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Tiger set for Thailand return after 10 year break
Staff reporters & AP
Tiger Woods says he’s looking forward to giving something
back to Thailand when he makes a quick visit to his mother’s home country
next week for a one-day skins tournament at the Amata Spring Club in
Chonburi.
Tiger
Woods. (AP Photo/file)
The Nov. 8 event is part of celebrations to mark His
Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s 60th year on the Thai throne.
“The last time I played in Thailand was in 2000. I am
really looking forward to coming back and hopefully win it all!” Woods said
in a statement released by organizers.
The 14-time major winner is without a tournament victory
this year after being out for nearly four months in the wake of the
infidelity scandal that caused a marriage breakup and marred his image.
“The Thai people never fail to impress me with their warm
and genuine hospitality. This is indeed a good opportunity to give something
back to them,” Woods said.
Paul Casey of England, Camilo Villegas of Colombia and
Thailand’s top player, Thongchai Jaidee, will also compete for total prize
money of $300,000. All players have agreed to donate their prize money to
charity projects overseen by the King, organizers said.
The World Golf Salutes King Bhumibol skins tournament
will be broadcast live by Thai TV Channel 3 from 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Tickets are priced at 999 baht and are available at all
Thai Ticket Major outlets or via www.thaiticketmajor. com. or by phone, call
0-2262-3456. All children under the age of 12 will receive free admittance
if they are accompanied by an adult. Tickets are priced at 500 baht for
students with a valid student card. All proceeds from the ticket sales will
be donated to charity.
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United head coach resigns
United
head coach Tawatchai Damrong-Ongtrakul “Wang”, center, is seen on the pitch
after the final game of the season against Sisaket FC at the Nongprue
Stadium in Pattaya.
Ariyawat Nuamsawat
Pattaya United head coach Tawatchai Damrong-Ongtrakul
“Wang” announced last week that he will not be leading the ‘Blue & White
Dolphins’ into their next Premier League campaign, citing personal reasons
behind his decision to step down.
After finishing 11th in their first
attempt at Premier League football in 2009, “Wang” replaced Jadet as team
head coach and guided United to a very creditable sixth place this season,
despite operating on a limited budget and with player resources stretched to
the limit due to long term injuries carried by some members of the first
team squad.
There have, however, been some less than spirited
performances by United during the run in to the season when they were beaten
by several of the relegation threatened teams, and talk of unrest in the
dressing room and a lack of communication with some of the foreign players
led to United fans demonstrating on the pitch at two of their final home
matches.
Despite the feeling of discontent with the team’s
performances, the Thai supporters among the United faithful appear to have
given coach “Wang” their full backing and he was cheered by a large section
of supporters at the end of their final game against Sisaket on October 24.
United have issued no statement yet on any possible
targets to replace coach “Wang” and in the meantime rumours abound that club
and division leading scorer Ludovick Kenge and center-half Arlindo have
agreed to stay on at the club for the 2011 season. This follows on from news
that representatives from Premier League champions Muang Thong United had
been sniffing around the United squad and have already made tentative offers
for Anucha Kitpongsri and Santi Chaiyaphurk.
Amongst all the possible comings and goings at United,
the first team squad will face off against Osotspa M-150 this coming
Saturday in a Toyota Cup quarter final match at the Nongprue Stadium.
Kick-off is scheduled for 4 p.m.
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Pattaya Cricket Club lose in final
 Pattaya
Cricket Club played in the International Asian Cricket Sixes tournament in
Bangkok last weekend, which represented the club’s first year anniversary.
Last year PCC won the Plate final and this year they reached the Bowl final,
a division higher, but narrowly failed to bring back the winner’s trophy.
Their performance over the two days illustrates how the club has developed
over the first 12 months and are now a force to contend with in this year’s
Premier League season.
Despite losing their opening game against the Falcons
from Kuwait, the side bounced back with convincing victories over Asian All
Stars and the Bahrain Seahawks. Captain Simon Philbrook was the steadying
influence in both the victories, carrying his bat as the side overcame the
opposition’s total in the final over of each game.
Dan Nicholson bowled a miserly over against the Seahawks
and conceded only 2 runs which put PCC in control and enabled the batsmen to
reach the target of 56 runs. It was Yasir and Hansie who put the brakes on a
rampant Asian All Stars batting display and restricted them to 58 runs, with
Darren Allcock holding two stunning catches whilst making his PCC debut as
wicketkeeper.
These two victories ensured PCC topped the group and set
up a semi final against Yarrambat CC. Again a solid bowling performance
restricted the opposition to only 45 runs which proved too easy for the PCC
batting line up and they cruised into the final without losing a wicket.
The final against Vasta from Mumbai proved a much tougher
ordeal after PCC lost the toss and were asked to bat first. The skipper lost
his wicket (and head) in the first over which started a steady fall of
wickets as PCC struggled to amass a competitive total. A total of 46 was
never going to be enough and so it proved as the Vasta batsmen surpassed the
target with an over to spare.
It was a disappointing end to a fantastic weekend of
cricket and the boys are looking forward the start of the Premier League
season at the end of November.
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Late winner sees FC Nova edge past Vikings
MBMG International League Division 2
FC Nova continued their excellent start to the season
when a Mark McKeowen goal 5 minutes from time sealed a 2-1 win last Saturday
over a Scandinavian Vikings side that before this game had topped the table.
Nova knew this match would be arguably their toughest
test so far; the Vikings had won their opening two games in convincing style
and are widely regarded as one of the favourites for the title.
Stuart Levy made one starting change from last week’s
game as captain Lee Homer was reverted back to his old centre half position,
allowing Roger Cox to make his debut in the center of midfield. It was a
decision that proved justified as Homer was a tower of strength all
afternoon and Cox put in an excellent shift in the holding midfield role,
constantly breaking up the Vikings passage of play.
The game itself started in blustery overcast conditions
and with a strong wind against them, it looked as if Nova would be in for a
tough first half against the physically strong and fit Viking side. However
coach Levy must have been delighted how well Nova started this game, the
introduction of Cox to the team allowed McKeowen more freedom in midfield
and the diminutive midfielder basically ran the show.
Nova’s two dangerous wide men Nico Sippel and Ben Bryant
were soon seeing plenty of the ball and causing the Vikings problems and it
was no surprise that they took the lead on 20 minutes. A great piece of
skill just outside the 18 yard box from McKeowen saw him release full back
Sorus Ackermann who cut into the box and unleashed a fierce shot that
crashed in off the underside of the crossbar.
After this the Vikings came more into the game and the
visitors equalized on the half hour. Nova looked to have a long ball over
the top covered but center-half Dar’s poor clearance allowed the Vikings
player through on goal and he coolly squared the ball to his strike partner
who tapped into the empty net.
Nova should still have gone into half time leading but
after doing all the hard work in holding off a Vikings player and rounding
the keeper, striker Bjorn Ellingsen rather scuffed his shot allowing a
covering defender to clear.
Coach Levy was still happy with the first half
performance and with the strong wind in their favour come the second half he
was confident his team could go on and win the game.
The second half started evenly and chances were few and
far between as the match was frantically fought out in the middle of the
park. The game was also not helped by an over-zealous linesman who felt it
necessary to flag at every opportunity for a number of mysterious offsides
and fouls, much to the annoyance of a bemused set of player on both sides.
As the game looked to be filtering out into a draw, Levy
threw caution to the wind and went with three at the back for the final 10
minutes in search of the winner.
First a great Nova move involving Mckeowen, Ellingsen and
super-sub Nicholas Creasey saw the ball fall to the feet of Thai Nick just
15 yards out and his shot was bound for the top corner until the faintest of
finger tips from the Vikings keeper sent it wide.
Time was running out when with five minutes left Bryant
was released down the right flank and he passed inside to Creasey who
cleverly back healed the ball into the path of that man McKeowen who rifled
in a fierce low drive that found the bottom corner of the net.
Soon after, the final whistle blew, and a jubilant Nova
could celebrate an important victory that sent them leapfrogging over the
Vikings to the top of the league.
After the hard fought victory the Nova players and
management could be seen celebrating long and hard into the night at
Jamesons Irish bar.
This coming Saturday Nova have another home fixture
against Bangkok Storm at their new pitch opposite the Siam Plantation Golf
Course. Kick-off is 4 p.m.
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City suffer shock defeat
MBMG International League Div 1 & 2
Paul Frain
The league started two weeks ago with defending champions
Pattaya City beginning with a 3-1 win against the French side Les Gaulois
and a 2-0 victory against Black Swan, who have changed their name from the
British Club.
City were looking to continue their good form against
Anatolia last weekend and had a great start when Mark Brittain put them 1-0
up early on after converting a defense splitting ball by Denis Metveev.
Anatolia immediately replied by hitting the City bar from
an acute angle, and both defenses had to be on the alert and try to keep
things tight. Anatolia however earned an equalizer when they beat the
offside trap and their forward made no mistake to slot the ball into the
net.
