Thompsons hold steady and defy their rivals

HE ONCE let his mum down with some shoddy putting in the closing holes, so Chris Thompson was doubly determined not to disappoint his son Emile on the final stretch in the second round of the Star Trophy yesterday. And he didn't, the Thompsons adding a 70.5 to their opening 71.5 to win the old trophy by three shots in difficult conditions.

'Foursomes golf is about being comfortable with your partner,' said the senior half of the winning 2007 combination.

'I've got a lot of confidence in him,' added Thompson senior who revealed he had been close to winning the Star before.

'Thirty years ago I played with mother and came second. I three-putted last four holes, as she always reminds me.

'The highlight of yesterday's round was their steadiness and a birdie on the 14th.

The overnight leaders, Petri Lagerstrom and Dugald McPhie, slipped back to seventh after a second-round 77, while the low-handicap pairing of Bobby Eggo and Laurence Graham returned their second straight 72.5 to finish runners-up.

'Steady without really doing much,' was Eggo's assessment of their round, but they were out in 38 with a double-bogey six at the eighth.

Derek Misslebrook and daughter Bev Mason-Barney moved up to third with a 70, but the best score of the day was the 69 by veterans Ken Carre and Roy Donaldson, who off a combined 13 handicap reeled off seven pars and a birdie at the 17th.

John Le Lievre and Bill Rusman also enjoyed a sub-70 round, scoring 69.5.

In total, 70 pairings played the two days.

This weekend the attention moves onto the Alexander Forbes Channel Islands Golf League in Jersey, the annual occasion when the CI's four main clubs battle it out for the mantle of top club.