SPORTS

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SPORTS

Crumpton Oaks Dry Cider Wednesday Darts League

Final Standings

The winners and runners-up of the Crumpton Oaks Wednesday Darts League.

Team P W L Bonus Diff. Pts.

Legends Sports Bar 14 13 1 12 92 26

Mee Chew Sports Bar 14 12 2 11 54 24

W. Tankies 14 9 5 8 36 18

Yates Bar 14 6 8 8 -16 12

I-Rovers 14 6 8 5 -28 12

Scandalic 14 4 10 7 -34 8

Jantha Coffee House 14 4 10 4 -34 8

Mai’s Bar 14 2 12 1 -70 4

Most Team Tons – 348 Legends Pool & Sports Bar

Most Indiv check-out’s – 53 John (Legends Pool & Sports Bar)

Highest Finish (male) – 153 Alan (Mee Chew Sports Bar)

Highest Finish (fenmale) – 115 Ram ( Yates Bar)

180’s: 6 John (Legends), 4 Ian (Legends), Ken (I-Rovers), 3 Pattaya (Legends), 2 Ton (Scandelic), 1 John (Yates Bar), Da (Scandelic), Paramin (W. Tankies), Beer (Yates Bar), Charlie (Legends), Klang (Legends), Nat (Jantha), Lyn (Mee Chew), Steve (Mee Chew).

WKD Tuesday Darts League

Results & Standings August 6 (week 13)

Team P W L B/legs Pts.

Londoner 12 11 1 10 22

I-Rovers 12 11 1 8 22

Mee Chew Sports Bar 13 9 4 8 18

W. Tankies 12 9 3 5 18

Buffalo Jack’s 13 8 5 8 16

Shoot Pool Roxy 12 8 4 8 16

Crazy Eddies 12 5 7 5 10

Jantha Coffee House 11 5 6 5 10

Yates Bar 13 5 8 4 10

Shoot Pool 13 4 9 6 8

Nervous Wreck 13 3 10 9 6

Scandalic 13 3 10 5 6

Mai’s Bar 12 3 9 5 6

Cum On Inn 13 3 10 1 6

Results: Buffalo Jack’s (5-0)-(7-1) v I-Rovers, Crazy Eddies (4-0)-(8-1) v Londoner, Nervous Wreck (7-1)-(0-0) v Cum On Inn, Scandalic (3-0)-(7-1) v Mee Chew Sports Bar, Shoot Pool (4-0)-(6-1) v Shoot Pool Roxy, W. Tankies (5-0)-(2-1) v Jantha Coffee House, Yates Bar (3-0)-(4-1) v Mai’s Bar

Legends Wednesday 9-Ball Pool League

Results & Standings August 7 (week 7)

Team P W D L +/- Pts.

Links Bar 6 5 1 0 32 16

Legends Pool 6 5 0 1 22 15

Shoot Pool 6 4 1 1 18 13

Pook’s Bar 6 4 0 2 26 12

Easy R-Con Bar 5 4 0 1 8 12

Mata Bar 5 3 1 1 22 10

George & Dragon 7 3 0 4 -10 9

Legends All-Stars 6 2 1 3 -10 7

Queen Vic 5 1 1 3 -16 4

FCUK Inn 6 0 2 4 -32 2

Wet Bar 7 0 1 6 -34 1

Buffalo Jacks 5 0 0 5 -26 0

Results: Easy R-Con Bar 12 v 8 Shoot Pool, Legends Pool 12 v 8 Buffalo Jacks, Links Bar 15 v 5 FCUK Inn, Mata Bar 14 v 6 George & Dragon, Wet Bar 8 v 12 Legends All-Stars

Bartley is player of the month

Phoenix Members Golf Society

Mukesh Thakkar (2nd left) presents the Blue Olive monthly award to John Bartley (2nd right).

Mike Gerrard
Having been away for a few days at Hua Hin for their golf festival I cannot report too much about events at Phoenix except to say that on the day of Tuesday 6th August David Lusha was the victor with 37 points, while three other players, Bob Neylon, John Bartley and Arthur Busch all scored 36 points to take second, third and fourth places respectively.
Near pins went to Joris Goetschalckx and Mukesh Thakkar with Joris also winning the free massage lucky draw prize and Jan Huly the free drink lucky draw prize, both donated by out host The Relax Bar at Ban Amphur. Bill Hewitt was the other lucky draw prize winner who duly passed it quickly on to Samorn (his caddy).
Today was also the presentation of the Blue Olive monthly voucher for the player of the month of July. John Bartley managed to just pip Arthur Busch on the final day of July to end up with a total of 79 points for the best two rounds of the month.

Tuesday’s winners pose with the staff at The Relax Bar.

My trip to Hua Hin was my first trip there to play golf and I can say at this time of the year the whole area has a Festival of Golf. This means that even the best courses are more affordable and the Banyan course turned out to be one of the best courses all of us who went on the trip have ever experienced. By the fifth day though energy levels had dropped quite low and it was good to get back to work for a rest!
At Phoenix we are now back to starting the player of the month comp with a new rule that 3 scores from at least four submitted over the month of August will find the best player. Plus, of course, all the other competitions and sponsored vouchers still up for grabs.
Other news is that we are all waiting with baited breath for the announcement of the future at Phoenix from the new owners at the end of August. Hopefully not much will change and we can continue with the success we have enjoyed over the last 3 to 4 years.
We play every Friday and Tuesday at approximately 10.45 to 11.30 am each day. For more information regarding playing with our society and Sea Fishing trips please call me (Mike) on 087 091 7565.

Crumpton Oaks Cider Monday Pool League

Results & Standings August 5 (week 2)

Division 1

Team P W L +/- BP Pts.

Butchers Arms 2 2 0 7 0 6

Shoot Pool 2 2 0 3 0 6

Smile Bar 2 1 1 3 1 4

Links Bar 2 1 1 1 1 4

I-Rovers 2 1 1 1 0 3

Legends Pool 2 1 1 1 0 3

Nicky’s Bar 2 1 1 -5 0 3

Sweethearts Bar 1 0 1 -1 1 1

Pook’s Bar 1 0 1 -4 0 0

Acorn Pub 2 0 2 -6 0 0

Results: Acorn Pub 8 v 10 Links Bar, I-Rovers 10 v 7 Legends Pool, Smile Bar 9 v 10 Shoot Pool, Sweethearts Bar P-P Pook’s Bar, The Butchers Arms 10 v 4 Nicky’s Bar

Division 2

Team P W L +/- BP Pts.

Offshore Bar 2 2 0 15 0 6

Cheers Bar 1 1 0 7 0 3

Mai’s Bar 1 1 0 5 0 3

Shootpool ‘B’ 1 1 0 4 0 3

Wet Bar 2 1 1 3 0 3

Easy R-Con Bar 1 1 0 2 0 3

Caddyshack 0 0 0 0 0 0

Dean’s Bar 2 0 2 -9 0 0

Rabbi’s Elephant 2 0 2 -12 0 0

Wombat Bar 2 0 2 -15 0 0

Results: Rabbi’s Elephant 3 v 10 Offshore Bar, Shoot Pool ‘B’ 10 v 6 Dean’s Bar, The Caddyshack P-P Mai’s Bar, Wet Bar 8 v 10 Easy R-Con Bar, Wombat Bar 3 v 10 Cheers Bar

Allidi & Calcutt sparkle at the Bay

PSC Golf from The Growling Swan

Mike Allidi, Vince Romero & Russell Calcutt.

Peter Blackburn
Monday, August 5, Mountain Shadow – Stableford

After a late withdrawal due to sickness we ended up with a small field of thirteen golfers ready to tackle one of our favourites, Mountain Shadow. We assembled at the Growling Swan and handed out a very hearty welcome back to Eric “Judge” Black from Geelong in Victoria and newcomer Tioziano Dal Pastro (what a great name) from Italy.
After the usual 45 minute drive we arrived at the course where there was some activity but not too much. Upon arriving at the first tee we found four Thai golfers chatting away merrily but after a subtle “prompt” from yours truly they finally teed off, from the black tees mind you! After observing their drives it was apparent that these guys could play, in fact the starter mentioned to me that one of them was actually a professional golfer so we were fairly sure there would be no hold ups for us and that was indeed the case.
We managed to get our first three-ball out 15 minutes ahead of schedule at 9.45 am and proceeded in perfect weather conditions with a slight cooling breeze. We played off the blue tees for a change as there were no “Growling Swan Delinquents” with us on the day and as expected this did keep the scores a bit lower on the day.
The golf course was in super “nick” with the lush fairways and firm & true greens although someone did remark that some of the pin positions could have been the result of the head greenkeeper having an argument with his “missus” early that morning, the result being many three-putts (at least four from me).

Sal Brizzi & Tioziano Dal Pastro.

