Round 1 of the Midweek Club Championship on Prince’s saw very good scoring generally and in particular from Eelco Snijders who won the handicap (i.e. Net all competitors) with 60 followed by 63s from Mark Rosamund and Avi Murphy with 9 handicappers John Curry and Bruno Clerckx on 63s. Net Results…

Gross (‘Scratch’) results show Paul Cook leading Men division 1 with 70 followed closely by Eelco Snijders and Jay Barker 71s. For men division 2 John Ahad piping Nat Street by one on 84. Men Results…

Habe Crocker leads the Ladies scratch on 82 with excellent 83s from Angela Flynn and Sheena Harrington. Ladies Results…

Eligibility for the midweek championship is limited to those having completed 3 midweek rounds this year so Patrick Murphy and John Maxwell who did not meet the criteria are excluded from the scratch event but shown on Net result which doubles as a ‘sweep’ tally.

Ladies

A small group of ladies ventured forth on what had been forecast to be a miserable day and although they did get to remind themselves of what it’s like to play in the rain, it was light albeit with gusty wind at times. For such a small group there was a wide range of scoring and with 3 of them below the SSS, it was enough to drop the CSS to 68.

Susan Smith finally managed to keep a good round going for all 18 holes resulting in a win by 2 shots, courtesy of 7 pars, from Jayne Maxwell in second place. Susan’s winning score of 65 sees her handicap cut by 0.9 to 19.2, Jayne on 67, gets a 0.3 cut to reduce her playing handicap to 14. The last of the good scores was Fiona Coombe on 68. Results…

With the Bontor imminent, it was not good timing to get cut, but does indicate how well some, at least, are playing at present.

Men

The ominous weather forecast led to a couple of last minute defections. The competitors who did show up enjoyed spring conditions: milder temperatures and softer fairways/greens. The competition itself was a tale of two parts/halves. The early pace was set by Chris Lordan and Jay Barker. A cold putter prevented Chris from improving on his 72 (66 net). His stable back 9 allowed him to take the clubhouse lead from Jay. The pair were later split by an in form Richard Owen and Bruno Clerckx. None of the later starters were able to challenge Chris. Except for two players coming from the final two flights. Peter Needham recorded an excellent 79 (63 net) to push Chris into 2nd. But today’s winner is the club’s secretary. Peter Harrington’s round had a little wobble in the middle (7’s on holes 9 & 10). But apart from that he couldn’t be faulted. A score of 81 (62 net) reduces Peter’s handicap to 17. Results…

CSS: 66

In the Grand Medal Trophy Jon Cooper (332) has a sizeable lead over Cuneyt (342), Toby (344) and Chris Lordan (347. Some other competitors have only recorded four scores. Of those players Jay seems to be in prime position to mount a serious challenge in the last two rounds. R6 Leader board…

Conditions were at last cooler and players could aspirate and concentrate on their game. Greens and surrounds were immaculate with recent rains having added to green staff’s efforts.

Anyway, Rajinder Sehmi pulled a game out of the top drawer to clinch round 3 of the Midweek Anniversary Accumulator on 66 with Tamas Ladacs a shot behind. Jay Barker had lowest gross and led 68s on countback from Henry Lindesay-Bethune, Jonathan Rivers and Sheena Harrington. Results…

CSS was one below SSS with Rajinder cut two to 20 and Tamas trimmed to 16.

With just one round of the Midweek Anniversary Accumulator left, Sheena Harrington commands a one shot lead from Jay Barker on 213. But it’s wide open and who knows – the winner could emerge from those having only played two rounds. R3 Leader board…

The field (again) enjoyed incredible weather and Duke’s course seemed there for the taking. Michael Choo put on a master class on the par 3’s. He went -2 gross over holes 7, 10 & 16. Add a birdie on 12 and some damage limitation on holes 13 & 14 and you get to an incredible score of 63 (75 gross). Nobody would better this tally. Michael’s new handicap stands at 10. Well done! Deborah Potter put on a superb display with a 64 net to take second. Good news for the Men’s Bontor team is that Deborah’s handicap gets a massive cut. Deb now plays off 23. Peter Needham is keeping up his excellent form. His net 66 equates to the second score in as many weeks where he scores four better than CSS. An ESR of 1 is well deserved. Toby Hunt’s 67 earns him 4th spot and keeps him in the lead for the Top Dog. Leader in the clubhouse Pete Harrison put in an excellent 68 and hangs on to a spot in the Top6 by the skin of his teeth. Doreen Dolby’s putting skills sent her onto a net 68 and 6th place. It didn’t cross the mind of any of the other Lady Bontor competitors to reduce their handicaps. Results…

CSS: 70 (Men)/72 (Ladies). There is a long list of handicap changes. Please take note of your new handicaps.

