2007 SEASON ROUND-UP

OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

On a glorious autumnal day the Kington Golf Club in Herefordshire provided a fitting climax to the 2007 season. For the second successive year the Open Championship was played under the modified 3-2-1 stableford format. 10 members, which was a really healthy number considering four Society stalwarts were unavailable due to varying reasons, participated in what was to prove a day to remember.

The opening 4 holes proved to be a real stern test, yielding only two gross pars and no less than twenty four double bogeys. Rob Orrock and Dave Turner set the early pace and on reaching the 5th tee were tied for the lead on 3pts with Steve Knight two points adrift in third being the only other player in positive figures.

Bob Taylor and Kevin Oldfield were the first group out, with both requiring a victory to stand any chance of claiming the Order of Merit title. Sadly their chances had disappeared by the time they reached the turn with Bob on -3pts and Kev on -5pts. Scoring on this testy track with its slick greens was proving extremely tough but Rob continued with his fine play and thanks to a trio of solid gross pars had amassed 11pts to hold a six-point lead over Dave T at the halfway stage, with Ian Smith and Steve Knight a further 3 points adrift in a tie for third.

Rob, standing on the 13th tee, had maintained his six-point lead, crucially keeping those dreaded net double bogeys off his card. Steve had produced a fine run of holes from the 10th through the 12th to vault himself into second place, one point clear of Dave T in third. Rob’s progress stalled with a net double bogey at the tough 14th hole dropping him to 9 points and his lead was now down to two points from Dave T who had recovered from a two-point loss at the demanding 11th with a string of three consecutive net pars.

Despite a net par at the 15th Rob’s lead had been cut to one point after a fine net birdie from Dave T. Steve, three points further back in third, was the only other player in with a realistic chance of victory. The 17th hole was to prove the crucial turning point in the contest. Rob achieved a tremendous net birdie to reach 13 points, Steve’s chances went with a net double bogey, whilst Dave T suffered an agonising net bogey to fall four points adrift with one hole to play.

Rob, playing two groups ahead of Dave T, needed a net par at the last to clinch the title. Under pressure he came up with the goods and secured his second Open Championship title in three years with the required net par. It was a fine all round performance and on such a demanding course he only suffered two -2 point holes throughout his round.

The drama of the day had not quite finished there. Dave T still had the small matter of battling to retain his coveted Order of Merit title. He needed no worse than outright second place to clinch the title, a tie for second would mean that I would claim the title on countback. His task, standing on the 18th tee, had been made much tougher following a remarkable finish from Dave Williams. Dave W had been in last place on -8 points after 10 holes, but in an amazing run of 8 holes, which he played in gross 2-over par, he birdied the last for a final points tally of 7 points.

Now I’ve been told that the 18th provides a truly fantastic finish, a true risk reward type hole. Dave T, who did not receive a shot on this hole, held a two-point advantage over Dave W and needed just a gross bogey to claim the Order of Merit crown. Imagine Dave T’s horror when his first tee shot found the out of bounds. Now under intense pressure, his second drive hugged the contours and finished on the green some 8 feet from the flag, a remarkable shot. Members, watching the drama unfold at the side of the green, informed him that he had two putts to clinch the title. His first tentative putt finished a nerve jangling 3 feet short of the hole. However cometh the hour, cometh the man!!! Dave drained his crucial second putt and the Order of Merit title was his for the second consecutive year. How apt that the destination of this title was decided in such dramatic fashion on the last green of the final competition of the year!!! 

Dave W’s fine finish cemented third spot, with Steve Knight (5pts) in fourth and Ian (3pts) in fifth, being the only other members in positive figures. Rob’s victory, on statistically the toughest course the Society has ever played, is one he can savour for quite awhile. Not to boast, but I did inform both Dave T and Kevin that he’d win!!! Pity I couldn’t get a price at Ladbrokes!!! Congratulations Rob, you deserved it!!!

Following the round members enjoyed a substantial roast beef dinner. Remarkably the cost of the round plus the meal was a mere £12.50!!! The course was I am informed, although a bit of a jaunt, absolutely fantastic. The stats show that 88% of holes were played in bogeys or worse, possibly this has something to do with the fact that only one member had previously played the course. Holes 4, 8 and 13, Stroke Index’s 1 – 3, all failed to yield a par, with five bogeys and 25 scores of double bogey or worse!!! Undoubtedly the 422 yards Par 4 4th, on which all members scored double bogey’s or worse, was the toughest of the day and possibly the hardest ever hole in Society history!!!

