CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — Local golfer Jeff Ready’s 29 over the front nine recently at Belvedere was a hot topic at sports watering holes around Charlottetown, and it sent sports historians scrambling for the record books.
Jeff accomplished the feat while playing with Bobby Irwin, Billy Dow and Ron Garrett in club play. I remember seeing golf pro Dave Bowlan’s scorecard at Belvedere years ago and he had a 29 en route to a course-tying record of 63 back when he played professionally in the Ben Hogan era.
The 29 over the front nine was matched three years ago at Belvedere by Curtis Martell of Eldon, who works out of Avondale.
My reliable sources from the past told me that one of the Irwin boys, Tommy or Bobby, posted a 30, and he thinks it was the hockey star at Saint Dunstan’s University (SDU) and that must be Bobby. Hold on folks, John Irwin was a hockey standout at SDU and a golf pro, so I’ll have to do more research.
The 29 at Belvedere was not the best front nine ever at Belvedere as Nova Scotia pro Josh Landine shot a sizzling 28 this summer in the Island Open. There have been a few that matched Bowlan’s 63 course record, and one of the most impressive was Dave Shellington’s 63, which I believe was done in October when conditions are not usually ideal.
Congratulations to @AshburnGolfClub Professional @joshlandine on capturing the coveted Island Open trophy!
— Belvedere Golf Club (@BelvedereGC) August 24, 2020
Josh beat our own #BelvedereGolfClub Head Pro Jamie Moran @proshop39 in a playoff- sinking a great long putt!
Thanks for coming to the Island Josh! #IslandOpen20 @golfpei pic.twitter.com/AIJtIznCm7
In non-record threatening play at Belvedere last Saturday, Neil MacFadyen, who never looks out of place even against the best, and his partner, John Trainor, trounced Greg Power and Rabs MacDonald, taking some of the folding stuff from the boys.
“Had it been a boxing match, the fight would have been stopped after three rounds,” laughed MacFadyen.
In other local golf news, the Fox Meadow club championships went recently in Stratford and George Halliwell won the senior crown (55 and older) with rounds of 75 and 76, which means he’d be competitive against his buddy Yousef Hashmi. Strange things happen in the world of golf.
Pigskin picks
The Seattle Seahawks, Las Vegas Raiders, Arizona Cardinals and New England Patriots have surprised thus far and, of course, everybody is chasing Kansas City. Handicapping more than five games is extremely risky, and not for The Prophet. Here’s a look at Sunday games I like.
• Las Vegas Raiders (2-0) at New England Patriots (1-1): Pats’ QB Cam Newton was terrific in a losing cause against Seattle, but QB Derek Carr and the Raiders were even better in beating New Orleans. The Pats have given up five passing TDs in two games and Carr has weapons. The Raiders are six-point dogs, so jump aboard and bet the silver and black.
• Detroit Lions (0-2) at Arizona Cardinals (2-0): Cards’ QB Kyler Murray is just as talented and exciting as Pat Mahomes and the spread is 5.5, which I love, and you should, too.
• Dallas Cowboys (1-1) at Seattle (2-0): The Cowboys came back from 19 to beat Atlanta, and it was a gift-wrapped win, as only the Falcons can do. The Cowboys are minus their defensive captain, Leighton Vander Esch, and they are hurting without him. Seattle is not a great, but Russell Wilson is, and I see Seattle winning a wild home shootout as five-point favourites.
• Carolina Panthers (0-2) at LA Chargers (1-1) – The Chargers unwrapped young QB Justin Herbert, and he was sensational in a narrow three-point loss to Kansas City, who had their hands full with an aggressive Chargers club who are six-point favourites this week. Carolina is without star running back Christian McCaffrey, so bet Chargers.
Harness racing
Live harness racing goes tonight at 6 p.m. at Red Shores at the Charlottetown Driving Park with a 14-dash card featuring two divisions of the Joe O’Brien gold for two-year-old colts at $12,000 and two divisions of the Lady Slipper at $13,000, plus divisions of the Grassroots.
It’s a chance to see the sensational freshman pacer Woodmere Stealdeal as well as a host of other top colts like Justcallmedoc, Saltwater Savage, Steel Reefer, Mr Rielly, Dusty Lane Goliath and others.
The Atlantic Classic Yearling Sale at Crapaud is set for Oct. 9 and all the top Maritime sires are represented, including Rollwithitharry, Malicious, Stonebridge Terror and highly regarded first-crop sire Tobago Cays. There also trotting colts and fillies by Armbro Barrister and Tad the Stud among the 80 head in the sale – 30 fewer than last year, which means prices will be high.
There are also a number of yearlings by up-country sires like Big Jim, Sportswriter, Yankee Cruiser, Thinking Out Loud, He’s Watching and Shadow Play, whose two-year-old colts and three-year-old colts won Ontario gold two weeks ago.
There’s a huge card at Mohawk tonight, including the $1.3-million Mohawk Million Trot, as well as the $425,000 Shes a Great Lady, the $720,000 Metro, and the Milton Stakes.
Major Bean, owned by Carl Jamieson and the simulcast boys in Charlottetown, stepped to a new record of 1:53:1 in winning a $15,000 overnight, a great trip by the two-year-old.
Fred MacDonald's column appears every Saturday in The Guardian. He can be reached at [email protected].
