Page 26 - RCGC Mag

POINTS WERE NEEDED FOR PRIZES AND JEREMY COTTON AND TIM
MERWOOD PRODUCED THAT BUT ONLY FOR FOURTH PLACE. ALSO ON 44
WAS A NEW PAIRING OF DAVE SALMON AND ROLAND PUCKETT WHO TOOK
THIRD, WHILST DEAN ELDER AND ANDREW BERKS HAD AN EVEN BETTER 44
ND
FOR 2 PLACE. HOWEVER, IT WAS A 10 UNDER PAR SCORE OF 46 POINTS
THAT THIS YEAR WILL SEE THE NAMES OF PHIL MARSH AND RICH MANCHIP
ON THE TROPHY.

PRESIDENTS CHALLENGE CUP THIS IS A TROPHY WITH A LENGTHY HISTORY
DATING BACK TO 1905. PLAYED AT THE END OF SEPTEMBER IT IS NORMALLY
BLESSED WITH GOOD WEATHER BUT FOR THE SUNDAY PLAYERS THIS YEAR
THE TORRENTIAL RAIN AND HIGH WINDS MEANT THAT THEY ALL
ABANDONED PLAYING. SATURDAY HOWEVER, SAW 175 PLAYERS TAKE TO
THE COURSE IN THIS MEDAL COMPETITION AND THE SCORES SHOWED THE
DIFFERENCE IN THE WEATHER. DESPITE 22 NO RETURNS THE REST OF THE
FIELD RETURNED SOME IMPRESSIVE SCORES WITH SIXTEEN PLAYERS ON PAR
OR BETTER DESPITE AN INCREASE IN THE CSS TO 73. ALAN BROCKWAY AND
MATT LEE HAD SCORES OF 71 TO TAKE THE MINOR PLACES WITH ANDREW
BERKS IN FOURTH WITH HIS NET 70 PHIL LOAT,s NET 69 RESULTED IN THIRD
PLACE BUT ALSO AN EXCEPTIONAL SCORE REDUCTION TAKING HIM DOWN TO
AN 8 HANDICAP. DOUG WOOD MATCHED HIS 69 WHICH OFF 6 MEANT HE
ONLY DROPPED TWO SHOTS TO THE COURSE. HOWEVER, AN EXCEPTIONAL 7
UNDER PAR 66 MEANT A REDUCTION IN HANDICAP TO 4 FOR THIS YEARS
WINNER CHARLIE BOYD.

DRYDEN TROPHY THE PENULTIMATE TROPHY OF THE SEASON THE DRYDEN
IS ANOTHER MEDAL BUT ONE WITH A MAXIMUM HANDICAP OF 24 RATHER
THAN THE USUAL 20. ENTRIES AT THIS TIME OF THE YEAR ARE LOWER THAN
NORMAL AND THE THREAT OF BAD WEATHER MAY HAVE HAD AN EFFECT. AS
IT TURNE DOUT THE RAIN HELD OFF AND THE 150 PLUS MEMBERS WHO
PLAYED AGAIN RETURNED SOME GOOD SCORES. GUS BECVAR IS A NEW
NAME IN THE PRIZES WITH HIS NET 70 GIVING HIM SIXTH PLACE. COLIN
GRENNAN WITHOUT THE CARES OF LAST YEARS CAPTAINCY SCORED ONE
BETTER FOR FIFTH PLACE AND HE WAS MATCHED BY BRIAN PARKINS AND
JAY LAUNDON ALSO WITH NET 69s. THIS LEFT THE TOP TWO SPOTS ON 4
UNDER 68S BUT FOR PETE ROBERTS IT WAS TO ONLY BE SECOND PLACE.
INSTEAD, HAVING SUNK A 20 FOOT PUTT FOR PAR ON 18 THE WINNER OF THE
DRYDEN TROPHY IS MIKE BARRY.

QUAFFERS TROPHY DESPITE THE BEST EFFORTS OF HURRICANE OPHELIA ,
WHO IS ON HER WAY TO THE UK, THE DAY WAS WARM AND MUGGY. THE
COURSE IS PLAYING LONG AT THE MOMENT OWING TO THE AMOUNT OF RAIN
RECENTLY WHICH HAS MADE THE GRASS THICK AND CLINGY BUT FOR SOME
THIS WAS NOT A PROBLEM. DESPITE HAVING TO LIMIT THE START TIMES AS
DARKNESS FALLS AT 6.30 PM 170 PLAYERS COMPLETED THEIR ROUNDS
ALTHOUGH FIVE, INCLUDING THE WINNING SCORE, WERE DISQUALIFIED FOR