Between the Ryder Cup and this, we really need to evaluate who can compete the foreign courses the best.  Just because a player is top 8, doesn’t mean that player should automatically be selected. John

This is hole 4 of the local short course. Par 71 but only 5000 yards from the whites (maybe 5300 from the blues which I should play far more but don't). Whites are at the front of the rear tees, right where I put the marker. Blues are at the back of that same box. This is a par 4. With an average drive total distance of 220-230 yards, it looks obvious and should be a birdie, par at worst. Take driver at the green. If I catch it good, I could be on. If I don't, I will be no more than 40 yards from the front of the green. The problem with this hole comes from the creek that runs through it, and the slope of the hole. From the tee, it it fairly flat until you get over the creek, then it starts sloping hard right to left somewhere around the 550ft mark on this overhead. Also, it is probably 20 ft uphill within the last 60 yards. The fairway narrows heavily at my normal driver distance. Anything in the left rough is going into the creek, and as you can see (even from a junk satellite image) the bunkers on the right pool water. Even if you avoid the bunkers right, the woods are thick enough that you will lose the ball if you go that far right. If you manage to go right, avoid the bunkers, and find your ball, the green will be sloping away from you and you will have a significant downhill lie as the cart path sits above the green by 5 feet. I think what I am supposed to do is hit a 5, or more likely, 6 iron to somewhere shy of the the upper bridge over the creek, hopefully middle to middle right fairway. From there, it is a 9 iron, PW, or 53 degree in depending on strike quality of the mid iron. Fairway there is decently wide, and no hard slope compared to green side. Almost certainly a par/bogey for me if I take this route, which I am fine with at my skill level. But...... I cannot bring myself to take anything other than driver on this hole. Out of the 20 or so times I played this course this year I have 1 birdie, 3 pars, 5 bogeys, and the rest doubles or worse (yes, a 7, 8 or even 9 on a 240 yard hole is well within my capabilities if I hit an errant drive right that causes a provisional (and an almost certainly lost ball off the tee). I honestly don't know what it will take for me to stop doing this. I have shot even par on the back nine of this course, but my best on the front is +5, which is the par 35 half.

DJ has yet to play 16 holes in a day.    International squad is making the shots they need to. We are looking timid.    If we don’t grab at least 2 points this session it could be done Friday for us. 

Reaching humiliation. 

This is so hard to watch.  Looks like a bunch of locals taking all the money from visiting tourists. is it possible we don’t even make it to Sunday. John