City’s keeper was kept busy as the Anatolia forwards
surged forward, but City also had their moments to score, however the
chances went begging.
It was City who retook the lead with half time
approaching when a good combination of passes between Mark Brittain and
Craig Banks resulted in a great cross for Patice Lowe to score to make it
2-1.
After the break Anatolia pressured the City defense and
it was no surprise when they equalized at 2-2 after City failed to clear the
ball. They then went on to take the lead for the first time in the match
with a three man move that carved City open and they sealed the win with a
breakaway goal when what appeared to be a harmless cross shot sailed in just
underneath the goal to make the final score 4-2 to Anatolia.
On the same weekend the Pattaya City reserves were also
playing in Bangkok against Golden Boys and very quickly found themselves on
the receiving end of a 6-0 scoreline as the hosts played some superb fluent
football. City reserves managed to pull a couple of goals back before half
time but they still went into the break trailing 7-2.
The young City side would have to show a lot of character
in the second half but an early goal saw them trail 8-2, however they dusted
themselves off and then took the match to the Golden Boys and quickly scored
and this was followed by a penalty which was converted to make it 8-4. The
football started to flow and they had the Golden Boys defense under all
sorts of pressure and scored another two goals before the final whistle to
make the final score 8-6.
This was a very good comeback by the young City reserves
side and they have the makings of a very good team. Both the Pattaya City
teams are away in Bangkok this coming weekend.
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Divers invited to take part in Pattaya Dive Festival 2010
Pattaya’s leading scuba diving centers are teaming up to
launch the city’s first-ever “Pattaya Dive Festival” from Nov. 13-14.
This non-profit event will see divers clean up and plant
coral at Pattaya’s local islands and dive for prizes in an underwater
treasure hunt. It’s an effort both to boost Pattaya’s reputation as a dive
destination and get the public more involved in marine preservation.
The organizers hope that between 500-600 divers on 16
boats will take the plunge.
Activities start early with divers assembling at Bali Hai
Pier for safety and marine life briefings at 8 a.m. From there, the armada
will head to Koh Krok for an underwater photography contest and treasure
hunt, with prizes donated by the city, Tourism Authority of Thailand, PADI,
Divers Alert Network, Major Development Co., and other sponsors.
After lunch, the group will converge on Koh Sak for an
underwater reef cleanup, then return to port and prepare for a party at
Reflection Condominium in Jomtien Beach.
The following day will be an invitation-only day for a
cast of Thai celebrities and political leaders who will plant coral at Koh
Larn.
Divers and snorkelers interested in joining the Pattaya
Dive Festival can register with Mermaids Dive Center in Jomtien Beach,
Aquanauts Dive Centre on Soi 6 in Pattaya or online at PattayaDiveFest.com.
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Phuket King’s Cup Regatta 2010 sees wave of Asian sailors
The 2010 Phuket King’s Cup Regatta is just one month away
and with entries flooding in from all corners of the world the fleet looks
set to be a global mix of nationalities and cultures. Leading the way are
the Asian-based entries with the number of boats and crew from the Asian
region, particularly China and Japan, expected to beat all previous records.
Action
from last year’s Phuket King’s Cup Regatta. (Photo/Guy Nowell)
The increase in sailors from this region reflects the
international appeal of the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta which is now in its
24th year. Simon James, Race Director, believes that having such a diversity
of participants is part of the event’s unique appeal:
“We have large numbers of entrants from around Asia and
in particular Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, China, the Philippines and of
course Thailand, and they make up a significant part of the fleet. Last year
was the biggest ever Japanese fleet and as China is a growing market for
sailing so the number of Chinese entries continues to increase also.”
Continued James, “The Asian entries are very competitive,
even in the cruising classes. A number of Japanese entries have won their
class and the possibility of winning is the reason all participants come
back year-after-year. Asian participants are no different to other
participants in that they are here to sail well, achieve a good result, and
enjoy themselves on and off the water.”
There is traditionally a large contingent of Australian
and New Zealand participants as well as a strong local presence at the
Phuket King’s Cup Regatta. The rapid growth in the number of entrants from
Asian countries such as China and Japan has been a more recent phenomenon.
Naoaki Waga has been competing in the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta for over a
decade and notes there are a number of factors behind this:
“The Kenwood Cup Regatta in Hawaii is no longer ongoing
and a lot of Japanese sailors have shifted their attention from Hawaii to
Asia. Japanese people have been sailing in the King’s Cup since the 1980s
and it has a reputation as a fun carnival style regatta which is also known
for competitive sailing,” he said.
The Phuket King’s Cup Regatta has developed a reputation
as Asia’s most prestigious and competitive regatta, and sailors from all
over the world now descend on Phuket for five days of racing and six lavish
parties each December. A good time may be had by all on shore, but out on
the water there is no quarter asked or given. Simon James believes that the
level of competition is the reason that participants of so many different
nationalities keep returning to Phuket for the King’s Cup Regatta:
“The Phuket King’s Cup Regatta has a certain prestige and
participants are competitive. The competition is intense and this regatta is
seen by many as the ‘one to win’. People come year-after-year to challenge
in their class because there is no other multi-class regatta like it.
Nothing offers such a diverse range of boats and sailing courses in such a
great environment. Plus the social side is hard to beat,” he said.
The Phuket King’s Cup Regatta runs from December 4th -
11th 2010 and is now in its 24th year. For more information, go to
www.kingscup.com.
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IPGC Members Sunday Golf
Sunday, Oct. 10, Green
Valley - Stableford
Division 1
1st Phil Mitchell 35pts
2nd Rick Holmes 35pts
3rd Russell Exley 34pts
Division 2
1st Joe Peters 39pts
2nd Don Everett 33pts
3rd Rod
Croswell 32pts
A competitive day at Green Valley with 22 contestants saw
Phil Mitchell take the spoils in the first division on count-back from Rick
Holmes. Phil is a regular at Green Valley with Donovan’s and his course
knowledge paid dividends today to pip Rick at the post. A workmanlike
performance from Russell Exley was good enough to secure third place.
In the Second Division Joe Peters, one of our Irish
regulars, galloped away from the rest of the field to win by six clear
points. The Australian duo of Don Everett and Rod Crosswell took the minor
honours closely followed by the pursuing pack.
There was one ‘2’ today achieved by big hitting Alan
Pilkington.
Sunday, Oct. 17, Green
Valley - Stableford
1st Russell Gilroy 39pts
2nd
Lyle Blaw 34pts
Other commitments and wet weather saw a small field
today. An all-Australian battle resulted in a splendid win by Russell Gilroy
over Lyle Blaw.
There was one ‘2’ today scored by the regular and popular
Joe McArdle.
Sunday, Oct. 24, Green
Valley – Stableford
Division 1
1st Russell Exley 39pts
2nd Ted Lodge 39pts
3rd Eric Donnestad 36pts
Division 2
1st Roar Berger 34pts
2nd Andrew Winn 34pts
3rd Rod
Howett 34pts
A very strong turnout today despite poor playing
conditions and a gloomy meteorological forecast. The course continued to
play long with the sustained rains making the going soft. However Russell
Exley and Ted Lodge made light of the difficult conditions to enjoy an epic
battle for the first division which had to be settled on count-back. The
ever affable Eric Donnestad, a regular visitor from his native Norway where
he teaches golf, played a creditable round to secure third place.
In the second division another Norwegian, the
irrepressible Roar Berger, swept home on count-back with Andrew Winn and Rod
Howett close on his heels.
‘2’s were in abundance today, shared by the returning
Kevin Hamilton, Russell Exley, Gerry Hannon, and Ted Lodge.
Sunday, Oct. 31, Green
Valley – Stableford
1st Charles Sheppard 37pts
2nd Eric Donnestad 35pts
3rd
Gerry Hannon 35pts
With the rainy season in retreat and prevailing cool
conditions, the evergreen Charles Sheppard came to the fore with a superb 37
points. Charles showed no mercy as he opened with 20 points on the front
nine to make his intentions clear. Eric Donnestad, our visiting professional
from Oslo, played his usual steady round to take second place on count-back
from Gerry Hannon. Gerry is a regular player hailing from Donegal where he
is a past captain at the beautiful and renowned Port Salon Golf Club.
There was one ‘2’ today achieved by Wayne Wayward from
Western Australia. Wayne certainly was not wayward today on the 12th tee.
Presentations, as always, were conducted at the Golf
Centre Bar on the course with amiable hosts John and Geoff, assisted by
their lovely staff, taking excellent care of the golfers.
If you would like to play with the IPGC members at Green
Valley on a Sunday, you can contact mobile 084 782 4582. All transportation
to the course is arranged from The Haven leaving at 09.00 and you need to
sign up prior to the day.
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Outback out for revenge at 3rd Thai Garden Resort Cup
PSC golf from The Outback Golf Bar
Just
some of the victorious Outback side, foreground Raji, Joe, Kathy with the
cup, Geoff, Pottsy (trying to get out the way) with Dave Boran & the
Sugarman just behind.
