2018 Geoff Gibson Trophy 23rd. June
Geoff Gibson Trophy 23rd. June 2018
A dramatic days golf in tricky conditions with swirling winds nevertheless saw several golfers perform superbly with 7 requiring the positive intervention of the handicapper with the outcome in doubt throughout the morning with a few golfers on the verge of victory on the final holes to have their hopes dashed , the importance of a strong finish there for all to see !
At the end of proceedings Alty GC senior stalwart Gordon Boardman (77/10/67) has taken the Gibson Trophy with a superb display of consistency with a magnificent front 9 gross score of 37 leaving him 3 under at the turn ... he slightly faltered on the next four holes and dropped to level for his handicap as he stood on the 14th tee but (perhaps energised and unintimidated by the stellar back 9 form of his playing partner Glen Rothwell) he produced a telling burst of 4 net birdies in those last 5 championship holes to reach 4 under to take the major by a single shot ! The handicapper has reduced him from 10.0 to 9.4 for his efforts !
Wily veteran cerebral golfer John Rossiter (87/19/68) continues in a rich vein of form . At 74 years young he is an inspiration for his will to win and he has already broken the £100 barrier in vouchers this season evidencing his successes particularly harvesting well from the midweek medals ... today ( in contrast to the winner) he had the additional handicap of playing with 3 playing partners (including your scribe) who were playing poorly enough to have finished 31/36/38th of 40 thus he had no one pushing him at all (and the many negative distractions that the bitter angst-filled runt golfers can bring) . Despite this he produced another powerhouse performance showing superb course management (especially in his short game) ... 1 under his handicap after 9 he then reeled off 3 net birdies in a row and although he then dropped a couple of shots he regrouped to par 16 and 17 with history showing he effectively stood on the 18th tee requiring just a bogey 5 to win on countback but tragically 3 putted for a 6 which lost him the major . Once again the handicapper has reacted by trimming his handicap by 0.6 to 18.2 but will that stop him contending ? I doubt it !
Alastair Holloway (80/12/68) had a simply magnificent gross 37 on his front 9 and he consolidated his challenge and stood 6 under his handicap on 11th tee but although he gained 2 more shots in the back 9 he had crucially dropped 2 shots to his handicap on 15th hole and another on the 16th which ultimately left him a shot away from victory in 3rd ... the handicapper has acknowledged his efforts by reducing him from 11.8 to 11.4
Former Club champion and super-low handicap star Glen Rothwell (71/2/69) had a poor front 9 by his own very high standards and found himself 7 shots off the pace of the leader at 3 over his handicap .
Playing with the eventual winner Gordon Boardman he dramatically upped his game to fire 4 birdies and 5 pars for a spellbinding record-breaking (5 under for his handicap) gross 32 for the new course which left him in 4th. place on the day . The handicapper has accordingly trimmed him by 0.1 to 2.3.
Softly-spoken top ball-striker Andy Miehe (80/11/69) has been playing solidly of late and he made a steady start getting to the turn at 1 over his handicap then dropping a further shot early on his back 9 to stand on 13th tee off the pace at 2 over . He reacted positively and finished very strongly picking up 4 shots to handicap on the closing 6 holes ( the highlight a birdie 4 on 15) to finish a creditable 5th and earn a 0.2 drop in his handicap to his new mark of 10.4 !
Lee Lomas (80/11/69) continues to shine in his new golfing home and he again produced a very solid round of golf including 12 pars and just one poor hole ( a quad bogey 8 on the tricky 5th ) which restricted him to 6th. place ... his efforts alerted the handicapper who has cut him by 0.4 to a new mark of 10.3 !
Howard ‘Bird’ Johnson (83/13/70) is quickly re-establishing himself at Alty and he produced 16 solid holes ( including 11 pars ) in his first 17 ... he had recovered from the setback of dropping 4 precious shots to handicap on the high stroke index 6th. hole and despite this setback he had battled back to standing on the 18th tee needing a par to snatch victory on countback but tragically carded a triple bogey 7 and finished in 7th place , his efforts still earning him a 0.6 reduction to 12.6 !
Defending Gibson champ and current Alty GC secretary Matt Goodall (83/8/75) produced stellar golf in his front 9 to post a magnificent gross 36 which left him contending strongly at 3 under his handicap ... tragically his form then deserted him and he had a poor back 9 by his standards dropping 7 shots to handicap to finish 20th !
The infamous 13th ended the hopes of Stuart Mason whose 90/15/75 included a TEN on the tricky par 3 ... some of us know that feeling !
Spare a thought for Alan Gayle (98/23/75) , who was playing in the final group of the day with similarly well-placed Alastair Holloway, and had stood on the 13th hole in total control of the major at 7 under for his handicap after a scintillating start to his round but he spectacularly lost his way with 10 shots to handicap lost on his next 4 holes to move dramatically out of contention . That’s golf for you folks !
