Tweet
His opening tee shot was an almost topped low runner with his 3W and it ran down the centre of the fairway, finishing centre left about 130m away. My 4I tee shot started well but drew left to finish just outside the 150m markers in the left hand rough. Taking 6I my attempt to draw the ball around the trees to the green was overcooked and after rattling some timber, my ball would finish about 50m from the front edge, still in the left hand tree line, but with a clear path for the little bump and run I would have to play. His second was a beaut, finding the green, about 20 feet away. I then knocked a little 7I bump and run, finding the green about 15 feet away. His put died away off line to finish inside a foot and after conceding him that, I rolled my par put in to halve the first hole. Talk about getting out of jail…
His tee shot on the Par 4 2nd faded to finish about 160m away in the right hand tree line. My tee shot, taking driver, finished centre right of the fairway only some 90m from the flag. His 2nd caught some leaves and finished some 50m short of the green, my 2nd was on line all the way but, despite finding the green, was some 40 feet from the flag. He bladed his pitch attempt across the green and his 4th with putter from just off the back of the green was a beauty, finishing inside 2 feet. My birdie attempt was not struck well and I ended up 3 putting the green for another halved hole. Still happy to be all square after 2, but, not as happy as I was after halving the 1st.
His tee shot on the Par 5 3rd again faded right, finding the fairway, but, blocked out by some trees. My tee shot hooked into the tree line left, but, hit something solid and finished left hand edge of the fairway. My 2nd with 3I was good, leaving myself a full 9I in, and his 2nd found timber again, finishing in the trees again. His 3rd was a beaut, finishing about 2 feet short of the front edge of the green, my 3rd, though well struck, died on its flight and finished only just inside his, and we would both get up and down for par 5’s and another halved hole.
His tee shot to our par 3 4th hole found the putting surface, though nowhere close, and my tee shot pitched pin high, but missing the putting surface, finished about 20 feet from the flag. His birdie attempt was well short, my little chip found the green, finishing only some 3 feet from the hole. We would both make those putts for another halved hole.
His tee shot on the Par 4 5th was a beaut, finishing centre left of the fairway, about 120m away. My tee shot flew high and right and finished right hand edge of the fairway about 130m away. My 8I 2nd finished pin high but just off the green, his 2nd found the green, about 25 feet from the pin, my chip finished about 15 feet from the flag, his birdie attempt would die off left and finish about 3 feet away. I would make my 15 footer for par, and I let him putt the 3 footer to see if his nerves might get the better of him, they didn’t. Another hole halved in pars.
We moved top the short Par 4 6th hole and his tee shot again high and fading left finished about 50m from the front of the green, in the left hand tree line. My 3W tee shot started just right of the green and drew back nicely to finish only some 20 feet from the front edge of the green. His pitch 2nd missed the front edge and his chip to the green ran about 8 feet past the hole. My 7I bump and run 2nd was a little strong, running about 30 foot past the hole, but, I would then make that birdie putt to win the hole and go 1 up thru 6.
My tee shot on the Par 5 7th was long and a little right, but, despite finishing in the tree line, I had a path out towards the green for my second. His tee shot was good, centre right of the fairway, only some 5m short of where my ball lay. His 2nd, a 3W attempting to cut the corner was a little too ambitious and would catch some trees and finish poorly. I then took 5I and hit a good ball to finish centre of the fairway some 30m short of the green. He recovered well, then bladed his 4th across the green. My PW 3rd was pulled slightly left of the flag, but finished well on the putting surface, leaving me with a double breaking 20 footer for birdie. His 5th was good, leaving himself only some 8 feet from the cup. This didn’t matter much though, as I would roll my double breaking birdie putt in and take the hole. Now, I was 2 up thru 7.
My tee shot on the Par 3 8th hole just missed the green short and right, his tee shot finished long and left in some tea tree behind the green. Despite him being closer to the flag than I was, I knew this was a dead spot for him and it turned out just that way, he would need 2 to get on to the putting surface. My chip rolled out to about 10 feet past the hole. So when I rolled my par attempt to sit on the lip, he conceded that and the hole. Off to the 9th tee 3 up thru 8.
