Club Championship (Match Play) - Round 1

[Fairway_CY]

A few years ago, I would recap my tournament rounds with the club I was playing.  I enjoyed doing that because I'd like to go back and read them, but I left the club in 2011 and played very little in 2012 due to work.  I've now got a better handle on work, and I've been finding some time to play again in 2013.  Today would be the 15th time I was out on the golf course since April... which, for me... is a big number.

Anyway, I played the qualifier for our Club Championship this past Saturday and posted a very ugly 94 which included a horrifying 51 on the back side after a very satisfying 43 on the front side.  The 94 got me into the 16 man field as the 13th seed.  I was supposed to play in the C Flight which was for handicaps of 16.0 or higher, but because of a lack of interest that flight was eliminated... so I was given the option of a regular round or attempting to qualify for B Flight which was for handicaps of 10.0 - 15.9.  I figured since I was already there... I'd give it a shot and see what happened.  Anyway... I got in, and Saturday (tomorrow) was supposed to be my first match... but my opponent contacted me and asked if I'd be willing to play Friday instead.  Since I'm home from work for vacation... I agreed.  Below is my recap of the round.

For whatever reason, the course was sending everybody off on the back first... so, we began on Hole #10.

Hole #10 - With no range to warm up on... I was worried about my first swing being with a driver, so I pulled my 18 degree hybrid out.  I pushed the shot a little and ended up in the right rough.  Being about 210 out still, I used the 18 degree hybrid again and ended up in the right greenside bunker.  I splashed out of there to 10 feet and made the par putt while my opponent made a bogey. 1 UP

Hole #11 - I've always despised this hole which is a dogleg right par 5... but today, it treated me okay.  A good drive was tugged just a little left.  My drive went 242 yards and I still had a lot left to get to the green, so I laid up with a 7 iron to about 110 left.  My 52 degree wedge hit the front of the green and I 3-putted from 36 feet for bogey.  My opponent also made bogey. 1 UP

Hole #12 - I hit an okay 6 iron to 20 feet right of the hole and took 2 putts to make my par.  My opponent, flustered by my so-far-solid-play asked me if I was an 18 or an 8 handicap and proceeded to top his tee shot en route to a bogey. 2 UP

Hole #13 - I wasted a good drive here.  My 18 degree hybrid was in perfect position, leaving me 170 to the pin.  I then completely topped my 6 iron, hit my 52 degree wedge thin over the back of the green and then ran my chip directly over the edge of the hole but way by in the end.  2 putts from 36 feet for a double while my opponent made bogey. 1 UP

Hole #14 - The entire left side of this hole is bordered by a pond.  My opponent put his tee shot in that pond so I hit a weak 4 iron into the fairway.  It left me a long way away, and my 5 iron drifted right into the greenside bunker.  I was in an old footprint in the sand and caught it a little thin and it ended up just off the green in the rough.  I chipped to 7 feet, missed that putt and sank the next for another double.  Luckily, my opponent made a mess of the hole and posted triple. 2 UP

Hole #15 - This hole epitomizes why I have a current handicap of 17.9.  My drive was topped with a 3 wood and rolled out into the fairway.  I tried to lay myself up into a good angle on the left side of the fairway with a 6 iron but pulled it a little and ended up in the rough.  From there, my sand wedge flew the green.  I chipped to 10 feet and 2-putted from there for another double.  My opponent, meanwhile, hit 3 great shots for a birdie. 1 UP

Hole #16 - Smashed a drive into the center of the fairway on this short par 5.  I had a green light to go for it and hit a solid shot that just didn't fade enough.  I ended up just right of the green behind a bunker.  Pitched to 9 feet and left the birdie putt short.  Tapped in for par while my opponent made a bogey. 2 UP

Hole #17 - At this point, I wanted to really stick it to my opponent.  An uphill par 3 with the pin at 145 yards so I figured I'd hit a solid 8 iron and hopefully end up in the middle of the green.  Instead, what I thought was a fat shot ended up flying to 160, bouncing off a cart path and settling into the rough about 35 yards away from the green.  My sand wedge from there ended up 24 feet beyond the hole.  I left myself with a 5 footer straight up the hill that I pulled, resulting in a 3-putt double.  My opponent made bogey and my chance to step on him a little got away. 1 UP

Hole #18 - What I thought was a good drive barely cracked the 200 yard barrier as the wind really held it up and pushed it to the right side of the fairway.  I was left with 218 to the pin so I hit a low 18 degree hybrid that squirted a little right on me.  My chip was, for lack of a better term, completely sh**ked.  I left myself a 22 foot, downhill, curving putt that I blew way past the hole.  A 3-putt double to close out the first nine while my opponent made bogey from the fairway bunker. ALL SQUARE