It was a quick and enjoyable round of golf with the company also being great and we completed the round in three hours & forty seven minutes. With the smaller field we had just the one grade with four places and also rewards for nearest the pin on the four par threes.
Sal Brizzi was the winner on the day with a steady 36 points, just 1 point ahead of second place-getter Mike Allidi. In third place came your writer, Peter “Blacky” Blackburn with 33 points and Takeshi Hakozaki was fourth on 31 points.
1st Sal Brizzi (7) 36pts
2nd Mike Allidi (2) 35pts
3rd Peter Blackburn (11) 33pts
4th Takeshi Hakozaki (11) 31pts
Near Pins: 5th – Peter Blackburn, 8th – Kevin Waycott, 15th – Mike Allidi, 17th – Sal Brizzi
The Growling Swan NAGA Award, (awarded to the golfer who has the worst score on the day and discreetly their score is not made public) was well won by newcomer Tioziano Dal Pastro who immediately donned the cap and wore it with pride for a short while.

Thursday, August 8, Crystal Bay A & B – Stableford

They came out of the woodwork for this one as after a late withdrawal we had a great low season number of 33 golfers ready to take the journey to the ever popular Crystal Bay Golf Course.
The weather was great as we assembled at The Growling Swan and we were happy to hand out welcomes to Bill Hewitt and his lady Samorn Tanamsri, Gerd Riedler, Peter Rooke & Alex Field – all from Pattaya. It was also good to have with us once more Paul Sharples from Oman.
Departing the GS a couple of minutes earlier than our scheduled 8.30 departing time we headed north up Sukhumvit and after a good run arrived at Crystal Bay 44 minutes later to find the golf course practically deserted. Naturally we were invited to tee off as soon as we were ready and after a brief preparation our first four-ball set off on A1 10 minutes ahead of schedule at 9.50 am.
As mentioned earlier the weather was excellent and there was a fairly stiff breeze to cool things down a touch but also make the golf a bit tricky at times. The golf course was in excellent condition with well maintained fairways and greens, which at times were quite quick and posed a few problems for some but all in all the course was presented beautifully.
With no-one ahead of us we maintained a steady pace and managed to complete our full round in four hours & fifteen minutes after enjoying the quality company and the very good golf course.
We had 2 Grades - A Grade for handicaps 0 to 22 and B Grade for handicaps 23 & over with 6 places in each grade. There were also rewards for nearest the pins on the four par threes and longest first putts on the 9th & 18th greens.
With a gross score of 69, which equated to 41 stableford points, it was once again Mike Allidi who showed his class and won the A Grade section. Two golfers were tied on 39 points so a count back was necessary for second & third places and it was Gerd Riedler (22 point back nine) who just pipped Stu “Heineken” Rifkin (21 point back nine. In fourth place came Paul Sharples with 36 points and another count back was required to determine fifth & sixth places with Alain “Inspector Clouseau” Taddei (17 point back nine, 11 points on the last 6 holes and 6 points on the last 3 holes) prevailing ahead of Peter “Blacky” Blackburn (17 point back nine, 11 points on the last 6 holes and 4 points on the last 3 holes) with both having 35 points.
Russell Calcutt was victorious in the B Grade with 40 points and last start NAGA winner Tiziano Dal Pastro finished in second place with 38 points and Shane “Jockey” Young was third with 37 points. In fourth place on a count back with 35 points was Alex Field (18 point back nine, 12 points on the last 6 holes and 6 points on the last 3 holes) with regular NAGA winner Nolan Wise (18 point back nine, 12 points on the last 6 holes and 4 points on the last 3 holes) finishing fifth. Yet another count back was needed to decide sixth place with 2 on 34 points and it was Fred Dinely (15 point back nine) who shaded Mark Stapleton (13 point back nine).
A Flight (0-22)
1st Mike Allidi (2) 41pts
2nd Gerd Riedler (6) 39pts
3rd Stu Rifkin (15) 39pts
4th Paul Sharples (10) 36pts
5th Alain Taddei (17) 35pts
6th Peter Blackburn (11) 35pts
B Flight (23+)
1st Russell Calcutt (36) 40pts
2nd Tiziano Dal Pastro (25) 38pts
3rd Shane Young (30) 37pts
4th Alex Field (27) 35pts
5th Nolan Wise (36) 35pts
6th Fred Dineley (26) 34pts
Near Pins: A5 – Ken Hole, A8 – Peter Rooke, B4 – Paul Moloney, B6 – Mike Allidi
Long Putts: A9 – Andrew Allen, B9 – Alain Taddei
The Growling Swan NAGA Award was won by good sport Vince Romero and he accepted and wore the award with pride for a long time back at the bar. Toddy then read out the fines, of which there were many and then Max was kind enough to parade Deefa the Dog and of course collected many donations for the needy in Pattaya from our generous Growling Swan Golfers.
Note: Growling Swan Golf welcomes golfers of any persuasion – low & high handicappers alike, female golfers and beginners. We generally play Mondays & Thursdays, meeting at The Growling Swan (formerly The Bunker Bar) in Soi Chaiyapoon at 8.00 am with transport departing at 8.30 am. For bookings or more information please contact Peter on 0806 351 386 or email to [email protected].
We also play bowls out of the Growling Swan every Wednesday and Sunday. Sunday is Lawn Bowls and Wednesday is Indoor Bowls. All are welcome and for anyone that is interested the transport leaves The Growling Swan at 10.00am on each of those mornings. For more information please contact Paul Rennison on 0843 454 005.

Willett rides roughshod over Emerald

PSC golf from the Beaver Bar & Grill

Larry Willett.

The Beaver Bar golfers arrived at the Emerald Golf Course last Friday, August 9, for the weekly efforts at overcoming all the obstacles presented by the course’s reconstruction of their fairways. The weather was very favorable with cool temperatures and fair breezes blowing.
Larry Willett overcame the difficulties while arriving at the clubhouse with an off the stick score of 90, which is a new record low score since his back surgery several years ago. With his current handicap he arrived in with 42 stableford points to take the weekly scoring honors. Dale Drader, who came back for the Jacklope Golf tournament, won nearest to the pin on hole #7 with his ball within 3 feet of the pin.
After the trials, all arrived back at the Beaver Bar &Grill for lunch and some refreshments.

Kembrey & Brackett star at Green Valley

PSC golf from The Outback Golf Bar

(From left): Joe Mooneyham, John Lawton, Tom Byrne, Murray Hart (at the back), Jarod Braithwaite and Sugar Ray Handford.

