The scribe lays down a marker at Navy

PSC golf from P J Pool Bar

Neil Duncan
Tuesday, December 2, Century Chonburi (White tees) - Stableford
A Flight (0-15)
1st Ken Hole (15) 36pts
2nd Jeff Wylie (7) 35pts
3rd John Roddis (11) 34pts
B Flight (16-up)
1st Bev Ewens (26) 36pts
2nd Geoff Moodie (26) 32pts
3rd Neil Duncan (16) 32pts
Seventeen happy chappies turned out to play despite the fact that the green fee was double that of the week before: all of 200 baht now, thrice that with caddie fee and shared buggy. Grumble, grumble, grumble!
Near pin dividend payouts went to Jeff Wylie, Peter Fitton, Bev Ewens and Paul Sabin with John Roddis sinking the longest first putt on the 18th green. The average score of 31 was the same as the week before, once again demonstrating that ‘lift and place’ everywhere has no appreciable effect on scores but does reduce the impact of the frequently found tatty lies found on the otherwise perfectly acceptable golf course.
Thursday, December 4, Plutaluang E & W (White tees) - Stableford
A Flight (0-15)
1st Mike Jackson (13) 36pts
2nd David Gardner (9) 35pts
3rd Ken Hole (15) 33pts
4th John Roddis (11) 33pts
B Flight (16-up)
1st Neil Duncan (16) 40pts
2nd Dennis Jaycock (19) 38pts
3rd Jim Walton (22) 34pts
4th Jim Fortune (25) 33pts
A goodly group of twenty two of us turned out for golf on a ‘count your blessings’ kinda day: terrific golf course in excellent condition, green mountains, lapping reservoir, blue sky, cool breeze, great caddies, chattering bird life, flowering plants everywhere, cold beer in the clubhouse etc. etc. and in scribe’s case smoting the golf ball with an imitation of competence.
Two chums ‘Paco’ (yes, he from deep within the bowels of the Earth) and ‘Scrim’ made a welcome return to us today despite the airport problems.
Near pin bonuses went to David Gardner, Neil Duncan, Willy Nachbur and David Johnson. The 18th green (West 9) is a very large green, the pin was well back and Jim Walton was 6 inches on at the front. ‘No chance’ was the thinking but Jim calmly slotted the putt later measured at 48.5 paces to nab the 200 baht long putt bonus. The average score for the day was 30 points.

Treacherous greens at Bangpra

PSC golf from Tropical Bert’s

Thomas Cotton
Tuesday, December 2, Bangpra - Stableford
A Flight (1-16)
1st Jouni Jauhiainew 34pts
2nd Phil Barnsley 30pts
3rd Perry McNeely 29pts
B Flight (17-up)
1st Thomas Cotton 34pts
2nd Cees Bosman 33pts
3rd Bill Knight 31pts
Near Pins: Dick Kerr (2), Badger, Jouni Jauhianiew
Long Putts: Peter Whitehead, Rainer Helling
A few eager golfers reached Bert’s early Tuesday morning only to learn that we were having a late tee-off, so went home went back two hours later and then headed north to Bangpra past the streams of dislocated tourists who were headed south to Utapao Airport. Many of us were certainly glad that we didn’t have to catch any flights and were quite content just to stay in Thailand play golf. Or maybe we should say “play at golf,” because this was to be another day when not one of us was able to play to his/her handicap. And this day we could not blame the macaques, who were peacefully minding their own monkey businesses.
It started as a fine day, with slightly cool, breezy weather. The fairways were starting to dry out and we were getting lots of run on our drives. But the greens were also dry, super-fast and some mischievous green-keeper had found absolutely the most difficult pin placements. Many of us ended up 3-putting or worse, which unhappily depressed the scores (except our reporter, who usually 3-putts anyway).
After our uninspiring performances, we headed back south amongst the throngs of holiday refugees towards Pattaya and the peace of Tropical Bert’s to watch the news about the happy end to the airport blockade.

Ambush at Lakeside

PSC golf from The Café Kronborg

Derek Brook
Monday, December 1, Bangpakong- Stableford
The immaculate Bangpakong Riverside Course was host to a stableford event in two flights with the cut at handicap 18. It was a very pleasant day with a lot of wind.
Sven Gaarde won the B Flight with 34 points ahead of Buddy O’Reilly in second on a count back from Leif Kirkegaarde in third, both with 33 points. In the A Flight Brendan Byrne won with 36 points ahead of Neil Allison in second with 35 points and in third was ever present Ebrahim with 33 points.
Near Pins: Bill Plath, Ebrahim, Sven Gaarde, Hugh O’Donnell
Thursday, December 4, Royal Lakeside – Stableford
This is a fine course if you like it flat with most of the fairways having a dog leg to the right, fine for a fade but you have to hit cleanly. Over compensate and you can be any place. There is a lot of water on the course and a lot of wind, but overcome this and a good score is assured
Round over and sat in the restaurant it was obvious that if you had not shot 38 points you may as well go to sleep, as per ‘Rip Van Tom’, and even 38 points was not good enough for some as was proved when Don Richardson shot 38 and a Gross 78 and was not in the winners.
In the A Flight, 0 to 18, we had a couple of real ‘Bandits’ only missing the mask. The winner with a ‘Grate’ 44 points was Bill Knight who was ‘on loan’ from Tropical Bert’s for the day, now he can go back, because The Cafe Kronborg’s own Ebrahim was second with 40 points. Both had great rounds and well done, and yes the ‘handicap adjustments’ have been done. In third was another potential ‘Grate’ but with 39 points he fell just short, still friendship being as it is he also came down a shot. Have no fear, Derek is here.
In the B Flight the scores were nearly as good, with the winner being Svend Gaarde with 39 points; Svend also won on Monday so coming down a shot will not be too difficult for him. We then had count backs on 38 points that saw Don Carmody in second, R.V. Tom Cotton in third and Leif Kirkegaarde just missing out. T.T.F.N.
Near Pins: Don Richardson, Leif Kirkegaarde, Bill Knight, Derek Brook

Geoff Picken takes command at last

PSC golf from The Haven

Monday, December 1, Khao Kheow – Stableford
Division 1
1st Benn Nelson 34pts
2nd Phil Groves 34pts
3rd Rick Schramm 34pts
4th Yasuo Suzuki 33pts
Division 2
1st Geoff Picken 42pts
2nd Chris Knapp 32pts
3rd Richard Snellen 30pts
4th Oili Helling 29pts
There were no traditional white rabbits to be seen on the first day of the month, but there were quite a few very ordinary ones to be seen around the A and B courses as they took their toll on a large field that found the conditions fairly difficult, as evidenced by the CSS that went out to 74 on the day. No one could complain about the condition of the courses that are in the process of being prepared for the Thailand Junior Ladies Open, with the greens in exceptional condition and the fairways and rough immaculately prepared.
Benn Nelson Took the first division top step with a surprisingly low score of 34 points with a better back nine of 19 to beat off the challenge of Phil Groves and Rick Schramm who could only manage 17. Phil got the nod for second with a better 12 points on the back six to Rick’s 10.
Geoff Picken was the only player to better par, as he swept in by a clear ten shots in the second division. His investment in lessons is now beginning to pay off, but with his handicap having now dropped down six shots since the beginning of November, it is now likely to get very difficult to recoup the massive outlay.
Unsurprisingly Chris Knapp was to be found among the prizes, albeit with an unremarkable four-over round, but it was still good enough for second ahead of Richard Snellen and Oili Helling.
Rainer Helling had the only ‘2’ in the first division and Oili Helling made it a family double with the only one in the second division.
Friday, December 5, The Emerald - Stableford
1st Robert Lamond 36pts
2nd Benn Nelson 35pts
3rd Chris Knapp 34pts
4th Brian Kelly 33pts
A much smaller group set off to for the Emerald as the higher holiday green fees and already onerous exchange rates begin to bite, ensuring that the local golfers will not be able to play as much golf in the foreseeable future and add to the already dismal outlook for local golf courses.
Robert Lamond took his second win out of The Haven with a steady if unexciting even par round to deny Benn Nelson his second win of the week by a single shot. Chris Knapp was again in the frame with another successful over par round that will not affect his future handicap, with Brian Kelly in fourth place.
Benn Nelson had the only ‘2’ in the first division and there were none in the second division.

