Anytime you go almost three weeks without touching a club... it can be a mixed bag. This was the case with this round as I didn't actually plan on playing until 2 days before the tournament. I was a late addition, and I had absolutely NO time to practice before getting to the course that morning.
It actually turned out okay, and I'm pleasantly surprised by how well I played considering. This gives me hope heading into the final month of the season that I can actually find my way into the Top 10 by the end of the season and qualify for the Tour Championship at Hilton Head in October.
It actually turned out okay, and I'm pleasantly surprised by how well I played considering. This gives me hope heading into the final month of the season that I can actually find my way into the Top 10 by the end of the season and qualify for the Tour Championship at Hilton Head in October.
Hole #15 - Par 3 - 147 Yards
I never enjoy starting on par 3 holes... especially par 3 holes with a carry almost the entire way over water. I had 2 balls in my pocket to start, and I was ready to place the new, unused ball on the tee, but instead, I went with a scuffed ball since there seems to be a natural attraction between a new ball and water. I seemingly made the right choice as my 7 iron started at the left side of the green and faded in towards the pin, finally settling at just over 9 feet.
One thing I need to point out about this course is that they were BY FAR the fastest greens we have played so far. If you were above the hole, you had no shot. My shot was below the hole and left me with a good opportunity for a birdie, but because I was so nervous about the speed of the greens, I left my putt less than a revolution short... and I tapped in to open with a par.
One thing I need to point out about this course is that they were BY FAR the fastest greens we have played so far. If you were above the hole, you had no shot. My shot was below the hole and left me with a good opportunity for a birdie, but because I was so nervous about the speed of the greens, I left my putt less than a revolution short... and I tapped in to open with a par.
Hole #16 - Par 4 - 347 Yards
Nothing spectacular about this hole. It actually looked like an appealing hole from the tee, with it being a slight dogleg right. On the range during my warm-up session, I seemed to be hitting a straight ball with a little bit of a pull with my driver... so, on this tee, I aimed at the right side of the fairway. Of course, my range session didn't carry over with me and I hit a push fade that ended up in the right trees. This left me with no shot at the green, so I punched a 6 iron beneath the trees and into the fairway. I hit a very poor shot from there that came up well short of the green, and instead of putting from there, I tried to chip, which didn't work out so well as I left it on the fringe. I putted on from there to about 5 feet and I pulled the putt, tapping in for a double bogey.
Hole #17 - Par 4 - 350 Yards
This was a short dogleg left hole which left no room for a driver... so I teed off with a 4 iron and managed to find the fairway, leaving me about 140 to the hole. My 8 iron was struck well, but it leaked a bit on me and ended up in the fringe off the right side of the green. My putt from the fringe left a lot to be desired, as I came up 12 feet short and I couldn't make the par putt, so I settled for a bogey.
Hole #18 - Par 5 - 484 Yards
This was one of those 'find the fairway and go for it' type of holes... but I managed to make a mess of it. My drive wasn't all that bad, but it hit the right rough and kicked further right, below a tree. I didn't have a shot at the green, so I punched a 4 iron below the trees and cut it around the fairway bunker. I was left with about 80 yards to the pin out of the rough, and instead of playing a soft gap wedge, I tried to kill a sand wedge and I bladed it WAY over the green, almost to the practice green. From there, I had no shot at the green because I was directly behind a huge pine tree, so I pitched it to the rough left of the green, chipped on and watched it run out to 13 feet and proceeded to two-putt for another double bogey.
Hole #1 - Par 5 - 486 Yards
This was another 'green light' hole, if I could have found the fairway... but I didn't. I blew another one right that ended up in the trees. I punched a 6 iron that BARELY made it around a tree and into the fairway. From there, I had around 130 to the hole. My 9 iron was right on line and settled about 9 feet below the hole. My birdie putt looked good the whole way, but at the last second, it dove below the hole and I had to tap in for a par.
Hole #2 - Par 4 - 332 Yards
I finally hit a decent drive and my ball landed in the middle of the fairway, a few yards shy of the crossing hazard, leaving me around 105 yards to the pin, which was tucked WAY up in the back-left corner of the green. My wedge from there was awful and came up 20+ yards short, but on the green. I crushed my lag-putt up the hill and still came up about 10 feet shy en route to a three-putt bogey.
Hole #3 - Par 4 - 330 Yards
I hit a weak, low, cutting drive that barely eclipsed the 200 yard mark, but left me in the fairway. I had a clear shot to the pin from about 125 yards, into a bit of a breeze. My 9 iron wasn't the best, but got to pin high just off the green, leaving me a VERY quick downhill putt from about 30 feet. I barely touched the ball and watched it roll 6 feet beyond the hole and then hit a good putt that I thought was going to break to the right, but it stayed straight and I tapped in for a bogey.
Hole #4 - Par 4 - 334 Yards
This hole should have been a cake-walk... but I turned it into one of my worst of the day. I blew my drive onto the roof of a million dollar home... and then proceeded to hit an almost identical provisional. Somehow the provisional found its way in play (I think it hit the brick patio and kicked over the fence)... but left me with no line to the green. My shot from the right rough bounced through some branches and onto the green, but left me about 16 feet down the hill. Again, I hit a very good putt, but it just didn't drop... so I tapped in from a foot for a double bogey.