Jay Barker wins this the Anniversary Trophy with a score of 204 before Keith Cassidy. Final Leader board…

Toby Hunt and Tony Bergqvist share the lead on 20pts in the Men’s Top Dog Trophy. R4 Leader board…

Recent rains had minimal effect on play and once again there were some excellent scores. Most notable and with a rare 58 to win the August Medal was Oliver Khan. Well done Oliver – you’ve been cut 3 to 20. Ted Holt returned an excellent 63 and was followed by four 64s from Messrs. Ryan, Haworth, Cook and Rosamund, and a solitary 65 from Phil Flanagan. Paul Cook returned lowest gross 69 (one over par) and 2 ‘Twos’. With batteries re-charged from cooler climes, Cheryl Woodhouse waved the flag for the women. Results…

CSS was raised to 38 points reflecting the scoring conditions.

Jay Barker heads the associated midweek Grand Medal on 343, nine clear from Toby Hunt 352. Jay’s lead is particularly ‘strong’ with a 76 to dispose of with otherwise 60s. R6 Leader board…

A somewhat depleted field took to the course to battle the wind and rain. It was already reduced in numbers because of the Ride London road closures, but less than 50% of those on the start sheet materialised to play. Scores, it is fair to say, were definitely weather affected with none of the 14 playing to the SSS of 37 points. No doubt most were in shock after some 6 weeks or so of blazing sunshine.

After the front 9, Martin Heinrich appeared not to be bothered by the conditions with his 21 points, but he could only muster 15 on the back 9. However, his 36 points secured him the win by 4 points from Luis Oroval and Peter Jagger both on 32. Results…

CSS was 34 points meaning that Martin gets a 0.6 reduction to his handicap.

A slightly reduced field (mainly due to NAPGC comps) braved the hot conditions for the Edward Cup. Winner on a commendable 42 points was Stephen Haworth with Jeremy Ryan 2nd 41 points on countback from Peter Needham and Oliver Maskell 4th 40 points. Leading lady was Ann Gardner 38 points. Results…

CSS was raised one from SSS to 37 points. Peter was cut two playing shots.

Ladies

The leaders after the first week were in full fight mode and both Veronica Mitchell and Alison Chadwick recorded net 68s for the second round. With the ball rolling ever further as the ground gets paler and harder by the day there were 12 birdies recorded by the ladies, which must be a record for one day. R2 Results…

It would have required a monumental effort by the field to catch the leaders in the gross, and though most played either to handicap or below, it was nowhere near enough to catch them. Habe Crocker therefore retains the Club Championship with a 154 with Veronica 10 shots behind on 164. Overall Results…

As is often the case, the result was reversed for the Handicap Cup, with Veronica 9 shots ahead of Habe. Results…

With only 5 competitors in the higher handicap division, there is only a winner for the Pembroke Cup and Lady Captain, Alison Chadwick, held onto her lead after the first round in a much tighter competition to hold off Joan Mulcahy by one shot. Results…

With such good scoring CSS was reduced by 1 to 72. Both net winners earned playing handicap reductions, with Veronica getting an ESR of one shot to drop her to 13.6. Joan followed up her cut of last week with a further cut and Avi Murphy was the last of the ladies to cut her playing handicap.

Men

The course is keeping its links look and feel. Fairways are still offering interesting roll after carry but the greens were a tad slower but also more receptive.