Hole #1 - Good drive of 242 yards into the wind caught the fairway (giving me 6 consecutive fairways hit) and left me about 165 to the pin.  My 6 iron found the green but left me a long way.  2 putts from 37 feet for par put me back up as my opponent made bogey. 1 UP

Hole #2 - Another good drive, this one 255, just barely found the left rough.  It was pretty thick over there and my pitching wedge came up just short of the green.  I chipped on to 7 feet and sank the putt for par.  My opponent also made a good up and down for par. 1 UP

Hole #3 - I tugged my 6 iron a little left on this 175 yard par 3 but it ended up fading more than I anticipated with the wind and hit the right side of the green.  2 putts from 28 feet for par while my opponent left his par putt below the hole and settled for a bogey. 2 UP

Hole #4 - This is a really annoying double dogleg (left then right) par 5.  There isn't enough room to hit a draw around the corner because you'll end up long in the rough.  There's no way to put it over the trees on the left either... so you're forced to hit a mid-iron out to the dogleg.  My 5 iron was hit very poorly and ended up in the left side of the fairway.  I hit what I thought was a perfect punch 4 iron from there, but it JUST caught a tiny branch on the tree and killed it, leaving me 175 yards away with another tree in my path.  I tried to punch-fade a 5 iron from there, but it never faded and ended up in the rough short and left of the green.  I pitched over the bunker to 17 feet and 2-putted for a bogey.  My opponent made double. 3 UP

Hole #5 - Standing on the tee, I knew if I could win this hole... I'd all but wrap it up.  I'd be 4 up with 4 holes to go.  I executed my tee shot perfectly, fading my 18 degree hybrid into the middle of the fairway leaving me 160 to the pin.  I then threw up on myself.  My 7 iron leaked badly to the right and settled into a very poor lie behind the greenside bunker.  I hit a very poor chip from there that went over the green.  Chipped to 8 feet and left the uphill putt short.  Tapped in for double while my opponent made par.  Another chance to put pressure on him gone. 2 UP

Hole #6 - I was pissed off at myself and tried to kill my driver, which resulted in a pretty big pull.  My ball hit the trees down the left side and I was pretty sure I'd never see it again.  My provisional was dribbled into the fairway and left me forever to the green.  Luckily, my opponent spotted my ball in some weeds up the left side.  I was able to punch out and put my pitching wedge on the front of the green, 24 feet away.  I needed 2 putts from there for bogey and my opponent holed a very quick 6 footer for par.  Now the pressure was on me. 1 UP

Hole #7 - The wind was playing games with us all day, and this hole really felt like it was playing down wind.  From 170 and a little downhill, I tried to hit a hard 8 iron instead of the club I should have hit, which was a 7 iron.  It ended up short and left.  I chipped to 4 feet and made the par.  My opponent was short and right but also made his up and down for par. 1 UP

Hole #8 - This par 5 had the tees moved up and my opponent put some pressure on me with a good tee shot.  My tee shot was pushed a little bit, but it was high enough to carry the trees on the right side.  I was still in the rough, but beyond the dogleg.  Unfortunately, it found a nasty lie in the rough.  I had no shot at the green so I played my 5 iron from there.  I yanked it left and had to hit a provisional.  I did the exact same thing, but I saw that one land safely.  When we got up there, my original ball was about 25 yards further up, but I had a big tree directly in front of it between the ball and green.  My only play was to punch a 6 iron onto the right side of the green, leaving me 48 feet for my birdie try.  My opponent needed 5 strokes to get on the green and was 25 feet away.  I hit a horrible first putt, leaving it 18 feet short.  Of course my opponent drained his bogey putt.  I needed to make for the win.  It was a horrible putt that I hit entirely too high... forcing me to tap in for bogey.  I choked badly there. 1 UP

Hole #9 - My opponent hit a perfect shot with his driver just down the left side, short of the creek that crosses the fairway at about 225 yards.  I responded with an equally perfect shot with my 18 degree hybrid that ended up 6 feet right and 1 foot short of his ball.  I now had an opportunity to stick it close and make him hit a good shot.  From 118 and into a slight breeze, I hit my pitching wedge which is normally my 120 yard club.  It flew directly over the pin to the back of the green and stayed there.  Again, 48 feet away.  My opponent hit his shot just right of the pin and about 20 feet away.  My putt was dead center, but I left it 4 feet short.  His putt bobbled immediately and ended up 2 feet left.  I conceded the putt meaning I'd have to make mine to win.  Luckily I didn't throw this one away as it dropped into the center of the cup and gave me the win. 1 UP

At no point in the match did I trail and we were tied only once.  I played very well, posting an 88 for my second consecutive round (on consecutive days) under 90.  My opponent ended up posting an 86 for his round... emphasizing how close our match really was.  In the end, I posted the first 'upset' of the tournament... knocking out the #4 seed.

Now I wait for the results of tomorrow's matches to see who I play in Round 2.  It'll either be the #5 seed or the #12 seed.

CY