The forecast promised a warm one and, for once, was bang on. By midday the temperature was nudging 38°C, which is less “ideal golfing weather” and more “can anyone smell bacon?”. Water vanished, hats of every shape appeared, and sun cream was applied with the commitment usually reserved for painting a fence. Despite the heat, Lo Romero was immaculate as always, even if it felt as though it had been gently placed under a grill.
With the course quiet, we enjoyed a slightly earlier 10:00 start and a strong field of 35, including four guests. The elevated first tee looked as inviting as ever, right up until the ball met that left-to-right slope and began asking awkward questions.
Pace of play was good, possibly because nobody fancied spending extra time under a bush debating whether a ball was “definitely in there somewhere”. Sergio and the Lo Romero team kept everything running smoothly, with rather more order than some of our scorecards.
Back on the terrace, where cold drinks were welcomed like long-lost relatives, the results were presented as follows:
Gold: Mike Stott (38 pts and joint best score of the day)
Silver: John Batterby (33 pts)
Bronze: Kenny Cunningham (38 pts and joint best score of the day)
There was also matchplay drama in the sunshine. In the doubles, Robin Eastman and Phil de Lacy beat the father-and-son Hancock pairing of Darren and Sam, proving family harmony is best tested over 18 holes. In the singles, Dave Rowe overcame both Steve Fleet and an “industrial accident with his finger”, earning the surely permanent title of “One Finger Rowe”. On the subject of missing digits, all the best to Tommy “soon to be half a toe” McGinn for his operation next week.
The “Twos” came from Phil de Lacy and Mike Stott, both clearly preferring accuracy to wandering around in the heat looking for golf balls. Nearest the Pins went to Greame Millington on the 5th, Peter Turbefield on the 7th, Mike Stott on the 12th, and “One Finger Rowe” on the 16th. The “McBride Bottle” went to Jack Webster, Best Guest was Duncan Baird with 37 points, and Ken Flaherty won the football card with Blackpool, proving temporary disloyalty to Liverpool can occasionally pay. And finally, our Captain Micky Pryke, overcome by “jet lag” after a whistle-stop trip to Miami to watch England at the weekend, failed to finish his round – though we suspect he simply wanted to get home early and bag the best seat in the house, newly redecorated to resemble a pub in Atlanta.
Next week we return to La Finca for the Eclectic competition, where scores will improve, memories will become selective, and at least one player will blame a moving tree.
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No winners’ picture today, as the usual photographer was away enjoying the sunshine in Ireland – apparently it happens – but we do have what could pass for an AI-generated leprechaun. It is, in fact, President Lee Eastman, complete with hole-in-one delusions and possibly a small pot of golfing wisdom nearby.
