Autumn Cup
Autumn Cup 2nd. September 2018
Andy Miehe can currently be found in our club statistics as the 111th ranked ‘most improved player’ (out of 115) in the past year (or 5th ‘least improved) . Today he has rediscovered his form to post his best white tee score for 4 years and produce a ‘best in show’ back 9 to snatch the Autumn Cup from the clutches of fellow quinquagenerians Rick Radion and new member Robert ‘Bobby’ Ewing who both squandered winning positions ... whilst they faltered Miehe powered through the back 9 with crucial birdies at 11 and 13 . A net bogey on 18 meant a victory on countback but this observer had played with Andy the previous day and this softly-spoken classy ball-striker was uncharacteristically wayward off the tee and inconsistent with his usually excellent short game ... in the space of 24 hours the great man had sorted his game out and he has added the Autumn Cup to his JS Chorlton Pairs victory . The handicapper has cut him 0.6 to 10.8 for his efforts !😀
For all the dominance of that elder trio , quadragenarian Stephen Whyte can count himself unlucky not to take this trophy . This steely-eyed determined Northern Irishman is blessed with the ability to drive the ball long and have a good short game . Today he posted his best white tee effort in 3 years and he was particularly effective on the front 9 with a birdie on 6 the highlight . A steady back 9 but crucially he came to the par 4 18th tee needing just a 5 to close out the victory but a net bogey 6 meant an agonising second place on countback 😰 Nevertheless a fine effort ... The handicapper has cut him 0.9 to 16.0 for his efforts !😀
Third place Robert Ewing is not known to this observer but is welcomed into our golfing family ... he made his first appearance in actual competition today and made a extraordinary start with a net 4-under front 9 with the highlight rare back to back birdies on 8/9 to counter triple bogeys on 2 and 5 . He consolidated his position picking up 3 more shots to handicap ( including a net eagle on 12 ) and stood on the 13th tee 7 under his handicap and in complete control of the major . A net double on 13 was partly remedied by parring the difficult 15th to reassert his position and at 6 under his handicap with just 3 holes left the tournament was at his mercy .Sadly he could not maintain momentum and 3 consecutive net bogeys left him one off the pace and in third place 😰 . The handicapper has cut him 0.6 to 19.4 for his efforts !
Special mentions ...
Ged Grogan ( 78/9/69) has had a very consistent season and a steady front 9 included 6 pars with his only double bogey coming on 2 and an uncharacteristic bogey on the easier 6th ... on his back 9 he gained 2 shots to handicap with a birdie 2 on 16 the highlight .The handicapper has cut him 0.2 to 9.2 for his efforts !😀
Richard ‘Rick’ Radion (82/13/69) has recently left Committee life and this former captain has given excellent service to our club . Golf-wise he has always been known for his prowess on the green and today he threatened to turn the event into a procession , leading at the turn after a net 5 under gross 36 parring all except curiously the 16th which is known as the easiest on the front 9 ... further pars on 10/11 and a creditable 6 on 12 left him standing on the 13th tee on 6 under and in a very strong position . The difficulty in mastering our Amen Corner (13/14/15) was exemplified here and he lost 6 shots to handicap on those then his misery further compounded with a net bogey 4 on the easier 16th hole 😨 . Refusing to give up his challenge a birdie on 17 and par on 18 rescued 3 of those shots back but he was left on a net 2 under score for a fifth place finish .The handicapper has cut him 0.5 to 12.2 for his efforts !😀
Our President Bill Stopford was 3 under his hcp after 11 but ultimately derailed by a quad bogey 9 on 15 ... 😩
Danny Miller enjoyed back to back birdies on 6 and 7 ... 😀
Debonair silver surfer Roy Jackson also got to 3 under after 11 but 3 triples and 2 quads sent him tumbling down the leaderboard .😩
Sad to report an amazing 3 putt from 6 inches 😩 from our #1 improved golfer of the last year , David Christian😮 ! This observer could not believe his eyes as he saw that carnage on the 17th green but a lesson to us all to take nothing for granted !
Defending Champion watch ...
2017 Autumn Cup winner Paul ‘Macca’ McDonald initially made a strong defence of his trophy and after 7 holes was 3 under his handicap after a burst of 4 successive pars 😀 ... sadly that was as good as it got for the slender Jamaican quinquagenarian with a poor back 9 only interrupted by a birdie on 13 which was the only highlight ... that said to finish 12th of the 51 starters represented an excellent effort in view of his delicate back injury which had restricted him to 9 holes yesterday defending his other trophy of that magical weekend last year .
Overall another quality days play at our beloved course where the final third proved to be more punishing than usual for the majority of us .Hope you enjoyed the highs and lows of your round as much as this observer did .
NB The Handicap Committee ( of which this observer is a member ) were aware of the curious non-qualifier status of the Autumn Cup and 29 August which resulted in no immediate adjustments to handicap and for your scribe to play a tournament as a 19 hcp when he was actually 20 😨 ... but it is now adjusted ! The non-adjustment of the 2017 event remains ... and is consigned to history !