Well that’s another year in the history books. For the second consecutive year five different members have claimed the five summer competitions. This shows that, as I have thought for some time, we have the handicaps spot on and our tournaments can be won at any time, by any member, which shows how competitive this Society is. 13 of 15 current members have a Society victory, and only Terry and Andy McLeod have yet to register a win, but it would be no surprise to see either break their duck next year. Roll on 2008!!!

Although I was not present, thanks to Dave T, Kev and Ian, I knew soon after of the result and how the day had been a huge success. Thanks also to Terry and Bob for supplying photo’s of the day, which can be viewed in the Picture Gallery. Finally I will leave you with a short quote from Ian, which I believe sums up the day at Kington “It has been, in my opinion, one of the Societies finest days”  

FINAL RESULTS

Pos Name Pts Bir Par Bog DB+ OOM 
1st Rob  Orrock 14 0 4 10 4 10 
2nd Dave Turner 8 0 2 13 3 8 
3rd Dave Williams 7 1 5 3 9 6 
4th Steve Knight 5 0 2 10 6 4 
5th Ian Smith 3 0 1 7 10 2 
t-6th Andy McLeod -3 0 1 8 9  
t-6th Andy Paddock -3 0 1 10 7  
8th Terry Janes -4 0 3 1 14  
9th Kevin Oldfield -5 0 2 4 12  
10th Bob Taylor -7 0 1 7 10  
 Totals  1 22 73 84  


HOLE-BY-HOLE PROGRESSION

 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 
Rob Orrock 1 3 4 3 5 6 8 10 11 12 11 12 11 9 10 11 13 14 
Dave Turner 2 3 4 3 4 5 3 4 5 6 4 5 6 7 9 10 9 8 
Dave Williams 1 -1 -3 -5 -6 -8 -7 -6 -7 -8 -6 -4 -3 -1 0 2 4 7 
Steve Knight 1 2 3 1 2 1 2 1 2 3 5 6 7 5 6 5 3 5 
Ian Smith -1 0 -1 -2 -1 -2 0 1 2 3 1 2 4 5 4 3 2 3 
Andy McLeod -1 0 -2 -4 -3 -2 -1 -3 -5 -4 -6 -7 -6 -5 -4 -6 -5 -3 
Andy Paddock 1 2 0 -1 -2 -1 -3 -5 -6 -8 -7 -6 -7 -6 -4 -3 -2 -3 
Terry Janes -1 -3 -4 -5 -3 -2 -1 -2 0 -1 -3 -1 0 1 -1 -2 -3 -4 
Kevin Oldfield -2 -4 -6 -8 -7 -5 -6 -7 -5 -6 -7 -9 -8 -7 -6 -8 -7 -5 
Bob Taylor 1 -1 0 -2 -1 -3 -2 -4 -3 -4 -2 -4 -6 -7 -8 -10 -9 -7 




SEPTEMBER CLASSIC

The second annual September Classic was played on a terrific afternoon for golf at Wharton Park Golf Course. Surprisingly this was the societies first visit to the demanding Worcestershire track for a summer competition, although it had been used once before as a venue for the Winter League.

After a hearty Ploughman's Lunch, the 11 members were split into 2 and 3 balls in the hope the round could be finished in daylight, something I had really failed to consider when booking the tee times!!!

Keith Watson made a great start to his round with three consecutive gross pars and held the early lead on 8 points. He maintained his solid play and by the time he reached the 8th tee had accumulated 16 points to hold a two point lead over myself, with Richard Gorton, Andy McLeod and Kevin Oldfield sharing third place, a further three points adrift. I had also started in decent fashion with four consecutive gross pars, this would have been five if it were not for a missed 6 inch putt at the 5th!!!

Keith failed to score on the tricky Par 3 8th to allow Kevin and I to narrow his lead to one point. Keith then rallied with a fine net par at the 9th to reach the turn on 18 points. Dickie vaulted himself into second place with a fine net birdie and get within one point of the lead.