Saturday, August 3, Green Valley – Stableford
Saturday golf at Green Valley continues to get more popular mainly due to one of our major sponsors, Greg Hirst of the DeVere Group, promoting it amongst his business contacts. We had 11 players with Greg Hoole (38pts) winning from 2 handicapper Ian Heddle who had a great two under on the back nine, and Steve Poznanski running third. Ian had the only ‘2’.
1st Greg Hoole (22) 38pts
2nd Ian Heddle (2) 37pts
3rd Steve Poznanski (13) 36pts
Monday, August 5, Burapha – Stableford
35 Outbackers played Burapha A & B, from the white tees again, in perfect weather. I don’t know if it’s just that I’m spending a lot of time in the rough but it seems to be getting thicker!
Andy Makara obviously didn’t visit it (the rough) too much, as he shot a fantastic 43pts to win Div C from Bill Rogers with 37. Bruce McAdam took third with 36 and fourth was David Davies on 35.
Queensland visitor, Dion Hyland won Div B with 37pts from Jarrod Braithwaite (36), who must be due for a h’cap snip as he scores well even after wiping any number of holes, and Burapha regular Bob Finley was in third with the same 36, losing out on count back.
The top division was won by Svenn Lund with 39pts on a c/b from Mark Gagliardi and the returning Geoff Stimpson (welcome back) took third on 37. Paul Bourke filled fourth place with 36 on c/b over Steve Mann.
Last time we played off the whites there were ten ‘2’s but today there was only three, from Sel Wegner (A3), Bob Finley (B3) and Steve Mann (B8).
Div A (0-13)
1st Svenn Lund (13) 39pts
2nd Mark Gagliardi (12) 39pts
3rd Geoff Stimpson (8) 37pts
4th Paul Bourke (8) 36pts
Div B (14-19)
1st Dion Hyland (19) 37pts
2nd Jarod Braithwaite (18) 36pts
3rd Bob Finley (14) 36pts
4th Steve Durey (17) 34pts
Div C (20+)
1st Andy Makara (26) 43pts
2nd Bill Rogers (26) 37pts
3rd Bruce McAdam (30) 36pts
4th David Davies (23) 35pts
Tuesday, August 6, Phoenix Mountain & Lakes – Stableford
We had a slightly disappointing small field of nine at Phoenix to play the Mountain and Lakes nines. This course is in great condition just now and is excellent value for money on a Tuesday as it is a Sport Day with a green fee of just 800 baht and you can share a cart all up for 1450; not much wrong with that!
The Outback plans to remain here every Tuesday until the end of the low season, culminating in their annual match - The Thai Garden Resort Cup against the German Swiss Golf Club on Tuesday 29th October ending up as usual in the evening at the Moon River Pub. The format is to return to a two person better-ball otherwise known in the UK as a four ball better-ball.
Another of our Queensland visitors won the day; Kim, the only lady in the field, winning with 35pts from Mr Lawton on 33.
Svenn Lund got the only ‘2’ on the 11th (Lake 2).
1st Kim Duffer (30) 35pts
2nd John Lawton (20) 33pts
3rd Andy Makara (24) 30pts
Wednesday, August 7, Siam Plantation – Stableford
16 players for Siam Plantation on an overcast day with a light breeze, just a lovely day for golf. The day actually got better and the last nine holes were played in beautiful sunshine but it never got uncomfortable.
We played the Sugar Cane and Tapioca (A & B) courses which is just a superb combination as Sugar Cane is definitely the best nine holes in Pattaya. The course was in great condition even though we had had a lot of overnight rain, maybe a little damp in some areas but the greens were great to play on and of a consistent speed.
Welcome to Max and Dean Scott for their first game with the Outback, both low handicappers who thoroughly enjoyed playing Plantation and also welcome back to Louis Doyon who had virtually just stepped off a plane after a series of flights lasting some 27 hours.
Well done to Geoff Stimpson who returned the best round of the day, 37 points off his 8 handicap. In second was Steve Mann on 36, still playing off 13, and Rosco was third with 35.
There were no ‘2’s.
1st Geoff Stimpson (8) 37pts
2nd Stephen Mann (13) 36pts
3rd Rosco Langoulant (15) 35pts
4th Andre Coetzee (7) 34pts
5th Svenn Ole Lund (13) 33pts
6th Steve Poznanski (13) 31pts
Friday, August 9, Green Valley – Stableford
A good sized field of 42 Outbackers played Green Valley which was a good crowd for the low season, but just underlines what a popular course this is and considering the amount of play it gets, week in week out, the course remains in great condition and some brilliant scores were recorded.
It’s been a long time coming back but Jim Payne’s form has returned at last; Jim winning Div C with 40pts from John Lawton’s 39 (now that John has settled into retirement, his golf is bound to improve!) and Bruce McAdam followed up his third place at Burapha on Monday with another 36pts and third place here. Newbie Daniel Oshiro, who signed up at the bar just recently, filled the last place on 35, playing off 22.
The best score of the day was in Div B and came from Mark Kembrey, who scored a fantastic 44pts to win from Sugar Ray Handford on 38. Jarrod Braithwaite, who had a great round at St Andrews earlier in the week, found himself playing off 16 today but still managed to shoot 36 for third place; even though he had four “no score” holes.
Finally, last but certainly not least was Jim Brackett’s impressive level par round (72 gross) to rack up 43pts to win Div A. In that round Jim birdied the 2nd, 6th, 13th & 14th only to drop shots on the 5th, 8th, 11th & 12th. Incumbent PSC golf Chairman, Joe Mooneyham was second with 41 - a score that would normally win! Tom Byrne had 37pts to edge out Murray Hart on a count back, taking the last two podium places.
There were six ‘2’s from Paul Greenaway& Dennis Pelly (9th), Scott Wilson (12th) and Murray Hart, Jarrod Braithwaite and Jimmy Little all on the 16th.
Div A (0-14)
1st Jim Brackett (7) 43pts
2nd Joe Mooneyham (14) 41pts
3rd Tom Byrne (14) 37pts
4th Murray Hart (13) 37pts
Div B (15-19)
1st Mark Kembrey (19) 44pts
2nd Sugar Ray Handford (17) 38pts
3rd Jarod Braithwaite (16) 36pts
4th Jimmy Little (19) 35pts
Div C (20+)
1st Jim Payne (27) 40pts
2nd John Lawton (20) 39pts
3rd Bruce McAdam (30) 36pts
4th Daniel Oshiro (22) 35pts
Saturday, August 10, Green Valley – Stableford
Seven Outbackers played Green Valley with the highlight on the day being a fantastic 200 yard shot by Greg Hirst on the 17th to record a rare ‘2’ on a par 4; the only other ‘2’ was by Paul Sharples on the 12th.
Paul was the day’s winner with 39pts, from newcomer Richard Willing on 35 and Green Valley regular Bob Finley on 34.
Back at the bar Greg talked us through his eagle on the seventeenth; after a wayward tee shot to the right, that left him a second shot between two trees from somewhere in the vicinity of the drinks stop on the par 3. Deciding to hit a low four iron, the ball was on its way, “good shot”, cried the caddie; little did they know just how good it was as they were unable to find the ball until Greg plucked up the courage to look in the hole – and there it was. Well done mate!
1st Paul Sharples (10) 39pts
2nd Richard Willing (28) 35pts
3rd Bob Finley (14) 34pts
Note: The Outback Golf Bar is situated about 6km from Sukhumvit Road along Soi Siam Country. Call Jack on 081 578 1956.

A tough week of pleasure

IPGC golf from The Haven

Monday, August 5, Eastern Star - Stableford
CSS 75NC
1st Paul Young (18) 31pts
2nd Don Everett (21) 30pts
3rd Markku Tynell (22) 28pts
4th Trevor Schirmer (13) 28pts
5th Mike Hill (20) 27pts
A very hard week of golf started at the always difficult, and sometimes almost impossible, Robert Trent Jones designed course at Ban Chang where, although the condition of the course was good, the wetness of the fairways meant that at 6,575 yards it was just too long for the contestants. The scores returned would prove this and the CSS moved out to 75 as the day became non-counting for upward review of handicaps.

Bruce Hilde.

The best of the day belonged to returnee Paul Young who had obviously forgotten how hard it was as he cruised to his first win out of Soi 13 by the slimmest of margins.
Don Everett was only just denied his next long awaited victory as he failed to score on the last hole when he looked a certain winner as a single point would have been sufficient after a count back.
Markku Tynell won a count back for third place over Trevor Schirmer with a better 17 to 14 which left Mike Hill in fifth another point further back.
There were no 2’s in the first division but very surprisingly with the course playing so hard there were 2 in the second division achieved by Markku Tynell and Paul Young.

Mike Dabanovich.

Prior to the prize giving the two 2’s getters were mentioned with Paul Young being welcomed back and Markku Tynell given a farewell as he returns to Finland for some reindeer watching and annual round up amongst other things.

Wednesday, August 7, Pattana A & C (yellow tees) - Stableford
CSS 73
1st Serge Straeten (15) 34pts
2nd Brian Johnson (19) 34pts
3rd Chris Bonython (9) 34pts
4th Phil Groves (7) 33pts
5th Alwyne Burley (15) 31pts
6th Ray Daws (19) 31pts
The day’s competition had been originally set for Khao Kheow, but following discussions with the course management regarding the situation with the A course, during which it was advised that the B course would not be in tip top condition until the end of the month following extensive renovation work, it was amicably decided to cancel the August fixtures and return in September to the twice monthly visits to this always popular destination.
The new venue was settled as Pattana and after due consideration of the recent wet weather the day’s competition was set from the yellow tees, which just about proved to be a correct decision as the CSS for the day remained at the par of 73 with just three players making the standard.

Paul Young.

Serge Straeten turned out for the second time in the month and took his second win after winning a three-way count back with the best score of 17 as he finished the C course very strongly, taking twelve points from the last five holes.
Just missing out with a count back of 16 over the inward half Brian Johnson was still pleased to be on the podium after a solid round. The most unfortunate of the top three had to be Chris Bonython who totaled just 13 after he had looked like the easy winner after fourteen holes with 32 points already in the bag, but then inextricably he took three zeros on 15, 16 and 17 until a steadying two-pointer on the last got him onto the podium, but it will be a long time before he will have a better chance of winning when in such a good position.
There were no 2’s in either division with the par threes playing at their hardest, with even the extremely short 105 yard second hole on the C course only giving up one par to the field as the wind played havoc with the high shots played into a difficult back right pin placing.
Friday, August 9, Bangpra - Stableford
CSS 74
Division 1 (0-15)
1st Mike Dabanovich (13) 34pts
2nd Jon Batty (8) 32pts
3rd Trevor Schirmer (13) 30pts
Division 2 (16+)
1st Bruce Hilde (16) 31pts
2nd Ray Daws (19) 28pts
3rd Eddie Mathews (28) 26pts
A good turnout meant that two divisions could be formed, with the cut coming at the usual 15 and below for the first division.

Serge Straeten.

