2018 Coronation Cup 1st. July
Coronation Cup 1st. July 2018
George Sainthouse (87/18/69) is best known as the devoted minder / enforcer and (golfing) partner of our venerable Mr. Captain ... the duo travel outside the county to regularly compete in the wonderful Golf Empire series and it is perhaps this extra dimension in their golfing lives which occasionally gives them an edge .
This season has seen Mr. Captain triumph and challenge regularly whereby ‘St. George’ had appeared to lag behind . Not today as he produced a superb back 9 to catch and overtake many challengers to snatch the huge trophy from others grasp . George had started slowly and an early triple bogey on 3rd had seen him drop to 2 over his handicap but intermittent pars at 5,7,9 saw him progress to level par at the turn 4 shots off the pace .
The back 9 scores of this comp saw many falter as the unrelenting heat perhaps got to them but the flat-capped no-nonsense Manc-speaking silver surfer Geordie produced a consistent display and 7 single bogeys with crucial par 3s on the formidable 13th and currently tricky 16th ( due to the difficulty in getting any tee shot to stop in the green ) meant that he posted a magnificent 2 under his handicap for a net 69. The handicapper recognised his efforts and cut him by 0.6 to 17.3 . A truly phenomenal effort to defend the trophy he won last year !
Only 3 weeks earlier rejuvenated Tim Dibble (85/16/69) had spreadeagled the field in spectacular style to take the Gellatly but a long-planned surgery just a week later had seen him tragically unable to build on that return to form . Despite his swing still affected by this extra handicap he set about repeating his heroics including 3 pars and a birdie to reach the turn one off the lead in contention at 3 under his handicap . After parring 10 to have him leading the field he had setbacks and dropped 3 shots to handicap on 11th and 13th but then immediately responded with a par on 14 to bring him back to 2 under as he stood on 15th tee , the only hole that had given him trouble in his recent major victory . History was to repeat itself as a quad bogey 9 took him back to 1 over but although he again regrouped from that torment parring the last three holes to battle back to 2 under and second place on countback it was a crucial moment denying him a second major of the season. In the circumstances a superb effort that the handicapper recognised as he was slashed (the largest cut of any player today) by 0.9 to 14.8 .
Gary (O’) Shaughnessy (96/27/69) is further proof of the value that surgery can extend and improve your golfing career as he continues to regularly challenge for top honours . Today he began brightly and took advantage of his high handicap to start with 5 bogeys 2 pars and one double which left him leading the field on 5 under his hcp as he stood on the SI 18 9th tee but he then inexplicably triple bogeyed it to drop to 3 under then initially faltered further on the back 9 to find himself back to level before net birdies on 17th and 18th took him to 2 under , an effort that the handicapper has seen fit to cut him 0.8 to 26.4 .
Keith Walton Snr (80/11/69) produced flawless golf of the highest quality to post a magnificent gross 37 ( including 7 pars) to stand 3 under at the turn .Only the formidable 13th stalled his charge dropped him back to 2 under but more pars left him in control of the tournament on 4 under standing on the 18th but an agonising triple bogey 7 took him back to 2 under and effectively took the trophy
from his grasp . A magnificent effort that the handicapper has rewarded with a 0.4 cut to 10.1 .
Such was the level of excellence in play today that the handicapper cut NINE of the 47 players .
Special deserved mentions in dispatches go to ...
Wily veteran David Barton (92/22/70) was docked 0.4 to 21.9 is a hero to this observer and an example to anyone in the crucial area of course management . Today this wily
septuagenarian was one of just 6 players to break par for his handicap and after a steady start with uncharacteristic triple bogeys at 2 and 4 he plotted his way around getting to 1 over at the turn and consecutive net birdies from 11th to 13th put him in contention with a steady back 5 and a ‘best in show’ 3 under back 9 for a 1 under 5th. place finish .
Geoff Gibson winner Gordon Boardman (80/10/70) is playing quality golf right now and his efforts today earned him a cut of 0.2 to 9.3 after a magnificent gross 36 ( including birdies at 5th and 9th) had seen him joint leader at the turn on 4 under but a slovenly back 9 with 4 shots dropped to handicap over the next 8 holes put him back at level before a closing par on 18 left him 1 under and back in 6th place .
Mark Caffrey (87/16/71) is enjoying a solid season and the Winter KO Pairs champion maintained his form today and docked 0.3 to 15.2 . A stumbling front 9 had left him 2 over for his handicap and he then dropped 4 further shots with a quad bogey 8 at the usually benign 10th. and bogeying the easier 11th..
It was then he mounted a extraordinary late charge with 4 pars , a birdie ( on the tough 18th) and 2 bogeys on those last 7 holes to reclaim all 6 shots he had lost to finish 7th. and an example to us all to never give up !
Neil Royle (84/13/71) was docked 0.3 to 12.2 and had started superbly getting to 4 under after just 7 holes then crucially dropping 3 shots to handicap at the testing 8th. ... 1 under at the turn 3 pars helped his cause but double bogeying both par 5s left him level par and a creditable 8th place .
David Christian (94/22/72 and docked 0.4 to 21.7) had included 5 pars , a birdie a quad and triple bogey in a incredible front 9. He jointly led the field at the turn at 4 under and then tripled the 10th but still battled back to be 2 under after 14 to be ultimately derailed by a disastrous quint bogey 10 on 15th where he ( or his playing partners including this observer ) tragically couldn’t find his ball that had appeared to be arrowing towards the green . Thoughts of a gross birdie were dashed and a temporary lack of focus resulting in golfing carnage and 10th. place . 4 poor holes dropping 9 shots to handicap yet still finishing 1 over reflects ‘what might have been’ for this gifted but (often course management flawed) 55 year old .
