Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
‘He putted like a god’
Bert Whyte (h12) said his partner Philip Johnson (h11) ‘putted like a god’ after their victory in the first round of the men’s Hallet Cup Winter League on Sunday. Johnson holed for par on five holes running as they took first place, on countback from Nigel Hylands (h14) and Steve Bowles (h16), at Canterbury Golf Club.
Whyte and Johnson dovetailed superbly to score 45 Stableford points and top a field of 60 teams in the face of some exceptional scoring despite gale force southerly winds and a course playing long after all the recent rain.
They were only three-over-par better ball with Whyte making a birdie on the 17th to add to their combined 13 pars and four bogeys.
Hylands made a birdie at the second as he and Bowles blended well for 12 pars and four bogeys but missed out on top spot with a double bogey at the 15th. John Coupe (scratch) and Jason Kennett (h14), were a point back in third place, Coupe making three birdies to help hold off fourth-placed six-birdie Josh Bristow (+3) and Mark Broadhurst (h5) by one. Dean Danton (scratch) and Scott Williams (h10) made 42 points to take fifth place on countback ahead of defending champions Levi Johnson (scratch) and Simon Leggatt (h8) and seventh-placed Richard Beer (h5) and Kevin Williamson (h14).
Whyte (h12) was the senior partner on the first ten holes, scoring four pars and two bogeys but then Johnson took over, with Whyte saying: “From the 12th onwards Phil putted like a god. “He was nailing single putts from 10 to 15 feet away and went four, four, four, four, four then I popped in with a birdie at the 17th and a par at the last.
“He was a magician with the putter for that period, it was like watching a master at work.’’
Canterbury ladies bounced back from a defeat at Royal Cinque Ports the previous week to beat Etchinghill 5-0 in their first home Pearson Trophy match of the season on Tuesday of last week.
Captain Lizza Berry had nothing but praise for the team who suffered “the most revolting weather we’ve played in for quite some time”. Catherine Hinds reported trolleys blown over and umbrellas turning inside out during her last eight holes, adding: “Then, with strong winds funnelling towards the tee on the 12th, the back nine only got longer.”
Jacqui Mount and Judith Jefferson scored 22 points from nine holes to win the first round of the Ladies’ Winter League on Sunday.
Due to the dramatic effects of Storm Aiden, with gale force wind, the round was reduced to nine holes and Mount (h11) and Jefferson (h20) made a dream start with birdies on the first two holes and a rock-solid finish.
A point behind in second place were Sarah Wetherall (h21) and Alyson Wreford (h13) and joint-third on 19 points were Ali Kingston (h5) and in-form Dorothy Lloyd-hughes (h24) with Cath Smith (h15) and Doreen Whiting (h23).
Oliver Ladd scored a highly respectable gross 96 off a 31 handicap for 42 points to win Friday’s Juniors’ Stableford by six.
Oliver scored 23 points of the front nine with four points par fives on the 1st, 7th and 9th and added another 19 points on the back nine, failing to score only at the 18th.
Amos Brazier was left successive rueing NRS at the 6th and 7th after scoring an otherwise impressive seven pars, eight birdies and a double at the 17th, to take second place by two from Claudia Carlotti. Claudia (h27) was in great shape after making 24 points on the front nine with three pars , five bogeys and a double at the 4th but fell away on the back nine.