After two very tough days on the courses earlier in the week, there were very few of the hopefuls that seriously thought that a day at the oldest course in the area would be much better and they were proved to be correct as once again the length and pin positions took their toll.
At just under 6,500 yards on the card it is not the longest course in the area, but with the tees set almost back to the blue positions on many of the tee boxes, it needed a very big hit from the tee to leave any chance of a lofted club into the green and the leader boards in both divisions reflected that requirement, with the biggest hitters leading both groups.
The first division was a slugfest between playing partners Mike Dabanovich and Jon Batty as they powered it around, but still neither could quite get the hang of the greens that were for once playing fairly slow compared with their normal standards.
Mike Dabanovich ran out the winner by two points, having dominated the front nine which even included a couple of zeros amongst five 3-pointers and then matched Jon’s back nine to consign him down to second place after his good showing, with two wins during his last couple of outings with The Haven.
Trevor Schirmer was the best of the rest in third spot another two behind.
The second division was taken by the big hitting Bruce Hilde, although he ran into trouble after reaching the greens without having the experience to know where the best place was to be prior to the first putt, but he eventually ran out a fairly easy winner by three points.
Ray Daws had another solid round, although he also struggled to deal with the greens, finishing second while Eddie Mathew took his first podium position of the trip another two behind in third and very many others trailing in his wake.
Once again there were no 2’s in either division as again the par threes were playing very long and hard, with just a total of 12 pars being scored out of all the eighty chances with seven of those coming on the relatively easy second hole that was playing only 179 yards.
Note: If you would like to play with The Haven group, you can contact mobile 082 219 0965 or call in to The Haven Hotel, at 185 Soi 13, between Beach Road and 2nd Road. All transportation to the course is arranged and you do not need to sign up prior to the day, but you should be there by 8.15 on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday on the days that you wish to play. A schedule of courses to be played can be found on our web site at www.thehaven-hotel.com.

Grimes cleans up

The Pattaya Golf Society at Rabbi’s Elephant Bar

The Pattaya Golf Society left Soi Buakhao in Monday, 5th August to play a stableford competition at Green Valley under cloudy skies but on arriving at the course found the weather, and the course, perfect for golf. Less crowded than many courses there was no delay in starting and good progress was maintained throughout.
In third place was the redoubtable Aussie Alan Walker and the old soldier posted 31 points after a series of disappointing results. In second was Masanori Takano and his best gross score of 79 equated to 35 points for an excellent result in this, his final PGS round this trip. The winner was Ken Grimes and his solid play rewarded him with 37 points.
There were no birdie ‘2’s and the Booby Bevy went to Mr Len after his “hero-to-zero” performance following Friday’s splendid round. The week had started in fine style at Green Valley.
Top two on their own
On Wednesday, 7th August the Pattaya Golf Society visited Burapha to play a stableford competition on the friendly A and B nines in perfect conditions. The course was well prepared and the weather stayed comfortably dry.
The small field had no problem with progress and, amazingly for the quality of the field, scores were poor. Sharing third place were Glenn Martin and Grenville Hill with 29 points, leaving Alan Duckett and Andrew Purdie to rule the roost with 36 points each.
There were no birdie ‘2’s and Masashi Iizumi again received the Booby Bevy for his first round back, which bore all the hallmarks of two months in Tokyo with no golf. Things can only get better...
Grimes breaks forty
point barrier
The Pattaya Golf Society ended its week with a visit to Emerald in Ban Chang. The course is currently undergoing major fairway repairs but it is still very playable with discretionary drops to avoid re-turfed areas.
What a week this has been for Ken Grimes! On Monday there he was winning at Green Valley, his consistency helping him to post 37 points and here he was again at Emerald ending the week with his best ever PGS result, breaking forty for the first time in over one hundred appearances. In second place was Andrew Purdie with 35 points whilst Wichai Tananusorn rediscovered some of his pre-vacation form with thirty points for third.
There were no birdie ‘2’s again, an indication of the toughness of Emerald’s par threes and the sloping greens. The week had ended with an excellent trip to Emerald and a round to remember for Ken Grimes.

Greig takes medal award in tight finish

PSC golf Bunker Boys @ The Ranch

Monday, August 5, Phoenix Lake & Mountain – Medal
Four groups of golfers today for our visit to the nearby Phoenix course, on another bright and breezy day. The course continues to improve with each successive visit, several scruffy areas are being tidied up, and the tree planting project financed by the new owners is still continuing.

Tony presents the KPK voucher to Colin Greig.

Our first group was able to tee off a few minutes ahead of schedule and the pace of play throughout the day was steady. The course was in excellent condition and the greens were running true, but surprisingly the scores were generally disappointing on the day.
Gerry Cooney and Colin Greig were playing in the same group and had a nip and tuck battle until Colin put together a run of five pars on the finishing holes, to take the honours on the day by a single stroke.
Back at The Ranch, Colin was presented the KPK voucher and there was much debate as to whether we should increase the number of medal rounds that we play each month, since so many players performed badly today under the extra pressure.
1st Colin Greig (10) net 72
2nd Gerry Cooney (13) net 73
3rd Mashi Kaneta (15) net 74
Near Pins: Barry Murnin, Mike Johns and John Graham.

Wednesday, August 7, Burapha A & B Stableford

Burapha offers great value on Sports Days during the low season (especially for our senior golfers who regularly use buggies), so it wasn’t surprising that the car park was almost full when we arrived at the course.
It transpired that three other local golf societies were also playing the course today, but we were still able to tee off just a few minutes later than our scheduled time. It was soon apparent that it was going to be a long day, and when we reached the tee box on the par three fifth hole all of our four groups were congregated there! At least it provided an opportunity to swap some banter and catch up on everyone’s progress over the first few holes, and the final group also had the opportunity to watch all the tee shots of the other competitors (not that it helped your scribe very much as I promptly hooked my shot straight into the water!).
The pace of play picked up a little after that stoppage and eventually the round was completed in a little over four and a half hours – almost like a premature start to the high season!
Mike Johns produced his best performance since his arrival a couple of weeks ago to take first place ahead of Tony Robbins on a count back, with Lee Butler also showing a return to form to take third place a single point behind.
1st Mike Johns (18) 35pts
2nd Tony Robbins (14) 35pts
3rd Lee Butler (15) 33pts
Near Pins: Tony Robbins, John Graham, Sean Murphy and Steve Durey.
Friday, August 9, Bangpra – Stableford
Seventeen golfers today, meaning we had three groups of three-balls leading the way, but the course appeared relatively quiet, and we were able to tee off slightly ahead of our scheduled time. Unfortunately it soon became apparent that there must have been some slow groups ahead of us and our groups began to stack up after the first few holes.
The course was once again in good condition and the weather almost perfect, but as on our previous visit the tees were in their back positions so the course was playing long, especially on the par threes.
Colin Greig is one of the longer hitters in our society and he duly capitalized on the conditions to card the best score of the day, finishing one point clear of Mashi Kaneta.
The par three seventeenth hole provided a stern challenge at 209 yards and many players elected to use their driver (Neil Griffin would have been in his element!), but John Graham showed how to do it, hitting his ball within five feet of the pin
1st Colin Greig (10) 37pts
2nd Mashi Kaneta (15) 36pts
3rd John Graham (9) 33pts
4th Tony Robbins (14) 30pts
Near Pins: Geoff Hart, Gerry Cooney, and John Graham (2).
Note: The Bunker Boys are a PSC affiliated golf society, who now play out of The Ranch bar on Pattaya 3rd Road (in front of the fire station, and almost opposite the Buffalo Bar). We play three times per week on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, so if you enjoy a fun day out, and a friendly but competitive golf competition why not come and join us.
We meet at The Ranch at 9 a.m. for breakfast and transportation, and new players are always welcome. Contact “Buff” on 086 046 5091 or 080 605 5663 for all enquiries. You can find all the news, schedules and results on our website at www.bunkersociety.com.

The ‘Green Monster’ bares its teeth

PSC golf from Tropical Bert’s

Paul Sharples and Daryl Evans.

Derek Brook
Tuesday, August 6, Khao Kheow – Stableford
After the excitement of the previous week, it was back to the normal grind as we were forced to get out and play golf. Now we do not like to have to go play this game but on the basis that if no one played all those people who work at the game for a living would be out of work, we make do. Just imagine all those millionaires who would have to dig ditches for a living!
So off to what has to be one of the best golf courses around for a day of ‘Fun in the Sun’. We were to play the A & C Nines as the B Nine has been totally redesigned and is now in the process of growing into its new design. First looks seem to be positive and after all it will be fine to play a new nine here.
So off we went on A1, and the wind was up. The fairways on A Nine were badly scarred, and I suspect that once B Nine comes on line the A Nine will have to be rested and given time to recover. The C Nine seems to be in better condition. The greens all around are fine. I suspect it will not take long to ensure the A Nine recovers as a couple of years ago the whole course seemed to have been washed away, but it only took a couple of months and a lot of hard work to put it right. I think the A Nine will take no such massive effort.