Hole #5 - Par 3 - 158 Yards
The second the ball left the face of my 6 iron, I knew it was a poor shot. I picked up my tee and looked up just in time to see the ball roll off the right side of the green and down into a greenside bunker. I managed to get out of the bunker, but I was 35 feet short of the hole. I did manage to two-putt from a not-so-great spot to salvage a bogey, so I wasn't all that displeased with my score after a horrible tee shot.
Hole #6 - Par 4 - 352 Yards
My one and only birdie of the day came on this hole. I hit a good drive, into the wind that found the fairway and left me about 125 yards to the pin. I started my 9 iron at the hole, but it tailed off and hit the right side of the green, leaving me close to 40 feet away. I watched my playing partner putt from a few feet away from my ball and got a good read and then drained the 39 foot putt for birdie. This was the longest putt I've made all year and I had hopes for it holding up for a skin... but, alas, it didn't hold up.
Hole #7 - Par 3 - 137 Yards
This hole was listed at 137, but actually played to about 125 yards... and LOOKED much shorter than that. I hit a 9 iron that didn't fade quite as much as I had played for, but still found the green and left me around 15 feet for birdie. Another hole where I hit an almost perfect putt, but it didn't fall and left me a tap-in for par.
Hole #8 - Par 5 - 473 Yards
Par 5... short hole... temptation to go for it... poor drive. That was the theme of the par 5 holes for me on this day. I absolutely demolished my drive from this tee, but I played for a fade and it stayed straight the entire time. My ball ended up in a dry creek bed up the left side. I had no shot, so I smacked a 6 iron out and watched it roll across the fairway into the rough on the right side. When I got to my ball, I saw that it had settled directly in front of a small patch of crabgrass. Of course, I let this get in my head and I bladed the ball into the bunker short of the green. My shot from there got caught up in the fringe, and I putted onto the green to about 5 feet and made that putt for a bogey on a hole where a TON of people were making birdie or better.
Hole #9 - Par 4 - 348 Yards
I yanked my drive on this hole and got a break when it hit a tree that kept it from going OB into the driving range. I had a small alley through the trees and I tried to punch a 6 iron through that clearing up to the green. I got it through with no problems... but the ball didn't quite make it all the way up to the green. My pitch from there went a bit long and left me a downhill putt from about 9 feet. I crushed that and it went almost 10 feet beyond the hole, leading to a three-putt double bogey to close out the front side.
Hole #10 - Par 4 - 334 Yards
Suddenly, the pull that I had on the driving range was back. This marked the third consecutive hole where I pulled my drive. This one ended up very short and in some thick trees. I managed to hack a 4 iron below the tree line and up into the rough, but it still left me blocked out. I tried to punch a wedge beneath the branches in front of me, but it came out hot and rolled off the back of the green, leaving me an awkward stance with one foot in a bunker and the other in the rough. I putted from the fringe with that stance and left the ball almost 30 feet short. My putt down the hill was nowhere close and I ended up with a three-putt triple.
Hole #11 - Par 5 - 480 Yards
This is a par 5, so... guess what happened. Yep... a poor drive. I ended up beneath a tree on the right side. I had a swing... but it was going to be an abbreviated backswing and follow-through because of the low hanging branches. I struck the ball well, but it didn't fade like I'd played for and ended up behind a tree, blocking me from the green. I thought that I could maybe get the ball over that tree with a wedge, but I drove it straight into the heart of the tree and watched as it kicked to the right and ended up in the fairway. I had about 40 yards to the hole from there and hit a low pitch that hit the green, skipped once and stopped a foot from the hole. I tapped in for a par, completing the extremely short par 5 holes in +3.
Hole #12 - Par 3 - 129 Yards
This was a nice looking hole... downhill all the way. There was a slight breeze into us from the tee. My 9 iron was solid and found the green just over 20 feet away from the hole. My birdie attempt was just off and I tapped in from 2 feet for a par, competing the par 3 holes in +1.
Hole #13 - Par 4 - 369 Yards
I hit a slight pull off this tee and ended up in the rough up the left side. I had a fairly large pine tree to go over, but I was far enough back that it shouldn't have been a problem. But, as luck would have it... it was a problem. I caught the ball high on the face of my pitching wedge which meant it came out weak, and I watched it hit that tree and fall straight down. My pitch from there was a little strong and went about 15 feet beyond the hole, leaving me a downhill putt. It never really had the right line and missed on the low side by about a foot, so I tapped in for a bogey.
Hole #14 - Par 4 - 345 Yards
My final hole of the day, and I hit my best drive of the day. It was dead center and left me a perfect pitching wedge distance to the hole. I hit what I thought was a PERFECT shot from the fairway... and I was waiting for the ball to land 3 feet from the pin, but it came up almost 30 feet short and spun back down the hill some. My putt from about 36 feet was way off and I finished up with a three-putt bogey to close out my round.
** NOTE - I had posted a very good (for me) 43 on the front side and a not-so-good 47 on the back. I left quite a few strokes out there, and I ended up playing with the eventual winner and the 4th place finisher. I was 'right there' most of the day, and if I was able to keep some of my drives from the trees... I easily would have placed in the money, but... that didn't happen. Time to get back out to the practice range and get myself ready for the next round!
Round Stats
- Score - 90
- Penalty Strokes - 1
- Putts - 37
- Fairways - 5 of 14
- Greens in Regulation - 7 of 18
- Up and Downs - 1 of 6
- Sand Saves - 0 of 2
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