Matt makes the Monthly Medal his own

PSC Phoenix Tuesday Group Golf

Mike Gerrard
A full group this week despite the economic and political problems here in fun city. With the airport closed we had at least 6 players we said goodbye to last week, turn up due to cancelled flights. They were all very upset at having to stay in this horrible place (I jest of course)
The Mountain and Lakes course were our challenge today for the monthly medal/mug/trophy or whatever we decide to give for the best score.
Once again a there was noticeable lack of tourists on the golf course and it will be interesting to see how the management cope with the lack of funds this high season. Although it is wonderful for us retired gentry to enjoy the course to ourselves, I wonder if there may be repercussions at a later date.
Apart from a few (still) wet patches on the course the condition is getting better by the day, so much so that today’s scores were so bad, it is indicative of how tough this course gets when the greens are up to top speed. Four-putting was not uncommon today and out of twenty players no one scored better than 3 over par net.
Our winner, who received the sponsored prize from Toy’s Music Bar was that wily old Scot Matt Anderson with a net 75. On the same score, but losing on count back was Kevin Bird, this after being cut 3 shots from last week. Third place went to the always steady Gary Blackburne with net 77 and a close fourth with net 78 was yours truly, that after a 4-putt on the 17th which cost me a better place.
Technical prizes went to Stuart Gordon, Harry Gillicker, Kevin Bird and Graham Dietrich. In the lucky draw the winner of the voucher for a beauty salon was Kevin Bird, whilst I myself was the lucky recipient of the food voucher donated by our very own Giorgio Baccioli who owns the Trattatoria Italian restaurant on Jomtien Hill.
If anyone wishes to join in on a Tuesday call me on 087 091 7565. We limit our group to 20 players and a maximum of 28 handicap. You should be a member of the PSC with either a local USGA or IPGC handicap, or any other recognised worldwide handicap certificate. Anyone without these credentials can play, but for technical prizes only.

Club Championship goes down to the wire

PSC golf from The Bunker

Monday, December 1, Mountain Shadow - Annual Championship Day 1
A Flight
1st Paul Smith (4) 34pts
2nd Gerry Cooney (10) 34pts
3rd Tony Scambler (6) 33pts
B Flight
1st Gordon Melia (15) 32pts
2nd PJ Redmond (21) 31pts
3rd Colin Stokes (26) 30pts
Near Pins: Ron Ryan, John McDonald, Jack Gayer, Alan Sullivan.
The Bunker’s Annual Championship is held around this time of the year and again we played the same courses as last year with John McDonald the reigning champion determined to hang on to his crown. Two Medal rounds are added together and the lowest net score decides the winner.

Gerry Cooney, right, the Bunker’s Annual Champion 2008 with runner-up Gordon Melia.

On the Monday it was Mountain Shadow (the tough round) where the low handicappers usually play well and today was no exception. Paul Smith ended up leading the field after beating Gerry Cooney on a count back (again!), both scoring 34 points and Tony Scambler came third a point further back. In fourth place came Gordon Melia one point better off than PJ who’s playing some good golf lately and next on the leader board came Colin Stokes.
Oddly enough, when the field was split into two flights cut at handicap 14 for the day’s individual Stableford competition (played in conjunction with the Medal round), the first three were in the A Flight and the following three were in the B Flight.
Last year’s champion John McDonald was also hovering in the background but leaving himself a lot to do after finishing with a net 76.
Wednesday, December 23, Crystal Bay – Annual Championship Day 2
A Flight
1st Tony Robbins (11) net 68
2nd Geoff Parker (14) net 69
3rd Takeshi Hakozaki (12) net 70
B Flight
1st Gordon Melia (15) net 71
2nd Ron Ryan (15) net 72
3rd John Hughes (15) net 72
Near Pins: Paul Smith, Geoff Parker, Tony Robbins, Tony Berry/William Macey (dead heat)
The second leg was played at Crystal Bay (the easy round) with some surprising results. The cut was set at handicap 14 again and we had some cracking scores in both flights and the calculator had to come out to sort out the winner.
Tony Robbins had a great round, shooting a four-under par net 68 to win the A Flight. He was followed by Geoff Parker with a fabulous three-under par round and Takehi on his “home” course pushed the leaders all the way finishing with a two-under par score.
The B Flight went to Gordon Melia whose one-under par score put him in contention, and the three players behind him all finished with a level par round including the John Preddy Trophy winner John Hughes - where’s the calculator?
When the dust had settled and the batteries replaced in the calculator, the Bunker Boy’s Annual Champion was declared as Gerry Cooney, who won by one shot with a total score of net 146. Gordon Melia came runner up ahead of Paul Smith having had a better second day score, both finishing with net 147.
Last years champion John McDonald couldn’t make up the ground he lost on the first day but one of the most disappointing things to come to light was that the Matchplay captain William Macey had a ‘No Return’ for the FOURTH year running. For that he had to wear a silly hat all evening in the bar (see photo).
This win for Gerry means he has won three out of the last four Bunker Championships which just shows what a great consistent golfer he is...well done Gerry!
Friday, December 5, Treasure Hill - Stableford
A Flight
1st John Vegeberg (11) 32pts
2nd Gerry Cooney (10) 31pts
3rd Hai Sul Chung (9) 31pts
B Flight
1st PJ Redmond (21) 35pts
2nd Jack Gayer (19) 33pts
3rd Gordon Melia (15) 31pts
After the excitement of the Annual Championship earlier in the week it was back to a normal stableford competition on Friday. The previous night The Bunker Boy’s had collected the trophy for winning the first ever Matchplay League Championship in Pattaya, so it was surprising to see so many golfers show up, as the celebrations had gone on late into the night.
Two matchplay regulars who didn’t suffer any hangovers were Gerry Cooney taking second place in the A Flight, actually winning on a count back for a change, and PJ Redmond who won the B Flight.
Newcomer John Vegeberg won the A Flight with 32 points and Hai Sul Chung picked up third. Behind PJ in the B Flight was his mate Jack Gayer and third place went to Gordon Melia.
Gerry won a near pin prize too along with Korean golfer’s Dong “Ted” Hwan and “Jang”.

Neil Jones walks on water?