Joey’s column
Monday, Oct. 25, Burapha -
Stableford
Holiday rates for the 21 Outbackers today, who braved the
blue tees on A & B. In these continuing wet conditions this course is just
playing longer and longer in addition to the tees being pushed back near the
blacks on a couple of the holes. It was so soft in places, one wondered
whether one could call the whole course an ‘abnormal ground condition’, as
it was easy for a ball to disappear, plugged in the fairway.
It is quite probable that Capt’ Bob will give everybody a
break until the dry season comes, by moving forward to the white tees, as it
is quite clear, looking at the higher handicappers’ cards, that everybody is
toiling to score points.
So to Div B which was remarkably won with just 31 points
by Dave Boran, who said at the presentation, that he couldn’t remember ever
winning with such a low score. Bob Lindborg equalled his achievement but was
beaten on count-back and Norm Cheetham was third on 28.
Div A went a lot better, with all the single figure
handicappers taking the top five places, just proving that you had to be a
good golfer to play well out there today. Mark McDonald was the best,
playing off H/’cap 3 with an excellent 38 points, followed in by Jim
Brackett (37pts) and Ian Heddle (34pts). Raji also scored 34 (beaten on
count-back) and the other single figure man, John Cunningham had 33.
There were five ‘2’s from John Cunningham, Raji (Amarjit
Banwaitt), Ian Heddle & Bob Lindborg had two.
Div A (0-13)
1st Mark McDonald (3) 38pts
2nd James Brackett (7) 37pts
3rd Ian Heddle (3) 34pts
Div B (14+)
1st Dave Boran (15) 31pts
2nd Bob Lindborg (18) 31pts
3rd Norm Cheetham (16) 28pts
Tuesday, Oct. 26, Pattaya C.C. – Stableford
On a day without rain - 24 Outbackers competed in the
regular Tuesday outing to Pattaya Country Club. The course was still wet
from the previous day’s substantial downpour with many bunkers full of water
with a ball being lost in one.
With their up-coming major tournament the course was in
fair condition with the exception of many of the greens – which is
surprising considering the rain of late.
We welcomed back Lloyd Shuttleworth from Iraq and said
goodbye to Tony McDonough on his way back to Aus.
In Div A, the top spot went to Lloyd Shuttleworth (6) who
played a great game to come in with 40 points – the best of the day; with
Tuesday regular, Paul Smets (19) six shots adrift in second with 34 and just
a point further back was Alan Whittingham (11) on 33. The final place was
decided on count-back with Raji, Suzi and Kevin Pross all having 31 – Raji
(9) took it by a whisker.
In Div B, ‘our Arthur’ aka Arthur Bailey (26) was back in
form and still playing four times a week at 82 years of age and coming in
first with 37 points, having blobbed the 17th! Second was another Tuesday
regular, Frank O’Neill (20) with 36 and Bill Peach (22) took third with 35.
The final spot went to ‘the motor cycle man’, Sid Ottaway (24) with 33
points.
Just two ‘2’s came from Alan Whittington and Les Crocker.
The Outback are at Pattaya Country Club each Tuesday with a 9.30 tee time.
Div A (0-19)
1st Lloyd Shuttleworth (6) 40pts
2nd Paul Smets (19) 34pts
3rd Alan Whittingham (11) 33pts
4th Amarjit Banwaitt (9) 31pts
Div B (20+)
1st Arthur Bailey (26) 37pts
2nd Frank O’Neill (20) 36pts
3rd William Peach (22) 35pts
4th Sid Ottaway (24) 33pts
Wednesday, Oct. 27, Rayong C.C. - Stableford
This course has a long way to go to bring it up to
scratch. It is a great Nick Faldo layout, but sadly it lacks TLC. Let’s hope
the new owners are prepared to give it it’s just deserves.
Sixteen Outbackers tried their hand and most reported its
poor condition but to be fair, maybe the current period of incessant heavy
rain, isn’t helping their (the management’s) cause. We will leave it another
two or three months before we try it out again.
Bruce Milner had the best score of the day with his 35
points and a win in Div A whilst newcomer, Dominic Ruhl took Div B with 34,
one point ahead of three all lined up behind him, headed by the Sugarman.
We said goodbye to Barney, who has been with us for
sometime, and thanked Fidge for running the ‘fines’ in Chiang Mai, both of
whom returned to Aus today, see you next March.
Div A (0-13)
1st Bruce Milner (11) 35pts
2nd Sel Wegner (13) 34pts
3rd Lloyd Shuttleworth (5) 33pts
Div B (14+)
1st Dominic Ruhl (28) 34pts
2nd Sugar Ray Handford (16) 33pts
3rd Tony Briggs (14) 33pts
Friday, Oct. 29, Greenwood - Thai Garden Resort Cup
Greenwood played host to the 3rd
Thai Garden Resort Cup after stepping in at the eleventh hour after Phoenix
booked the event for the wrong month, or so they claim! Nevertheless it was
a welcome change of venue, as the course was in great condition and the
weather absolutely marvellous.
There was some doubt that the two tee start would
transpire smoothly, it went ok but there were some disgruntled players from
the Golf Club, who were playing their monthly medal, and slammed into our
groups on their back nine. It may have got a little slow but there was no
need to have defaced our near pin markers though!
The German Swiss team were the holders of the Cup,
narrowly winning last year 8 1/2 to 7 1/2 and as the scores were returned it
was clear this year was going to be different. As usual, the team format was
matchplay over the entire eighteen holes; mentally tougher than hole by hole
matchplay, as a team can effectively always be overhauled. The rules were
simple, play in any order, pick and place for each player, but that did not
make any less of the desire to win on both sides.
Parking was impossible at the packed Thai Garden Resort,
who were not only hosting our evening’s festivities in the Moon River Pub
with their excellent buffet and free bar, but also a much bigger event for
the Lighthouse Club, poolside. The excellent resident band started up as the
presentation was to be delayed until their first break and to enable our
buffet to conclude before the number of guests were swelled by the
Lighthouse guests, if they could get in!
Helmut Wolf and Jack Moseley once again coordinated the
event and were there to present the prizes commencing with the five top
pairings. They were Willi Buschmann & Jeff Bunn (5th)
with net 68; Dave Earthrowl & Lloyd Shuttleworth (4th)
on 67; in joint second were Tony Briggs & Sel Wegner and Paul Bourke & Raji,
both teams with 66.25; and the clear winners, with a gross 72 (net 64.5)
were Pat Regan & his lovely lady, Jum.
Near pins were also awarded to Norbert Gschwind, Zion
Asaban & Paul Greenaway.
Then came the announcement of the winning team, and the
trophy was on its way back to the Outback Golf Bar with a landslide victory,
by the margin of 12 1/2 to 2 1/2
There were two ‘2’s from Nev Steward & Bob Lindborg.
NOTE: 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.
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AustCham charity golf raises 150,000 for Camillian Center
The
winning SKM team pose with the Australian Ambassador to Thailand, H.E. James
Wise, standing center.
Staff Reporters
The Australian Chamber of Commerce (AustCham) organized
another of their very successful charity golf tournaments at Phoenix Golf
Course in Pattaya on Friday, October 15.
“Now
where did that go?”
Despite the heavy rain of late, the Ocean & Lakes course
was presented in superb condition and more than 120 players, most of whom
were attired in their commemorative Austcham golf shirts, turned up for the
12 p.m. shotgun start.
Playing in a 4-ball scramble team format, the SKM team
proved to be the real golf masters on the day, returning to the clubhouse
with a fantastic total of 14 under par. This score was to prove out of reach
for the rest, especially Team Alfa who decided to take the scenic route
around the golf course and picked up the ‘Wooden Spoon’ for their troubles.
Teeing-off AustCham style.
There was also a whole rack of individual prizes up for
grabs on the day and the Near Pin awards were picked up by Mike Davey (L2),
Peter Bouras (L7), Bob De Angel (O5) and Paul Smith (O7). Long Drive prizes
went to Nick Toon (L4) & (O9), Mike Moir (L9) and Scott Puzey (O4). Finally,
the Nearest the Keg award was won by Austcham President Andrew Durieux, who
saved his finest shot for his effort on Ocean 3 and was presented with a keg
of the finest amber drinking fluid as his reward.
Following the golf, the players and their partners
retired to the Tavern by the Sea Restaurant, part of the Amari Resort, on
Pattaya Beach Road were an Austcham Sundowners event was taking place from
6:30 p.m. – 9 p.m. The function was honored by the appearance of the
Australian Ambassador to Thailand, H.E. James Wise, who helped tournament
organizer Paul Wilkinson (AGS Four Winds removals) and Andrew Durieux with
the distribution of the prizes.
Putting
for ‘dough’.
That mission accomplished, there was just the little
matter of enjoying the superb buffet laid on by the Tavern by the Sea staff
and sampling the numerous and enticing free-flow beverages on offer.
