No stopping Thompsons as son takes lead role
THEY played just one bad shot each over the 18 holes and it was enough for the father-and-son combination of Chris and Emile Thompson to win Saturday's big foursomes event for the Royal Bank of Scotland International Challenge Trophy.
THEY played just one bad shot each over the 18 holes and it was enough for the father-and-son combination of Chris and Emile Thompson to win Saturday's big foursomes event for the Royal Bank of Scotland International Challenge Trophy. The Thompsons defied the stiff winds to score 42 Stableford points, which equated to a one-over 71, and from the remaining 169 pairings, nobody got close to them.
It was the third time the Thompsons had played together in the event and on each occasion they have finished in the prizes.
After placing 14th at the first attempt, they improved to 11th in 2004 and this year produced a comfortable three-point victory.
Their win comes 121 years after Chris' mother, Mary, won the event in tandem with Jeanette Riley.
'We obviously played consistently,' said Chris afterwards, before outlining the highlights of a round that started out just before lunchtime.
Emile holed a 20ft birdie putt on the fourth and one even longer for a three at the 16th.
Dad's major topic of Sunday lunch conversation was probably explaining how he brilliantly chipped in from the back of the 13th for another birdie.
Although Chris gives the orders at home, he admits that he is now looking up to his second son on the course.
'I have to look up to him as the senior player in terms of handicap, said Thompson senior, a seven handicap, one worse off than Emile.
Dad, naturally, has the greater experience, though, and on the 17th teebox he had to remind his 16-year-old that it would be appropriate to take a safe down-the-middle line as opposed to taking any short cuts up the hill and risk going out of bounds.
Having amassed 20 points on the front nine, they came back in 22.
The best foursome of the day was out early and saw Bobby Eggo and Jack Mitchell mark the card of Laurence Graham and Danny Blondel.
The latter pairing took the runners-up prize on countback from Ray Blondel and Roy Martel, while Eggo and Mitchell retained the scratch prize they won in 2004 with a level-par round 70 for 36 points.
Mitchell, 18 on Friday, contributed well to the pair's birdies at the fifth and 13th and 14 pars.
Island champion David Rowlinson teamed up with his old mate, Nigel Vaudin, to post 35 points and claim the second scratch prize, while the in-form Danny Bisson joined forces with dad Martin to score 36 and pick up the third scratch.
The women's prize went to Christine Birkett and Linda Robertshaw.
*TO COMPLETE a memorable day for sporting all-rounder Emile Thompson, he collected the Youth Two player-of-the-year trophy at the Vale Recreation annual dinner and presentations on Saturday night.