Golf from the Travellers Rest

Barry Hooper
Those of us who have read the Bible have no doubt read the story of Jesus walking on the water. Well on Saturday at The Emerald, Neil Jones thought he might just have to do that to play his second shot at the par-4 sixth. His tee shot went wildly left and he really believed that he had ended up in the lake.
However, on further investigation after walking down the fairway, he was sure that he could see his ball in the middle of the lake on a small sand bar. His caddy said no but Neil was sure it was his so proceeded to climb down to concrete pipes feeding the lake and walk out along the sand to where the ball lay. Right enough it was his ball, which he was able to play back on to the fairway thus allowing him to make a finish of five shots for two points.
He now realises that without making that decision to play from the middle of the lake he would not have obtained the thirty-two points for his third place finish. Fellow players on seeing Neil really thought that he was walking on the water.
Monday, December 1, Burapha C& D - Stableford
1st Chris Parr (17) 37pts
2nd Fergus Brennan (10) 33pts
3rd Jimmy Chawke (16) 32pts
4th Robert Lamond (5) 30pts
2’s: Mod Chaviraksa
Burapha: was the chosen venue on Monday for the first outing this month. However it seems this decision was not a good as the participating numbers were low. Not sure why as those that took part enjoyed their visit, particularly Chris Parr who is new in our midst and who came home with thirty-seven points to take the day over Fergus Breenan and Jimmy Chawke in second and third respectively.
Tuesday, December 2, Greenwood A & C - Stableford
Division 1
1st Bill McGarvie (11) 36pts
2nd Matt Gibbons (9) 35pts
3rd John Merritt (13) 35pts
4th Tony Perry (14) 35pts
Division 2
1st Chris Parr (16) 39pts
2nd Gareth Herbert (33) 39pts
3rd John Dennis (28) 38pts
4th Jim Wooler (22) 38pts
2’s: Cary Clark
Tuesday saw a trip to Greenwood, yet another quality course that seems to get better with every visit. The numbers attending were very good so we had two divisions.
Chris Parr, one of our new players, took the second division with thirty-nine points for his second win of the week after a count back over Gareth Herbert, and this despite having been cut one shot after the previous days outing at Burapha. Third and fourth was also decided on count back, this time John Dennis getting the nod over Jim Wooler, both with thirty-eight.
Division one went to Bill McGarvie with an even par round, just one ahead of Matt Gibbons in second who was on top of a four-way count back over John Merritt, Tony Perry and Brendan Moore.
There was only the one two recorded and that was from Cary Clark. As a result of his second first place in two days Chris Parr was cut a further two shots in general play.
Thursday, December 4,
Phoenix (Mountain and Lakes) - Stableford
Division 1
1st Mike Rushant (11) 37pts
2nd Larry Simpson (9) 37pts
3rd Bill McGarvie (11) 37pts
4th Ross Bunce (37) 37pts
Division 2
1st Chris Parr (14) 42pts
2nd Neil Allison (19) 35pts
3rd Frank Kelly (15) 32pts
4th Ted Senior (15) 32pts
Division 3
1st Garry Hall (23) 37pts
2nd Paula Byrne (30) 36pts
3rd Jack McNamara (21) 35pts
4th Gareth Herbert (31) 30pts
2’s: Trevor Collett and Chris Parr
On Thursday it was back for our weekly visit to Phoenix. The entry was yet again even better than the previous week so three flights and four places per division.
In Division Three (20-up), Gary Hall was the winner with thirty- seven points ahead of Paula Byrne, Jack McNamara and Gareth Herbert in that order..
Division Two (14-19) saw Chris Parr win for the third time of the week with a good forty-two pointer, which earned him yet another cut in handicap by two shots. Second was Neil Allison at thirty-five and third was Frank Kelly after count back over Ted Senior.
The top division (0-18) honours went to Mike Rushant after a four-way count back over Larry Simpson, Bill McGarvie and Ross Bunce.
Just two 2’s were recorded, both at the fourth by Trevor Collett and Chris Parr.
Saturday, December 6, Emerald – Stabledford
Division 1
1st Bill McGarvie (11) 33pts
2nd Jimmy Woulfe (13) 32pts
3rd Neil Jones (12) 32pts
4th Fergus Brennan (11) 32pts
Division 2
1st John O’Leary (18) 41pts
2nd Eamonn Murtagh (18) 32pts
3rd Jimmy Chawke (17) 32pts
4th Joe Peters (19) 31pts
2’s: Jimmy Chawke,Gerry McCarth,Monique Bunce, Mod Chaviraksa and Mike Rushant
We had very good participation for our trip to The Emerald on Saturday. The course was in excellent condition however the pin placements were horrific and some of the most difficult that any of our participants had come across here. This was to show in the posted scores. That is all but one.
John O’Leary had a day you dream about when everything goes your way. He came home with forty-one points, eight clear of anyone else in the field, to take division two (16-up) by a street. Eamonn Murtagh was in second spot after only arriving from Portugal for his winter visit with wife Nijole two days prior. He tells me that he had only there or four outings at home since his last visit, so he obviously keeps his best for Thailand. Very nice to see them both back with us.
Division one (0 to 15) was a win for Bill McGarvie at thirty-three. He tells me that he is keeping cuttings of his wins here in Thailand so Bill, here is another one for the files.
Jimmy Woulfe (yes he is still here but attempting to go home this week) was second after winning a three-way count back over Neil Jones (he who attempts to walk on water) and Fergus Brennan all at thirty-two
The 2’s pot was shared by five players: Gerry McCarth, Jimmy Chawke, Monique Bunce, Mod Chaviraksa and Mike Rushant

Finnish stars leave rivals in the dust to win Thai international rally

Ariyawat Nuamsawad & Saksiri Uraiworn
Two Finnish rally drivers in their Ford Focus WRC05 were the first past the post to take the Kings Cup in the 20th International Rally of Thailand 2008, raced from November 28 -30 through a forested circuit on the Eastern Seaboard.

Jouni Arolainen and JoukoPuhakka celebrate winning this year’s Kings Cup Rally with their Ford Focus WRC05.
As expected, Jouni Arolainen and Jouko Puhakka sped across the finishing line 1.25 minutes ahead of the second placed pairing of Brian Green and Fleur Pedersen from New Zealand while Thai racers Wittaya Ruekjan and Pramote Sornjaradsuwan took third place and the Best Thai Cup.
Well-known rally drivers from Asia and the Pacific basin joined in this year’s event which was raced over two days around two lakes on the eastern coast from Pattaya through Rayong and Chachoengsao provinces.
Itthipol Khunplume, Pattaya City Mayor, joined with Dr. Aochai Kanchanapitak, Vice President of Automobile Racing Committee of Thailand and race director Udomsak Jun-onn, to welcome the racers from USA, Finland, New Zealand, Japan, and Thailand at the opening ceremony on Walking Street, south Pattaya on November 28.

The rally gets underway from Walking Street, south Pattaya.
The rally covered a total of 940.11km over the two days with 15 special timed stages taking place on 184.41km of gravel and unmarked roads. The first day’s racing at Taatakiab Chachongsao saw the cars roaring off along set routes through forests and private roads specially closed off for the event in Mor Sign, Forest Garden and Baan Ta Kloy. Day 2’s trials included six test sessions raced around a scenic fish pond area with the drivers clocking up a further 84.45km.
The Finnish drivers Arolainen and Puhakka recorded an overall winning time of 2:02:52; Green and Pedersen from New Zealand came home in 2:04:17 for second place in their Misubishi Evolution IX, and Thai racers Ruekjan and Sornjaradsuwan clocked up 2:06:48 in third place.
Fourth and fifth places went to Supoj Kasikam with Chaiya Chommalee, Worawit Tasamrong with Surachot Thitiprawat and Thanandorn, while Kanchanakamin and Kittikhun Keawkajee came sixth with a time of 2:36:58.
Champion Joni Arolainen remarked afterwards: “The road conditions are very much different from the ones in Finland. But the views are amazingly beautiful and the weather is great. Many thanks go to the Finnish fan club who have been here for the whole two days. Hopefully I’ll be back to defend my position in the next year’s Kings Cup.”

Second placed Brian Green and Fleur Pedersen fly
through one of the off-road stages.

Thai windsurfers shine in international championships

Bunker Bar crowned MBMG Matchplay champions

There was an enthusiastic attendance from the Bunker to celebrate their victory in the inaugural MBMG Pattaya Golf Matchplay league 2008 at the presentation of trophies that took place at the Outback Golf Bar on Thursday evening, December 4.

The Bunker Bar’s William Macey, left, and Mick Ramshaw, right, collect the winners trophies from The Outback Bar’s Jack Moseley.

Emcee Jack Moseley commented on the tremendous success of the league and how it had brought many of the golfing venues closer together. Friends caught up with friends they had not seen in a long while as well as new found friends through the matches, opening the door to a rejuvenated camaraderie, perhaps so often missing in the past here in Pattaya.
Jack went on to say that Cafe Kronborg and The Driving Range were not going to take part in 2009, but he fully expected two new teams to join up, one from the German-Swiss Golf Group and another from Ed Behr’s Richman Poorman bar & restaurant in Jomtien. A meeting for all teams regarding next year’s league is provisionally scheduled for around 11a.m. at the Golf Club in Soi LK Metro on Saturday December 20.
Highlights of the trophy presentation to the Bunker Bar can be seen on PMTV this coming Saturday.

Jones & Agune take off at Plutaluang

IPGC Pattaya Golf Society at Rabbi’s Elephant Bar

After a break of eight months, the Pattaya Golf Society visited the Royal Thai Navy course at Plutaluang on Sunday, November 30 to play a stableford event and found the South and East nines in fine condition and relatively empty. In such circumstances the course is an absolute treat and all the factors were there for an excellent competition.
The two flights were divided at 14 and under, a measure of the quality of the field, and the constant breeze meant that everyone had to be extra accurate.

The PGS November “Player of the Month”, Tony Thorne, right, is congratulated by “Rabbi”, host at the Elephant Bar on Soi Buakhao.