Principal sponsors of this year’s event were Siam Ocean
World, AGS Four Winds, Amari Group, BlueScope Steel (Thailand) Limited, CR
Asia (Thailand) Co., Ltd., CUEL, Fenix Apparel and Accessories Co., Ltd.,
Jomtien Property, La Royale Beach, Mermaid Offshore Services Limited,
Pattaya Mail Publishing Co. Ltd., Opus/Horton International, Tellus Systems
Limited, V Australia, and Wood Group ESP, and Austcham would like to thank
them all for their generous sponsorship this year.
The organizers estimate that at least 150,000 baht has
been raised from this year’s charity golf tournament for the Camillian AIDS
Center at Rayong and the orphanage at Kanchanaburi. Well done AustCham and
to all those who took part!
Team and
caddies await the shotgun start.
All set
for a day on the course.
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‘The Principal’ delivers a master class
PSC golf from Lewiinski’s
Sunday, Oct. 24, Green
Valley - Stableford
A Flight
1st Mick Shrosbree (13) 38pts
2nd Peter Lenoury (9) 36pts
3rd Yui Bietry (12) 36pts
B Flight
1st Jez Lees (16) 43pts
2nd Colin Davis (16) 41pts
3rd Chaten Patel (15) 40pts
Near Pins: No 4 Jez Lees, No 9 Yui Bietry, No 12
Kathy Doody, No16 Bill Peach.
Peter Thompson, the designer of Green Valley Golf Club,
was the winner of five (5) Open Championships. Now in Peter’s defense, the
course has experienced significant Thai and Klaus Schackt redesign
intervention that is emasculated by tee positions set forward to facilitate
quicker play on Sundays, and the lads and lasses have a high degree of
formality with it. But suffice it to say that the courses head was handed to
Peter on a silver plate by Sunday’s field.
Sunday’s winners, Mick Shrosbree, left, and Jez Lees.
Enough said that the six podium holders had their way,
but it should be noted that 43 points, 41 points, 40 points, and 38 points
for nothing. Back to the podium, Jez ‘the principal’ Lees continued his
assault on his handicap to acquire top spot in the junior flight. Colin ‘The
donkey’ Davis was two shots adrift of Jez and ‘Fast’ Chaten Patel filled the
flight.
The senior division saw the return of the ‘Isaan raider’
Mike Shrosbree who took the top rung on the ladder with a solid 38 points.
Peter Lenoury also made his return a rewarding one by gaining a count-back
decision over the unlucky Yui Bietry, both two shots adrift.
Jez and Yui accumulated a near pin and a ‘2’ to their
winnings, along with John Bahng and Dave Boran.
Tuesday, Oct. 26,
Greenwood - Stableford
1st Ed Wyckoff (12) 39pts
2nd Gary Green (11) 36pts
3rd
Colm Mullen (15) 34pts
After taking Peter Thompson’s designed Green Valley apart
on Sunday, the Lewiinski’s Golf Society thought they might try their luck at
another course he designed, Greenwood. Well it is at the remotest edge of
the Eastern Seaboard.
This could well have affected the play as only one
competitor broke par. ‘The Right Honorable’ Ed Wyckoff was that man carding
a very impressive 39 points. Gary Green fashioned a solid even par round for
the silver and Co. Dublin’s Colm ‘Bleeding Dub’ Mullen rounded out the
flight a further two shots back
Mike ‘I want the headlines’ Shrosbree collected a very
handy ‘2’s pot.
Wednesday, Oct. 27,
Bangpra - Stableford
1st Neil Bramley (7) 40pts
2nd Gary Green (11) 38pts
3rd
Peter Henshaw (17) 36pts
Neil Bramley brought the gang home through the marauding
monkeys of Bangpra. He cleared second placed and inform Garry Green by two
shots with a sparkling 40 points. Peter ‘Don O’corleone’ Henshaw and Merle
Humphreys were tied on even par rounds, the count-back victim being Merle.
Neil Bramley, Garry Green and Jan Erikson shared the ‘2’s
pot.
Guess who has just arrived in town? Kevin and Mat, leaders of the infamous
Co. Offaly Gang!
Friday, Oct. 29, Crystal
Bay - Stableford
A Flight
1st Kevin Mcentee (7) 37pts
2nd Neil Bromley (7) 34pts
B Flight
1st Colin Davis (16) 34pts
2nd
Geoff Kubas (19) 34pts
Hello, hello, hello, what’s going on here then? (Well
don’t say you weren’t warned). Read the above article. Kevin Mcentee of
County Offaly fame wasted no time in taking the top spot in the senior
flight and prime spot in the payout queue, with a sparkling 37 points, this
being the only score on the day to better par. Get used to it!
The inform pair of Neil Bromley, second, and Garry Green,
who would have finished second for the third consecutive game, were soundly
put in their place.
The junior flight was a mathematician’s nightmare, as
Colin ‘the donkey’ Davis, Geoff ‘Elvis’ Kubas and Jan Erickson all garnered
34 points. It was no surprise to see them finish in that order as the
‘donkey’ he haw, he haw ways does.
The ‘donkey’ added a ‘2’ to his pay packet along with
Peter Henshaw.
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 Colin on 089 826 0764.
Transport is provided.
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Erik Donnestad goes low
IPGC golf from The Haven
Monday, Oct. 25, Green
Valley - Stableford
CSS 72
1st Erik Donnestad (4) 41pts
2nd Ron De Groot (15) 39pts
3rd Don Everett (24) 36pts
4th Bob Maloney (12) 36pts cb 16
5th Lyle Blaw (12) 34pts
6th
Trevor Schirmer (14) 33pts
With the wet weather seemingly a distant memory, it was
almost back to run on the fairways, but not quite.
Erik
Donnestad.
Erik Donnestad made the best of the conditions with a
scintillating gross 71 to top the day’s hopefuls with a two shot victory
that underscored his talents as a golfer of the highest order.
Ron De Groot slipped in another fine round off his brand
new and lower handicap to take second place by three clear ahead of another
pair of new handicappers who had to be separated by a count-back for third,
which Don Everett won by 22 to 16 over Bob Maloney.
Lyle Blaw in fifth and Trevor Schirmer in sixth rounded
off the honourable mentions for the day.
Once again there were no 2’s in the second division but
Erik Donnestad, Bob Maloney and Yasuo Suzuki had one each in the first
division.
October
scramble winner – The Birdie Boys.
Before presenting the prizes The Doc welcomed new member
David Grice and also welcomed back “The Western Raiders”, back from their
pillaging trip to the North of Thailand, in the form of Don Everett (44),
Bob Maloney(41), Wayne Waywood (40 & 39), Rod Crosswell (40), and Ron De
Groot (only37 & 37), the figures in brackets being their best scores in
competitions.
There was also a farewell to Trevor Edge returning north
to where he says he can perform a little better.
Wednesday, Oct. 27,
Bangpra - Scramble
1st Mikael Andersson, Jeremy Masse, Rick,
Holmes, Roy Thornton, net 57.6
2nd Erik Donnestad, Rod Howett, Roar Berger, Ole
Stamnes, net 58.4
3rd Al Keith, Peter Sumner, Alan Pilkington, Chris
Knapp, net 60.1
4th Bob Maloney, Wayne Waywood, Ron De Groot, Don
Everett, net 61
5th Russell Exley, David Grist, Mike Gosden, Stephen
Beard, net 65.1
Near Pins: #2 Rick Holmes, #8 David Grist, #12 Alan Griffiths, #17 Peter
Sumner
The usual monthly scramble based on the “Max 5 System”
with no player able to take more than five tee shots and the handicaps set
at 12.5% of the teams combined handicaps without a cap, once again enabled a
full array of golfing abilities to take part at the always testing Bangpra
course. With the tees set on almost every hole on the blue markers it proved
to be a test for the long and straight with the best gross of the day, 63,
by the New Birdie Boys, also taking the top prize.
The second placed team, the Vikings, just secured second
place as they made the highest handicap of the day count with a gross 69.
The third spot was filled by the Pluckers, after they
returned a fine 65 gross with the lowest team handicap.
Fourth place went to the Western Bandits all playing with
their brand new Thailand handicaps rather than the Western EBay ones with a
steady 69 gross.
Last of the honourable mentions went to the Scragg Ends
with a hard fought gross 71.
Friday, Oct. 29, Phoenix -
Monthly Medals
CSS 73
Division 1
1st Marty Rock (11) net 71
2nd Peter Sumner (8) net 71
3rd Wayne Waywood (13) net 73
Division 2
1st Don Everett (24) net 72
2nd Norman Cheetham (16) net 77
3rd
Rod Howett (26) net 83
As usual the Soi 13 Monthly Medal was held at Phoenix
from the blue tees with the weather having turned around completely to
overcast with strong winds making it an almost perfect day for golf
following weeks of wet and glum faces.