Friday’s top three.

So with the course fairly quiet, and the way ahead with no groups, it was a pleasure to scoot around. It was a bit windy though and also quite hot so some of the walkers were absolutely tired out as they finally finished. Then back to a quick shower and a bite to eat.
Soon back at Bert’s I promised all the players I would not tell the readers what were the winning scores. Of course I will totally ignore that promise because we only need to score enough points to win, and K.K. is a notoriously tough course to score well on. It can destroy you and on this day it seemingly did.
So the winner with 31 points was Paul Sharples on count back over Daryl Evans in second. In third was Dick Warberg with 30 points while George King was in fourth on 28 points on a count back over George Bayley. Suffice to say the rest of the players remain nameless, including the Scribe!
Near Pin: Max Bracegirdle, Derek Brook, Daryl Evans
Friday, August 9, Eastern Star – Stableford
A small group but a fine day with co-operating weather and a course in much improved condition from the last time we played. There was a bit of sand remaining on a few greens but all were running at a reasonable speed and true. No ball in hand either as the fairways were firm with a good thickness under the ball.
At the special coupon rate this is a great day out although the course, as usual, was the winner. Back at Bert’s with the ‘Golfers Special’ going down with a few thirst quenchers, the results were read out. Recent returnee Tom Harrington won with 32 points ahead of Joel Flor in second on 30 points in second and Graham Buckingham in third with 29. T.T.F.N.

King scores debut win at Navy

Jomtien Golf with the IPGC

Monday, August 5, Plutaluang – Stableford
We alternate over the four courses here to keep everyone happy and today our booking was the West and North courses and this was no problem for the marshall as we walked down the steps to the starting blocks.

Glenn King.

An equal cut today of 11-21 in division 1 and 22+ in division 2 and two 35’s came in to win both divisions. Marty Rock won division 1 with Billy Fitzgerald second one point behind after beating Harry Vincenzi on a 17/16 back nine count back.
First time as the winner and playing off 30, Glenn King topped division 2 ahead of David Phillips in second with 33 and Roar Berger was third with 30 points.
Near pins were won by Billy Fitzgerald, Bryan Rought, Iain Usher, Harry Vincenzi and Sean Bambury (2).
Sean Bambury birdies the North 6th to record the only ‘2 of the day and take the pot in division 2.
It was bon voyage today to Chris Voller who was heading back to the UK for a short time and also back to Bristol for Jim Sims; have a good holiday chaps.
Wednesday, August 7, Burapha - Stableford
We chose the A and B courses today and decided to play from the blue tees for a change at 6730 yards rather than the white at 6220 and there were no grizzles at all, especially for the nearest the pins on the par threes.

Marty Rock.

These two nine are in perfect condition, especially the greens and there were some amazing scores coming in from the seven groups out today.
John Oxley, playing off 16, won division 1 with 38 points while Paul Butler, also off 16, took second one point behind John and in third place Neil Gamble beat Billy Fitzgerald and Lindsay Phillips on a 20/18/17 back-nine count back after they all returned scores of 35.
It was an equal cut today in the divisions with 10-18 and 21 plus in division 2, and Chris Slota won the second flight on 35 points. Lee Casy came in second after beating ‘countback’ Burnie 18/17 after they both scored 34 points.
Amazingly with two 170 yard par threes and two at 150 yards there were eight winners in the nearest the pins comp in the two divisions today. Awards went to Paul Butler, John Oxley, Lindsay Phillips, Harry Vincenzi, Gordon Everingham, Neil Gamble and Chris Slota (2).
There were 3 birdie ‘2’s on the 173 yard 8th on the B course for Paul Butler and Harry Vincenzi in division 1 and Burnie Sinclair in division 2, and on A3 and B3 Neil Gamble and John Oxley were also happy chappies.
Friday, August 9, Eastern Star - Stableford
After many moans to the management over the past three weeks or so the course has improved, with the long grass around the water hazards being cut and the fairways have also got better. It was perfect today weatherwise with a bit of cloud and a cool breeze coming off the coast.
The cut today was 11-17 and 18 plus in division 2 and the best score returned was 35 points to win division 1 for Marty Rock. Harry Vincenzi was second one point behind Marty and the lonely boy John Oxley came in third with 32.
There were some lower scores in division 2 with Bryan Priestley winning with 29 points and Danny Greer beat the organiser on a 17/14 back-nine count back for second after a meagre 28 points were scored by both.
Near pins went to John Oxley, Marty Rock, Harry Vincenzi, Peter Davies, Tom Novak and Bryan Priestley.
There were no ‘2’s so three rollovers in each division to next Friday and the week after here we have an extravaganza rainbow game.
Breaking news from the UK - Chris Voller playing the Oxford City Golf Course (formally Southfields) recorded his first ever hole-in-one at the 135-yard par three 17th. Congratulations Chris, we are all sorry here at Jomtien Golf that the rollover kitty does not include UK courses.

Bruce on fire at the Valley

PSC Golf from Lewiinski’s Golf Society

Colin Davis (left) congratulates Sunday’s winner Yui Bietry.

Sunday, August 4, Green Valley - Stableford
A Flight
1st Yui Bietry (14) 40pts
2nd Claude Harder (14) 38pts
3rd Barry Copestake (13) 36pts
B Flight
1st Bruce Walters (33) 44pts
2nd Christian Boysen (36) 38pts
3rd Peter Terry (17) 35pts
Near Pins: No 4 Yui Bietry No 9 JP Maffray No 12 Barry Copestake No 16 Bob Newell
It has been apparent of late that nice guy Bruce Walters was rounding into form and that trend continued this Sunday at Green Valley as his 44pt lashing would attest. Bruce, who resides up north in Kanchanaburi travels down to play with his friends at Lewiinski’s every weekend and finds it very worthwhile.
Bruce’s excellent man of the match score was six clear of Freddy’s Danish mate Christian Boysen, and a further three clear of the formidable pair of Peter Terry and JP Maffray, with the scales of justice tipping in Peter’s favour.
Yui Bietry was the toast of the bar as she stood atop the A Flight podium with a sparkling 40 points. Following Yui up the podium steps with his eyes on the floor (as Pierre was in attendance) was Claude Harder two shots adrift. Barry Copestake filled the flight gaining a count back decision over JP Maffray.
Yui Bietry, Bob Newell, Dale Shier and Martin Allard shared the 2,s pot.
Tuesday, August 6, Laem Chabang A & B - Stableford
A Flight
1st Dean Watson (4) 35pts
2nd Paul Bray (5) 34pts
3rd Paul Smith (1) 33pts
B Flight
1st Peter Henshaw (16) 35pts
2nd Bobby Brigs (14) 34pts
3rd Jim Bell (16) 34pts
C Flight
1st Merle Humphreys (19) 33pts
2nd Lyn Foote (27) 31pts
3rd Paul Savage (25) 31pts
Wow! Three flights on a Tuesday, it’s enough to give the scribe writer’s cramp. Mind you it is not that surprising as it was a day out at the fabulous well maintained Laem Chabang.
Well, whatever the size of the mob no player managed to better par on the day. Dean Watson and Peter ‘Don O’Corleone’ Henshaw were nearest as their 35 point returns were good for co-man of the match honours. Dean took the top spot in A Flight followed by Paul Bray a shot adrift and Paul Bray a further shot back.
Peter’s 35 points was the top score in B Flight as Bobby Brigs and Jimmy AK-47 Bell were knotted on 34 points; when the divots had settled it was Bobby who walked off with the silver leaving Jim with the bronze.
Not surprisingly C Flight was a bit over-mauled by this most difficult course on the Eastern Seaboard. The Jack Nicklaus design made a winner out of Merle Humphreys 33 points. Both Lyn Foote and Paul Savage were surprised that their 31 points went to a count back to decide second and third places as John tipped his hat to Lyn.
Paul Smith and Peter Henshaw split the 2’s pot.
Wednesday, August 7, Burapha A & B - Stableford
A Flight
1st Nick Shaw (17) 39pts
2nd John Pierrel (13) 39pts
3rd Greg Bates (11) 37pts
B Flight
1st Ivan Plunkett (24) 33pts
2nd Christian Boysen (36) 33pts
3rd Silvano Pizzato (22) 32pts
A Flight played like the players they are as they led the day’s way with two 39 point outputs that gave Nick Shaw and John Pierrel the co-man of the match title. It was hard luck to John in the ensuing count back as he had to settle for the second place lucre. Greg Bates was happy his 37pts was good for the bronze via his count back win over the unlucky Freddy ‘nothing to shout about’ Startrek.
In B Flight the luck of the Irish prevailed as the calculator was out again and Ivan Plunkett was the main benefactor, with Christian Boysen lifting the silver. Silvano Pizzato was grateful to find his 32 points was good for the flight bronze.
No 2’s were recorded so it is a rollover on Friday.
Friday, August 9, Crystal Bay B & C – Stableford
A Flight
1st Kevin Rogers (12) 37pts
2nd Rob Morrison (10) 37pts
3rd John Pierrel (13) 37pts
B Flight
1st Jean LaRoche (17) 34pts
2nd John Foote (18) 33pts
3rd Nick Shaw (17) 32pts
Friday capped the week off with a trip to Crystal Bay to take on the B & C layouts. A Flight provided the co-men of the match as three players all carded 37 points; when the divots had been replaced Kevin Rogers emerged the top man as Rod Morrison took the silver, with John Pierrel rounding out the flight.
B Flight was a bit tame this week (excluding Bruce’s Sunday exploits) and the trend continued with Jean LaRoche filling the top spot with 34 points. Aussie John Foote was happy to take the silver a shot in arrears as Wednesday’s top man made it two pay window visits in the week a further shot back.
Six 2’s were recorded with Peter Henshaw having the lions share with a brace.
Note: Lewiinski’s is situated on Pattaya land Soi 1, Beach Rd Soi13/13 near Walking Street. Anyone wishing to play with us just pop in and add your name to the list or call Colin on 089 826 0764. Transport is provided.