In the top flight a stranded Rick Schramm forgot his delayed flight to post 33 points for third place, only one behind the joint winners David Thomas and Tony Thorne, the latter confirming his “Player of the Month” status with his 34 points.
In the second flight Jack Robertson made his first appearance on the PGS podium with a competent 33 points whilst the flight winners were Len Jones and Kazu Agune with the day’s only sub-par rounds of 37 points each. It was a bonus for Kazu as he too was on standby for a delayed flight back to Japan.
David Thomas and Rick Schramm scored the only birdie ‘2’s, both on South 7, and Roy Mann received the Booby Bevy for losing more balls than he scored points! He was also on standby for a flight back to UK and just being part of a good day at Plutaluang was a bonus.
Banjo calls the tune at Phoenix
Flight delays and the probable final appearance for a while of stalwart David Thomas in a Pattaya Golf Society competition, saw a large field turnout at Phoenix on Tuesday, December 2, to play a stableford round over the Lakes and Ocean nines.
The course was eerily empty as the two flights, cut at 20 and under, took to the tee early and a fine competition was in prospect. Phoenix was in splendid condition and scores were destined to be good with a whole field average of 32 as a result.
In the second flight, delayed passenger Roy Mann took advantage of his bonus round to erase all memories of his shabby previous outing with a career best 36 points in the Kingdom to share second place with an in-form Len Jones; the latter parring the last four holes on the Ocean nine to give his card respectability.
The flight winner was Ann Silawong who played very well, albeit on a course a kilometre shorter than the men. Her 39 points came on the heels of her 44 on her last outing. The lady most definitely is in form at the moment.
In the top flight Tony Thorne and Ray Banks were joined by Rick Schramm, another delayed but not frustrated passenger, in second place with deserved 35 point cards but all eyes were on Richard “Banjo” Bannister as his 40 points took the day in fine style. It more than made up for his disappointment at not being able to make his planned romantic trip to the Taj Hotel in Mumbai. The golfing gods indeed work in mysterious ways.
Richard Chia scored the only birdie ‘2’ of the day, on the Ocean sixth, to go home happy after his first visit to Rabbi’s Elephant Bar, and John Wassall took the Booby Bevy for his shameless twenty point total.
The day ended on a high note with a farewell party in Soi Buakhao in which David Thomas’s immense contribution to golf in Pattaya was heralded and the fine golfer and friend entertained the many guests with a brilliant cameo mimicking the eccentricities of his golf partners. The Pattaya Golf Society will sorely miss him when he eventually returns to New Zealand, and we wish him luck until he inevitably returns to his golfing “home”.
Super Sixties
dominate
The Pattaya Golf Society visited the sumptuous course at Royal Lakeside on Thursday, December 4, to play the first of its two monthly Order of Merit events, on this occasion a strokeplay extravaganza on the beautifully prepared but generally forgiving course.
Such was the quality of the field that the two flights were cut at thirteen and under and the average net score was destined to be an excellent level par 72.
In the second flight Canadian Jack Robertson achieved third place with a net 71. Len Jones and Evan Miller, playing in the same group, went head-to-head in a fascinating duel with Evan producing a lifetime best front nine score of four over the card and eventually running out the winner on net 65, whilst Len stuttered to a net 69 for second place.
The top flight was a thrilling contest as “Banjo” Bannister missed out on the placings with net 67 whilst November’s “Player of the Month” Tony Thorne came up with the goods yet again, returning net 66 for third place. The joint winners of the flight were Chris Voller and Rick Schramm with 65 each and for Chris it was especially rewarding as he had been forced off the course at Phoenix two days previously with a vicious mystery virus. For Rick it was another bonus round as he was still waiting for a return flight to Taiwan.
It was quality golf at Lakeside again. David Thomas. Chris Voller and Kazuo Takimoto all shared the ‘2’s pot and the Booby Bevy went to “Banjo” for failing to make the podium with his good card the day after his birthday, which was also the excuse for two poor rounds by hungover Roy Mann and Ray Banks.
Lakeside always throws up good scores for golfers in form but on this occasion it had surpassed itself.
Schramm signs
out in style
December 6 saw the Pattaya Golf Society’s first Saturday outing of the high season, a trip to Treasure Hill on a busy weekend. Imagine the surprise when the large field found a relatively empty golf course. With the wind up again the scene was set for some tough golf for the two flights, cut at twenty-one and under.
Within a short time the euphoria which had descended after the excellent scores at Lakeside two days previously had all but gone and the usual Treasure Hill grind lay ahead. In the Yellow flight Jack Robertson came up with 32 points for third place, hanging on to the coat-tails of the joint winners Evan Millar and Rod Stevens whose 33 points took the win.
In the White flight, thirty-two points was also good enough for runner-up place as David Thomas and Ray Banks, the former enjoying a forced extension to his stay in the Kingdom, were to find. The best score of the day was Rick Schramm’s fine 34 points and this came as his extended stay drew to a close.
Rick, Chris Voller and Charles Sheppard shared the ‘2’s pot with their efforts on the second, sixth and seventeenth holes respectively and the Booby Bevy went to Len Jones who kept his best drive of the day for the par five twelfth only to have it pointed out that he had driven off the wrong tee, the two shot penalty thus costing him the points which would have put him in the frame.
Always a test, the return visit to this course in the New Year will be eagerly anticipated.

Lars and Kari take the medals at Greenwood

Jomtien Golf with the I.P.G.C.

Monday, December 1, The Emerald – Stableford
All 39 players arrived to an almost deserted course. It was another very warm day and as play progressed there were many remarks being made over the wicked pin placements and the speed of the greens. This we think reflected in the scores with Ken Foster winning Division 2 with 33 points, Risto Manerus second on 31 and Miss Nom beating count back Burnie yet again after they both finished with 30 points.
Fred Duffy, with his best round yet since his return in early November, won Division 1 with 36 points, John Smith finished second on 35, Arvo Hiller was third with 31 and in fourth place was Raivo Velsberg.
Ben Findon and Risto Manerus recorded the only birdie ‘2’s in the first and second divisions respectively.
Near pins went to Georges Faber, Ben Findon, Uwe Schroder and Srithong Tann (Div. 1) and Dennis Byrne, Nar Hector, Joe Kubon and Burnie Sinclair (Div. 2).
Wednesday,
December 3, Greenwood – Monthly Medal
Our second consecutive monthly medal at this course and with almost a maximum field this proved to be a popular choice for the competition. Yet again we found another course with very fast and slick greens, a total transformation since we were here three weeks ago. With the white tees further back than normal it also made the par three’s even more difficult.
Lars Strom took Division 1 with a fine net 69, in second place was Neville Scurrell on net 73, Paddy Wilson (74) came in third and Ted Morris was fourth with a net 76.
Kari Aarnio’s net 71 was enough to capture Division 2 with count back Burnie in second (72), then 4 cards in with 74, Glyn Evans getting the nod over Russell Benson, Joe Kubon and Tom Novak.
Near Pins were claimed by Jim Connelly, Keith Hector, Ted Morris and Lars Strom (Div. 1) and Noi Elder and Roger Ribbins (Div. 2).
Friday, December 5, Eastern Star – Stableford.
It was a public holiday today with only 28 out in the competition. In his last game before his departure back home, and with his best score since he has been here, Howard Stanley took Division 1 with 39 points, Srithong Tann was second with 35, and paddy Wilson came third on 33. There were lower scores in Division 2 with Miss Nom claiming top spot with 35 points, Russell Benson second with 34, and Jim Lane beating Miss Oam on count back for third, both finishing with 32 points
Rudi Schafer shared the 2’s pot with Uwe Schroder in Division 1 and Miss Oam and Dennis William did the same in Division 2.
Near pins went to Harry Riley, Uwe Schroder and Srithong Tann x2 (Div. 1) and Glyn Evans, Miss Nom and Miss Oam (Div. 2).
Note: Our Christmas extravaganza takes place next week with 24 teams in a two person multiplier at Eastern Star on December 19. A free buffet and live music will be provided by Siam Cats for the entertainment of all our golfers and their partners.