In the first division Marty Rock took his second Medal of
the year by just getting the better of playing partner Peter Sumner on a
count-back, which he won by a margin of 33.5 to 34 after they had been nip
and tuck all round the course. Wayne Waywood then just got the better of
Yasuo Suzuki for third also by a count-back, which he won with a better 35.5
to 36.5.
The second division was led in by Don Everett who also
won his second Medal of the year by a clear five strokes ahead of Norman
Cheetham in second and Rod Howett a distant third. The scores in the second
division clearly showed the difficulty of the wind as they generally
struggled to keep the ball in play.
There were no 2’s in the second division but David Grist
had one in the first division after a recount by the semi blind scorer.
If you would like to play with The Haven group you can
contact mobile 084782 4582 or call in to the 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 8.30 on Mondays, Wednesday, Fridays and Sundays on the
days you wish to play. A schedule of ;courses to be played can be found on
our web site at www.thehaven-hotel.com.
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Kraft writes his name on monthly trophy
PSC golf from the Three Sisters Bar
Pattaya Country Club was in pretty decent shape
considering the amount of rain that has fallen on the area in the past month
or so. This being the last Wednesday of the month, Oct. 27, the trophy was
again on the line.
Monthly
trophy winner Paul Kraft, left, with runner-up Larry Emerson.
With more than a few regulars ailing or recovering from
ailments, Paul Kraft came up big with an even par performance of 36 points
to capture the top prize, besting Larry Emerson by 2 and a couple of
also-rans by 4 points.
The usual gathering was held at the Caddyshack 2 with
Herbie providing the fare and Lamai & family serving liquid refreshments.
Tee-off for the Three Sisters is every Wednesday at
Pattaya Country Club, just after the crack of dawn. All early risers are
welcome to join.
On a side note, your usual scribe, photographer, and
clubhouse wit, Paul Donahue, is in the hospital. Hopefully this is the last
poor attempt to substitute for him and he will be back soon.
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Courses up the ante
Golf from the Travellers Rest
TRGG
players at Century Chonbury.
Barry Hooper
My main point of report this week is not the play at the
TRGG but how the majority of the courses have apparently decided to
considerably up the cost of play, particularly at the weekend. We made a
return booking for Saturday play at Emerald after last week’s visit and no
mention was made of a planned increase in the course fee at the time. It was
only when we rang to confirm later in the week that it was mentioned. So we
cancelled. Not a good way to treat a regular customer me thinks.
We then endeavoured to find an alternative source of play
only to find that just about all the courses had done the same thing and in
a lot of cases not by a small amount.
Eventually we were offered a good deal at Century
Chonburi - a course to which we had not ventured in some considerable time.
We were a little unsure what we would find for the cost offered but some
thirty plus members and guest players turned out on Saturday.
I actually found the opportunity to venture out for a
game myself and took time to speak to many players after they had finished
and see what comments they had on their day’s round.
Most agreed, having never played it before, that it was a
course layout they liked but that the general infrastructure did leave a lot
to be desired. The tee off areas and fairways seemed generally fine but the
greens have had a lot of work completed on them but were not really ready
for play yet, making them very difficult to read for everyone.
Everything seemed very dry and I can only assume that
they had not had the amount of rain that everyone else has received. But at
the price charged no one could really be upset. Given a little more time and
I believe that the greens will eventually come into their own, possibly
making this a good course.
Tuesday, Oct. 26,
Greenwood B & A - Stableford
1st Neil Bramley (7) 36pts
2nd Alan Evans (30) 34pts
3rd Pierre Cere (12) 34pts
4th
Mike Rushant (13) 33pts
Tuesday was a trip to Greenwood B & A with a fair turnout
on the day. The weather good and the course was in reasonable shape.
Neil Bramley made the day his own coming home with an
even par 36 points for first place. Two players found themselves two back of
that score and having to have a decision made by count-back, the honours
going to Alan Evans over Piere Cere. In fourth was Mike Rushant on 33
points.
No ‘2’s recorded so a bell ring back at the Travellers
Rest.
Thursday, Oct. 28, Phoenix
- Stableford
Div 1
1st Ted Senior (13) 39pts
2nd Mike Rushant (13) 37pts
3rd Barry Pussell (6) 35pts
4th Pierre Cere (12) 35pts
Div 2
1st Yoshi Edina (19) 39pts
2nd Donald Pearson (34) 33pts
3rd Norman Cheetham (16) 33pts
4th
Kozo Makino (23) 32pts
Thursday was another regular visit to Phoenix (Mountain
and Lakes) and as always a big group made the journey to enjoy the
attributes of this great course, so two divisions were allocated on the day.
Division 1 had Ted Senior retaining his new name of “Mr.
One” with 39 points for the win and two up on Mike Rushant in second. Taking
third place was Barry Pussell with 35 after coming out on top of a three-way
count back over Neil Bramley and Tewin Lamthong.
Division 2 had Ebina Yoshi topping the list, also on 39
points, a full six up on second placed Donald Pearson who took that position
on count-back after matching scores with Norman Cheetham. In fourth was Kozo
Makino at 32.
Two ‘2’s came from Norman Cheetham and Ted Senior while
near pin awards went to Norman Cheethan at the 8th and Ted Rae at the 16th
Saturday, Oct. 30, Century
Chonburi - Stableford
Div 1 (0-11)
1st David Park (6) 31pts
2nd John Dean (9) 31pts
3rd Ian Dallas (9) 30pts
Div 2 (12-16)
1st Frank Courtney (15) 32pts
2nd Arnold Jones (15) 28pts
3rd Mike Rushant (12) 28pts
Div 3 (17-up)
1st Alan Evans (30) 34pts
2nd Mark Krysl (32) 32pts
3rd Ron
Gillett (30) 32pts
Saturday we went to Century Chonburi. As I mentioned in
my opening report this was a course of which we knew little and was found to
be a little wanting. It is a nice course but still requires a lot a work to
make it a good venue. The conditions found on the day reflected in the
scores.
A very full list attended, so much so that we had three
divisions, something we have not had in some time.
Div 1 had David Park at the top of the pile with 31
points along with John Dean, but after count-back on the back nine David was
one better than John by 15 to 14. In third was Ian Dallas at 30.
Div 2 did not need any count-back as Frank Courtney had
32 points for the win and this was four ahead of his nearest rivals, Arnold
Jones and Mike Rushant, who both had 28 and were again separated by
count-back, 16 to 13
Div 3 went to Alan Evans with his 34 points and two upon
Mark Krysl and Ron Gillett. A count-back decision saw Mark take second by 20
to 14 on the back nine.
There were three ‘2’s on the day, the first coming from
Amphan North with an eagle on the first, Pierre Cere on the fourth and
Yoshiya Edina at the seventeenth. A near pin on hole thirteen went to Gary
Leigh.
Note: If you want any further or fuller
information about the golf outings played by the TRGG from the Travellers
Rest Hotel, please contact the hotel manager Tewin Lamthong on 086 056 7019
or just call in to the Travellers Rest in Soi LK Metro, Pattaya and look at
the notice board or visit our website at www.trgg.biz
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Victory for the formbook
IPGC Pattaya Golf Society, based at Rabbi’s Elephant Bar
The Pattaya Golf Society celebrated its final Tuesday
fixture with a visit to Bangpakong Riverside, only an hour away these days,
to play a stableford competition on the immaculately presented course.
Recent storms had left the fairways soft and yielding and
the greens were a little on the slow side, but it did not detract from the
overall enjoyment of the day.
The field was swelled by returning friends which
hopefully heralds the start of high season but the competition went to form,
with Peter Duncan heading for a win only to stumble through the final three
holes when his hitherto excellent iron play deserted him and left him with
35 points in third place. Runner-up was Phil Knight, in the frame yet again
with 36 points. Unspectacular but very consistent, Phil is enjoying some
excellent form at present. It was not quite enough however as Tony Thorne
again presented his unconventional credentials with a fine 37 points for the
win.
Tony and Phil were joined by Jim McNeil in a share of the
‘2’s pot and Richard “Banjo” Bannister celebrated his return with the Booby
Bevy after leaving Rabbi’s Elephant Bar without his golf shoes but his sense
of humour remains as always.
From the 1st November the Soi Buakhao based group is
playing its golf on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and more enjoyable days
like this one at Bangpakong are certainly in prospect.
Medal win for Sumner
The Pattaya Golf Society chose Phoenix as the venue for
its October monthly medal event and were assigned the Lakes and Ocean nines
as the challenge. It was pleasing to see that the course was in much better
condition than on the previous visit and a strong field took up the
challenge on a fine dry day.
Playing from the white tees, the golfers found many of
the tees were at their furthest extent thus making the course quite long but
to balance that fact there were signs that the “run” is coming back as the
course dries out.
The single flight saw Jim McNeil post net 71 for third
place with the runner-up berth going to Tony Thorne, the latter chalking up
his second such score in consecutive rounds. The winner was Pete Sumner
whose round of net 69 saw him drop only four shots to the course for the
whole day.
The ‘2’s pot was shared by Richard “Banjo” Bannister and
Wichai Tananusorn, the latter birdying both Ocean par threes.
