Arrive at the club at 7 for breakfast and to the range by 7:30. Starting warm-ups these days with pitch shots to help loosen up my sore elbow for about 15 minutes, then 20 minutes of full swings and finish with 15 minutes of putting.
I originally thought hitting my first shot in a major off ten would be better than one, thinking bigger grandstands would be on one. But here there are a bunch of corporate tents off the tenth tee. I arrive at the tee about five minutes before the starting time and meet my fellow competitors, Matt Hall and Matt Sughrue.
I am second to tee off on this difficult par-4, a par-5 in my strategy. Originally the plan was 3D in the morning and 3-wood in the afternoon, but the wind is blowing with the tee shot, so a 3-wood is the club selection. I hit a weak fade into the right rough, missing the severe downslope of the fairway and the distance it provides in order to be able to reach the green in two. An 8-iron out of the rough to about 120, a GW to the front fringe and two putts for 5.
My practice round shots on the par-3 11th all came up short, mainly because I didn't make complete swings. So I made sure to make a complete swing on the 7-iron and put it pin high. A good birdie chance, but a weak putt, I was little afraid of the speed, and an easy par.
Number 12 in practice had been playing long with my tee shots landing on its most significant up slope. But downwind today so a 260 yard drive, I know because this is one of the two holes used to measure driving distance, leaves me a 5-rion to a pin in the middle but just left of a left-to-right tier. I hit my 5-iron thin and it lands just short of the green but rolls to pin high about 15 feet from the hole. A foot to the more to the right and the slope takes the ball to within 10 feet. The putt has a slight double break and I read it perfectly and roll it in for a birdie on an unexpected hole.
13 is a simple 4-iron off the tee, Kenny Perry did drive the green in the group ahead of us, and a gap wedge to the middle and a two putt from 30 feet for a par.
14 is the lone par-5 on the back, unreachable for me. Despite hitting a good tee shot in the first practice round, all other drives, including in this round, find the left rough. A smooth 6-iron out of the 2nd cut of rough leaves me with and 8-iron third to a hole cut in the lower section of the green with a backstop. I attempt to draw the 8-iron to the hole, but it doesn't draw as much as I would like. Connor says it is a good shot, and it is better than I thought to about 18 feet. This right to left putt holds its line long enough to catch the left side of the hole for another birdie.
A good drive on 15 and a wimpy 8-iron leaves me 40 feet from the hole and I get that down in two putts.
The par-3 16th, listed at 223, is downhill and we are playing the tee up today. I try and draw a 4-iron with the wind and leave right pin high in a bunker. Knowing that bogeys are ok, make hitting this shot, and the bunker shot on #9 later, easier because I don't feel the need to get it close, just on the green somewhere in the vicinity of the hole. But I hit a good bunker shot to 6 feet and make it for par.
The second short par-4 on the back is 17. A nice tee shot in the fairway leaves me about 100 yards to the pin uphill into the wind. Over the green is bad and the pin is located on a downslope. So the choice is between the gap wedge that if it carries to the pin will most likely stay on the green. If I swing the PW it could easily go over. So I choose the GW and don't get it to the pin and the ball spins back down the hill to the front fringe and I two putt for par.
Fortunately with the wind blowing into the golfer's face on 18, the tees are moved up about 25 yards, giving me a chance to reach the fairway. I have a 2-hybrid to a front left hole location where left of the pin is a steep slope. I catch the shot a little thin and it is drawing from the middle of the green toward the pin. It doesn't have enough height to carry on the green, but it rolls around the bunker toward the pin.
Being down so far below the level of the green, I don't hear any cheers. And as I walk up to see where my ball lay, I can't understand why there wasn't a big roar as it lies about four feet below the hole! Matt Hall tells me they did cheer and that I couldn't hear it because I was so far down the hill, so I forgive the crowd.
The putt at first appears to be a simple inside left read. But the way some balls of the Matts move around the hole lead me to believe it may be straighter than I originally though. When I stand over the ball I feel the break, adjust my stance a little more left and decide to hit it easier to make sure it breaks. But instead of stroking the putt, I slide my body during the stroke and miss it right eliciting a moan from the crowd. But a par on this hole is acceptable, even with that great chance.
On the first tee preparing to hit my tee shot, I hear people in the stands talking and instead of stopping and asking for quiet, I make a terrible swing and hit a smother hook. The ball lies where the gallery has been walking, but the turf is lying to the left of my target line, so this matted turf doesn't help. Again with bogey being ok, I move the ball to within twenty yards of the green. I hit the pitch shot too hard giving me a downhill L-R 15 foot putt for par which I make. Guess that makes up for the miss on 18.