Mulrooney soars high with an albatross

PSC golf from The Golf Club

John Mulrooney with well wishers and his albatross certificate.

Steve Ellison
Monday, August 5, Green Valley (white tees) – Stableford
1st Geoff Doody (23) 39pts
2nd John Mulrooney (13) 38pts
3rd Muffy Kerr (12) 37pts
Yes, he has had an eagle, yes he has had a hole-in-one, but this is the first albatross John Mulrooney has achieved, and in fact, it is a first in the 6 year history of The Golf Club!
John has been killing his drives so at around 300 yards, those long holes are just about manageable. His Driver-7 iron combination on the 14th par 5 told the tale with only 2 strokes needed on that hole. What a fantastic achievement, but still not enough to win on the day.
Geoff Doody had one of his best rounds in a long time and his 39 points were enough to take victory. Muffy “Flashpants”Kerr styled his way round the course with 37 points to take third place for our Canadian buddy.
Tuesday, August 6, Khao Kheow A & C (white tees) – Stableford
1st Phil Smedley (9) 33pts
2nd Ron Robertson (28) 32pts
3rd Peter Rogers (19) 30pts
No matter what you hear, you’ve got to go and play the course for yourself to determine an opinion for course condition. Khao Kheow is in fine shape. No, it’s not in a perfect state, but very playable and there were no complaints from the field. We had been hearing how bad things were there but today’s play showed those were untrue and we had a great day of golf there.
On to the scoring, and it was our trusty Golf Captain Mr. Phil Smedley who ended up at the top of the heap. The surprise was that he did it with only 33 points on the card, showing how hard this course can sometimes be. Ron Robertson finally came good and took to the podium with second place honours, while Pet Rogers was in the neighbourhood with just 30 points for third.
Thursday, August 8, Plutaluang (white tees) – Stableford
T1st John Mulrooney (13) 39pts
T1st John Player (19) 39pts
3rd Sel Wegner (12) 37pts
It has been quite some time since we played the Navy course, but a welcome return at last. The courses played were West and North and proved to be in very good condition. In fact, the greens were just great, rolled very smooth but a tad bit on the slow side. This is one of those great value courses we are lucky enough to have and frankly, we should play it more than we do.
John Mulrooney, fresh off his albatross on Monday, once again found the podium but this time taking first place. Victory had to be shared with another John, and Mr. Player had a special day as well and also had 39 points. Sel Wegner rounded off the top 3 golfers with a fine 37 on the day. Thanks to all who joined us this week for some fantastic golf in Pattaya.
Note: The Golf Club is located on Soi LK Metro. We try to schedule summer “Sports Days”, so come join us for a seriously fun day out. Just call 085 434 3377 or see our website www.golfclubpattaya.com and for more information mail us: [email protected] and see updates at www.facebook.com/golfclubpattaya... all handicaps welcome!

Wild wallops Green Valley

The Billabong Bar Golf Society

Green Valley winners.

Wednesday, August 7, Green Valley - Stableford
Green Valley is our normal venue for Wednesday and with eight groups taking part it was a grand day out. Everyone enjoyed themselves today as this course is manicured to perfection; the greens were top dressed the previous week and they are now as good as you will putt on anywhere. The fairways on 17 and 18 have been scarified but that didn’t make any difference either.
We were off to an early start and it was a four hour round for easy golf. John Mills had a big night the night before and had to call it quits after eleven holes and call a taxi to take him home. I don’t think the flu had anything to do with his condition, just a little over indulgence.
John Hendry and his Mate Graham Stitfall were over from Canarvon, but unfortunately Graham got a cracked rib and was playing in all sorts of pain. Impressive perseverance and enjoy your trip up to Nong Khai mate and get some rest.
There were some fantastic scores in today and four ‘2’s also. When a score of 36 points from Gus George only gets fourth spot you know the field has scored well. Third place went to Bruce McAdam with 37 points, second went to Dayle Shier with 40 and in first place was Kevin Wild who finished with a magic 46 points. This is the second time in his golfing career that he has broken a hundred gross and he couldn’t stop smiling even as he rang the bell.
The ‘2’s came from Dayle Shier, Mark Wood, Peter Lenoury and Bob Philp.
Friday, August 9, Crystal Bay - Stableford
With six groups we set off from the bar a little early because sometimes travelling to Crystal Bay can get a bit hectic in the traffic and today was no exception. The course was a little rough around the edges and the greens with different grass here and made for a good challenge.
We said hello today to Brad Sproxton and goodbye to Bill Rogers, who was going home to Melbourne and hopefully coming back at Xmas.
There was a three-way count back for second, third and fourth places, all on 35 points, which was headed by Brad Sproxton with 21 on the back nine while Darl White (18) took third and Eng Cotterell (17) fourth. The winner meanwhile was the Capt. Bob with 38 points.
There were two ‘2’s coming from Bob Philp and Owen Walkley.
Note: If you are looking for a game with some friendly golfers give Bob a call on 082 204 3411 or call into the bar we are just off Siam Country road looking straight down Lake Maprachan. Also, if anybody is looking for a right hand R1 there is one for sale for 10.000 baht. Just give Bob a call and he will put you in touch with the vendor. He assures it hasn’t been used properly since he bought it!

Cleaver carves up the field

Travellers Rest Golf Group

Andy Rich
Numbers dropped back last week to what you would expect for the second week in August in Pattaya. After the previous week’s influx it was back to the usual suspects to fight it out for player of the week at the TRGG.

Ted Senior - winner at Pattana.

Of course it may have been because a number of poor souls had succumbed to a bout of dengue fever, which has been my excuse for giving golf a miss these past three weeks. Dengue fever is not fun I can assure you.
Monday, August 5,
Plutaluang - Stableford
On Monday it was off to the Navy course at Plutaluang which has been in superb condition for a few weeks now. Burly Liam Horgan muscled his way to the top of the leader board with a fine round, accruing 38 pts in the process. This score proved too good for Daryl Ottoway who finished second on 37 and Jim McNeill in third on 36.
1st Liam Horgan (15) 38pts
2nd Daryl Ottoway (8) 37pts
3rd Jim McNeill (13) 36pts
Tuesday, August 6,
Pattana - Stableford
On Tuesday Pattana A and C courses provided the challenge for the TRGG faithful and Ted Senior once again proved to be the cream on top of the milk. He finished with 34 pts which was too good for all the rest, including Fergus Brennan in second on 33 and Masa Takana in third on 32.

Jim Cleaver - winner at Phoenix.

1st Ted Senior (14) 34pts
2nd Fergus Brennan (12) 33pts
3rd Masa Takana (6) 32pts
Thursday, August 8,
Phoenix - Stableford
Thursday saw us off to our usual weekly venue at Phoenix (Mountain and Lakes). Again it proved to be the biggest turnout of the week and new father Jim Cleaver shook his rattle the loudest and finished first on 38 points. Tewin Poopay Lamthong kept up the ladies colours by finishing second on 36 and Jim McNeill took his second third spot of the week by finishing with 35.
1st Jim Cleaver (12) 38pts
2nd Tewin Poopay Lamthong (11) 36pts
3rd Jim McNeill (13) 35pts
Good luck to all you golfers for the coming week and if you would like to play a round of golf with the TRGG please phone Fergus Brennan on 086 056 7019 or pop into the Ned Kelly Bar in Soi Lengkee and add your name to the weekly lists, which are posted on the notice board.

