Monday, February 23rd
Treasure Hill
1st Peter Bottrell (20) 39 points
2nd Roger Tuohy (15) 35 points
3rd Phil Mashiter (6) 35 points
4th Hubert Stiefenhofer (20) 35 points
5th Michael Brett (18) 34 points
Near pins Pat Ryan, Danny Miller, Roger Tuohy, & Hubert Stiefenhofer.
We set off for the first game of the week at Treasure Hill with twenty-three players only to find when we got there we had only twenty-two. One who normally drives himself to the course had an attack of pre-senile dementure and went to last Monday’s venue instead. Many people in Pattaya don’t know what day it is, but to miss a whole week is a stretch.
We were able to tee off immediately and played a steady round, finishing in decent time, The course was in good shape again but as difficult as ever. Today the eighteenth green was voted by a majority of the Bunker Boys the most difficult hole of any on our roster, yo yo putting was the norm with just about all downhill putts running off the green, even the puts back many that didnt go in just came back to where they started from.
Peter Bottrell must be enjoying the love since his return, he certainly was in the right frame of mind today and it showed in his game taking first place with thirty-nine points, a magnificent twenty-four on the back nine. A real scramble for the next three places, all decided on countback. With absolutely no short game Michael Brett somehow managed to cobble together thirty-four points to take the final spot, could have been anything with a few less three putts
All the near pins were taken with a couple of very good ones, none better than Pat Ryans on the second hole for a tap-in birdie.
The first of our seasonal visitors leaves this week with Keith Norman, Ken Smith and Alan Howard all back to sunny UK.
Wednesday, February 25th
Bangpakong Riverside
1st Alan Sullivan (20) 45 points
2nd Dave Galvin (22) 44 points.
3rd Pat Ryan (17) 42 points
4th Mab Jiwa (21) 39 points
5th Colin Greig (15) 37 points
Near pins Derek Salmon, Alan Sullivan, & Pat Ryan
The second last game of February was played at Bangpakong Riverside where we had a field of twenty-four, a good number for the time of year. The day was stinking hot and without the usual breeze even more uncomfortable than normal.
We were able to tee off immediately and the pace of play was acceptable with very few holdups, only on the par threes as expected.
It is now generally accepted that a minimum of forty points is required to get in the frame at this course and so it was again today. An exceptional round from Alan Sullivan (almost as good as Keith Norman’s forty-seven) recently saw him take first place with forty-five points just one ahead of second placed Dave Galvin. We expect to see major cuts in handicap before the last game of the month on Friday. Not to be outdone the wiley old Irishman Pat Ryan also decided he needed a piece of the action and came third with forty-two points. Both Dave and Pat generously contributed to presentation fun by buying rounds of drinks. Mab Jiwa quietly slipped into the winners circle in fourth place with thirty-nine points, while Colin Greig filled the final spot in the winners circle with thirty-seven points. The long par three seventh remained out of reach of everybody going unclaimed, the remaining near pins went to Derek Salmon, Alan Sullivan, & Pat Ryan.
The golfer of the month is going down to the wire with Keith Norman holding a slender two shot lead over Ian Flannigan so with Keith back in the UK it’s all up to Ian, if he produces on Friday he will take his first golfer of the month trophy, do we hear the sound of bell ringing? perhaps that’s a bridge too far, stay tuned.
Friday, February 27th
Crystal Bay
1st Dave Galvin (21) Net 64
2nd Jimmy Carr (24) Net 67
3rd Alan Sullivan (19) Net 68
4th Roger Tuohy (15) Net 69
5th Phil Mashiter (6) Net 70
6th Tony Robbins (27) Net 70
Near pins Phil Mashiter, Mab Jiwa, Danny Miller, & Les Cobban.
The final game of the month was played at Crystal Bay in hot conditions yet again. The course was in good condition apart from the greens which were a bit variable in speed and bumpy. The tee boxes were very average and the bunkers did not warrant comment.
A field of twenty-eight was very good for the tail end of high season, looks like when some leave others come in to take their place.
February will be remembered as a month of exceptional scoring with at least three scoring into the mid-forties, today it was the turn of Dave Galvin excel with a net score of net sixty-four, backing up his Wednesday score of forty-four. If he keeps this up he will be a single figure handicaper by the time he leaves us. This goes with similar scores throughout the month by Alan Sullivan and Keith Norman. Like a fine wine Jimmy Carr gets better with age and showed his class again today with a net sixty-seven to take second place. Another very good round from Alan Sulivan saw him take third place one stroke adrift. Roger Tuohy took fourth place with a net sixty-nine while Phil Mashiter edged out Tony Robbins for fifth on countback.
Curiously only Mab Jiwa in one the first two groups was able to hit a par three green which was good enough to give him a near pin, the other three were as listed.
The race for golfer of the month went down to the wire. Ian Flannigan was just two off the lead but couldn’t make any progress and just faded away, however extraordinary back to back rounds from Dave Galvin making up a full seventeen strokes on the leader today, just missed out by a single stroke. After the round Dave could be seen recounting where a missed put here and there cost him dearly leaving him to be labeled “the nearly man”. In the end Keith Norman held on by the skin of his teeth to take out the February golfer of the month, repeating what he did last year when he was back in the UK again and not available to collect his prize.
In a scene reminiscent of the Bunker Boys haydays several of the group hung around the bar hours after the presentation enjoying some lighthearted frivolity.
Peter Bottrell, winner at Treasure Hill.
Alan Sullivan, winner at Bangpakong Riverside.
Winner at Crystal Bay, Dave Galvin
Keith Norman, February golfer of the month