The Square Ring: by Howie Reed

The problems in Thailand have spilled beyond their borders and affected, among other things, boxing in Japan. With the situation in Thailand resolved for now, a minor panic has occurred in the Land of the Rising Sun and the falling Yen. The problem, from a boxing standpoint, is that Thailand is the “main supplier of foreign opponents to Japan. This has caused great damage as it is not known whether Thai boxers booked here will come in or not.” That according to Hall of Fame everything in Boxing Joe Kozumi.
With the Bangkok International airport now open, it’ll still take 3 to 4 weeks to get things back to normal. In Thailand “normal” is always a relative term. Bouts in Japan featuring Thai boxers on December 13, 14, and 15 are still jeopardy. A big show with WBA top flyweight, Denkaosen Singwangcha, fighting champ Takefumi Sakata on New Years Eve could be affected.
Looks like Japan will have to look to other countries to find opponents for homegrown boxers to beat.
Klitschko-Rahman, SAP Arena
This Saturday the great Wladimir Klitschko (51-3) will defend his WBO/IBF heavyweight title against Hasim Rahman (45-6-2). Rahman’s claim to fame is that he once knocked Lennox Lewis on his imperial butt in 5 rounds to win the heavyweight title. For those that care, that event took place on April 4, 2001 at Carnival City in South Africa with his Lordship in the back of Tim’s Bar Beer listening to it on the computer.
Since then Rahman has done “jack” as in “jack squat”. He does though seem not to get injured in training, which puts him a step ahead of most of the Russian heavyweights, which he isn’t. This fight will be a stinker. If you have a choice between a meal with the in-laws, who are still grieving over the loss of their 15th water buffalo in 10 weeks, or watching the fight, take the meal with the in-laws - less chance for indigestion.
Riddick Bowe
On the same card in Mannheim, former world champion Riddick Bowe (42-1) will get in the ring with a member of the TBA family.
Back in the day Bowe was a great fighter. No argument and no question. His fights with Evander Holyfield, three in all, were classics. Bowe went 2-1 against Holyfield, losing the November 1993 bout which is best remembered for the “helicopter man” flying into the ring and getting stomped for his trouble.
Bowe’s two fights with Andrew “The Foul Pole” Goleta took something out of him. While he won both by DQ, Bowe was never the same nor was his voice. Whether it was the low blows or just attrition is left up to history. Regardless Bowe retired.
Since his retirement in 1996 Bowe has battled his sister (she laid a whipping on him and he called police for help), the U.S. Marine Corp (he lasted less than a week), the Grey Bar Inn (domestic abuse) and life in general. Never the most articulate, he now mumbles barely audible answers. His millions of dollars are gone as he fights for a tomorrow that could never be as bright as yesterday.
The Big Fight:
De La Hoya-Pacquiao, Las Vegas
Boxing is as much about sport as it is about economics. When first announced, the projections of revenue for this one went through the roof. Just days before the fight those projections did go through the roof … using the chimney. That smoke wasn’t white.
PPV’s buys were way below projections, tickets were unsold and of the 30,000 casino PPV seats, only 8,000 were sold. Many blamed the economy which was the easy thing to do. Promoter Bob Arum probably nailed it best: “Most of the seats were bought up by ticket brokers (scalpers) hoping to sell the tickets for up to three times the price.”
The motto of Las Vegas is what “happens in Las Vegas stay’s in Las Vegas.” That’s not true in boxing. On the other hand there are some things that happen in Las Vegas and will be staying for at least 15 years. That would be OJ Simpson. Now to ‘The Fight.’
Mia Culpa’s to ... Freddie Roach
Manny Pacquiao trainer Freddie Roach said in the days leading up to the fight that “Oscar can’t pull the trigger.” Many, including TSR, failed to listen or at least believe. We apologize to Freddie Roach. He was 100% correct. Oscar couldn’t pull the trigger last Sunday morning when he was hammered into submission in 8 stanzas by Manny Pacquiao. It was actually De La Hoya’s corner that “submitted” but that’s a minor point.
Looking into De La Hoya’s eyes sitting on the stool after the 8th round it was a flashback to June 4, 2005 when Kostya Tszyu looked exactly the same after being battered by Ricky Hatton.
For reasons that are unexplainable Pacquiao was the bigger man, out-weighing De La Hoya when the opening bell rang. It would be a mistake though to explain away the result due to weight loss. Manny Pacquiao found out in the first round that he was quicker, hit harder and that De La Hoya had no answer for a straight left lead but to block it with the left side of his face.
TSR noted in De La Hoya’s last fight, against light hitting Stevie Forbes, “If Forbes can almost close the eye, surely Pacquiao can also.” Manny did. For those that care, two “official” judges had it 80-71 with only Stanley Christodoullou having it 79-72. All gave Manny one 10-8 round. TSR had it 79-73 with no 10-8.
Croaking from his Lily Pad, moved to Chiang Mai on holiday, Sir Frog opined: “Saw the fight this morning. Wow I never saw De La Hoya get a beating like that. He was too light and weak for Pacquiao. Saw the mistake from round one, De La Hoya had reach advantage but couldn’t use it. Pacqiuo was too fast, what a hand speed this guy has!”
Sir Frog continues, “My bet was right, around the 8 or 9th round, age will come and it did. Your brain can follow but not your body, been there done that, ha ha. Nobody can beat Pacquiao for the moment in 3 weight divisions, not even Hatton if he wants to try next year.”
Much ado about nothing … in England
There was supposed to be a really big fight card at the Excel Center in London last weekend. Nicky Cook was to defend his WBO super feather title but he got the “don’t want to fight” flu. Fight off. Then Enzo Maccarinelli (28-2) was going to fight Jonathon Banks (20-0) for the WBO cruiserweight title. Whoops, Banks got hurt training with “The Brothers Klitchsko.”
With four days till the opening bell the fight either was or was not offered to Herbie Hyde, who’s been called the “Dancing Destroyer” for reasons that escape credibility. Hyde has some back class and is 11-0 as a cruiserweight. News reports said he was ready, willing and maybe able. Depending on who you believe, Hyde either did or did not agree to fight. He never showed up.
Next came BJ Flores at 21-0 but he said “No way Jose”. An offer was made, “They told me it was a ‘take it or leave it’ proposition. I left it.” Then it was Francisco Alvarez (11-1, 9 KOs) who has only one win against a boxer with a winning record. Another “no show”. Finally they found Matthew Ellis, who temporarily provided mist on a mirror, before getting destroyed in 2. Ellis had a 20-5 record that looked OK but upon further review he was 3-5 last 8. Maccarinelli needed the win after getting ‘whacked out’ by David Haye last out.
Meanwhile Amir Khan’s (19-1) return from his first loss was successful. He made short work of Oisin Fagan (22-6) sending him to the ‘Land of Nod’ in 2. Oh yes, Audley “Fraudly” Harrison lost by decision to a Belfast taxi driver named Martin Rogan 96-95. You can’t make this stuff up. No wonder they lost an Empire.
At Trent FM Arena, Nottingham
Unbeaten super middleweight Carl Froch (24-0) stayed that way but it was a struggle against Jean Pascal (21-1). Froch said he was in the “best shape of my life”. He needed it as they went toe-to-toe for 5 rounds before Froch could pull away for a UD (118-110, 116-112, 117-111). Froch would win the vacant WBC super-middle weight title.
Toby Gibson - RIP
A memorial service has been held in Las Vegas for international boxing referee Toby Gibson. Gibson took his own life shortly after working two matches on the Hatton-Malignaggi undercard. One of his last acts was an email to his pal, “Monkey House Fred” who he met when Fred was the day manager of the TQ during the 2001 WBC Convention.
His friend and fellow referee Bruce McTavish said upon hearing of his death, “Toby had been a friend for 20 years. During the WBC convention you may remember that you took Toby and others on a culture tour of the Tahitian Queen. He will be missed, he was one of us.”
One of the speakers at the memorial service was fellow referee Vic Drackulich. “Toby Gibson was a rough and tumble product of Youngstown, Ohio. In his 61 years on earth he epitomized the work ethic exhibited by those that grew up in an environment of hard work in the mines and factories. He was a blue-collar- lunch pail kind of guy. Too many equate eloquence with class. Toby wasn’t terribly eloquent but he had class to spare.
“Inside the ring, refereeing as he did for more than 25 years, he booked no nonsense. Boxers either obeyed his commands or paid the price. Toby was not averse to ‘getting a little physical’ in the ring. Outside the ring he always had a joke, usually poorly told, but almost always bringing a laugh because of the pure joy he took in the telling. He loved a good laugh sometimes at his own expense. It’s a big man that can laugh at himself. Toby Gibson was a big man.”
Drackulich concluded with, “The day after his death was announced, the skies over Las Vegas opened up pouring buckets of moisture over the city. Skeptics don’t believe in coincidence and the boxing community is made up totally of skeptics. Maybe, just maybe, the heavens were shedding the tears for our fallen friend that we wouldn’t or couldn’t. Maybe the heavens were sharing our grief while assuring us that Toby Gibson would be welcomed in his new home. Maybe he’s scheduled to work the next 12-round main event up there. You can almost hear the Man say, ‘you’re welcome … you’re one of us.’”
It’s Jeeves Time
“Your Lordship, I bring you lager, cigars and a fine selection of recorded music. Your friend Mr. Brook of Patong Beach took my advice on green. He writes, ‘The King’s Birthday holiday … bars closed so had to consume at home. Took Jeeves’ advice and took out all the green bottles from the fridge - Phuket Lager of course!! Just waiting for the maid to take the empties away…’
“I have a question M’Lord. Am I correct that one of the reasons for the recently disbanded protests here in Thailand was that it was felt that the “one man on vote rule” allowed too many dumb people to vote, thereby electing unqualified and unscrupulous people?”
“Jeeves that’s it in a nutshell -I know the feeling. Cheewit dee krap.”