In the Senior Division Chris Lordan went into Rd 2 with a small lead over the defending champion Jay Barker. The two contestants both went out in 37 gross. It has to be noted that one player in their flight may have been a bit more nervous than normal. How else do you explain the fact that he topped his tee-shot and didn’t make it past the ladies tee? Both Jay and Chris had volatile backward nines. In the end Jay proved to be a bit better in limiting the damage. His gross score of 78 is enough to retain the RPGC Club Championship. Results…

Aidan Hurley put in the best score today (76 gross), closely followed by Seong Lim (77). Roger Rojas (78) and Jeremy Ryan (79). Captain Nick Rogers’ weird preparation didn’t yield the expected results: he spent last night watching Pretty Woman (!) from start to finish. He can’t even blame anybody else because the choice of movie was all his doing.
Congratulations to Jay.

In the Junior Division Peter Harrington started the day with Tony Kopczak breathing down his neck. The club’s secretary was able to turn the tables on the chasing pack. The good front 9 was followed by a steady back 9. A score of 86 (gross) added to previous week’s score of 81 makes Peter the winner of the junior division by 5 shots (he narrowly avoids an ESR). The round of the day goes to Paul Neuhardt whose 88 (gross) gets rewarded with a new handicap of 21. Well done Peter. Results…

In the Handicap Trophy for the best net score Peter Harrington was a clear winner on 126 over brian McMahon on 131. Results…

The net (sweep) for the day was won by <tba>. Results…

In conditions rapidly resembling the African Serengeti during the dry season, 20 competitors (half the field) returned scores in the 60s. Very early clubhouse leader Jon Cooper held sway with 64 but was soon trumped by yet another fine round from winner of Claret Jug Bruno Clerckx. Bruno also returned lowest gross – nice one Bruno. A clutch of 64s returned by Jack Evans, Jon and Toby Hunt. Impeccable 65s came from Seong Lim, Gunnar Sundberg, Jon Ramphul, Peter Needham and Oliver Maskell. Leading lady was Gina Jillett 67. Results…

Reflecting conditions, CSS was pared back one from SSS.

Amit Acharya joined the ‘Twos’ at the 4th in a round marred only by some loose drives.

Ladies

No great surprise that the leader of the gross competition is Habe Crocker with a gross 74. The closest contender is Veronica Mitchell who played six under her handicap to record a gross 80. The remaining competitors will have to put in some sterling performances next week to catch them. Results…

In the Handicap Cup, positions are reversed in the low division with Veronica some four shots ahead of Habe with the rest trailing some way off. For those with handicaps over 18, in the Pembroke Cup things are a lot closer. Joan Mulcahy leads the way on a net 66 from Alison Chadwick and Fiona Coombe on 68. Results…

CSS went to 68. All of the above receive cuts to their handicaps, with Joan earning an ESR of an additional shot. Special mention to Jane Fraser who recorded a rare eagle on the par 5 9th hole.

Men

Things sort of went like planned in Round 1 of the Senior 2018 RPGC Club Championship with Jay and Chris slugging it out. Both players matched each other with scores of 36 gross on the way out. An untidy 18th hole by Jay allows Chris to take a slender one shot lead into next week’s final round. Keith Cassidy played an excellent back 9 to remain in contention with a score of 74. Richard Owen was the surprise package of the day. He matched Keith’s score of 74 and earns a spot in the 1st group out next Sunday. Pete Davis, Tim Meyer, Aidan Hurley and Damian Hackett (who will probably be sued by the people of Richmond Park for denting every tree on the front 9) are back on 76 and need to pull out all the stops to have any kind of chance. Results…

The “juniors” seemed to enjoy the extra roll/bounce on the course a lot better than the seniors. The Secretary Peter Harrington for once wasn’t on handicap marking duty and slides into 1st place with an 81 gross (more on his net score later …). Tony Kopczak did an excellent job matching Peter’s score. But the countback rule pushes him into 2nd. Charlie Whiteman (83), Anis Driaa (84), Nathan Street and Steve Cross all have a chance next week to catch Peter. Results…

In the Handicap Trophy for the best net score Peter leads on 59 over Tony 61 and Richard 62. Results…

CSS: 66 (net). Chris’ handicap gets a small cut. Richard Owen gets rewarded with an ESR of 0.5. His new handicap now stands 11.