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Friday the 13th at Awali Golf Club witnessed a good field of golfers competing for the Watson Salver, the season’s only competition with a ‘bogey’ format, one that severely tests a player’s devotion to golf.
The competition commenced in 1959 when the then president of the club, Noel Watson, donated the Salver on his departure from Bahrain: despite the format that most loathe, its presence in the fixtures-list is unbroken, and this was its 55th annual running.
Dave Bailey took first place on the podium with a result of Plus-9, achieving a personal-best gross score of 73, and setting a new record for the current format where players are allowed a full handicap allowance.
The usual genteel murmurings of approval were heard in the busy clubhouse, especially at the accompanying announcement of Dave’s 3-shot handicap cut.
The competition was sponsored by Oxford International Financial Management, based in Qatar. Its Senior Wealth manager, Ian Hayel, was expected to present the prizes but a last-minute hitch meant he was unable to fly-in from his home base and AGC’s sponsorship member, Ziggy Trzebinski, stepped-in to present the prizes on his behalf.
The shot of the day was the Hole-6 tee-shot of Roberta Trzebinski - tee-peg to cup and a hole-in-one.
Overcome with emotion, as was the green-sweeper who also witnessed the result, Roberta rushed to ring the bell to ensure everyone knew of her success.
The achievement is particularly noteworthy as no-one in the clubhouse could remember any previous lady achieving a hole-in-one on this difficult par-3. Had the competition format been a normal Stableford, Roberta would have advised her score to the marker as ‘1-for-5’.
Additionally, the second of two donations from last season’s Captain’ Charity was made. Immediate past-captain Andy McAlpine presented a cheque for BD500 to Christine Gordon, founder of the RIA school for special-needs children.
Christine explained that the school arose from her difficulty in finding suitable education for her own son, and described how the establishment has expanded over the years, supported financially by charitable donations only.
