Phillips on fire at Phoenix

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Derek Phillips (left) with Phil Davies.
Derek Phillips (left) with Phil Davies.

PSC Golf from the Pattaya Links Golf Society

Monday, April 23, Mt. Shadow – Stableford

1st Paul Chesney (22) 35pts

2nd Derek Phillips (23) 32pts

3rd Barry Oats (25) 32pts

With Songkran over, a more seasonal sized Links field visit Mountain Shadow on Monday to play a stableford competition on a course which appeared a bit jaded after a hot and dry spell.  Fairways were hard and allowed some run but the greens were a little inconsistent, making good scores difficult to come by.

The moderate sized field allowed only one flight and saw a meagre five golfers return scores of thirty or more, with Barry Oats’s 32 points taking third place, the Aussie senior losing the runner-up slot to Derek Phillips on countback.  The winner was Paul Chesney for whom the course has mixed memories, being his first LoS golf experience some six months ago and some genuine efforts since attempting to put that first round behind him. This day he took revenge with an excellent 35 points for the win and the honour of wearing the green jacket.

Consolation prizes went to Phil “PJ” Mitchell for the best front nine (17 points) on his final round this trip and Tip Briney for his best back nine of 17 points.

Wednesday, April 25, Green Valley – Stableford

1st Phil Davies (13) 40pts

2nd Derek Phillips (23) 38pts

3rd Tip Briney (22) 38pts

4th Brian Talbot (14) 37pts

The golfers looked forward to a visit to Green Valley on Wednesday and found on arrival that the greens had been cored and sanded a week before.  Putting was to be a bit of a lottery therefore, on the course which otherwise was in excellent condition.  With the removal of quite a number of trees around the course the track now has a more open and airy feel, and the latest routing is almost the same as the original design.

Scores showed Brian Talbot in fourth place with 37 points, one point behind Tip Briney and Derek Philiips on 38 but separated by Derek’s better back nine.  The winner was Phil Davies whose game is either right on or stuttering.  This day was his though, as another forty point return saw him don his own Green Jacket back at Links Bar.

Consolation prizes went to Nigel Harrison for his best front nine of 19 points and Bill Copeland for his best back nine of 17 points.

Paul Chesney (right) with “wig” wearer Martin Patch.
Paul Chesney (right) with “wig” wearer Martin Patch.

Friday, April 27, Phoenix – Stableford

1st Derek Phillips (23) 47pts

2nd Peter Henshaw (30) 37pts

3rd Dom Downey (11) 36pts

The society visited nearby Phoenix on Friday to play a stableford competition on the Lakes and Ocean nines in one flight.  Group numbers are holding up well despite the departure of many friends and supporters for their own national summers.

Phoenix was in quite good condition and presented a good opportunity for golfers to produce some more than respectable scores.  An all Irish leaderboard saw third place occupied by Dom Downey, his 36 points coming from the best (shared) gross of the day, 83 shots.  In second was Peter Henshaw, recording one point better on 37.

The winner with a staggering 47 points was Derek Phillips whose sumptuous round was by far his best ever and came on a day when everything fell into place.  He claims the course was made for his game and few can argue with that.  Certainly his golfing renaissance, which began in Khon Kaen at Songkran, has set him new targets for the rest of his stay.

Consolation prizes went to Brian Talbot for his best front nine of 18 points and Lee Rodman for his best back nine of 21 points.