After 12 holes, three players, Keith, Dickie and myself, were tied for the lead on 21 points, with Kevin Oldfield just two points back in fourth. The tournament was now seemingly between the four of us. I gained the outright lead for the first time at the Par 5 13th, almost holing my approach shot for an eagle, leaving a tap-in birdie.

On reaching the ominous Par 3 15th tee I held a two-point lead from Keith and Dickie. This hole would prove decisive in determining the outcome of the tournament. Keith, playing in the group ahead, failed to register a point. My tee shot failed to reach the green, however it luckily stuck on the steep bank in the thick rough. I then managed to get up and down for a gross par and three vital points. Dickie was less fortunate. His tee shot was also short, but instead of stopping on the bank it agonisingly rolled down into the hazard and, like Keith before him, he also failed to score. This meant that I had opened up a five-point lead with three holes to play.

I then achieved a gross par at the notorious Par 4 16th (aptly named Amen Corner) to increase my lead to seven points and virtually clinch the Classic title. I finished in rather limp fashion, by topping and shanking my way down the 17th and 18th holes, but finished by holing a 10-foot putt for a bogey and a tournament winning total of 34 points. Keith secured second place on 29 points, whilst Dickie, who played one of his finest rounds in several years, finished a further 2 points back in third.

In winning the September Classic I became the first Society member to win all five of the summer competitions and have now won at least one competition in each of the last six years. I had a bit of luck on my way to victory. I have Dickie to thank for finding a potential lost ball on the 7th and I had a putt remarkably roll back on itself a few inches into the hole on the 8th. Both times I got away with a point on each hole, going scoreless on two consecutive holes and the outcome could have been very different. However a stretch of seven holes from the 10th through the 16th, which I played in gross level par for a total of 17 points, was ultimately the key to my win. Also looking at the overall scoring, a good start was crucial. The final top five were all in the top five after six holes. Normally someone mounts a charge from the pack on the back nine, but this didn’t happen on Sunday. This was possibly due to the energy sapping nature of the course. Terry commented after the round that it felt, standing on the 11th tee, we had played many more than ten holes!!!

As we head into our final summer competition of the year, the Order of Merit title can still be won by four members. I am still very much a doubt for this event, so 20 points is possibly the most I can achieve from three scoring events if I do not play. This would mean that Dave can overtake me with a win or an outright second place. Bob and Kevin need to win to claim the title and hope that Dave finishes in a tie for second place or worse.

Overall I felt that Wharton Park offered a tough but fair test of golf, although it was physically very demanding. It is somewhere I hope to book again in a few years time dependent on member’s overall opinions. I will for next year, ensure that at whichever September venue we play, we will tee off earlier. I would also like to clear up some confusion that transpired at the end of the event. Most members left on Sunday evening believing that Keith had come second on 33 points. However when I checked his card (which I always do for everyone’s card to calculate handicaps etc…) I noticed that he had been marked for full and not ¾’s handicap. I also owe Rob an apology, as I told him that his full handicap was 18. It’s not. He is off 19. Thankfully it made no difference as he would still have played off 14. Finally I would like to thank Dickie for taking some great photographs, which can be viewed in the picture gallery on Page 2. One of which I am now using for a while as the header for the website.        


FINAL RESULTS

 PosName Pts Bir Par Bog DB+ OOM 
 1stMartin Rainer 34 1 9 6 2 10 
 2nd Keith Watson 29 0 4 9 5 8 
 3rd Richard Gorton 27 0 1 7 10 6 
 t-4th Andy McLeod 26 0 2 9 7 3 
 t-4th Kevin Oldfield 26 0 2 7 9 3 
 6th Andy Paddock 25 1 3 8 6  
 7th Rob Orrock 24 0 2 9 7  
 8th Steve Knight 22 0 3 5 10  
 9th Terry Janes 20 0 1 5 12  
10th Ian Smith 17 0 2 4 12  
11th Bob Taylor 15 0 1 3 14  
 Totals  2 30 72 94  


