Collier - Stableford - Monthly Medal

This week was the Matchplay and Medal of Medals final.

Conditions were pretty much perfect for golf and the scores reflected that. Rob and Stafford had ploughed through their opposition in the Matchplay and the handicap adjustment of Stafford meant he was giving away 4 shots so it was going to be a tight one. Robin shall summarise below.

In the other competition the ‘MoM’ there were 7 people in it and some were at the top of the field, Dave Thomas was the club house leader on 37 for some time until Lawrie came through with the goods on 40 to take out the win of the day and the MoM. Well done Lawrie on what has been a great year for you.

Hammo was back from Phillip Island and started well with 4 pars and kept it going by his handicap and finished with a very respectable 37 in a count back over Doug also on 37 with Dave Thomas relegated to 4th.

I was the worst on the bunch with a reasonably high NAGA of 28.

Playing with Pete I saw two things I don’t think I will see again. The first was …. Pete and I were in the same bunker and I was a good foot in front of his ball. He hits his ball first and somehow gets mine as well, clean out and 50 meters down the fairway! The 2nd ‘thing’... Hitting over the Lake 5th, the pin was on the lower tier at the front of the green. The first shot in the water, now hitting 3 off the tee. That goes 45 degrees left just clearing the lake and in the reeds, still 50 short of the green. I've never seen anyone there before. He hits it and gets it out, it flies over the green to the right, hits an electrical box at the back of the 4th green near the bushes and drops down in the weeds on the mound near the top tier of the 4th green. He takes putter, says I’ll just putt this to the top of the tier and let dribble down to the hole. The ball is in the wrist breaking weeds, not on the grass by any stretch. Sure enough he whacks it and it plows through the weeds, slams on the brakes, onto the green, slows on the top tier, creeps over the edge picks up pace and tracks to the hole and drops in. 5 for 2 simple. (MP: lol! )

Winners

1st: Lawrie Gibson (40)

2nd: Gary Hammond (37)

3rd: Doug Stewart (37)

NAGA: Craig Markham (28)

Nearest to Pins:

Island 2nd: Basil Musca

Island 4th: Gary Hammond

Lakes 3rd: Doug Stewart

Lakes 5th: Mike Patton

Lakes 8th: Basil Musca

Nearest in 2: Trevor Bindon

Nearest in 3: Mike Patton

Longest Drives:

A Grade: Norm Mews

B Grade: Doug Stewart

Match Play Final:

(Report courtesy of Robin Dalby)

Each had claimed significant scalps on their way to the Match Play Final and it loomed as a tight contest. The only dark cloud hanging over the game was the presence of Dalbs in their group renowned as he is for MP draws. Rob Mathias and Stafford Mellowship shared a buggy with no clash barrier between the two. It was all very civil!

The contest saw Stafford go 1 or 2 holes up then Rob fighting back to square the contest, this pattern repeating several times over the journey. Stafford played consistent bogey golf over the first 7 holes on Island to be 2-up, Rob having problems with the sand and mixed success with the putter, sinking a 7m effort at the 3rd for a win before missing a 1 footer at the 4th which would have also given him a win. Stafford surrendered the next 2 holes after a false drive at the 8th landed behind a tree forcing him to shoot backward for his 2nd; and uncharacteristically missing a short putt on the 9th needed to square the hole. And so they turned square.

Lake has thrown up some classic MP contests. Could this add to the collection? The pattern resumed with Stafford 2-up after 3 holes, Rob’s putt on the 1st short by a smidgeon and finding tree trouble on the 2nd. It was stroke for stroke over the next three with Rob clawing back two holes to square the match courtesy of an extra handicap stroke on Lake 4th and 6th. On the signature Lake 5th Stafford staged a magnificent squared hole, his drive splashing into the lake before his reload landed 4m from the hole and he sank the putt! They were still square teeing off at Lake 9th. The hole took a dramatic turn, Rob pulling his 3rd left through bushes finishing on the far side of the Lake 1st fairway while Stafford landed left of the target green, chipping it to within 2m of the hole. Rob’s recovery from an almost impossible position was a Houdini-like gem, landing 3m from the hole from where he took two putts to leave Stafford with an almost bread-and-butter putt to clinch the match. Off the blade it looked a winner but, in an agonizing twist, somehow lipped out. And the Dalby factor prevailed. They’ll be back at Hartfield to do it all again.