Autumn Tour 2020 Final at Bungay
It's been nearly a year since the final round of the RNSG 2020 Autumn tour should have been played and at the third time of asking it finally got underway at Bungay on Thursday.
By now most tour members had long since lost interest in this tour except for Andrew who was keen for its completion as if he could manage a winning round of 38 points he would be the first person in the long history of the RNSG tour to win all 6 competitions.
With only 5 tour members able to play it was going to be an intermate day of golf as our tour was squeezed in-between two other societies as Bungay was packed. Kevin was making his tour and golf comeback after 8 weeks away with a dodgy knee, Chris had struggled out of bed with a bad cold (testing had shown it not to be covid) and Jill was suffering from a bad back so it was clear anything could happen.
Joining Andrew in the first group were Chris and Kevin, as they were the only golfers who could snatch some titles from him. Andrew was obviously nervous about the feat before him as he started slowly with just a couple of points from the first 2 holes. However he remembered there was history in the making and rolled up his metaphorical sleeves and got to work. 4 pars in the next 7 holes meant half the job was done as he left the 9th green on 19 points.
Despite not hitting a golf ball for 2 months Kevin started strongly and was already on 7 pts after 3 holes. However his lack of practice started to show as a delicate chip over the bunker on the 4th turned into a 60 yard thin and the first of 3 blobs in the next 4 holes to leave him on 13 at half way.
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| While waiting on the tee Kevin decides to celebrate the hole in one he was convinced he was about to get. He was nearly right as he did indeed only hit one shot on the hole, unfortunately it disappeared into the woods rather than the cup |
Unable to speak due to her sore throat, Chris started poorly and decided to take drugs after a couple of holes but a par on the 3rd proved to be a false dawn as she struggled round the front 9 to finish on 12 pts. However as the 2nd half started the drugs and kicked in and she played the last 10 holes 1 over handicap to finish on 28 pts, albeit in last place. A little pro tip to pass on might be to take drugs before you start the round not during it.
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| Early pre drug bunker problems for Chris on the first |
In the group behind it was business as usual as Jill was playing solidly with out scoring well while Vince was mixing bad holes and good holes in equal measure.
Vince continued this approach on the back 9 scoring 16 points in both halves for a respectable 32 points.
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| Vince on the way to a point (with a 7) on the 8th |
Jill on the other hand started scoring well and popped in 19 points on the back 9 to just pip Vince with 33.
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| Jill waits patiently while Vince faffs about with his putter, before completing her par and 3 points on the 11th |
Meanwhile Kevin was also playing more solidly on the back 9 although it was mainly his short game that saved him as he struggled off the tee to get any distance or hit it in the right direction (no change there then). This may have been a good thing as he was unable to hit it so far into the woods and rough as he normally manages. He was pleased to get to 30 points in the end.
But what of Andrew could he get another 19 pts on the back 9 to go down in the legends of the tour and become a RNSG hall of famer (if there was such a thing).
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| Despite early bunker problems Andrew was still in with a chance of the clean sweep |
Well it certainly still looked possible as he stood on the 15th tee although he would need to par 3 of the last 4 holes. After coming up short of the green a chip and a putt would keep him in the running but incredibly he thinned his chip over the green and behind a tree for his only blob of the day and his chance of ultimate glory was in tatters (shame).
He went on to par the final two holes of the day for a winning total of 36 but it was only good enough to win half the comps with Kevin, Jo and Tim hanging on to their prizes.
So another tour is complete and with the nights drawing in thoughts now turn to the 2021-22 winter tour and the dramas that may contain.
