Twenty-nine degrees Celsius last Sunday at Glen Cedars golf course greeted twenty-six players. It was a muggy day with dark clouds hoovering above our heads with a threat of rain that never materialized as the sun came out mid-afternoon . This day was a prelude for next week’s Super Series 4 contest and the culmination of the Month 4 race. Not to late to join the SS4 contest as according to Jojo Dizon three more players entered this contest to bring the total to twenty-one aspirants.

Sunday’s round conclusion: Erland Ibañez finished atop the golf world by signing in a net score of 65 to secure his second win of the season joining six others as multiple winners so far this year. His surprising performance propelled him of a sweep as far as the contests he entered that were in the offing that day. Erland earned himself the day prize, Nassau corners – front & back nines as well as the total net; the first player to accomplish this feat this season.

Closest to the pin contest: Sennix Bontigao got his mojo shot working at hole par 3 fifth hole to win it while Jojo Dizon birdied that ever so close shot at par 3 fifteenth hole from afar blue tees. Both players claimed the win in their last two starts.

 

 

 

 

 

ANNOUNCEMENT: Just a reminder to all SGC members – SGC’s awards and semi-formal attire banquet night is to be held a week after the last game of the season on a Saturday at 6 PM sharp on October 13, 2018 at DoubleTree Hotel by Hilton, formerly Delta Hotel at the corner of Dixie Road and Matheson Boulevard, Mississauga. Parking around the vicinity is free. SGC recommends that members attend and enjoy this festivity most specially the four new members. Taste the warmest connection with the rest of the team. You can bring your spouse or a friend free of charge. You can also invite other individual(s) for a minimum fee to cover the cost. Dancing will commence right after dinner and the awarding of awards. SGC will be asking members to confirm their attendance three weeks prior to this affair.

How did you like that at twenty-six degrees Celsius playing at Royal Woodbine last Sunday? Almost perfect weather but the only hitched was SGC’s tee off time of two o’clock in the afternoon. Half an hour more after the last of seven groups finished the round, could had been dark. Hmm. Hate to say that “old man winter is coming”. Not for a while though with our eighteenth game of the season with seven more to go.

Results, results and more results. Bong Munson lit up the course with an onslaught of pars and few birdies to capture the day prize with a net score made in heaven of 63. This low net score matches the lowest net score provided by Mar DeVeyra at Carlise North/South golf course last July 15, 2018. Bong who is known with a history of being streaky undoubtedly won the Nassau back nine and total net. He said he is comfortably feeling good about his game right now.

Another Nassau winner who seized the front nine with a remarkable even gross par 36 was Joey Cruz. Never wake this guy up. We all know what he could do. Joey (64) & Bong (63) were the only two of four players who netted something in the 60s. The other two were Jojo Dizon (67) and Bert Cerrudo (69).

Month 4 contest: Bong Munson with an amazing net of 63 catapulted to first place with best three net scores followed by Joey Cruz, Bert Cerrudo, and Seho Oh twelve enormous points behind with two more games unaccounted for. You will hear more about Seho as we go on.

Major updates:

POY: Musical chairs is being played by these two players with regards to taking the lead week in and week out. Jimmy Manguerra with a pedestrian net of 71 over JC Montilla’s 81 regained the lead on week eighteen with margin of big nine points. Seho Oh from fifth place joined Jojo Dizon in third place fourteen points behind the leader replacing Mar DeVeyra a mere point behind fourth place. The idle Mike Montilla dropped down from third place to seventh place with Ross Bautista taking sixth. It’s getting tight folks.

MIP Contest:   JC Montilla still leads but his significant huge lead was trimmed down to 0.0338 from 0.0514 a week ago because of the surging Seho Oh who is now giving JC a run for his money. A surprising move was exhibited by Fred Halili who now grabbed third place followed by Jimmy Manguerra with Mike Montilla bringing up the rear for the top five prizes. A new player, Ross Bautista just came aboard after last Sunday’s round in eight place after Bingoy Peña and Jojo Dizon in sixth and seventh place respectively.