The choice for Booby Bevy winner was broad with Mr. Len
blowing away a two-under opportunity after nine holes when he found the
powdery sand too much on the tenth and eleventh, and Jim Ferris and Emiel
van de Wiele who were struggling on their return to the group. Instead it
was presented “in absentia” to the only golfer who failed to make the
presentation back in Soi Buakhao.
The day ended with a reminder that from 1st November the
group will be playing its competition golf on Mondays, Wednesdays and
Fridays, thus bringing about a major change in its fifteen year old history
and the usual warm welcome is extended to all IPGC golfers.
Scotch and Canada Dry
The Pattaya Golf Society bade farewell to its weekend
golf on Saturday, 30th October, when they played a stableford round at
Rayong CC on an empty course which is slowly improving all the time.
The weather was very comfortable with a strong breeze
blowing all day under a cloudless sky and the drying fairways showing signs
of “run” at last. The wind was to have a bearing on the proceedings with
no-one making par and the tough fourth hole surrendered only fifteen points
in total to the field all day!
Sharing third place were a clutch of golfers on 31 points
with Masa Takano, Tony Thorne, Emiel van de Wiele and Jim McNeil unabashedly
accepting the meagre spoils. Sharing the win were two golfers enjoying their
first win with the group. Scots golfer Allen Dow and Canadian Gordon
Everingham both recorded 32 points giving them both a reason to celebrate,
especially as the absence of any twos enhanced their prize pot.
The Booby Bevy was reserved for Peter Duncan, late for
muster, and his game suffered badly after a front nine of seventeen points
as the expected hangover kicked in during the back nine. Weekend golf has
certainly been a fine distraction for the PGS over the last five years but
times move on and competition golf changes to weekdays from now on. More
details can be found at the group’s informative website at http://thepattayagolfsociety.org
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‘Mum-Dog Millionaire’ - medal winner
PSC golf from The Golf Club Sports Bar
Monday, Oct. 25 Green
Valley – Stableford
1st Peter LeNoury (8) 41pts
2nd John Emmerson (10) 38pts
3rd Brad Sproxton (12) 36pts
With a smaller field on this holiday the scores were still impressive. Peter
LeNoury, just arriving back from the UK, was firing on all cylinders and
scored a fantastic 41 points. We witnessed iron shots from all over the
course land on the greens. Well played!
Brad
Sproxton and Chatel Patel.
John Emmerson was steady, missing a few short putts
otherwise there may have been a count-back. Brad Sproxton folded like a
cheap tent on the final 3 for third.
Thanks to all who joined us today.
Wednesday, Oct. 27,
Emerald – Stableford
1st Steve Snelgrove (4) 35pts
2nd Jeff Cordeiro (7) 33pts
3rd
Bob Allen (16) 32pts
Our feature group of the day produced the eventual first
and second place winners. It was a USA v Canada (Mexicans with sweaters)
grudge match. Cordeiro and McHugh v Snelgrove and Sproxton. Unfortunately
for Snelgrove he had to carry Sproxton for 18 holes. He proved to be the
day’s best on 35 points but his partner could not contribute.
Cordeiro was second with 33 points and had a great ham
and egg partner in McHugh. Bobby “Love” Allen was thirs on 32 points.
The fast greens played havoc on the rest of the field and
many struggled to mount much of a challenge. Cheers to all for joining us.
Friday, Oct. 29, Greenwood
– Medal
1st Chaten Patel (15) net 68
2nd Brad Sproxton (12) net 72
3rd John Dearden (19) net 73
4th
Cpt Bob Finley (13) net 73
Twenty-eight players convened at Greenwood today for our
Monthly Medal. One individual was clearly hotter than phall. Chaten Patel
broke his Bombay Duck and immediately called his naan to report the news of
his victory, 4 shots clear of second place Brad Sproxton.
Chaten made putts from everywhere, encouraging them in
with a combination of body English and verbal threat. Some think the ball
was afraid of his attire and couldn’t wait to get in the hole to hide.
JTB was third beating Cpt. Bob Finley on the dreaded
Dearden count-back. The rest of the best tried to hold form but were no
match for Chaten.
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Andersson on form at Eastern Star
Jomtien Golf with the IPGC
Monday, Oct. 25, Eastern
Star – Stableford
A public holiday today and we had 19 players out in the
competition. With the amount of rain lately here in the region we were all
surprised at the condition of the course; buggies allowed on the fairways
but the greens still need some supervision.
Still playing off H/cap 5, Kari Kuparinen came in third
with 35 points in Division 1 while Tom Sathrum lost out on a back 9
count-back of 17/15 to, guess who? Chris Voller, after they both recorded 36
points.
His ‘other half’ was not playing today so Cully Monks won
Division 2, five points ahead of Mendip Hills trainer Malcolm Saunders.
Count-back Burnie was in third place with 31 points.
Miss Nut wins the Ladies division with 27 points with
Miss Nit in second place who also took a nearest the pin on the 3rd
hole as well.
Georges Faber and Harry Riley birdied the 13th
and Chris Voller the 3rd to split the ‘2’s in Division
1 while there was a rollover in Division 2 till Friday.
Wednesday, Oct. 27, Green
Valley –Stableford
The last Wednesday of the month and our fun day, an
individual stableford competition for three divisions plus a pairs
multiplier for 16 teams. There was one no show as we waited for our tee off
and he will be on the blacklist as from today for disrupting the format.
Kari Kuprainen, Harry Riley ,Raivo Velsberg and Chris
Voller all contested third place in Division 1 with 34 points each with
Chris beating the other three with a back nine count-back of 18 to the
others 17. Frank Kelly came in second with 35 points and the winner with 37,
playing off 12, was Georges Faber.
Another count-back in division 2 saw Gordon Everingham
losing out to Barry Rawlinson with a score of 19/18 after they both scored
35 points, but the winner with 37 was Bryan Rought.
Harry Riley and Joe Kubon both birdied the ninth hole and
as a team scored a remarkable 16 points on this hole. They were the only
winners in the ‘2’s as well, but didn’t come in the reckoning in the team
score.
In third place with 60 points were Neville Scurrell and
Barry Rawlinson, four points ahead in second place came Gordon Everingham
and Jean Morel, and the winners today with 67 points were Rick Brand and
Bryan Rought.
Near pins were claimed by Don Head, Chris James, Ya
Riley, Raivo Velsberg, Joe Kubon, Terry Redding, Bryan Rought and Burnie
Sinclair.
Friday, Oct. 29, Eastern
Star – Stableford
There were 28 players out today and as we prepared to tee
off we noticed that the wind, instead of coming off the coast as normal was
coming from the north, which meant the cooler season had started.
A very pleasant round was enjoyed by all and with the
Chairman’s Cup here the next day, the course was in good condition with
faster greens than of normal.
A great round by Mikael Andersson, playing off 9, won
Division 1 with 39 points. Chris Voller was in second with 35 and in third
place came Tony Barritt with 32.
In Division 2 there were 3 players fighting for third
place with 28 points; Malcolm Saunders lost out with 14 on the back nine, as
dids Stan Everingham with 16, who saw Willian Chang take the position with
17 points. Cully Monks won the division with 32 points after beating Joe
Kubon on a 19/15 back nine count-back.
Noi Emmerson took the ladies competition with 30 points
with Miss Nut in second place.
There were numerous rollovers in the ‘2’s but no winners
in Division 2 while Mikael Andersson birdied the 3rd
to take the pot in Division 1.
Near pins went to Mikael Andersson, Ian Speirs, Cully
Monks and Malcolm Saunders (2).
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Frank does enough on tough day at Laem Chabang
PSC golf from Tropical Bert’s
Derek Brook
Tuesday, Oct. 26, Laem
Chabang – Stableford
I thought for a last Tuesday of the ‘Low Season’, and
before we hit the madness of the new rates’ for the ‘High Season’, it would
be a fitting farewell to play what most consider the premier course around.
Mind, I have to say it has never been my number one course, but it does have
its good points.
Golfer
of the month Frank Pilkington, left, accepts his award from Dick Warberg.
On this day we departed Bert’s early as out tee off time
was at 0915 hrs, and with five groups we filled our quota. The good point
was that with the improvement of access to Route 7, we did not have to leave
until 0820 hrs and I had plenty of time to fill up on the way and still
arrive in good time.
At Laem Chabang we were soon booked in and I learned that
we were to play C & A in that order. Now the C nine is particularly
difficult and it was obvious that the round ahead was to be a tough one. It
has some particularly difficult holes, and a lot of water, and the carrying
of spare balls is very much recommended. I can verify the fact.
The layout, as Laem Chabang goes, was not in bad
condition, but not pristine of course due to the large amount of rain
lately. Carts were judiciously used on the grass and generally things were a
bit overgrown. The greens were slow and not up to their normal standard but
were not bad. It was a day of play and enjoy but the scores were never going
to be great. As we came to the end of our round we noticed that the groups
on the B nine were well backed up, I guess we were lucky.