Glasby pick of the crop at Plantation

PSC golf from the Outback Golf Bar

Joey’s column
Monday, December 1, Burapha - Stableford
Burapha is fast becoming the Outbackers private course, with virtually no-one else in sight on the A & B nines. Over on C & D, the Travellers Rest had that also to themselves.
Playing from the blue tees, 65 Outbackers enjoyed superb playing conditions with fast greens as today they celebrated the joint fiftieth birthdays of Pottsy & Doug Eames.
The best score of the day was surprisingly only 36 points, which three players obtained; but by virtue of his better back nine, Jack just edged out Neil Hughes for the top overall spot. Neil in turn, just nicked second overall from his good friend Des Scott, not on count back of the back nine, or the last six but on the last three; leaving Des the winner of Div B. With Jack & Neil from Div A taking the overall prizes, that left Capt’ Bob the winner on 35, from Rick Evans on 34.
Birthday boy Pottsy won Div C with 34 on count back from Kathy Doody, meanwhile David Jones, who had 20 points on his front nine, was surprised to learn that his 32 point total was still enough to win Div D. The other birthday boy, Doug, also just got in the frame by finishing fifth in Div D on 28.
There were various technical prizes, all sponsored by Pottsy & Doug including nearest the pins on par 3’s won by Bob Lindborg, Mike Walschek & Rick Evans; nearest second to the pin on par 4’s won by Phil Mitchell & Briany Christie. The nearest third to the pin on the par 5 sixth was won by Ian Heddle, only two inches from the hole and Pete Stonebridge & Capt’ Bob both won longest first putt prizes. There was no winner of the nearest to the pin second shot on the 10th (B1) as nobody hit the green, or more realistically in most cases, nobody could reach it!
There were four ‘2’s coming from Rick Evans, Pottsy, Dave Porter & Bob Lindborg.
Overall
1st Jack Moseley (10) 36pts
2nd Neil Hughes (10) 36pts
Div A (0-10)
1st Bob Philp (7) 35pts
2nd Rick Evans (7) 34pts
3rd Ian Heddle (2) 32pts
4th Patrick Regan (8) 31pts
5th David Chearny (7) 29pts
Div B (11-14)
1st Des Scott (11) 36pts
2nd Nick Payne (14) 34pts
3rd Steve Plant (13) 34pts
4th Frank O’Neill (14) 34pts
5th Chaten Patel (12) 33pts
Div C (15-19)
1st Campbell Potts (19) 34pts
2nd Kathy Doody (19) 34pts
3rd Glyn Davies (18) 33pts
4th Kevin Moraghan (15) 32pts
5th Michael Goessl (15) 31pts
Div D (20+)
1st David Jones (27) 32pts
2nd Ivan Plunkett (21) 31pts
3rd Peter Gibson (30) 29pts
4th Jim Brown (22) 29pts
5th Doug Eames (36) 28pts
Wednesday, December 3, Greenwood - Stableford
It’s a well known fact that Capt’ Bob doesn’t like this course, mainly because it’s a Peter Thomson design and the fairway bunkers play more like green-side bunkers. Once the ball goes into one of them, there’s little or no chance of reaching the green, it is an immediate dropped shot; all that can be done is flop it out or at best advance it 100 yards. The criticism is largely unfair, as this remains a very popular course with many golfers and today it was in exceptional condition with lightning fast small greens, making the chip on recovery from the errant shot, extremely difficult.
There are always golfers that have a good day out and today was no exception, with four Outbackers from the 38 strong field a country mile ahead of the rest. Don Pavlovic (40pts), 2nd Div A; Gabriel Enright (40pts), 1st Div C; Jum (38pts), 2nd Div C; and Des Scott (40pts), 1st Div A; who’s on a 3-day roll, after 36pts on Monday and 72 net on Tuesday.
After the outstanding performance of the winners in both Div A & Div C, the Div B players were left trailing somewhat in the dust, with Henry O’Brien taking the win with only 33 points, from Geoff Doody (32) and another O’Brien, no relation, Mike also with 32.
Don Pavlovic scooped the ‘2’s pot all on his own.
NOTE: The Outback Golf Bar apologises for the delay in purchasing green fees at the start due to the Greenwood management requiring certain paperwork to be in place before agreeing to the new discounted rate.
Div A (0-14)
1st Des Scott (11) 40pts
2nd Don Pavlovic (13) 40pts
3rd Michael Waltschek (7) 35pts
4th Bob Pearce (10) 33pts
Div B (15-20)
1st Henry O’Brien (19) 33pts
2nd Geoff Doody (19) 32pts
3rd Mike O’Brien (19) 32pts
4th Alan Bishop (16) 31pts
Div C (21+)
1st Gabriel Enright (24) 40pts
2nd Jum Karagit (33) 38pts
3rd Paul Quodomine (25) 32pts
4th Joachim Oestreicher (24) 32pts
Thursday, December 4, Pattaya C.C. - Stableford
Nineteen Outbackers joined the new Thursday slot, which will become a regular weekly event on the Outback Golf Bar’s calendar, alternating between Pattaya Country Club and Plutaluang.
Harvey Samuel (39pts) wasted no time to win Div A comfortably by six, ahead of Bruce Milner (33pts), gaining himself an all important ladder point, and newcomer, Ed Brubaker (32pts)
David Davies celebrated his return to the Outback with a win on count back from course specialist Nigel Cannon, both with 36. Barry Chadbourn, the competition organiser for the day, completed the podium, taking third with 35.
There were two ‘2’s coming from Rosco & Keith Smithson.
Div A (0-18)
1st Harvey Samuel (14) 39pts
2nd Bruce Milner (15) 33pts
3rd Ed Brubaker (8) 32pts
Div B (19+)
1st David Davies (22) 36pts
2nd Nigel Cannon (23) 36pts
3rd Barry Chadbourn (21) 35pts
Friday, December 5, The Emerald - Stableford
It is always difficult to gauge the number of people who want to play golf on a holiday, mainly for two reasons; 1) the additional cost and 2) the pace of play.
Today was the King’s Birthday and the Outback Golf Bar were told by the Emerald management on Thursday that there wasn’t room for any more than five groups at this popular venue. With some thirty odd names already signed up, it left Capt’ Bob in a bit of a dilemma, however Siam Plantation came to the rescue and through the special relationship the Outback have with the course, three late tee times were secured at a very preferential rate.
So Capt’ Bob whittled down the Emerald Outbackers to five groups, who unbelievably teed off on time and got round in not much more than four hours twenty minutes. Well done Emerald!
The course played tough, with many of the white tees well back near the blacks and an unpredictable stiff breeze about. It also seems that the greens everywhere are getting faster, here being no exception.
Barry Chadbourn won with 35 points, from Joe Mooneyham (33) and a whole gaggle on 32, namely Pat Regan, Jum & John Kittilsen; finishing in that order after the usual count back procedure.
Ladder chasers Barry & Joe picked up a point each, whilst John & Geoff seemed to have stopped the rot; well down the field was B1, who will find himself with 2 points less than when he started.
There were three ‘2’s coming from Barry Chadbourn, Pat Regan & Geoff Doody.
1st Barry Chadbourn (21) 35pts
2nd Joe Mooneyham (13) 33pts
3rd Patrick Regan (8) 32pts
4th Jum Karagit (33) 32pts
5th John Kittilsen (21) 32pts
6th Geoff Doody (19) 31pts
Friday, December 5, Siam Plantation - Stableford
It’s been said before, but this course is truly in a class of its own. Yes, there was a delay of about one hour before the Outbackers could tee off, but the management can’t be blamed for the stragglers off the shotgun start taking six and a half hours to complete. They teed off at 7am, what did they do out there all that time? In there defense, it did look as though there been the remnants of a party at every drink stop and apparently they did it again the following day (Sat.)
Teeing off from three separate tees, the 11 Outbackers had the entire course to themselves, with the pick of the nines to play, Pineapple & Sugarcane. The tees were all right back on the proper white tee boxes, the first time the Outback have experienced the full length of the course at around 6,800yds. It was a fantastic afternoon’s golf with absolutely nobody else around, this was a golfer’s Shangri La. It certainly was for Heath Glasby, booming his drives miles down the fairways for an outstanding 37 points, leaving Gabriel Enright and Jack both trailing in his wake with 33 points apiece.
There were two ‘2’s from Mike Waltschek & Heath Glasby.
1st Heath Glasby (10) 37pts
2nd Gabriel Enright (23) 33pts
3rd Jack Moseley (10) 33pts
That’s all for now, if you have any thoughts, scandalous stories or suggestions, why not drop me a line at [email protected]. The Outback Golf Bar is situated about 6km from Sukhumvit Road along Soi Siam Country. All are welcome to come and join us for a beer and a hit. Just call in and put your name down on the list or give Bob a call on 087 941 2474. More information can be found on our website www. outbackgolfbar.com.

