PATTAYA, Thailand – The Bunker Boys faced steamy conditions, crowded fairways, and threatening storms during a challenging week of golf, but Michael Brett rose above it all with an outstanding hat-trick of victories across three different courses.
The action began on Monday, May 4 at Plutaluang Royal Thai Navy Golf Course, where Thailand’s holiday crowds packed the fairways as golfers flocked to one of the few venues not increasing green fees. Choosing the North and West nines proved costly in terms of pace of play, with the group forced to jump from the first hole to the fifth to escape a painfully slow bottleneck.
Greens varied wildly in speed throughout the day, keeping players guessing, while scoring remained modest with only three golfers breaking the 30-point barrier. Michael Brett took first place with 35 points ahead of Les Cobban on 34 and Mick McMahon on 31. Near pins were evenly shared among four players.
The golfers also counted themselves fortunate to avoid the violent storm that struck Pattaya shortly after the round, bringing fierce lightning and a reminder that the rainy season is rapidly approaching.
Results:
1st Michael Brett (15) – 35 points
2nd Les Cobban (10) – 34 points
3rd Mick McMahon (8) – 31 points
Near Pins: Alan Sullivan, Rob Folland, Les Cobban, Michael Brett
On Wednesday, May 6, the Bunker Boys moved to Pattavia Century Golf Club under brutally hot and humid conditions. Despite the oppressive weather, the course was in surprisingly good condition and almost completely empty, allowing for a relaxed and speedy round.
Michael Brett continued his superb run of form, firing an excellent 40 points, arguably his best-ever round at Pattavia. Les Humphrey bounced back strongly from Monday’s performance to claim second place with 35 points, while local specialist Kevin LaBar secured third with 32.
Only two near pins were claimed, going to Jon Dean and Brett, although the contest on hole four produced one of the day’s highlights as four players consecutively hit closer and closer shots in a remarkable sequence.
Rain loomed throughout the day but held off until the group safely departed for Pattaya.
Results:
1st Michael Brett (15) – 40 points
2nd Les Humphrey (34) – 35 points
3rd Kevin LaBar (16) – 32 points
Near Pins: Jon Dean, Michael Brett
The week concluded on Friday, May 8 at Pattana Golf Club, where once again the weather threatened but never quite interrupted play. Minutes after the final putts dropped and the group entered the clubhouse, black skies, fierce winds, and torrential rain swept across the course.
The opening holes on the A nine were damp enough to spark debate over preferred lies, though conditions improved considerably on the remaining holes. High humidity again tested endurance levels throughout the round.
Michael Brett completed a remarkable clean sweep of the week, grinding out a hard-earned 36 points for his third consecutive victory. Jon Dean edged Les Cobban on countback for second after both players posted identical nines of 18 and 17, with Dean benefiting from the better back nine. Near pins were shared among four different players.
The day also marked the welcome return of a notably slimmer Frank Dartford, making his first appearance of the year and drawing plenty of good-natured attention from the group.
Results:
1st Michael Brett (15) – 36 points
2nd Jon Dean (17) – 35 points
3rd Les Cobban (10) – 35 points
Near Pins: Kevin LaBar, Jon Dean, Rob Folland, Mick McMahon