Both of our tee shots on the Par 4 9th hole finished in the right hand tree line, me some 50m closer to the green. His 2nd was a poor one, pulled well left and missing the green by some distance. I was blocked out by some trees and had to play a low punch fade and I over hit it, though the ball did run through the green, it did so slowly, only finishing some 10m past the green. He duffed his 3rd and his 4th found the putting surface, though not particularly close. My 3rd was a good one, finishing about 8 feet from the hole. When his bogey attempt slid by the hole and my par putt sat on the lip, he conceded the hole. This meant I was 4 up at the turn.
My 5I tee shot to the Par 3 10th green was dead straight and right on line its whole trip, it would die short into the breeze to finish only 2 feet short of the dance floor. His tee shot pulled left into the tree line and finished all but dead under a tree, he would need 2 more to find the green and not at all close at that. My little bump and run 7I rolled out nicely but finished some 8 feet away. He would miss his bogey attempt and again, I would leave my par putt short in the jaws. Another concession and I was 5 up with 8 to go.
My tee shot on the Par 4 11th which was playing into the teeth of a now healthy breeze, was a low runner which finished centre left of the fairway. He hit a great tee shot, splitting the fairway and finishing about 30m closer to the green than where my ball lay. In trying to punch my second low into the breeze, I caught it fat, only advancing it some 50m or so. His 2nd was not pretty either, pulled well left of the green. We would both then need 2 more to get on the green and ultimately halved the hole in double bogey 6’s.
We both hit good drives on the Par 4 12th hole, each of us centre right of the fairway, me just outside 150m away, he only a further 5m back. His 2nd wasn’t struck well, but did finish only 5m short left of the green. My 8I 2nd was well struck and all over the flag in flight, only to die off right on the breeze and finish 6 feet short of the green. We would both chip on to about 10 feet or so from the pin. What happened next I have never seen before, but have read and heard about often in forums such as this. My par putt was centre cup all the way and on dropping into the cup must have hit the top rim of the plastic cup insert and bounced back out. I was dumbfounded. He would hole his par putt to take the hole. Back to 4 up, now with 7 to play.
Again, 2 more good tee shots from the Par 5 13th tee, and after indifferent 2nds we were both about 100m out centre left of the fairway. I pulled my 3rd badly and he blocked his right, I would find the green with my next, as would he and 2 putts each meant another halved hole in bogey 6’s.
His tee shot on the Par 4 14th found trees right, but he had a path through to the green, my 3W tee shot was low and split the fairway, leaving me about 100m out. My PW 2nd would finish pin high right, only 6 feet off the green. His second, a little bump and run from about 60m away rolled nicely to find the green about 25 feet away. I chipped on and my birdie attempt missed the flag only by inches and stopped about 8 feet past the hole. His birdie attempt was too strong, finishing about 3 feet past the hole. When my par attempt died off line and sat 6 inches from the cup, he conceded that and would hole his breaking 3 footer (never concede a putt for the win) and we moved to the 15th tee with me now 3 up with 4 to play.
His tee shot on the Par 4 15th was pulled left into the tree line. My tee shot hugged the right hand side of the fairway, drawing back slightly on the breeze to finish centre right of the fairway, just outside the 150m marker. His ball must have missed everything in going through the tree line as it finished out on the adjacent 16th fairway. This meant he had a shot, but he would have to shape the ball left to right into the breeze to get anywhere near the green. He was away and when I heard his ball hit trees/leaves I allowed myself a moment of “yes, this is my hole and my match”. This would prove a little premature, as I would leave my 6I 2nd well short and right, still some 20m to the front edge. He then announced that he couldn’t locate his ball. We were hunting a spot he thought it might be and when I mentioned I thought I’d hear contact, we moved our search back about 50m and we found his ball stymied under a tree. He punched out as best he could and left himself still some 30m to the green, still in the tree line. His 4th also missed the green and when I put my 3rd to 3 feet, he walked over and conceded the hole and the match.