Golfnutter: US PGA – A worthy winner

Welcome to Golfnutter’s Blog – a weekly commentary highlighting contemporary golfing issues, in Pattaya and beyond. For more on matters golf, especially Pattaya golf, visit golfnutter. wordpress.com.
This is the second major this year that has offered redemption to its champion. Masters winner, Adam Scott, was rightfully hailed for claiming his first major title so soon after his collapse in last year’s Open Championship.
This year’s PGA Champion, Jason Dufner, had to wait a little longer before laying to rest the fact he had blown a five shot lead over the last four holes to win his first major at Atlanta Athletic Club, exactly two years ago to the day.
The player to deny Dufner back then was Keegan Bradley, who won his first major by defeating him in a playoff – a playoff occasioned by Dufner’s horrific collapse.
This year, after knocking in a six-inch tiddler to win by two shots from runner-up, Jim Furyk, Dufner gave his rather attractive wife, Amanda, a big hug before proceeding to the scorer’s office. He hadn’t gone far before he was embraced by a fellow competitor whose pleasure in acknowledging the new champion was obvious for all to see. That competitor was Keegan Bradley. Don’t you just love this game!
Dufner, he of such laid-back style, has become a bit of a cult figure through his displays of, well, nothing really. His nonchalant look, whether having just sent a testing approach shot to within six-inches, or having slotted a difficult putt for birdie, has become something of legend on the professional circuit. So much so that “Dufnering” – a scene showing him in a slumped sitting position with an expressionless face – went viral on twitter recently.
Turning professional in 2000, Dufner first made the PGA Tour in 2004 before losing his playing rights and returning to the Nationwide Tour in 2005. He won his Tour card back for 2007, but only had conditional status for 2008. He finished T11 at Q-School that year to earn his Tour card for 2009, where he has been since. This win is his third on the PGA Tour.
Modest, totally unassuming, and for the most part absolutely expressionless, Jason Dufner looks more like a guy who’s jumped the ropes in order to get closer to the stars than one of them. On late Sunday afternoon, at Rochester, NY, he wasn’t just one of them; he was the one of them!
“I can’t believe this is happening to me,” he said, during his gracious acceptance speech.
A comment not unrelated to what he said on Friday, when asked what it felt like to be the first to shoot 63 at such a prestigious golf course. “I don’t think I’ve been the first to do anything in my life,” was his typically self-effacing response.
Starting the day just behind over-night leader Furyk, Dufner played a brilliant front-nine in three under par. He then parred 10 through 15 before sending a magnificent approach to within inches of the hole on 16, giving him a two-shot cushion over the difficult closing holes. That he closed out bogey, bogey, didn’t matter as he won by two. Dufner’s ball-striking during the four days was without equal, as indeed was his imperturbable manner.
His final round 2-under 68 can be put into better context when it is realised his longest birdie putt was circa four feet – true testament to his wonderful ball-striking. Because of this, some analysts believe his final-round 68 to be on a par with his second-round 63.
A deserving and likeable hero is Jason Dufner.
The USGA are probably breathing a massive sigh of relief that overnight leader Jim Furyk didn’t prevail. The organisation responsible for running golf in the US has become very concerned of the threat to golf’s playing numbers caused by slow play. The influence that major champions have on amateur players emulating their hero’s swing and putting routines is well known.
Had Furyk prevailed, the chances of amateurs copying his convoluted, involved, time-consuming putting routine would have sent shivers down the spine of those responsible for fast-play initiatives currently promoted by the USGA.
This win marks the third time this year that a major has gone to a first-time winner. Dufner is also the 15th first-timer in the last 19 – the same number as there has been different winners in the last 21 majors. Has major golf ever seen a more competitive era?
The last word on Dufner’s win should go to whoever it was that came up with the following: His ball-striking and unflappable demeanour under pressure was impressive, but his ability to marry out of his league was truly outstanding… as anyone who saw her on TV hugging Dufner after his win would attest. Good guys do win!
Happy golfing
Golfnutter

Wylie back to winning ways

PSC Golf from Siam Country Resort

Tuesday, August 6, The Emerald - Stableford
Tuesday was a visit to Emerald, which has been the subject of some rather negative reports of late. We found the course to be in generally satisfactory condition however the grounds staff maybe could have opted to keep GUR areas on 10 & 11 marked. The greens were all ok, with them rolling smooth & true for the most part.

Pattana winner, Jeff Wylie.

A good sized field today with a couple of newbies, so it was welcome to Sar for her first ever on course game and Stuart from Jomtien via Qatar.
Brian Maddox (22) was the leader of the field with 38 points, after a blistering 24 on the front including one wipe! Next best was Owen Walkley (12) with 35 points while Jonathan Pratt (10) just edged Jeff Wylie (5) on the last 6 holes 14/12, after both signed for 34 points.
Near pins were spread around, with Brian, Owen, On & Sar getting collects.
Thursday, August 8, Pattana - Stableford
Thursday saw us travel north along Hwy 331 to Pattana, with the C & A combination to be our test for the day. Being a par 73 this combo is a tad longer than most of the courses we play (even from the whites), which obviously suited Jeff Wylie (5) as he signed for a day’s best of 40 points. Jeff gained some revenge from Tuesday over Jonathan Pratt (10) who was next best with 28 points. Jeff was obviously hitting it pretty well as he also collected 3 near pins.
Note: Siam Country Resort, Restaurant & Bar is located just off Siam Country Club Rd, after going under the arch past the 7/11, turn right after 50 metres, with the venue on the left another 200 metres along. Golf from here is generally played on Tuesday & Thursday, with the Resort hosting prompt presentations on both days. As a PSC affiliated venue we welcome ALL golfers, including ladies & seniors who have opted for the “Silver” tee option. Call 089 094 1841 for scheduling or enquiries. Hope to see you there, cheers & good golfing!

Morel takes the win

PSC golf from Café Kronborg

Monday, August 12, Pleasant Valley – Stableford
1st Jean Morel (18) 38pts
2nd Daryl Evans (20) 35pts
3rd Gordon Evringham (24) 34pts
4th Mike Winfield (22) 33pts
We set off from the first tee under partly sunny skies and in humid conditions. The course on the day was wet but in fine condition all the way around.

Jean Morel.
We got back to the clubhouse in a slowish 4 hours and 15 minutes with a 5-ball ahead all day.
Goodbyes went out to Lasse Pettersson and Peter Fagerlund, both going back to Sweden, and also to Gordon Everingham, heading back to Canada for a short time.
Jean Morel was the winner today with 38 points ahead of Daryl Evans in second place three points behind, Gordon Everingham in third with 34 points and Mike Winfield fourth with 33.

100,000 baht in prizes awarded in Pattaya Beach Volleyball Open

Pattaya City official Thongchai Aajsrong presents the winning trophy to the victorious Qatar Club male team.
Phasakorn Channgam
Students and adults took home nearly 100,000 in prizes as they hit the sand for the Pattaya Beach Volleyball Open.
City Councilman Praiwan Arromchuen handed out the cash awards at the close of the Aug. 1-4 tournament that featured contestants from the Royal Thai Navy, area schools and residents from around the country.
Prizes were handed out for male, female and under-18 student categories.
The top two finishers in the men’s category were from the Qatar Club, which took home 15,000 baht for first place and 10,000 baht for second. Two Navy Club teams won third and fourth, winning 7,000 baht and 5,000 baht, respectively.

Valaya Alongkorn Rajabhat University took first prize in the ladies event.
The same prize amounts were awarded in the women’s group, which saw Valaya Alongkorn Rajabhat University place first, Nongsuavittayakhom School take second, the Samut Sakhorn Team take third and Bangkok Sports School fourth.
Among students, Benjaromratchuthit Chanthaburi School won the 10,000 baht first-place prize, Volleyball Club of Pattaya won 7,000 baht for second, Pattaya School No. 11 took 5,000 baht for third and another Volleyball Club of Pattaya team won fourth and 2,000 baht.

Action from the male competition.

Prize winners in each category pose for a group photo.

United suffer another loss on the road

Ratchaburi FC forward Douglas (center) takes the ball downfield during the first half of their Thai Premier League fixture against Pattaya United at the Ratchaburi Stadium, Sunday, August 11. (Photo courtesy Ratchaburi FC Fan Club)

Pattaya United’s looming drop into second tier football moved another step closer last weekend after the Dolphins were comprehensively beaten 3-0 away at Ratchaburi on Sunday.
The home team, who themselves have been struggling at the wrong end of the table this season, opened the scoring in the 21st minute through a penalty by Brazilian forward Douglas.
Things got worse for United on the half hour mark when defender Theerayut, who had earlier conceded the penalty kick, committed a rash challenge on a Ratchaburi attacker and was dismissed for his second bookable offence.
Down to 10 men with the best part of an hour remaining in the game the writing appeared to be on the wall for the Dolphins. As it transpired, United held out gamely until 10 minutes into the second half when Colombian striker Obregon doubled Ratchaburi’s lead from close range. In the 67th minute the home team sealed all three points after United’s keeper Predaboon conceded another penalty and Douglas converted for his second goal of the game.

