2BBB WINNERS
W.COLEMAN & C.POLETTI
A large contingent of 33 players arrived on time at Georges River to play a 2BBB event, followed by a lunch and the 2015 Presentation Ceremony (all the major winners receive their respective trophies/prizes).
The 34th player also arrived on time, but at a different course, namely Hurstville 🙁
Who was this person that got himself into a pickle (that’s a hint, by the way)?
No idea, well it was Kevin Gerkin 🙂
To add injury to the embarrassment, when Kevin eventually arrived at Georges River, his golf bag and buggy were knocked over by a reversing golf cart in front of the practice putting green (name of HUGE driver redacted to protect Connolly family name) – hmmm, maybe Kevin should have stayed in bed 🙁
Play started at 6:15am from both the 1st and 10th tees. Course conditions looked OK from a distance, but up close, one could see the rough was getting longer in places and the greens were suffering from the hot, humid weather. The fairways looked good and firm whilst bunkers were in play.
With preferred-lies on fairways only, players knew they had to avoid the trees and rough at all costs if they were to score well today.
The weather was cool to begin with, but as the clouds gave way to the sun, the heat and humidity kicked in, making the last few holes just that much harder to play.
After the round, the players naturally gathered in the clubhouse for a drink knowing the Bar tab was open 🙂
Most players complained about the horrible Kikuyu rough and how they couldn’t find balls or hit out of it. On top of that, the greens were poor, slow in speed, scarred with many divot marks, covered with leaf debris and on some, covered in plastic tarp (something to do with fungus damage control) 🙁
With that said, the winning scores were incredible!
The outstanding team performance on the day was by Wayne Coleman & Claude Poletti, with a blistering score of 53 points. Wayne shot 42 points by himself whilst Claude dragged the chain with a a lean 31 points. The team work was obviously ten out of ten, but the highlight must have been Wayne’s eagle 3 on the par5 7th hole (driver –> 4wood –> wedge). Great fighting combination fellas, with Wayne punching the old 1,3,1,3 and Claude getting the 2’s 🙂
The Runners up went to seasoned veterans Dick Paipa and George Osterman with a fantastic score of 52 points.
Both played very well with George gathering 39 points and Dick amassing a huge 45 points. George wanted to thank everyone who contributed to the eagles nest as it paid for his new Taylor-Made driver, irons and bag. He now hits it longer and is it possible, straighter than straight 🙂
On the other hand, Dick has no new clubs or new technology at hand, so what was the secret to his impressive performance? Dick stated the secret to his good play was “go to hospital, see a specialist, he will fix you up”. Good to see the flow is back, in your swing of course 🙂
The Guzzlers went to seasoned drinker Noel Connolly and apprentice drinker Phil Kilazoglou with a solid 49 points. Both Noel and Phil played well, scoring 37 and 39 points respectively. Phil has grown accustomed to this course lately, so its no surprise he scored well, whilst Noel must have driven better on the course than off it 🙂 Another good combination!
The Bradman’s Trophy on 34 points went to two Paul’s, one who cannot keep himself away from the limelight and the other, an infrequent visitor who normally sets a higher standard. Yes, Paul Dawkins, the Bradman’s Ace-of-Aces just received his Iron Cross for another dreaded performance that snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. He even managed to bring down Paul Kirgan along the way 🙁
In conjunction with the day’s event there was also the Single Match Play semi-final.
The match between the steady George Lattouf and thumper Ryan Johnston was a close affair for most of the round. With both players under-performing, it was more a mental game of toughing out the bad shots and keeping in the game. Ryan’s strength with the driver was ultimately his undoing towards the end when he misfired his tee shots into the trees, handing George a lead that proved insurmountable. George won 3&1.
The match between Ken Little & Phil White was also an arm wrestle with the lead going up and down like a yo-yo. After nine holes, Phil was only 1up in the match play with 20 stableford points. Phil scored two birdies and made few mistakes and it still was neck-and-neck until the third last hole (par5 7th) when Ken went 1up with a par.
Receiving a shot in the match play on the next hole, Phil hooked his ball into the trees and lost any advantage to win the hole – it was halved when Ken missed his one metre par putt for victory. Phil needed to win on the par3 9th, so took out his magic fade driver (the one he got the hole-in-one at Campbelltown a few weeks ago) and struck it pure, only to see it fade too much and land in the thick Kikuyu rough adjacent to the green. Unable to get up-and-down, Phil lost the hole to Ken’s par. Ken won 2up and was relieved not to toss the coin with Phil in case the match was drawn 🙂
The lunch of chicken or steak with dessert was quite popular with players, with everyone commenting favourably compared to last year’s Christmas lunch at the same venue.
The presentation ceremony went smoothly and quickly, with most happy in its execution, though the background noise and lack of intimacy may have troubled a few.
Many thanks must go to the committee for organising the lunch and presentation and Bravo Zulus to those who donated prizes for the raffle. A big BZ to Rossco for running the raffle 🙂
Highlights of the Day:
Already mentioned Wayne Coleman’s terrific eagle 3 on the par5 7th hole (Driver –> 4Wood –> Wedge)
What about the Drive & Pitch on the par4 18th hole (the hardest hole on the course). The D&P pin was about 2 metres short of the hole at the front with Paul Kirgan’s name on it. When Ken Little knocked his 5-iron onto the back half of the green, he shook his head in disbelief how close Paul’s shot was to the hole – even Paul can’t believe how close he knocked his second shot to the hole 🙂
Did you know Dick Paipa’s score of 45 points was not the highest on the day?
Yes, its true. John Varrica was forever grateful he teamed up with new member Frank Saify when they scored 47 points in the 2BBB. The thing is that John only contributed one point to the 2BBB score, because Frank scored 46 individual points.
WOW! What a turn-around from bunny ears last game with 17 points. Frank’s time investment on the nearby driving range the day before paid huge dividends 🙂
Individual results on the day:
Outright Winner: Wayne Coleman [15] & Claude Poletti [20] 53 pts
Runners Up: Dick Paipa [21] & George Osterman [25] 52 pts
GUZZLER’s CUP: Noel Connolly [19] & Phil Kilazoglou [19] 49 pts
BRADMANS: Paul Kirgan [10] & Paul Dawkins [29] 34 pts
Nearest To Pins: E.Gray(3), P.White(5), S.Suzor(9), J.Mesuria(12), R.Nebusch(14), M.Connolly(16)
Drive & Pitch: P.Kirgan(18)
Single Match Play (Semi-Final) Results:
Ken Little [10] def Phil White [12] 2up
George Lattouf [12] def Ryan Johnston [11] 3&1