HOLE-BY-HOLE PROGRESSION

 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 
Martin Rainer 2 469 11 13 14 15 16 18 20 21 24 27 30 33 33 34 
Keith Watson 3 5 8 10 12 14 16 16 18 19 21 21 23 25 25 26 28 29 
Richard Gorton 1 2 5 8 9 10 12 14 17 18 19 21 22 25 25 25 27 27 
Andy McLeod 2 3 6 8 8 10 12 14 15 15 16 17 18 18 20 23 24 26 
Kevin Oldfield 3 5 7 7 9 10 12 15 15 17 18
19 19 21 22 24 25 26 
Andy Paddock 2 2 3 3 5 8 8 9 9 11
14 15 18 20 22 23 24 25 
Rob Orrock 2 2 4 6 6 8 10 11 12 13 16 17 18 18 20 23 24 24 
Steve Knight 0 0 1 3 6 7 9 10 12
12 13 13 16 17 18 20 22 22 
Terry Janes 1 2 5 7 8 8 10 10 11 13 14 16 16 18 18 19 20 20 
Ian Smith 2 3 3 3 3 3 5 5 5 8 11 12 14 14 16 16 16 17 
Bob Taylor 2 4 6 7 7 7 7 8 9 9 12 13 13 13 14 14 14 15 




 PAR 3 CHAMPIONSHIP

We visited The Ledene for the 15th annual Par 3 Championship. On a glorious summer evening the competition produced an exciting climax in tough playing conditions and possibly the biggest shock in the events history.

The competition certainly provided a contrast between the two 9's. The first 9 holes were played at a painstakingly snail's pace due to 6 local yobs, who were playing directly in front of us in one group and out of one bag!!!  The second 9 holes were a complete contrast and as the pace of play picked up, the scoring improved due to the 6 ball being split up after the intervention of the Pro on the prompting of Ian Smith.

Scoring over the first few holes proved extremely difficult. The fairways were bone hard and the greens very firm but of slow pace. No one was setting the course alight, however Kevin Oldfield made the steadiest start. After a bogey at the opening hole he became the first player to go below par with a net birdie at the 5th. He got another at the 7th and reached the turn at net 2-under par and held a two shot lead over Ian, with Dave Turner and Bob Taylor a further shot adrift in third place. Bob, becoming only the second Society member to reach the milestone of 50 summer competitions, had vaulted himself back into contention after a nightmare start. He was 5-over after 3 holes. However he net eagled the 5th and three consecutive birdies followed at the 6th through the 8th holes.

By the 13th Kevin's lead had disappeared. Dickie Gorton had put together a terrific run of holes. He achieved 5 consecutive net birdies from the 9th to the 13th to go from 3-over to 2-under and hold a one shot lead. Ian Smith on level par and Dave on 1-over were now the only other members in realistic contention.

The picture changed again at the tricky 14th. Kev regained the lead with a net par after Dickie suffered an unfortunate double bogey. Ian's steady par meant that he was now tied with Dickie for second place and only one shot adrift.  Ian then holed a ten footer for a gross birdie two at the 16th to tie Kevin for the lead with two holes to play. The contest now was seemingly between the two of them as Dickie suffered a bogey.

Ian had struggled with his tee shots all day. However when the chips were down he produced two beauties at the last two holes. Unfortunately his shot at the 17th hit the rock hard green and finished in the thick rough behind. He scrambled for a net par but Kevin could not take advantage as he missed a three foot net par putt and the two were still tied playing the 18th. 

Both hit terrific tee shots into the late evenings glaring sun at the very testing 18th. Both run through the green however and were faced with tricky up and downs for pars. Kevin secured his gross par with a great putt to 2 feet down the vicious slope on the green. Ian left his approach putt some three feet short. He now had to hole to claim the clubhouse lead on countback from Kevin. He held his nerve and holed with confidence.

Dickie, now playing the 17th, was the only member able to deny Ian the title. Dick needed two gross birdies to finish. He manfully did the first part with a deuce at the 17th. His tee shot at the 18th finished to the right of the green. He unfortunately left his potential winning putt two feet short but it was enough for him to claim third place and his best finish in a Society competition since his win in the 2000 Stableford Plate. 