More aspiring MIP players: These players listed below with seven games left would qualify and would be in the running for this contest provided they completed the required fifteen games and shoot scores below their respective handicaps. Think they could do it? You bet.

Name                                 Result      Games played

Manny  Marquez              1.1051                 13 

Bong      Munson              1.0113                   12

Julio       Rodriguez           1.0258                   14

Ron        Wilson                1.0535                   14

Leader: JC Montilla         1.1538                    18

Of all the above, Manny Marquez looks promising. He would place third in this race had he completed fifteen games.

SPOY: As SPOY heats up, Mar DeVeyra who led a week ago by five points over Seho Oh relinquished the lead to Seho. Seho now leads Mar by four points. This might be a repeat of last year like Joey Cruz winning all three majors for the ever dangerously consistent Seho Oh as he is contending in all three majors. Joey Cruz fueled by an astounding net 64 helped himself jumped from sixth place to third twelve points behind the leader. Bert Cerrudo sat from dead last smiling in fourth place two points behind third. Last place prize in fifth is Rey Plaza.

Closest to the pin contest: Jojo Dizon coming back from a vacay in Mehico, boasting he played a round of golf there got it so close on par 3 fourth hole. Rey Plaza fired an unbeatable shot at the long fourteenth hole.

Were you able to have a glimpse at the closing PGA championship last Sunday? This was the last major event in the golfing world. Just in case you were out of town or somewhere where there was no access to social media, the muscle-bound Brooks Koepka won his second major in a year, his third in his career keeping the first prize $1.98 million money and the Wanamaker trophy. Tiger Woods in his golf comeback, shot the best round of his career in a major tournament with a 64, fell short but still received $1,188,000 for his second-place finish. The very last place golfer received $18,600 just for showing up and finishing the four-day round. Not bad, eh?

At SGC’s round at last Sunday at Lionhead Masters, we were feeling full of reluctance playing this venue. Surprisingly, we started our round of golf without last minute changes coming from the golf course management whatsoever as compared to two previous starts. So far so good. At twenty-eight degrees Celsius, twenty-seven players came to play. This was SGC’s seventeenth game of the season and winding down with only eight games to go. At this time of the year, it reminded me of the coming opening of CNE midway rides along Lakeshore Boulevard at CNE grounds and its closing sometime in September; meaning back to school already and the end of summer. Phew, forget about that thought and let me take you to the game results that happened last Sunday anyway.

With another scenario where again two people winning & sharing the day prize, this was the sixth time so far it had occurred this season. To SGC’s long hitting newcomers – Bong Blanco, Mike Dang & Steve Kim, Steve Kim came out sooner than expected to win out of this bunch. Him and JC Montilla both signed a scorecard of net 67. More on JC later. Steve not surprisingly with the length off the tee, in his only fourth game of the season, got the job done. JC Montilla with his second win, just joined the other six members in the prestigious multiple winners club. JC also seized the Nassau front nine as well as the total net. We are seeing a lot of good play from this member lately. He is also in the running for MIP and POY awards.

Only three players posted net score in the 60s. Two of them were mentioned above already and the other member who joined them was Ross Bautista. Ross was not too far from winning the day prize either with a net score of 69.

Another member Julio Rodriguez coming from a lay off a week ago warranted a good net score of 32, winning solely the Nassau back nine. Julio might be starting a good run of scoring low to move up in the standings just like he did late last year. Maybe we should try a week off or two then come back and win something. Not for everyone, you’d think?

Closest to the pin contest: Jimmy Manguerra fired the best shot than anybody else on the par 3 eight, while Ed Ilao at the eleventh hole beat a previous shot by the continual “brides’ maid” Joey Cruz at this particular contest. No offense intended, mind you.

Announcement: There was a sudden change as far as the net adjustment was concerned for those members who hit from the white tees & red tees from last Sunday’s round of golf. Lionhead Masters posted new course ratings for all tee boxes involved. According to Joey Cruz since we used the blue tee as reference point, the difference between blue tee & white tee became net adjustment for white tee as one from three as noted before. For red tee, the net adjustment decreased from five to four.