Two is a big sweeping dogleg left par-5. A drive on the left side of the fairway, a 2-hybrid gives me about 95 yards to a back pin. With severe rise to the green my third lands in the middle and skips to 15 feet below the hole. This putt too holds its line near the hole and drops to put me at 2 under par.
Three is another 220 downhill par-3 and today the pin is in the front left and if you short side your self it would be difficult to get up and down. I choose a four iron to start and the pin and cut to the middle of the green. The ball starts at the pin and stays there stopping no more than 20 feet from the hole, just off the front left corner of the green. My birdie putts just slides low.
Four is a reasonable par-4 of just over 400 yards. The fairway sits in its own valley with a fairway bunker acting as a good target off the tee. With my tee shot in the middle of the fairway, I have a 5-iron in my hand needing a slight cut to insure avoiding some overhanging tree limbs. My shot flies directly at the pin and leaves me 15 - 20 feet for birdie. Another slight double break and the ball dives in the hole at the last moment for another birdie.
I am now three under par after 13 holes in the US Senior Open! I am having fun and not worried about where I stand. Just playing well.
Five, and uphill par-3 of 188 with the most severely undulating green on the course. I did not hit one good shot in practice to this hole. With the pin back left and very accessible I attempt a soft drawing four iron: hit it full and it may go over, five iron is not enough. A poor swing gets the ball on the green but a good sixty feet from the hole. My first putt gets to about four feet. I don't commit to the line outside the hole and miss the ball low for my first bogey since the first hole I played. Although this bogey is a disappointment, it is only a bogey in a US Open. No real problem.
There is a scoreboard off this green. It shows my 3 under par status and leading the Open. I do see this before I start putting and I have a reaction of "cool" more that anything else. Now I did have a thought before the tournament began that I would birdie my first hole and lead the open that way. Not leading after 13 holes at 3 under par.
Six is a par-5 in name only. All down hill off the tee to a downward sloping firm fairway. In practice a good tee shot left we with 210 in on a 540 yard hole. When I make contact with the tee shot I like the feel. When I first see the ball in the air it is a little right, but nothing to worry about. The it starts to fade hard over trees and well right of the fairway. Fortunately there is plenty of room and the rough isn't too bad. I hit a GW over the trees and into the fairway. I have a 9-iron third shot to a pin middle right on a tier. I pull the shot and it travels to the back of the green and bounces into the back rough. I have a difficult chip moving significantly downhill and to the right. I hit it just as I want and the ball comes to rest within three feet of the hole. I hit this putt as I wanted but it didn't take the break. A bogey on what should be a birdie hole is poor to say the least.
7 is my final par-3 of the day. Playing about 185 to a right pin, I hit a cut 4-iron just off the front right corner of the green and two putt for par. Relief. I believe I am a terrible closer, and to have bogeyed three in a row would have hurt.
Eight is a 477 par four into the wind. The only flat par 4 on the course. It plays much longer than 6, I can't reach the green in two in this wind. So a 3D and a 3w leaves me five or six paces off the green to a pin about 15 yards on the green. The pitch shot has significant left to right break to the point where the shot could be played to a point pin high and let the ball feed directly to the hole. But I release the club a little early and slip it under the ball and leave myself and 12 to 15 foot curler that I execute perfectly for a par.
Number nine is a 380ish par-4 directly uphill. The best angle is on the left side of the fairway, but the ball drawn into this area can roll through into the rough. I try and cut it in that space, but bail a little placing the ball on the right side of the fairway. The pin is dead in the middle of the green, just above a little extra slope. But I pull my six iron into the greenside bunker. UGH!
Standing in the bunker I tell myself bogey is still ok. Even par in the Open would be a great score for me. The course is rated around 75.0. The bunker shot is fairly simple, get it out and the ball will run to the hole. I hit the shot to about three feet. It has a significant L-R break. I am encouraging myself to make the putt for at 69 so that I commit to a line and a pace. I hit the putt solidly and turn my head just in time to see it drop in the center.
A 69!!!!!!!
This is the greatest round of golf I have ever played. And to think I still left three shots out on the course by missing three short putts.
As I am walking to the scoring area, Minda comes to give me a hug and I start shaking with emotion. After completing my scoring task I find Mom, Dad, Dan, Minda, Connor and Patti outside the locker room entrance and as soon as I embrace my Dad I start sobbing and shaking and my Mom does the same.
To have performed this well at this event is very unexpected and something I had once dreamed about doing as a career. It seem as if the 42 years of playing golf had cumulated in this round.
No comments:
Post a Comment