We were quickly back to Tropical Bert’s, very early
indeed, however as ‘Happy Hour’ is from 1600 hrs onwards, we just made it in
time. Later the results were declared and one man was seven points ahead of
the rest, and the rest were not very impressive.
The winner with 38 points was Andre van Dyk, and in
second was Frank Pilkington with 31 points ahead of Daryl Evans in third on
count-back. In fourth place meanwhile was Ian Dallas with 30 points.
Near Pins went to Paul Brown, Frank Pilkington, Bernie
Seagrave and Joel Flor.
This was also the last day of the month for the ‘Golfer of the Month’
award, and with his second place finish today Frank Pilkington took the
honours. Well done Frank! T.T.F.N.
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Eddy ‘the Eagle’ has landed
Why were over 100 golfers, many with their partners, at
the Moon River Pun on the evening of Wednesday 27th
October?
Eddy
Beilby and his wife Wi get ready to cut their wedding cake at the Moon River
Pub.
They were there by invitation from Eddy Beilby to
celebrate his recent wedding to long term partner Wi.
In addition two old friends – Collette and Malcolm -were
there from the UK who had timed their holiday to attend this special event.
Eddie and Wi provided a lavish buffet created by the Moon
River Pub, together with a full bar service which ensured that no glass was
ever empty.
Eddy had invited Nigel Cannon to be the MC for the
evening who got proceedings under way by announcing the cutting of the cake
– done in style with a long sword.
Nigel followed this with some words of his and partner
Bee’s long time friendship with Eddy and Wi.
Before toasting the happy couple Nigel invited all the
men to toast ‘The Ladies’ since they all looked so lovely.
He then thanked Eddy and Wi on behalf of all present for
the invitation to share in their special day.
Wi then threw her bouquet in the traditional manner over
her shoulder which was almost caught by Richard Livingstone’s lady!
Seamus Cotter – Captain of Lewiinski’s then paid tribute
to Eddy as a long serving member, past Captain, and President Elect of
Lewiinski’s and presented some wine glasses in appreciation.
Then it was music all the way!
The one unsolved mystery was where was Eddy when the band opened with the
romantic ‘Endless Love’ leaving Wi on the dance floor all alone! Not for
long though as a friend came to Wi’s rescue!
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New face tops the Seniors
The October Diana Seniors and Ladies Open
Nigel Cannon
It was a day without rain for the October Diana Seniors
and Ladies Open at Pattaya Country held on Thursday 28th. This month we had
28 taking part and welcomed some new faces; Bill Bertram, Hans Nygren, Lasse
Laks and two Thai ladies Yupa Chaipanya and Rung Myer. All arrived and
registered well before the tee time of 0900.
From
left-right: Lasse Laks, Pimusa Tonkhoksoong and Chris John.
The course whilst a little wet in places – carts were
allowed on the fairways but it was another ‘pick and place’ day. Clearly
with all the rain some bunkers were flooded but most of the course was in a
reasonable condition - although the greens are giving regular PCC players
cause for concern.
Ladies winner this month was Pimusa Tonkhoksoong (13)
with 39 points while the runner-up was Yupa Chaipanya (19) with 36 on
count-back from her friend Rung.
The Seniors winner was new face Lasse Laks (18) with 39
points ahead of Bo Engstrom (11) with 37 in second spot.
It was two PCC members toping the Super Seniors with
Chris John (21) winning with 38 points – and Barry Chadburn (20) with 36
coming in as runner up.
Near pin prizes were picked up by Lasse Laks, Sven
Sjoquist, Arthur Bailey and Pimusa Tonkhoksoong, while the longest drives
were claimed by Alan Pearce and Bengt Borg.
All scores from this event are submitted to Pattaya
Sports Club.
The November Diana Seniors and Ladies open is on Thursday
25th at Pattaya Country Club with a tee time of 0900. This is the last one
of this year. Sign-up sheets are at the Diana Green Bottle 2nd
Road and the Diana Driving range.
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Bernek sails to victory
PSC golf from the Cafe Kronborg
The Drut
Tuesday, Oct. 26,
Plutaluang - Stableford
Twenty-two golfers set off from the Kronborg at 0815
hours under cloudy skies and arrived at the course forty minutes later.
Playing the East and South nines the starter sent us on our way at 0930
hours.
Tuesday’s winners: Ken Bernek, right, with ‘The Admiral’ Dave Richardsaon.
With carts only on the motorway rule in play, the first
group completed the journey in five hours and thirty minutes which included
two drink stops and a thirty minute rain delay.
The weather ranged from warm to wet and the greens played
well. The rest of the course should be handed over to AA and not used until
it dries out. It was somewhere between a quagmire and a lake.
Ken Bernek, the Polish hit, commented prior to teeing off
that his golf was hotter than Sharon Stone’s interrogation scene in Basic
Instinct. This was a big call by Ken and put him under more pressure then
Meatloaf’s bicycle seat to perform. Time would tell if he was correct.
In the A Flight Ken turned out to be a soothsayer and
scored 38 points to take first place. His round saw him have two ferrets
(chip-ins) and a birdie on the first which included hitting a dog in a
fairway bunker. When asked if he had any more party tricks, Ken replied,
“would you like me to swallow the flag for an encore?” His group declined
the offer.
In second place was Tom Thompson with a rock solid 37
points finishing ahead of Paul Avery on 34 and Mike Allidi rounded out the
flight with 32 points.
In the B Flight the old sea dog Dave Richardson floated
to victory and took the gold medal with an eye catching 32 points. The
silver medal went to Graham Buckingham on a count-back with 30 points and
the bronze to John Sangaard. The consolation fourth spot was filled by the
Kronborg funny guy Jan Lovgreen with 29 points.
Near pins were won by Johan Reynisson on East 5 and Niels
Hansen on South 4. The long putt was won by Owen Walkley on South 9
We welcomed David Kirstuik from Canada, Tom Thompson from
the United States, Bent Moller and John and Kurt Sangaard from Denmark and
Bjorn Kristjohansson and Johan Reynisson from Iceland.
A Flight (0–18)
1st Ken Bernek (18) 38pts
2nd Tom Thompson (14) 37pts
3rd Paul Avery (10) 34pts
4th Mike Allidi (3) 32pts
B Flight (19+)
1st Dave Richardson (24) 32pts
2nd Graham Buckingham (23) 30pts
3rd John Sangaard (31) 30pts
4th
Jan Lovgreen (22) 29pts
The Coveted Compass Cap was collected by Peter Hammond
and fitted a treat. He remarked that despite being as busy as a bandaid
salesman at Custer’s last stand on the practice tee midweek, he couldn’t get
on top of his game.
Deefa the dog, whose appetite would have seen him devour
a sheep stuffed with rabbits, gratefully accepted all donations with a
relish not seen since Joseph Jaggers broke the Bank at Monte Carlo.
Thursday, Oct. 28,
Greenwood –Stableford
Twenty-three starters played the A and B nines, the first
group teeing off at 0945 hours and completing the journey in four hours and
ten minutes
The weather was fine, the course good, the greens sanded
and the short rough deadly.
Playing off the white tees the course was longer than
Highway One, which runs around the coastline of Australia.
Prior to teeing off one birdbrain sconned a fellow player
on the bonce with a practice chip. Fortunately it was only a lightweight
practice ball.
We were looking forward to seeing Lester the squirrel in
the drink hut near B4 tee, however he had done a runner and was nowhere to
be seen.
We welcomed John Naponick from Cambodia, Rita Zoebelle
from Switzerland, Neil Allison from Canada, Chris Dean and Warren Holland
from the US and Christian Thein from Germany.
In the A Flight Paul Avery handed in 34 points to beat
Niels Hansen and Walter Baechli on a count-back, with the latter pair coming
second and third respectively, and Mike Gosden posted 33 points for fourth
place.
In the B Flight Christian Thein was a runaway winner with
39 points. In second place was the consistent Ken Bernek on 36 points while
Mike Whingefield scored 31 points to place third on a count-back from Neil
Allison.
The near pin on A6 was won by Bill Plath. No one hit the
green on B5 so the loot went into The Admiral’s slush fund. Long putts went
to Dave Roberts on A9 and Bent Moeller on B9.
A Flight (0–17)
1st Paul Avery (10) 34pts
2nd Niels Hansen (14) 34pts
3rd Walter Baechli (17) 34pts
4th Mike Gosden (10) 33pts.
B Flight (18+)
1st Christian Thein (31) 39pts
2nd Ken Bernek (18) 36pts
3rd Mike Whingefield (19) 31pts
4th
Neil Allison (19) 31pts
The Coveted Compass Cap was collected by John Naponick
who no doubt will bounce back to the winner’s podium after a couple of
rounds under his belt.
Deefa the dog, who was that hungry he could have eaten a
rat festered with fleas, was again delighted to relieve the gathered throng
of a few baht for charity. A huge thanks goes to all who participate in this
activity of fund raising in the spirit in which it is meant.
