Remembrance Trophy 15th August 2020

The Remembrance Trophy contenders ...

Dave Drury (19/24/43) has come through the field  to beat 50 rivals and win the Remembrance Trophy in fine style .

Your scribe was honoured to play with DD and he started steadily , playing to his handicap on  5 of his initial 6 holes . A huge drive , approach shot to the green and 2 putt had given him his first 3 pointer on 5 . He was sloppy ( an ‘adventure’ in his words) on 7 to record his only blob of the round and stood on the 8th tee languishing in mid-table with 13 points needing to regroup . His drive was left , wayward and in the tree line meaning he could only get his approach shot level with the adjacent 7th white tee with still 20 yards away from the hole . Dave used his trusty 52 degree wedge and played a deft chip which he sensationally poured straight into the hole for a 4 point birdie 3 . A 2-point par at 9 ( just missing his birdie putt ) saw him get to the turn on 19 points just 2 off the lead . 

Dave had putted superbly well throughout the front 9 from all distances either converting or leaving himself a tap in . On the back 9 he went into overdrive with his second 4 point birdie 3 on 10 and a more routine 2-point par on 11 maintained his momentum as he approached Amen Corner. Once again his drive on 12 was long but in the trees to the right necessitating a lay up and a third shot that just managed to clear the water . A rare blemish on the greens meant a 1-point 7 and now within 3 of the lead ... 13 saw a towering iron pin high but on the fringe but he caressed the ball into the hole for his third 4-pointer . Momentum still building and maintained as he reduced the daunting 14 to a drive, iron approach to green and 2 putts for 3 more precious points . He was to top his drive at 15 , only travelling 75 yards and his second kept him out of position on the left of the fairway . Despite that horror start he somehow managed to salvage a 2 point 6 , an effort good enough to now hit the front , 2 points clear with 3 holes to go. Drury stepped it up with a decent tee shot leaving him 15 feet away and he again showed  his putting prowess with a 4th 4-pointer to take total command of the competition . A couple of 2-point 5s in the final two holes left him on a truly magnificent 43 points and a convincing victory . Mr. Stableford 2020 has now taken the last couple of  board comps of that ilk and the handicapper was duly impressed with his efforts , cutting him a further 1.8 to a new mark of 13.7 . Dave was very complimentary of his playing partners Christian, Gleave and Hackett with their support but today saw him strike an incredible 4 4-point birdies but also show quality course management in the face of the many distractions of his public , the few occasions he got out of position ,  an ever-heavier golf bag (given that he had  ‘bravely’ shunned the use of a trolley) AND the occasional inferior play of his playing partners which required patience at a premium . 

The third Board Competition of his Alty career and this observer will not be surprised if further challenges develop this season for a player with all the attributes to get his handicap even lower . 

George Sainthouse ( 21/19/40 ) has had a mixed start to his post-lockdown campaign but ominously had a top 10 finish last week . Today he started brilliantly with back to back 3-pointers on the opening couple of holes and added 3 further excellent scores on 5,6 and 7 with his only reverses on 3 and 6 to finish in the joint lead at the turn . A trio of 5’s started his back 9 with the highlight his magnificent 4 point par 5  on 12 which meant that he stood on the daunting 13th tee 3 points clear with just 6 holes to go ! Could he produce a vintage Amen Corner performance to consolidate ? Sadly not as George struggled and could only pick up 4 points from them to find himself now playing catch-up in joint second. A 3-pointer par 3 on 16 gave him a glimmer of hope but he could only get regulation 2-pointers on the final two holes to leave  him three points down . A truly stellar effort from the former enforcer to finish in a gallant second place cruelly thwarted by those crucial Amen Corner holes. The handicapper cut him 0.9 to a new mark of 18.6 for his efforts . 

David Royle (16/23/39) had a horror start blobbing 2 of the first 3 holes and with a lowly 4 point total as he stood on the 5th tee . He gave a champion response with 5 consecutive pars to get within 5 of the leader at the turn .

