July 26 - 27: First two rounds of 72 hole gross stroke play tournament
Scores: 69-78 = 147
Someone (not close to me) recently said golf seemed very important to me and wished me good luck in the tournaments ahead. The LGC club championship has a different vibe and meaning to me than others because its "home." I go through a similar routine each year in preparation (e.g. sleep pattern, pre-round off-site routine).
In Round 1 and Round 2, it was disappointing to see that a few familiar faces were not playing; R. Lynch and L. Smith. I was paired with S. Keegan and J. Harding. My Dad was on the bag, a celebrity in his own right at LGC and not even a member. On the first hole, I scrambled from the rough on the far side of the right greenside bunker to a front left pin to save par. From there, I rolled along with three consecutive pars, bogeyed #5, birdied #6 and #7, and barely missed birdie at #8. On the back nine, I birdied #14, #16, and #18 to shoot 69! S. Keegan shot 70 including a 135 yard hole out on #9 for 3 and a 40 foot birdie on 18 from back fringe to middle pin. Two incredible shots! What a fun day. Weather as mid 70s and sunny. It was an easy, free flowing round for me. Good luck was spurred by my Dad's friends Maury and Tommy. Motto: To beat par; Result: 2up on par and 1st place by 1 shot
Day 2: I felt fantastic and was amped up. I came out with a shaky bogey on #1 (made a 12 footer); then went par, par, birdie. After that, the wheels started to loosen...4 bogeys over the next 5 due to bad tee shots on 5,6, and 7. I was still feeling confident at the turn, making a solid par at 10 and placed a perfect drive at #11; boom here we go. I proceeded to hit a 4-iron into the right fescue and made 7 :(. I was up and down the rest of the way for a 78. The golf course was interesting with the white tees back on #3 (par 4 - 450 yards) and blue tees on fifth tee box for hole #12 (par 4 - 485 yards). The 12th tee was an idea of a golf course architect who recently visited. I birdied #12 with a chip-in! Wish there were skins. It was the first birdie in LGC history on that hole. Overall the course was get-able and I felt solid so results were disappointing. Still, my lead was 2 shots.
Another heroic hole by S. Keegan on #10. After shanking his second shot into the right woods and declaring a lost ball, he stiffs his next shot and makes bogey. There was hard rain over the last 5.5 holes. We barely finished before conditions were deemed unplayable. The Ladies Club Championship had to cancel its final 18.
My take away after Round 2 was to not become overdefensive after a good round, push even more for a great score. Too much thinking of where not to be, then where I want to go.
Kurt
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