Twenty-one players showed up at last Sunday’s Kingsforest round of golf. A thirty-three-degree Celsius temperature greeted the players with rising humidity around the Hamilton peninsula all afternoon long. It was a “Blind Partner” contest day with free hamburger dinner with drink of your choice courtesy of SGC after the round. It was surprising to learn that results after the round were not favourable to low scoring binge as no one signed a scorecard with net score in the 60s. SGC had not played Kingsforest for a while this season up to now and still this golf course reminded everyone how difficult this tree lined holes could be.

This mandatory entry to Bind Partner contest was a combination of two players tallying their total net scores. Top three partnerships with lowest net scores would win the prize. Aside from this contest there was the option of joining the Nassau corners contest as well. Scoring low could award yourself winning both contests provided you were lucky enough to pick the right partner from the draw for the Blind Partner contest. Well, someone did it.

Here are the partnership winners:

                1. Bert Cerrudo (70) & Bong Munson (74) with 144 total net   points

                2. Exe Navarette (75) & Dave Nelson (75) with 150 total net points

                3^.  Exe Navarette (75) & (76) Jun Paculaba with 151 total net points

You might be wondering how Exe Navarette’s name appeared twice above. Since there was an odd number of players (21 participants), Exe had the honor of picking a partner twice when he picked the designated lucky number from the draw. It so happened that he luckily picked those two players good enough to bag second & third place.  

Nassau corners: Bert Cerrudo who was also the day prize winner won the total net score and shared the front nine with often weekly winner Mar DeVeyra. A single rose member among thorns was the back nine winner, Lina Mayo.

 

 

 

 

 

Closest to the pin contest: Bong Munson with a sharp iron shot at the par 3 4^th hole fired the winner while Jess Velarde got the best of previous shot by Joey Cruz at the par 3 14^th hole.

 

 

 

 

 

Major Awards Update:

MIP (Most Improved Player): Not much change here. JC Montilla still leads by same huge margin as last week over Bingoy Peña. Seho Oh who just registered his fifteenth game to qualify, comes from nowhere and makes a huge leap by dislodging Mike Montilla from third place. Jimmy Manguerra down a knot in fifth place.

SPOY (Senior Player of the Year): Top two places did not change at all with Mar DeVeyra still in first place holds eleven strokes better than Seho Oh from three strokes last week. Exe Navarette grabs third place a stroke behind Seho. Rey Plaza shares fourth place with Joey Cruz.

POY (Player of the Year): This seems to be a very tight race for two players vying for the top honor. Jimmy Manguerra lost a stroke from four strokes to three strokes over JC Montilla. But guess who is making a noise jumping from fifth place to third place? Mar DeVeyra; although he is behind JC by whopping twenty-six strokes, with nine more games to go, who knows. A stroke behind Mar is the idle Jojo Dizon in fourth place. Relegated to fifth from fourth place a week ago is Mike Montilla three behind Jojo.

 

There are bad news and good news to announce about SGC’s round yesterday. The bad news: It was discovered that there was an error in the handicapping used at last Sunday’s Kingsforest round. This writer had posted the wrong player’s handicaps and in turn the incorrect handicap listing was handed to Joey Cruz for calculations. Joey Cruz and Bingoy Peña stumbled on the mistake resulting to a re-calculation of the results. The handicap listing that was used was the handicap for Royal Ontario a week ago instead of Kingsforest. The difference was higher handicaps for most players involved. The good news: After Joey did the re-assessment, the Nassau corners results and the standings in the order of finish including the “Blind Partner” contest were not affected. As a result, the total net outcome was higher than as announced after the round. Example – the lowest total net score for the day prize winner was 70 instead of 68.

This writer regrets the error and the consequences that it caused the members who played last Sunday at KIngsforest. Ditto also to those who put on extra effort to correct the problem. I apologize to the false pretense that this human error had given you prior to the round. If you have any concerns or questions regarding the matter, please contact me or Joey Cruz.

Corrected net results will be posted soon.