Seamus Cotter VC: The pride of Co. Cork

IPGC golf from Lewiinski’s

Sunday. November 30, Green Valley - Stableford
A Flight
1st Kris K (6) 38pts
2nd Steve Mulberry (11) 37pts
3rd Mark Wood (6) 35pts
B Flight
1st Seamus Cotter (13) 39pts
2nd Colm Mullen (15) 39pts
3rd Emmet White (12) 39pts
C Flight
1st Kath Doody (17) 37pts
2nd Tom Byrne (16) 36pts
3rd Eddie Beilby (17) 34pts
Near Pins: #2 Peter Ring, #9 Phil Mitchell, #12 Jim Munns and #16 Geoff Doody.
Baan Jing Jai hidden six: 1st Larry Maxey 2nd Seamus Cotter 3rd Tom Byrne
The wind was again very strong and still blowing from the north, this as well as the greens not quite yet being back to their best , made it all the more difficult to put together a good total. However, three competitors in B Flight managed to card 39 points each; the Right Honorable Seamus Cotter VC riding his luck in the count back to win by a nose and despite not scoring on the final hole he still won the flight and man of the match bragging rights. The man on form at the moment, Colm Mullen, pushed Seamus all the way for second place, as did Emmet White who rounded out the flight in third place.
Kris K took the honors in A Flight with a sound 38 points, Steve Mulberry took the silver on 37, and Mark Happy shoes was left to clinch the third spot on 35.
Kath Doody pulled out all the stops to win C Flight with a fine37 points, one shot adrift was Tom Byrne on 36, and the captain himself, Eddie Beilby, tided up the flight after a countback over Big Kevin Hamilton, both tied on 34 points.
Back in the clubhouse after the game, it was revealed that Graham Johnston had been admitted to hospital after feeling unwell. Apparently it was found that Graham has a lazy heart, and after treatment we were glad to hear Graham had been released with a clean bill of health. Answers some questions though hey?
Monday, December 1, Plutaluang - Stableford
A Flight
1st Peter Hynard (11) 38pts
2nd Seamus Cotter (13) 37pts
3rd Jim Morriss (13) 37pts
Monday’s outing was to the Royal Thai Navy designed Plutaluang. The condition of the course was great although not to everybody’s liking, with the broad leafed fairways. This did not interfere with Peter Hynard who put together a very impressive 38 points to win the day. The Right Honorable Seamus Cotter V C was a shot behind for second place on a count back over Jim Morriss and Geoff Kubas. Geoff was the unlucky competitor. Big Benny O’Connor claimed the ‘2’s pot.
Note the initials after Seamus Cotters name stands for Vice Captain, and not as some people would believe The Victoria Cross.
Wednesday, December 3, Crystal Bay - Stableford
A Flight
1st Ted Lodge (11) 38pts
2nd Vic Hestor (12) 37pts
3rd Ben Nelson (14) 37pts
B Flight
1st Albert McEvoy (18) 41pts
2nd Colm Mullen (15) 33pts
3rd Joe Tynan (28) 32pts
The superb Crystal Bay was host to the Lewiinski’s gang to play a stableford comp, and the course was, as always, in tip top condition.
A Flight was a very tight affair with Ted Lodge taking pole position with an excellent 38 points. Pushing Ted all the way was Vic Hestor and Ben ‘The Admiral” Nelson, both on 37. Vic took the count back over the admiral
B Flight was a different story however with the Irish confiscating the loot. Ireland’s Albert McEvoy amassed 41 points to destroy the field, this of course made Albert the man of the match and B Flight winner. Following in second place was the smiling Colm Mullen, an amazing eight shots adrift. One shot further back was Co Wicklow’s Joe ‘Frazier’ Tynan.
Both the handsome ‘2’s were also claimed by the Irish; Colm Mullen and Peter Chairman Mao and you can bet your life they did?
Thursday, December 4, Royal Lakeside – Stableford
A Flight
1st Seamus Cotter (13) 39pts
2nd Des Griffith (5) 38pts
B Flight
1st John Hartigan (17) 40pts
2nd Joe Tynan (28) 39pts
The trip down to Royal Lakeside on the bus was as pleasant as one could expect. The Irish boys were in fine voice, with their version of “When Irish eyes are smiling.” Perhaps it was just good spirits.
The course was in super condition and Ireland’s Seamus cotter was again in top form, carding an impressive 39 points to take the gold in A Flight. Des Griffith took the silver with 38 points and Jim Morris and Jerry McCarthy both shot 37 for nothing - sorry lads. Pat Regan and Big Ben O’Connor also followed close behind.
Another Irishman, John Hartigan, cruised to man of the match in B Flight with a more than impressive 40 points. Smoking Joe Tynan put up a good scrap for second place on 39 and was followed by Sean Murphy (37), Peter Ring (36) and Peter chairman Mao (35). Ok I hear you ask. What’s with all the names?
Well if you haven’t guessed by now all the top players are all Paddy’s, perhaps we should rename the course Royal Irish Lakeside.
Note: Lewiinski’s is situated on Pattaya Land Soi 1, Beach Road Soi 13/3 near to Walking Street. Anyone wishing to play with us just pop in and add your name to the list or call Bob on 080 096 8232. Transport is provided.

Scougal & Teague have that winning feeling

A great charitable day at the 13th TAGGS Invitation

Wednesday, December 3, Phoenix - Stableford
Division 1
1st Dennis Scougal 39pts
2nd Rodney Nabbe 38pts
3rd Rick Holmes 38pts
4th Yasuo Suzuki 37pts
5th Peter Sumner 37pts
Division 2
1st John Teague 36pts
2nd Serge Straeten 35pts
3rd Suichi Kodaka 34pts
4th Chris Knapp 34pts
5th Stephen Beard 34pts
Near Pins: Mountain #4 Rodney Nabbe, Mountain #8 Yasuo Suzuki
2’s: Ocean #5 Peter Sumner, Ocean #7 Dave Howden
A much reduced in size 13th TAGGS Invitation, due in some part to the closure of the airports, was held once again over the Mountain and Ocean layout at Phoenix where the course, as usual at this time of year, was found to be in tip top shape with good run on the fairways and fast and true greens. The difficulty was the pin positions which were placed, appropriately for a major tournament, in fairly hard to get at locations making the approach shot extremely important and birdies a very rare achievement.

A smiling Dennis Scougal, right, collects the A Flight winners trophy.
The competition was organised for the first time as a charity event to raise much needed funds for the local Baan Jing Jai home for abandoned and orphaned children, which is the main recipient of the continuing charity drive out of The Haven. At the end on the presentations, it was announced that the day’s efforts and additional donations had raised the very nice sum of 33,500 baht.
The second division was led in by John Teague, who overcame the handicap of a badly sprained ankle to record his best return for some time and surprisingly take the top honour with a level par round. He was closely followed by Serge Straeten, who always seems to get his number one game to the bigger events, with a steady one over handicap round. Suichi Kodaka took third place with a better inward nine of 20 against Chris Knapp’s 18 and Stephen Beard’s 17.

