged and celebrated by the group following the announcement with a big round of applause as Wilf started on what was to be a very long night.
Tom McCarthy ran the winner closest some four shots back as all the field found the course and pin placements difficult to score from, even though the condition of the course was superb.
Victor Reimer won a count back for third place with a better 16 to 15 to leave Graham Davis, who just failed to make it a winning farewell after his three week stay with the group, in fourth place.
There were no ‘2’s in the first division but John Carlin added to an already overloaded holiday fund when he scored the only one in the second division to clean out the multi-rollover pot.