Ian was the victor. It was his first win since 1998 and well deserved. Although he'd be the first to admit, his ball striking was far from his best but his putting was the key to his victory. He had scrambled for his life over the first 9 holes to keep a score going. Yet throughout he was never more than 2 shots off the lead. He has also joined a select few, Martin Rainer, Keith Watson & Nigel Cousins, who have now won the 4 original summer Society competitions. He admitted after his round that he was just their to "make up the numbers". Strange how a win can sometimes come along when you least expect it. Kevin agonisingly missed out on countback for the second consecutive tournament. He had also held, or had a share of the lead, on 15 out of 18 holes. Still it was another terrific effort in difficult conditions on a course he has an obvious liking for.

Ian's win now means that remarkably the last 8 Society competitions have been won by 8 different members!!! It goes to prove that on any given day any member within our Society can win one of our tournaments. The summer competitions now move onto Wharton Park for the September Classic. It will be our first visit to this course in the summer and I'm sure will prove to be a tough test under the 3/4 handicap format.


 
FINAL RESULTS

 PosName Score To Par Bir Par Bog DB+ 
1stIan Smith
51 -3 1 9 6 2 
 2nd
Kevin Oldfield 51 -3 0 9 9 0 
 3rdRichard Gorton 52 -2 2 6 7 3 
 4th Dave Turner 56 +2 0 9 7 2 
 5th Martin Rainer 57 +3 1 9 7 1 
 6th Steve Knight 58 +4 1 9 4 4 
 7th Bob Taylor 59 +5 1 6 7 4 
 8th Andy Paddock 60 +6 2 7 6 3 
 9th Rob Orrock 63 +9 1 4 7 6 
 Totals  968 60 25 

HOLE BY-HOLE PROGRESSION

 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 
Ian Smith 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 -1 -2 -2 -3 
Kevin Oldfield 1 0 0 0 -1 -1 -2 -2 -2 -1 -1 -2 -1 -1 -2 -2 -2 -3 
Dickie Gorton0 
1 1 3 3 3 3 3 2 1 0 -1 -2 0 0 1 -1 -2 
Dave Turner 2 2 1 2 3 2 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 2 2 2 
Martin Rainer 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 2 2 1 1 2 2 2 4 4 3 
Steve Knight 0 2 1 1 2 3 3 2 3 3 5 4 3 7 6 6 5 4 
Bob Taylor 2 4 5 5 3 2 1 0 1 2 3 3 6 7 7 7 6 5 
Andy Paddock 1 6 7 6 6 5
54 4 3 3 4 5 7 6 6 6 6 
Rob Orrock 0 2 2 2 2 2 3 5 6 8 8 7 7 8 9 10 8 9



STABLEFORD PLATE

For the Stableford Plate the Society returned to Bromsgrove Golf Club, which had hosted the September Classic last year and a course that had received rave reviews from those playing.

The members had to brave torrential rain on the drive to the course and prospects of play looked on arrival, bleak to say the least. After a hearty bacon sandwich, a frantic hour ensued as lengthy discussions took place as to the playability of the course as surface water had collected on several greens. Thankfully once the rain stopped we were given the green light to play.

On reaching the first tee the rain had started again and it was clear that this was going to be a stern test in the conditions. Memories flooded back of our trip to Stonebridge in 2005!!! The first two holes are tough propositions in any conditions and played extremely difficult, but a gross par at the 2nd from Martin Rainer gave him the early lead.

Holes 3 through 6 were all played directly into the wind and driving rain. It was a real grind, but both Andy Paddock and Dave Turner adjusted well to the conditions and were tied for the lead on 10 points after 6 holes, with Martin and Steve Knight a further point back.

History suggests that the defending champion always does well in defence of his crown and Kevin Oldfield, who had been victorious at Brookfield in 2006, produced back to back net birdies on the 7th and 8th holes to get within 1 point of the lead at the turn. After 9 holes there was a three way tie for the lead with Andy, Martin and Steve all on 14 points with Bob, who recovered from a scoreless first two holes, also a point adrift on 13. 

By the time the final group reached the 10th the rain had finally abated and you would think that the scoring would improve. It did for a while, but holes 12 through 17 last year proved to be a very tough stretch allowing little room for error off the tee and this was also the case this year.