B Flight winner John Teague, right, with The Haven’s Stephen Beard.
The first division was taken with an extremely good round of three-under par by Dennis Scougal, who found that taking a golf cart improved his last five holes by a fair margin and for once finished strongly to deny Rodney Nabbe the top spot by a single shot.
Rodney also finished strongly to hold off Rick Holmes with a count back of 20, as Rick could only put together 19 on the back nine. Yasuo Suzuki just took fourth place ahead of Peter Sumner with a count back of 19 to Peter’s 18.
With another group of golfers not in the competition out on the course, and unhelpfully removing the near pins on the Ocean nine, the technical prizes were changed to 2’s after it was discovered that there were only two and fortunately there was just one on each of the par threes. Peter Sumner claimed the first from around 18 inches and Dave Howden took the other from about three feet.
Luckily the errant golfing group must have played the Lakes as the pins were still in place when the main body of the tournament arrived on the Mountain course and that enabled Yasuo Suzuki and Rodney Nabbe to add to their day’s honours.
Before presenting the prizes The Doc thanked Russell Exley for his assistance in setting up the day’s events and there was a special thanks, roundly and loudly applauded, for the fantastic buffet prepared by Lumyai and the catering staff at the Haven. It was a feast fit for the occasion and supplied free of charge for the charity event.
All that, added to the totally open bar that ran until 10 pm, meant that all those that played and donated to the days worthy cause, especially those that chose the top shelf beverages including the Chivas Regal and Remy Martins, had a day to remember whilst adding substantially to a fund for a very needy cause.
The next charity event out of the Haven will be the Children’s post Christmas Party on December 27 when hopefully the whole of the homes children will be able to enjoy a seasonal day with traditional games and paper hats whilst filling up on tasty bites. All interested parties are invited with all the day’s food being donated by The Haven and its patrons.

Lek bowls season high 700 series

Pattaya Sports Club Friday Bowling League

200 Bowlers: Antero, Rich, Lek, Nok, Nual, Leen & Dang.

Bavaria won three points from Montgomery behind Lek’s great bowling. She bowled games of 224, 175 and 217 for a 616 series, 700 with handicap, which will be hard to beat for the trophy. Montana remains tied for first place after taking all four points from Jack Tar. Nual bowled a 214 game, 532 series for Montana while Mai had a 535 and Dang a 510 series for Jack Tar.
VFW Post 9876 remains in a tie for first as they also won four points from House of the Golden Coin. Bowling was tough in lanes 7 & 8 with only Mio managing a decent series of 526 which is below her handicap.
Nok bowled a 215 game, 574 series and Sue had a 527 series to lead third place Sabai Sabai Friday to a four point sweep of Sala Thai. Café Ole moved up to fourth place after taking all four points from Café Kronborg who dropped from third place to fifth. Kran bowled a 540 series for Kronborg and Somrak had a 532 for Café Ole.
Brother D and Canada split their match with each team getting two points. Antero bowled a 224 game, 527 series for Brother D and Rich had a 526 series for Canada. Leen, bowling as a Pacer had a very good series with games of 192, 202 & 187 for a 581 pin count.

Beautiful Game? by Riz Taylor

Top six all win

Typical, I put myself through a whole boatload of footballing dross over the weekend and by the time Everton and Aston Villa came around I’d had my fill. And what happens? Ashley Young pinches a thrilling winner in injury time to round off a fantastic match. Or so they say, as I didn’t see it obviously.
Manchester United against Sunderland got my full attention as it was supposed to be Sir Alex against his old captain and young pretender Roy Keane, but Keane shirked away from that one by resigning as Sunderland boss.
Watching the game it quickly became clear why. Sunderland were appalling, and although playing for a draw away at Old Trafford is hardly embarrassing and admittedly the ‘Black Cats’ showed a tremendous fighting spirit to stay in the game, if there’s been a more one-sided match in the Premier League I don’t think I’ve seen it. They’re going to need an awful lot of hard work and some magical coaching to see them stay in the division, that’s for certain. Thailand boss Peter “Effing” Reid is said to be interested.
Another win for Hull sees them retain their place in the top six, and it’s quickly becoming very clear that this is no freak season. Managers of clubs that do this traditionally have a very hard second season in the Premier League as other clubs come in and pinch their best players, but let’s hope this doesn’t happen to Hull. They’re an absolute breath of fresh air, even if a couple of their players are quite partial to the odd dive to win penalties. We’ll let that go for the time being, being the season of goodwill to all men and that.
Onto this weekend, and a number of tempters for the discerning barstool football fan. How about Middlesbrough against Arsenal to start us off with on Saturday evening, Pattaya time? And if that’s not up your street then catch Tottenham’s revival at home to Manchester United as Saturday’s late, late one. A number of half-interesting looking ties make up the numbers in between, but Liverpool at home to Hull City is the standout choice. Everton at Man City could also be a decent one.
Gianfranco Zola returns to Stamford Bridge on Sunday for a welcome that should be befitting of one of the nicest guys in football, but whether he can lead his West Ham side to anything other than a footballing lesson at the hands of his old club remains to be seen. Stranger things have happened, but they’ll need to score first to have any hope. Pompey and Newcastle kick off Sunday’s action and who knows, could be quite tasty.
Anderton bows out
Former England midfielder Darren Anderton played the last game of his football career on Saturday and finished in style. After a goalless first half, Anderton joined the action for Bournemouth against Chester City in the 56th minute and was soon helping the Cherries lay siege to the visitors’ goal.
He had the crowd on their feet when he blasted a 35-yard free-kick wide - and then raised the roof by smashing home the only goal of the game with just two minutes remaining.
“The ball was spinning, but I hit it pretty sweet, and when the ball hit the back of the net, I did think ‘what am I doing’ [in retiring],” Anderton said. “But I’ve made my decision, and it’s just a wonderful way to finish it all off. I thought about hanging on until the end of the season, but at 36 it becomes harder - and rather than letting it drag on, and hating football two or three months down line, I wanted to finish while I still like it.
The 36-year-old, who has 30 England caps, began his career in 1990 and played for Portsmouth, Tottenham, Birmingham City and Wolves.
He’ll perhaps be best remembered for his time at Spurs, spending 12 years with the London side between 1992 and 2004, and also starring for England in 1996, despite missing much of the season through injury in their progression to the European Championship semi-finals.
Injury was the curse of what might have been a glittering career, and Anderton even earned the nickname of ‘Sicknote’ due to the frequency of his time on the treatment table.
“I never thought I would drop down the leagues, but I’m so pleased that I did,” he said. “I’ve done everything I would have wanted to in terms of international football and playing at the highest level, but the main reason why I came here was location - and coming here has been better than I could have imagined.”
Selfish
Liverpool hero Steven Gerrard had admitted to being ‘selfish’ in his quest to play in a more central role at Anfield. The Reds skipper and manager Rafa Benitez have clashed on a number of occasions over the England midfield superstar’s best role in the Liverpool team.
Gerrard has constantly been moved out of his favoured central position and moaned that his dynamic game suffers as a result, but now admits he has been “selfish” in his power struggle with boss Rafa Benitez
“I used to worry because I was selfish and wanted to be in my favoured position every game - like you do on the playground when you’re a kid. But the game has changed. I have learned to understand I have a job to do for the team. You can’t afford to be selfish. If I play out of position and we get a win I still get the same buzz.”
Benitez replied to Gerrard’s comments by saying: “We have been talking about Gerrard’s best position for three years.” Which is reassuring.
Meanwhile in Spain, Thierry Henry scored a hat-trick as his Barcelona side crushed Valencia 4-0 at the Nou Camp to move six points clear at the top of the Primera Liga on Saturday. Barca moved on to 35 points from 14 matches, making the most of second-placed Villarreal’s come-from-behind 3-3 draw at home to Getafe after they were 3-0 down at halftime. Valencia stay third with 27 points, two behind Villarreal, and Real Madrid were beaten 4-3 by Sevilla to remain fourth.
And finally
Birmingham City will spend more than 100,000 pounds to give all their season ticket holders free entry to the FA Cup third round game with Wolves as a thank-you gesture for their support. Cup rules say they must hand the cash to the visitors - and a share to the FA - as if the tickets had been sold.

Walt gets back in the groove

PSC golf from The Three Sisters Bar

Another beautiful day for golf at the Pattaya Country Club this past Tuesday, 2 December and a larger than normal turnout considering the early hour start: the first group was off at 6:15 am.

Tuesday’s winner Walt Straub.
The fairways were still soggy in a few places but moving the ball solved that problem. As the groups finished they retired to Caddy Shack II for some of Herbie’s hot and medium sausages. Unfortunately beautiful Mae was back to work as a caddy at Siam so her smiling face was absent.
As the cards came in and were tallied it turned out that Walt Straub topped the field with 36 points. This is not Walt’s first time on the leader board and it seems he’s back in his stride. Next in was Brian Orr with a 33, pushing Herbie Ishinage down into third.
The remainder of the group came in with scores ranging from 30 on down to 16. We won’t divulge the names of the two bottom feeders (Eddie and Paul) but they obviously had a bad hair day.