Royle then showed his undoubted  class with a truly wonderful 2-under gross 34 back  9 which Stableford -wise was worth 23 points ( second only to the winner ) , and highlighted with a couple of 4 point birdie 3s on 14 and 17 after an explosive 3-point birdie 3 on 10 . His only reverse was a sloppy 1-pointer on 13 but he never quite got near enough to properly challenge finishing 4 points shy but knowing that his sluggish start was crucial in affecting his finishing position today . The handicapper rewarded the Club Champion  by cutting him 0.4 to a new mark of 5.5 . 

 Mark Snape (17/22/39) was another low-handicapper who found it hard to get going today with 1-pointers on the opening couple of holes immediately sending him tumbling down the field . His 17 point front 9  saw him par 6 of the final 7 holes with 3-point salvos on 5 and 7 the highlights .

4 points off the lead at the turn , Snape responded magnificently to the challenge with a decent effort holes 10-15 with superb  birdies on 10(3pt) and 12(4pt) putting him on 33 points and only 2 off the lead as the final three championship holes came into view . Sadly a sloppy 1-pointer on 16 effectively ended his chances and although he parred in for 5 more points it left him on 39 and 4 short . His decentfourth-placed finish aroused the attention of the handicapper who cut him 0.4 to 6.2 . 

Keith Ralston (17/21/38) also had a rollercoaster start taking just 8 points from his opening quintet of holes with 1-pointers on 1,5 and a blob on 3 stalling any challenge . Yet Mark regrouped well and parred his last 4 holes with the highlight a 3-pointer on 7 . Further angst was awaiting him on the benign 10/11 axis with only 3 points gained as it was then his turn to take on our Amen Corner holes . He did well , plundering 10 points with 3 pointers highlighted by 3-pointing two of them , a quality birdie 2 on 13 and par on 14 .

He thus stood on  the 16th tee 5 points adrift but sadly too far back to challenge although an 8-point finishing blast did gave him a very good 38 point total and 5th place with the handicappers’ 0.2 cut taking him to a new mark of 9.6 . 

Special mentions ...

Keith Walton Jr. (19/19/38) profuced a decent round of golf  with excellent 3-pointers on 2,4 and 7 tempered with 1-point reverses on 1 and 6 .He repeated his 19 point front 9 haul on the back 9 but once again he could never quite gain sufficient momentum as his 3 pointers on 11 ( superb birdie 3 ). 15 and 18 were nullified by 1-pointers on 12 and the benign 16th . A welcome 0.3 cut from the handicapper brought him to a new mark of 13.2. with an encouraging 6th placed finish AND beating KW Sr on countback ! 

Any thoughts that evergreen ball-striker Keith Walton Sr (20/18/38) had of being in contention rose after a  front 9 that saw his highlights 3-pointers on 3,4 and 7 and his only 1-pointer on 2 leaving him on 20 points and just one off the lead at the turn. A poor start to his back  9 saw him gather only 4 points from the initial trio of holes and despite a spirited finish which saw him take 3-pointers at 13,15 and 17 his 38 point finish saw him 5 points away but his 7th place finish was good enough to attract a 0.3 cut from the handicapper which crucially enabled him to maintain family dominance to a new mark of 12.8 just 0.4 better than ‘Junior’ .  

Stephen Whyte ( 21/10/31) stormed into the joint lead after a magnificent  front 9 where he had parred his initial trio of holes . Although he blobbed the 4th a further 3-pointer on 6 and magnificent 4pt birdie on 8 took him to the outright lead as he stood on the deceptively tricky 8th but he could only  1-point 9 .Sadly Stephens lack of regular game-time perhaps contributed to a disastrous 4-blob effort on his closing holes for 28th placed finish but great to see him showing glimpses of form again . 

Defending Champion Watch ...

Mark Terris was sadly not available to defend his trophy today . 

Overall , a day where our course was noticeably bouncier on the fairways , improving on the greens and where the members seemed to find the back 9 easier today . With no less than 7 members attracting the attention of the handicapper a day where the course was slightly more benign than usual but which still saw only 9 members beat their handicap in the sunny conditions .