Martin, playing in his 50th summer competition and looking to become the first three time winner of the event, held the outright lead on 19 points after 12 holes. He looked in prime position to add to that lead after producing one of the shots of the day from the fairway bunker to the semi rough some 10 foot from the hole at the tricky 13th. However a "double hit" chip shot followed and a scoreless hole, from a very promising position, virtually put paid to his chances.

On reaching the 16th tee Kevin on 23 points had opened a two point lead, thanks to back to back net pars at the 13th and 14th holes, over no less than six players tied for second on 21 points. Kevin had driven the ball superbly with his new Dunlop cube driver, which had given him both length and control. A scary combination!!!

Now I always bang on about one hole that changes the course of the competition, well it happened again at Bromsgrove. Kevin unfortunately put his tee shot in the water at the testy Par 3 16th and he failed to gain a point. However in the group ahead Dave Turner made his move with a superb net birdie and three vital points to open a 1 point lead with 2 holes to play. Andy Paddock, who also failed to score at the 16th was now also tied for second. Dave quickly followed this up with a net par at the 17th and his first Society summer competition was virtually within touching distance as both Kev and Andy could only scramble a point.

Dave's lead was now two points standing on the 18th tee from Kev and Andy, with the Bob, Steve and Martin all a further point adrift and looking for devine intervention. The short Par 5 18th proved to play the easiest of the round. However, Dave had to hole a nervous four footer for a point and to gain the clubhouse lead on 27 points. Bob finished with a fine net birdie which left him agonisingly one point adrift. Dave's fate now lay in the hands of others.

Kevin now required a net eagle to claim victory and although he played the hole superbly he came up just short as a gross par, net birdie could only tie with Dave but losing out on countback. It was now down to Andy to gain an unlikely gross eagle to spoil Dave's party as even a gross birdie would have meant Dave winning on countback. Andy also played the hole well but could only secure a par to get him into a tie for third place, so Dave's victory was complete!!!

Dave had finished runner up on four occasions last season. In three of those competitions he saw victory slip away as others mounted a late charge to deny him his first win. But on a day that saw so much drama it was good to see Dave getting his just rewards of his first win.

Although this will go down as the lowest Staleford points score in any summer competition, the event was one of the finest in the Societies history. Only The Wergs last October proved a tougher scoring day, and as previously stated, with three holes to go 7 players were all in with a chance of victory. The lead also changed hands fourteen times and five different players either held or tied for the lead at some point. Remarkable really. The course played extremely difficult and to its full length due to the wet weather and nobody really got to grips with putting as the greens were of differing pace and very wet at times. But like last year everyone enjoyed it and I believe it could host this event again next year, although with better weather!!!

Kevin made a stout defence of his crown and has a great asset in his new driver. If he can recapture his driving form over the last two competitions, he will be a real force to be reckoned with. It was a day when several players were left ruing missed opportunities, but fittingly in the end Dave's par at the difficult 16th proved the most decisive moment of the day. Predicting a winning score was difficult throughout the round but like I always say, never give up!!! Both Bob and Dickie had tough starts to their rounds, but still got to within touching distance of the lead after 15 holes. One shot finding the green, one putt holed, one good hole can make all the difference.

Congratulations once again to Dave on his maiden Society title. He was my pre-tournament pick which I suggested to Rob Orrock on the Thursday before the comp!!! The summer bandwagon now rolls onto The Ledene for the fun Par 3 event in August, to be followed by the September Classic at Wharton Park. Dave's win also vaulted him to the top of the Order of Merit table, which is proving to be a very exciting race and could possibly go down to our last event of the year, The Open (3-2-1 format) at Kington.

FINAL RESULTS

 PosName Pts Bir Par Bog DB+ OOM 
1st Dave Turner 27 0 3 7 8 10 
2nd Kevin Oldfield 27 0 4 3 11 8 
t-3rd Andy Paddock 26 0 4 7 7 5 
t-3rd Bob Taylor 26 0 2 7 9 5 
5th Martin Rainer 25 0 5 9 4 2 
6th Steve Knight 24 0 4 3 11  
t-7th Terry Janes 22 0 2 5 11  
t-7th Richard Gorton 22 0 1 4 13  
9th Andy McLeod 19 0 1 6 11  
WD John Kelsall       
 Totals  0 26 56 95  

