A heavy course at Pattana following some substantial overnight rain awaited the players on Wednesday, Sept 30 for the monthly PAGS (Pattaya Amateur Golf Series) tournament.
The A & B nines was the allotted combination for the field of 80 odd keen, but apprehensive golfers, which included a small contingent of ladies. The weather conditions were threatening, with the rain bucketing down for a hole or 2, towards 2:00 pm. Following the overnight rain, the decision was made to have preferred lies through the green, to help avoid the dreaded mud ball. The decision was a welcome one, and together with the shorter yellow tees it produced some solid scores.
Jeff Wyle (centre) was the winner of A Flight and the Low Gross award.
As with most of these monthly golf events, there is generally a standout performer or two on the day. This past month it was hard to split Jeff Wylie, Gerry Sweetham, & Bob Watson for the clear star of the day. All 3 got podium places in A flight, with Gerry & Bob picking up 5 & 4 technical prizes respectively, although they collected only the maximum 2 technical prizes and contributed the balance to the lucky draw pool. The best score of the day however went to the A flight winner, Jeff Wylie, with an outstanding 42 points, also taking the coveted Low Gross of the day with a fine 73 under the conditions.
Gerry Sweetham (centre) was runner-up in A Flight and took 5 technical awards.
The ladies’ places were hotly contested and required a count back, with Nut (H/cap 19) just getting the nod over Sukanya (23), both on the same total of 33 points.
C flight, for handicaps 19 and above, went to Bill Fershtman with a good 38 points well clear of runner-up Larry Deverdenne (24) with a handy 34. Two more points back in third was Martin Lirlie (36).
In the B flight, for handicaps 13–18, it was Dennis Steele (13) leading the way in with his solid 38 points, while Heikki Viljakainen (17) did well to record 37 for second spot. Third place went to Jari Lakkonen (17) with an even par 36 points, but only after edging a count back over Alan White (13), 18 to 17 on the back 9.
Ladies winner Nut (centre) receives her prizes.
Following Jeff up the podium steps in A flight was Gerry Sweetham (11) in second with 38 points, while Bob Watson (2) signed off for a 37.
Special mentions to Don Head and Donal McGuigan on picking up the maximum of 2 technical prizes, and Martin Lirlie, also getting 2 technicals, to go with his placing in C flight.
Dave and his team once again set up for the presentation buffet superbly, and fortunately the showers ceased and everything flowed along smoothly. As always, the Sportsman & Shenanigans crews did a fantastic job of keeping all the golfers and their guests satisfied. We will all look forward to another successful tournament with next month’s event at Phoenix on 21st October. Note the earlier scheduled tournament and contact Shane on 085 945 9689 to ensure your preferred tee time.