Last Saturday, Chonburi FC kept up their pursuit of the top two after a fortuitous own goal gave them a 1-0 home win over relegation threatened Bangkok United. Chonburi where due to face Pattaya in this Wednesday’s midweek derby clash before taking a trip to TOT this coming Sunday. Pattaya meanwhile will play away at second placed Muang Thong United on Saturday, kick off at 6.30 p.m.

Team P W D L +/- Pts.

Buriram United 20 14 6 0 31 48

Muang Thong United 20 14 3 3 18 45

Chonburi 20 12 5 3 14 41

Suphanburi 20 10 7 3 13 37

Army United 20 9 4 7 8 31

BEC Tero Sasana 20 7 8 5 1 29

Osotspa 20 7 8 5 1 29

Songkhla United 21 7 7 7 -2 28

Bangkok Glass 20 7 6 7 -4 27

Police United 20 6 7 7 1 25

TOT 20 6 6 8 -10 24

Chainat 20 5 7 8 -2 22

Ratchaburi 20 4 7 9 -3 19

Bangkok United 20 4 5 11 -15 17

Samut Songkhram 20 3 7 10 -11 16

Chiangrai United 20 2 9 9 -10 15

Pattaya United 20 3 1 16 -26 10

Sisaket 3 0 1 2 -4 1

Results: Army United 3 - 2 TOT, Samut Songkhram 1 - 0 Chainat, Police United PSTP Sisaket, Chonburi 1 - 0 Bangkok United, Osotspa 0 - 0 Bangkok Glass, BEC Tero Sasana 1 - 1 Suphanburi, Ratchaburi 3 - 0 Pattaya United, Buriram United 1 - 1 Muang Thong United, Chiangrai United 0 - 0 Songkhla United

John Kepplers Cider Pool League

Results & Standings August 8

Team Pts. For Against Diff.

Brasshouse 54 174 112 62

Panitas 45 159 127 32

Ice Bar 36 143 143 0

Smarty’s 36 140 146 -6

Barking Frog 30 150 136 14

Siam Country Res 27 138 148 -10

Lucky Bar 27 130 156 -26

Pats Bar 21 134 152 -18

Sweet Dream 15 113 173 -60

Happy Day 3 18 34 -16

Results: Smarty’s 6 v 7 Panitas, Pats Bar 6 v 7 Ice Bar, Brasshouse 4 v 9 Siam Country Res, Happy Day 4 v 9 Sweet Dream, Lucky Bar 3 v 10 Barking Frog

Thailand show the world they can play cricket

Now ranked 12th in the world

Thailand’s Nattakan Chantham hits out against the Netherlands in an ICC Women’s World Twenty20 Qualifier held in Ireland last month.

Richard Lockwood
The Thailand women’s cricket team were rewarded for all their hard work and preparation as they surpassed all expectations when they took part in the ICC Women’s World Twenty20 Qualifier in Ireland at the end of July.
It proved very much a trip of a lifetime for the Thai girls as they won three of their five matches in the competition, a record that was bettered only by Pakistan and Sri Lanka who were the two best sides and reached the tournament final.
Thailand had already shown great promise by beating Canada and running Scotland close in warm-up games and they gave a good account of themselves in their first group match against a Pakistan side who had spent a month playing against England and Ireland, while Thailand had been preparing at home.
Chiang Mai girl Nattakan Chantam, who has been playing cricket since she was nine years old, gave Thailand the perfect start as she took a wicket with her third ball and Pakistan had to work hard in making a total of 145 for 6 in their 20 overs. Thailand also did well with the bat as the openers laid a solid base and the lower-order went for their shots.
Pakistan beat Thailand by 69 runs but the girls quickly realised they had been beaten by a very strong side and they could now compete at the highest level. They faced Netherlands in their second match, a team who had played in the Women’s World Cup, but Thailand were confident in their own ability and did their country proud by gaining their first victory in a major ICC tournament by beating the Dutch by six wickets.
This surprised many onlookers from around the world who had not understood how far Thailand women’s cricket has come since their victory over China in the final of the ACC Women’s Championship in Chiang Mai in January. Thailand’s bowlers again did a good job in restricting Netherlands to a total of 84 for 5 and the openers, Pundarika Prathanmitr and Naruemol Chaiwai, laid the base for victory with a stand of 31.
But it was young 17-year-old Nattakan Chantam who proved the match-winner with the bat as she nervelessly went for her shots and hit 24 from 19 balls to take her side to a famous victory with only four wickets down.
Thailand now had the chance to reach the semi-finals if they could beat Zimbabwe in their next match but the second best side in Africa proved tough opponents and scored 23 in their last two overs to pass the 100 mark.
Thai captain Sornnarin Tippoch batted well to score 24 but she didn’t have enough support to chase a difficult target and Thailand were bowled out for 74 to lose by 29 runs, but their tournament was not over as they now took part in a shield competition alongside Zimbabwe, Canada and Japan.
Thailand faced Canada and had impressed so much that they were now favourites to win and they gave a professional performance as they scored 92 for 6 in 18 overs as Chanida Sutthiruang made 23 from 17 balls. Rain saw the match extended into a second day and Nattaya Boochatham took 2 for 11 as Canada could make only 79 for 8 and Thailand had won by 13 runs.
The Thai girls now faced Zimbabwe in the Shield final and they gave their best performance of the whole tournament as they comprehensively beat the African side by 25 runs (Duckworth/Lewis method) as the match was shortened by rain.
Sornnarin Tippoch, who along with Nattaya Boochatham has been given the chance to play league cricket in Sri Lanka, led from the front as she took the new ball and dismissed both openers with her off-spin. Zimbabwe were restricted to a total of 85 for 6 in 20 overs.
Thailand were 48 for no wicket in just seven overs when the rain finally brought an end to proceedings.
The team convincingly won the Shield competition and can now be ranked as high as 12th place in world cricket, and a record of three wins in five matches is an outstanding achievement. The country of Thailand can certainly be very proud of its women’s cricket team.

PTT Pattaya Open ups prize money to US$250,000

The Dusit Thani Hotel tennis complex will receive a major overhaul ahead of the 2014 PTT Pattaya Open.

The 2014 PTT Pattaya Open, WTA professional women’s tennis tournament will again be held one week earlier next year from the 26 January – 2 February 2014, following on directly after the Australian Open. There will also be an increase in the prize money to US$250,000 as well as a major rebuilding of the courts at the Dusit Thani Hotel, Pattaya.
Tournament Director Mr. Geoffrey Rowe said that “with the event continuing in the same week following the Australian Open we can expect another strong field for the 2014 PTT Pattaya Open. On a recent visit to Wimbledon we discussed player commitment for the tournament and there was a lot of interest from top players and their representatives. We hope to have most of the key players on our list signed up by the end of the US Open.”
The 2014 PTT Pattaya Open will continue the tradition of being staged at the Dusit Thani Hotel in Pattaya. It is now in its 23rd year, and is one of the longest running events on the WTA Tour tennis calendar. The WTA tour is the global leader in women’s professional sport with more than 2,500 players representing 92 nations competing for more than $118, 000,000 in prize money at the WTA’s 54 events and 4 Grand Slams in 33 countries.

Rising Thai tennis star Tanaporn Thongsing.

Next year sees the prize money increased to US$250,000 as well as improvements to the courts at the Dusit Thani, Pattaya, with court no 3 undergoing a complete rebuilding in the autumn this year. There will also be changes to the compact stadium to improve the capacity and convenience for spectators.
“With the number of spectators increasing each year we need to look at how we can maximize space at the stadium, without compromising the safety and convenience of the public” added Mr. Rowe.
Chang continues backing of Tanaporn
Meanwhile the Chang brewery has announced that it is extending its sponsorship of rising Thai women’s tennis star Tanaporn Thongsing. Tanaporn recently visited the Chang offices in Bangkok where she met with Surapol Utintu, Executive Director of Thai Beverage Marketing Co., Ltd and Pasavorn Peetarangsie Tennis Project Manager of Thai Beverage Marketing Co., Ltd.
Tanaporn has been training at the Schuttler-Waske Tennis University in Offenbach, Germany where she has been working alongside a number of well-known women tennis players who currently train at the University, foremost amongst whom are two of Germany’s top women tennis stars; Angelique Kerber who is currently ranked No 9 in the world and former top 10 player, Andrea Petkovic.
Tanaporn was in Thailand last month to compete in the Chang ITF Pro Circuit at Rama Gardens Hotel, and has now returned to Germany to continue her training and compete in German Tennis League tournaments throughout the summer. She will be back in Thailand at the end of November this year to compete in the US$15,000 Chang ITF Pro Circuit tournaments which are being held in Phuket.