HOLE-BY-HOLE PROGRESSION

 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 
Dave Turner 2 3 5 5 8 10 10 11 12 13 15 17 19 20 21 24 26 27 
Kevin Oldfield 1 2 4 5 7 7 10 13 13 15 18 18 20 22 23 23 24 27 
Andy Paddock 2 3 5 7 8 10 12 13 14 15 16 18 19 21 21 23 24 26 
Bob Taylor 0 0 1 3 6 7 9 10 13 14 14 16 18 19 21 21 23 26 
Martin Rainer 1 4 4 7 7 9 11 13 14 16 17 19 19 21 21 22 23 25 
Steve Knight 1 2 5 7 8 9 11 11
14 16 16 17 20 20 21 22 23 24 
Terry Janes 0 0 3 3 3 4 7 7 9 10 12 13 15 17 17 18 20 22 
Dickie Gorton 0 0 2 4 5 5 6 9 10 11 14 17 19 21 21 21 22 22 
Andy McLeod 0 2 4 6 6 6 7 7 9 10 11 13 16 16 16 18 18 19 
John Kelsall 0 1 2 3 3 5 6 7 9 11 11 11 13 14 14 wd wd wd 



15TH ANNUAL PREMIER STROKEPLAY

For the first time in it's fifteen year history the Premier Strokeplay both moved away from The Wergs to Ombersley Golf Club and became the opening event to the summer Society calendar. Ombersley had a history of producing good scoring in our two previous visits for the Open Championship in 2001 and 2006.

Playing conditions for the twelve members were perfect. A warm, hazy summers morning with a gentle breeze. A refreshing change from the brutal conditions that competitors had faced back in October.

John Kelsall, returning to competition play after a back injury, produced a sensational opening 9 holes and reached the turn at net 5-under par to hold a comfortable three shot lead over the in form Dave Turner who was still looking for his first summer Society victory. John's tremendous first 9 holes included a net eagle at the Par 5 3rd and four net birdies.

Dave momentarily tied John for the lead at the 10th and 11th holes. The tournament was really starting to hot up as after 12 holes 4 players were now within 4 shots of the lead, which John had regained outright after Dave's unfortunate double bogey at the Par 5 12th. The race for the title was now on...

After 15 holes the competition was getting even tighter. John on 5-under still held a narrow one shot lead, but this time from Martin Rainer who had vaulted himself into contention with a string of net birdies on the opening holes of the back 9. Net eagles at the 14th from Bob Taylor and Rob Orrock had brought them within two and three shots of the lead respectively. Rob's challenge was even more remarkable as he had reached the turn at 4 over par!!! 

I always suggest that there is a hole that proves decisive in determining the winner and this time it was the Par 4 16th. John's charge for the title was virtually secured with a net birdie at this tricky hole and he now held a seemingly unassailable three shot lead with two holes to play.

Despite a net bogey at the last, John's superb 6-under round was enough to secure a one shot victory and in doing so clinch his first full field competition win since The Open in 1994. The keys to his victory were firstly his 9 gross pars which equated to 1 net eagle and 8 net birdies and secondly his ability to positively bounce back after dropping 2 shots at the 10th. His title victory was well rewarded, but in no way a surprise. At Ombersley in The Open of 2001 he had achieved 41 stableford points to finish runner up, so he certainly had positive mental associations with the course. In recent years he had produced four excellent rounds in the 05/06 Winter League to narrowly miss out on the overall title. His back injury had curtailed his social and Society play since the turn of the year, with JK only managing to play three rounds. It just goes to show beware the injured golfer and a great score possibly comes along when you least expect it!!!

Martin Rainer, who had previously never got to terms with Ombersley, claimed the runners up spot but narrowly missed out on both becoming the first Society member to successfully defend the Premier Strokeplay title and on equalling the all time lowest gross score which still belongs to Steve Bradburn of 76. He was left lamenting a hooked tee shot on the 1st which resulted in a double bogey.

Bob Taylor produced an excellent back 9 to claim a creditable third place to follow on from his fine victory here last year in The Open. Dave and Rob were tied in 4th to claim vital Order of Merit points. Rob had produced one of the most remarkable fight backs in the Societies history. He played the back 9 in gross 5 over par after achieving two treble bogeys and a quadruple bogey on the front 9. It just goes to show that you should never give up, as you just do not know what lies around the corner.

