Cirencester Golf Report

March Medal

HIGH handicappers filled the podium in the opening club medal of the season at Cirencester Golf Club with Robert Brown leading the way after a sensational nett 64, writes Danny Hall.

Brown, who had a near-miss in the October Medal, put together a very tidy round which included a birdie on the 17th.

As a non-qualifying event, he will still be able to ply his trade off a mark of 17.

Clive Gray and Andy Morris followed him home in Division Three with their nett 65s.

Robin Rose headed up Division Two with a lively nett 66 which included a run of five consecutive pars on the front nine and an impressive one-over-par finish over the last six holes.

The elite players in Division One featured no fewer than 16 members shooting in the 70s, led by former club champion Toby Harris with his level par 71 – the lowest gross score of the day – for his nett 66.

Eight handicapper Steve Kirwan also posted a nett 66.

Pete Stone was leading the 113-strong field with his immaculate front nine of two-under-par so will be rueing his uncharacteristic double bogey on the 18th which took him to nett 66.

There were a staggering 24 twos recorded, with Peter Allen, Leighton Rees, David Murray and Andrew McKechnie posting a brace of them each.

RESULTS

Division One: Toby Harris (71-05-66); Steve Kirwan (74-08-66); Chalmers Phin (74-06-68); Pete Stone (72-04-68).

Division Two: Robin Rose (78-12-66); Andy Brereton (81-13-68); Paul Helbrow (84-13-71); Richard Hicks (85-14-71).

Division Three: Robert Brown (81-17-64); Clive Gray (81-16-65); Andy Morris (85-20-65); Robert Gough (89-22-67).

Seniors’ section

Seniors’ Foursomes

ROD SMITH’S hole in one on the par three 13th was the highlight of his success with Ben Marsh in the Seniors’ Foursomes.

That made it back-to-back victories on the Cirencester seniors circuit for Smith & Marsh as they had also lifted the Seniors’ Texas Scramble the previous Wednesday along with Malcolm Bevan and Graham Clarke.

Smith’s ace – the third of his career – came with a 7-iron.

He had put his tee-shot to 15 feet on the par three 11th, leaving Ben to roll in the birdie putt, but Rod generously took putting out of the equation two holes later.

“I’d like to dispute the version that says I used a driver and hit two trees en route to the green,” said Smith.

“I hit a 7-iron in a left to right crosswind. I heard it hit the pin, otherwise it would have been off the back of the green. So we got four points when it could easily have been one.

“My first hole in one came on the old 8th hole here, and the most recent was 10 years ago on the 2nd.

“Both the recent victories came in team events and we all played well on the day.

“I’ve played a lot of golf down the years but I’ve never had two rounds where everything, and I mean everything, went right. It was freaky.”

Smith & Marsh had just four pars on their card but played the four par threes in three under par, which off their half combined handicap of 16, gave them a stack of points.

Bob Mills & David Soar birdied both the 11th and 13th, while John Hall & John Parsons, as well as Trevor Sallis & Chris Watson, birdied the 13th.

RESULTS

1st Ben Marsh & Rod Smith 40 points; 2nd John Thurston & David Purkiss 39pts; 3rd Mick Moore & Terry McQuirk 38pts; 4th Paul Stephens & Gerry Bruton 38pts; 5th Dave Warden & Alan Dymond 37pts; 6th Mike Kirman & John Canty 36pts.

Seniors’ Stableford

PHIL WOODALL shot a stress-free 41 points to win the first seniors’ stableford competition of the ‘summer’ series by three shots.

Phil gives off an involuntary grunt after a good shot and his playing partners must have felt like they were playing tennis against Maria Sharapova as he followed one flawless shot with another from tee to green.

He holed a putt from the bank in front of the 5th green for his first birdie of the day and had no more than a nine-inch tap-in on the par three 13th when narrowly missing a hole in one.

He reduced the 18th to a drive and a pitching wedge before showing his rivals some mercy when missing a very makeable putt for what would have been his third birdie of the day.

Phil, who got to the semi finals of the Tovey Cup last season, has had his handicap cut from 15 to 13.

Along with Phil’s two on the 13th there were birdies on the same hole from John Hartley, Mike Kirman, Graham Marshall and Steve Page.

RESULTS

1st Phil Woodall 41 points; 2nd David Murray 38pts; 3rd Paul Simmonds 38pts; 4th John Morris 37pts; 5th Nigel Curtis 37pts; 6th Stewart Osborn 37pts.

Ladies’ section

ON Saturday, the ladies at Cirencester played in a stableford bowmaker competition.

Three of the four teams involved came in with scores better than their handicap.

The winning combination of Kate Dymoke, Fiona Fyfe and Irena Windslow had 81 points, beating second-placed Emma Brereton, Pam Mallinson and Debbie Chesworth, who had 80 points.

Third place went to Sheila Telling, Elaine Harrison and Jill Cloughton on 74 points.