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GB & Ireland storm back to take Ryder Cup
PSC golf from the Caddy Shack
The Rest
of the World team.
Tuesday, Oct. 26, Bangpra – Day 1
This year’s edition of the Caddy Shack Ryder Cup was
played out over three consecutive days from Oct. 26-28 at the Bangpra,
Burapha and Green Valley courses respectively.
Day 1 began at Bangpra on the Tuesday and saw both the
Rest of the World and the Great Britain & Ireland teams battle it out in a
4-ball better ball format to finish the round tied up at 3 points each.
Great
Britain & Ireland team.
The standout performers here were John McDonald (8) & Bob
Rasmussen (13) for the ROW team who enjoyed a 4&3 victory over their
opponents Vincent Smyth (10) & Ian Covill (14). A smart finish by Graham
Beaumont (11) & Jeff North (9) enabled them to take the final match 1-up and
thus square the scores for the GB & Ireland team.
Wednesday, Oct. 27, Burapha – Day 2
Day 2 maintained the same format of 4-ball better ball
but this time the ROW team were able to eke out a small lead of four points
to two. John McDonald & Bob Rasmussen once again teamed up for another win
but the golfing display of the day came from the GB & Ireland duo of Vincent
Smyth & Brian Orr (13) who took their match 5&4 over John Naponick (8) &
Rick Hyatt (8).
Nevertheless, the ROW side still had a valuable two point
lead going into the final day with the scores at 7-5.
Thursday, Oct. 28, Green Valley – Day 3
After two hard fought days in very wet conditions it all
came down to the singles matches at Green Valley with the ROW team holding a
narrow lead.
The
team captains with the Ryder Cup trophy.
Any hopes they had of maintaining that position would
soon evaporate however as the GB & Ireland team came storming back with some
outstanding match-play at their home course.
Wins at the beginning came from Capt. Damien Trant and
wee Brian Orr, in the middle from Vincent Smyth, ‘Big’ Graham Beaumont, and
an important half from Ramsay Smith, and to seal it off they managed four
more wins at the tail for Emmet White, Bruce Tollitt, Ben Findon and Ian
Colvill to wrap up a 13.5 to 10.5 victory. Even Monty would have been proud
of Damien’s team picks.
The top player of the tournament was Graham Beaumont with
3 win out of 3. Well done Graham!
A big congratulations and thanks goes to The Rest of the
World team for an excellent match, and everyone will be hoping to do it
again next year.
Finally a big thank you to Keith & Koy at the Caddy Shack for their
support and good grub & their staff for their service.
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Shenanigans Jomtien Quiz League
Results from Oct. 26
7
Chinese Brothers.
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Team Geog, Sport Music Movies Gen. Know.
Anagrams Photo Total
7 Chinese Brothers 5 5 8
8 11 20 20 77
The Tinkers 7 6 6
5 8 20 20 72
Damp Patches 4 6 6
8 9 18 20 71
Flying High 3 5 8
8 5 20 18 67
Aquaholics 3 4 4
6 8 20 18 63
Don & Lyn 1
7 5 3 6
16 16 54 |
Mike’s pledge comes true,
Jeff treasures a win
PSC Golf from Mulligans Lakeside
Tuesday, Oct. 26, Rayong
C.C. - Stableford
Tuesday was a trip out along Hwy 36, turn left at the Ban
Chang turnoff (not right) and head for Rayong C.C. The course was a little
on the rough & ready side, due to the recent rains when they were unable to
get the mowers out & about. Despite this hiccup the course was playable, as
the scores indicated.
Last
week’s silver medalists: Jim Fortune, left, and Allan Cassin.
Mike Pledger (19) again hit the high notes to record a
quality 37 points (he said it could have easy been 40). Jim Fortune (27)
continued his recent good form to score 35 points, despite being washed out
of the last hole, when a heavy storm swept in. Mam (31) edged Joom (30) on
count-back to the last 3 holes, 6 to 4, after both girls had signed for 32
points.
Near pins were collected by K, Allan, Ken & Jeff.
Thursday, Oct. 28,
Treasure Hill
Thursday saw us slide up 331 to Treasure Hill, the jewel
on this road. The course is currently undergoing some renovations, which
when finished will enhance this course’s reputation further amongst golfers.
Many do not like the course, but I think mainly due to
their poor performance rather than poor course condition. On this day, other
than playing from forward of the yellow tees on many occasions, the course
was in good order, maybe a little bumpy following recent rains.
Jeff Wylie (7) kept the ball in play all day, to record a
solid 37 points, followed home by the consistent Allan Cassin (12) with 35
points. Allan & Jeff each got a near pin, with Ken getting the 2nd hole,
with a fine shot. The short 6th hole went unclaimed, resulting in a small
donation to the Banglamung Boys Home.
Note: Mulligans Lakeside plays golf generally on
Tuesday & Thursday (we sometimes change to accommodate a Thai Holiday).
Presentations are made at the course on Tuesday, with Mulligans Lakeside
hosting the Thursday presentation. Jeff is away for a few weeks, so for more
details on scheduling etc, please call Keith 087 916 7171 or Ray 081 935
8088. Hope to see you there, Cheers & Good Golfing!
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‘Boston Burglar’ sneaks it
Phoenix Tuesday Golf Group
Mike Gerrard
Just as our little group were about to wander to the
first tee, God, Buddha, or whatever you believe in, spared us the 45 minute
downpour which preceded our game today.
Sadly for the Fairways golf big tournament (on the day)
they were already in full flight around the course.
So after about an hour’s delay we eventually started -
tackling the Lake and Ocean course. During the round we thought that we may
get wet again, but luckily the rain surrounded us without actually falling
on us.
Due to the weather conditions we decided to abandon the
stroke play comp this month and revert to stableford. Also we implemented
winter rules, but it was amazing that only 30 minutes after the rain the
course was in impeccable condition. Even carts were allowed on some
fairways!
It was interesting to note the high standard of scoring
considering the conditions, and as depicted in the headlines it was Bob (the
Boston Burglar) Neylon who triumphed with a superb score of 37 points to win
the coveted Trattoria Italiana voucher. Joint winner, but losing the first
place due to count-back was Dave Boran with the same score. Nice to welcome
Dave back, who is here resting for a couple of weeks after securing
everyone’s pension plans back in good old Blighty.
Third place went to our dear friend from downtown Dublin,
Jomtien, John Bartley with 36 points.
Our technical near pin winner was Dave Boran (1) and that
was it. So the unclaimed prizes for the near pins went to the lucky draw.
The sponsored prizes donated by the Relax Bar went to
Eamon Murtagh (1 free massage) and Peter Harris (1 free drink). The lucky
draw prizes went to yours truly and John Stafford. So, once again everyone
who attended the presentation ended up with something.
As usual, after all this fun and games around the table,
the rest of the evening gradually became a blur.
With the High Season almost in full flight it is
important for anyone (including newcomers) to book their place within the
group. Tee off times will be limited and it will be hard to get extra tee
times if too many unannounced players turn up. We will, of course, attempt
to fit anyone in. Non members of Phoenix can enjoy a green fee of 1,000 baht
as a guest of the members within our group.
For further information please contact either myself
(Mike Gerrard) on 087 091 7565 or Bob Neylon on 081 916 1853.
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Pattaya Sports Club Bowling League
200
Bowlers: Mio, Nok, Lek & Noodle.
Mio Aamlid bowled a 224 game and 542 series for House of
the Golden Coin but that was only good enough to win one point from first
place VFW Post 9876. David Shaw bowled a 518 series for VFW and they
increased their lead over Café Kronborg, who lost four points today, to nine
and one half points.
Second place Café Kronborg lost all four points to Canada
as Lek Reaper led Canada with a 204 game and 512 series. Jang Shaw bowled a
509 series for Kronborg.
Sabai Friday moved up from eighth place to sixth after
taking three points from third place Brother D. Nok Kennedy led Sabai Friday
with a 201 game and 542 series.
Noodle Russell bowled a 209 game and a 565 series, best
of the day, and Tue Pettae had a 547 series to lead Green Tree to a four
point sweep over Jack Tar.
Bavaria won three points from USMC despite Mai Munsitha’s good 563 series
for USMC. Aht Johansson bowling as a Pacer had a 511 series.
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Results & Standings Oct. 29 (week 20)
Pos. Team Score
Standings
1 VFW Post 9876
3 - 1 57.5 - 22.5
2 Café Kronborg
0 - 4 48 - 32
3 Brother D
1 - 3 44.5 - 35.5
4 Green Tree
4 - 0 43.5 - 36.5
5 Canada
4 - 0 42.5 - 37.5
6 Sabai Friday
3 - 1 38 - 42
7 USMC
1 - 3 36 - 44
8 House of the Golden Coin
1 - 3 36 - 44
9 Bavaria
3 - 1 31 - 49
10 Jack Tar
0 - 4 23 - 57 |
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