The overall good scoring had undoubtedly validated the move from The Wergs and for the change of month from October to June which we've got Ian to thank for that idea. For now, I whole heartedly believe we have found a new home for the Premier Strokeplay, in Ombersley. It is conducive to strokeplay golf and is a course on which I believe any member of the Society can win on, which to me is the most important point. 

Congratulations again to John on his terrific round and he now tops the Order of Merit table. The summer bandwagon rolls onto Bromsgrove for the Stableford Plate, a course that produced a great September Classic last year. However sandwiched in between is a visit to Wales for GOLFEST 2007, where 8 members of the Society plus 4 guests are playing Nefyn, Royal St David's and Porthmadog Golf Club.


FINAL RESULTS

Pos Player Gross Net Bir Par Bog DB+ OOM 
 1John Kelsall 86 66 0 9 5 4 10 
 2Martin Rainer 77 67 0 14 3 1 8 
 3Bob Taylor 91 68 0 3 11 4 6 
 t-4Rob Orrock 91 70 0 6 9 3 3 
 t-4Dave Turner 87 70 0 6 9 3 3 
 6Andy Paddock 86 71 0 8 7 3  
 7Richard Gorton 105 77 0 2 5 11  
 8Keith Watson 95 78 0 3 10 5  
 t-9Kevin Oldfield 104 80 0 1 8 9  
 t-9Terry Janes 104 80 03
78  
 11Ian Smith 104 81 0 1 8 9  
 12Andy MacLeod 102 82 0 1 10 7  
  Totals  0 57 92 67  


HOLE-BY HOLE PROGRESSION

 1
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 
John Kelsall 00 -2 -2 -3 -4 -5 -4 -5 -3 -4 -4 -5 -5 -6 -7 -7 -6 
Martin Rainer
1 0
-1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1-1 -2 -3 -4
-4 -4 -4 -5 -5 
Bob Taylor 1 1
1
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 -1 -1 -3 -2 -3 -4 -4 
Dave Turner 0 -1 0 -1 -1 -1 -2 -2 -2 -3 -4 -3 -3 -3 -3 -2 -2 -2 
Rob Orrock
0
0 2 1 3 3 2 4 4 3 3 1 0 -2 -2 -2 -2 -2 
Andy Paddock
0 0 -1 0 0 -1 -2 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 -1 -1 0 -1 
Dickie Gorton 0 1 3 2 2 3 3 3 2 3 2 5 5 5 6 7 6 5 
Keith Watson 0 0 0 -1 0 0 -1 0 2 2 3 4 3 5 5 6 6 6 
Terry Janes 0 1 0 0 -1 1 1 -1 1 0 3 4 8 7 7 8 8 8 
Kevin Oldfield 1 2 3 3 2 3 6 5 6 6 5 6 9 8 8 8 8 8 
Ian Smith 0 1 2 3 3 4 8 7 7 7 6 5 7 6 5 6 7 9 
Andy McLeod 0 0 -1 -1 0 0 0 1 4 4 4 3 6 8 8 10 11 10 



ORDER OF MERIT 2007

Pos Player PS SP SC OP TOTAL 
 1Dave Turner
 3 
 10  0  8 21 
 2Martin Rainer  8  2  10  0 20 
 3Rob Orrock   3  0  0  10 13 
 t-4Kevin Oldfield  0  8  3  0 11 
 t-4Bob Taylor
 6  5  0  0 11 
 6John Kelsall  10  0  0  0 10 
 7Keith Watson 0
0
 8  0 8 
 t-8Richard Gorton  0  0  6  0 6 
 t-8Dave Williams  0  0  0  6 6 
 10Andy Paddock  0  5  0  0 5 
 11Steve Knight  0  0  0  4 4 
 12Andy McLeod  0  0  3  0 3 
 13Ian Smith  0  0  0  2 2 
 t-14Terry Janes  0  0  0  0 0 
 t-14
Gary Purchase
0
0
0
0
0

Best 3 scores from 4 tournaments to count
Tiebreaker best 2 from 4 then best 1 from 4.