Ian Forester fought off competition from Mike Lowe to take the title as Theale Golf Club’s champion for 2023.
Members of Theale Golf Club, sitting outside their club house and behind the 18th hole, applauded when Mike Lowe, one of the two remaining players on the course, played his second shot to the green, just about a couple of feet from the flag.
The ball of his partner for the day, Ian Forester, was already on the green but a good distance from the pin, so he was first to put and went down in the regulation four. There were murmurs of disbelief when Mike missed his birdie opportunity.
What those watching didn’t know at the time, was that that miss, settled the Club Championship. On the first day of the two-day Championship, both Mike and Ian had put in a score of 78.
On the second day, although still with perfect weather, the course was a little trickier with more difficult pin placings. Their scores like most taking part, fell back a little and with one hole to play, Mike was just one shot behind Ian. Had he sunk his birdie opportunity it would have meant a play-off.
As it was with Ian’s total of 161 to Mike’s 162, it meant that Ian was the Club Champion for 2023. In his several years at the club, Ian had been runner up on three previous occasions so he was delighted that at last, the championship board and the trophy would bear his name.
By Dick Sawdon Smith
