Seriously? This is How I Lose My First Matches?

[Fairway_CY]

As I posted in the previous blog entry... my Week 4 matchup was a VERY favorable matchup for me. Well... at least it was on paper. I bombed and my opponent played awesome golf and shut the door on me very early, to the tune of 5 & 4. Unfortunately, my singles match ALSO acted as our doubles match because both of our partners were absent from the event... so, I ended up losing both singles AND doubles and I shot my first round over 100 since September.

Things just didn't go my way. I had an opportunity to visit the driving range on Saturday... but decided to sit it out and hit the range at the course on Sunday morning. When we got to the course, we were told that the range was closed because nobody had run the ball picker the night before. I figured it wouldn't be a big deal because, the week before, I didn't get any range time either and I shot a career best round. This time... that wasn't the case. As I found out... my driver, which I used to hit 10 of 13 fairways the week before (and the 3 I missed were by VERY little) abandoned me and I hit only 1 of 14 fairways in this round. I had a wicked hook with my driver and a pull which I overcompensated for and pushed at times with my 3 wood.

I also couldn't putt on the front side. I finished with 22 putts on that side including 3 putts on 4 holes and a 4 putt on the 9th hole. The greens just didn't read true... and I don't know if it was because of the grain or what, but... I never played a course like that before and it ate me up. On to the hole-by-hole breakdown:

Hole 1 - A push-fade with my 3 wood went just shy of 200 yards and left me 150 to the green. I thinned a 7 iron from the primary rough that rolled the majority of the way but made it to the green. A 3-putt from 44 feet (including a missed 3 footer for par) gave me a bogey and put me 1 down.

Hole 2 - I smoked my 3 wood on this hole to 236 yards but pulled it left and into the rough. It left me about 80 yards to the pin... but the rough took all spin off my sand wedge and it rolled off the back of the green. My chip came up 13 feet short and I missed the par putt by a few inches and came up with another bogey. Still 1 down.

Hole 3 - My first attempt with my driver was a wicked snap hook that hit a tree on the left and killed it in the rough. A fat 5 iron KEPT me in the left rough. My 8 iron put me in the fairway and from there, I hit an ugly wedge that left me 43 feet away. My second 3-putt gave me a double bogey and put me 2 down.

Hole 4 - Pitching wedge was pulled a little and instead of getting the kick off the hill to the right onto the green... it kicked forward and settled in a valley to the left of the green. I chipped to within a foot and tapped in for par. I stayed 2 down.

Hole 5 - Tough hole with a LOT of sand trouble. I found a fairway bunker off the tee which left me about 100 yards to the green. I caught the ball thin out of there and sent it over the green into a greenside bunker. Out of there, it left me 24 feet. My first putt felt like I hit it with a spaghetti noodle and I ended up with a THIRD 3-putt and another double. I was now 3 down.

Hole 6 - 21 degree hybrid was pulled left into a bunker. Out of there and ran it about 18 feet short. ANOTHER 3-putt gave me ANOTHER double and kept me 3 down.

Hole 7 - Dogleg right par 5 which I hooked ANOTHER tee shot and found myself behind some trees. The only shot I had beside hitting it 50+ yards BACKWARDS to the fairway was between two trees. I smacked a punch 5 iron through there in to the fairway. I hit an UGLY wedge from 100 yards away that I skulled and it ran on to the green. I took 2 putts from 21 feet for par and moved back to 2 down.

Hole 8 - I completely pulled my 3 wood off the tee, but being an open dogleg left, it worked okay. The 226 yard shot left me about 115 to the hole. My wedge was pushed a bit right... and my putt from off the green settled at 1 foot from the hole. I made my par and moved to just 1 down.

Hole 9 - This is where I tossed the match out the window. My driver was hooked OB. Didn't realize it was OB 'til we got up there, so I had to go BACK to the tee and hit another. Another hook, but it stayed in play. Fat 5 iron rolled into the fairway. My wedge from 100 yards went to the back of the green and then from 40 feet... I took 4 putts to card a quintuple bogey 9 and fall to 2 down after the front side.

Hole 10 - After a quick stop at the clubhouse... my 3 wood was struck well but got caught in some strong wind and was pushed into a fairway bunker. My 6 iron from there was struck well, but a little right, leaving me a tough chip over a trap. I played it to the left of the trap and took 2 putts from 24 feet for a bogey. I stayed 2 down.

Hole 11 - Very large downhill drop with a pond at 225 out so I hit the 21 degree hybrid. I left it out right and it ended up in ANOTHER fairway bunker. Very fat 7 iron out of there found the pond. Sand wedge from the rough behind the hazard landed just off the green. Chip to 15 feet and 2 more putts for a triple bogey. 3 down again.

Hole 12 - Another big drop downhill. 5 iron ended up short and left in a little valley again. Chipped up to about 15 feet and drained the par putt... but my opponent made his par too and I stayed 3 down.

Hole 13 - I'd heard NOTHING but bad things about this hole leading up to the tournament. I hooked my drive into a hazard. Dropped and then hit a hybrid into the fairway. Then I hit a 5 iron fat AND hooked it... and it ended up in another hazard. From the drop zone, my wedge flew the green. Chipped fat to 21 feet. 2 putts for a quadruple bogey 9 and I was 4 down with 5 to go.

Hole 14 - My opponent hit his ball in a hazard, but we all saw it and it was playable. I pull hooked my 5 iron and was pretty sure it went in the hazard... but I hit a provisional. That landed on the green... but I couldn't find my original. I took 2 putts from 15 feet for another double bogey while my opponent made bogey out of the hazard and closed out the match 5 & 4. (I still had 4 holes to play in the low net portion... but I was pretty deflated...)

Hole 15 - I was going to hit my 3 wood, but decided instead to hit driver to let out some aggression. I hit it thin but it actually went straight. It ran out to about 251 yards and left me about a 50 yard pitch over a trap. That settled 8 feet from the hole and my birdie putt burned the edge. I tapped in for par.

Hole 16 - Another hooked drive left me in the left rough. A decent hybrid from there ran up to about 40 yards short of the green. My pitch went long. I chipped up to 8 feet but hit a horrible putt and then tapped in for double bogey.

Hole 17 - My 3 wood was pushed right and hung out there before it settled into another fairway bunker. I had about 140 to go... and I had to carry a pond that fronted the green. Again, I hit it thin from there but it cleared the water and ran off the back of the green. Blasted out of there to 24 feet and took 2 putts to get down. Finally... a bogey!

Hole 18 - There was a sign on the tee box that said it was 280 yards to reach the hazard at the end of the fairway from that point. I absolutely smoked a drive for the first time all day and flew it into the hazard. The drop left me in some gnarly rough... my hybrid was chunked AND pulled and ended up in ANOTHER hazard. Dropped out of there and hit a fat wedge. I pitched up to 8 feet... missed the putt for double bogey and tapped in for triple to close out the round.

In all... I took 101 strokes for a net score of 80. I needed 39 putts (22 on the front side alone). I hit 1 of 14 fairways. I hit 3 of 18 greens in regulation. I made only 5 pars, 4 bogeys and a whole lot of 'others'. My opponent was playing outstanding golf and if it weren't for him having a train-wreck on 15, 16 and 17... he'd have won the tournament. He STILL posted a net score of 72 despite posting 7, 8, 8 on those holes.

I now sit at 3-1 as a single and 3-1 in doubles. I didn't add any points to my Ryder Cup total and my average net score drops from 70.0 to 72.5 through 4 events.

Next event is 5/16... we've got off for Mother's Day and I'll take the next few weeks to regain the confidence I had PRIOR to this debacle.

Ugh...

CY