Missed the Cut

This Monday was the Met Amateur qualifier at Bonnie Briar in Larchmont. I finished out tied for 24th (with 12 other guys) with a round of 74 (+3). 124 players turned in cards and the top 7 + ties qualified for the tournament.

9 players who shot par or better qualified. Medalist honors went to Joe Taylor of Garden City GC and Kevin Fitzpatrick of Westchester CC who both turned in solid rounds of 69 (-2).

We started on the 10th hole par 3 about 185 yards. I struck my six iron poorly and wound up short and right of the front right greenside bunker. I got down in 3 from there and settled with a first hole bogey.

I settled down quickly though and started playing solid on the very tight (almost too tight) 6400 yard track. I sunk a curling 15 footer on the 14th hole for birdie, missed a 3 footer for birdie on 17, but got that one back with a birdie on 18, sinking a 20 footer that looked good the entire way.

I knew I was in contention with a 34 (-1) first nine, but knew that with only 7 + ties qualifying out of a field of 125+, only those with near perfect rounds would go through.

On the first hole, my 10th of the day, a 460 yard par 4 meandering around to the left and downhill after the drive, I hit a perfect 3 wood which left me about 210 yards for the approach. I took out the 4 iron and struck it perfectly. It didnt quite get to the back of the green and I was left with a slightly uphill 35 footer. I misjudged both the distance and direction on the first putt, leaving myself with a 6 footer which I missed.

Still at even par, I played a solid 2nd hole, and then got up and down on the 3rd, 4th, and 5th holes before a major mistake. The 6th hole is a dogleg left par 4 about 430 with an elevated teeing ground that allows you to hit your tee ball about 270 yards before the hole bends sharply to the left, and goes uphill. A 20 yard wide water hazard guards the entire left side of the fairway, and bunkers guard the right side keeping you from playing too aggressive of a tee shot on the left, and too safe of one on the right.

I pulled out the 1 iron, and made my first bad swing of the day. The contact was solid enough, but the ball started off left and drew a bit. It was in the water the entire way. Since the hole was recently redone, we were allowed to mark, lift, clean and place through the green. This was a slight break enabling me to drop and then find a perfect lie. In retrospect, I think I found too good of a lie and my 3rd shot 6 iron was struck too high on the face, and wound up short and right. I was unable to make another up and down, and was forced to take a semi-disastrous double bogey.

I regrouped though, and parred the 7th and 8th holes before reaching the 9th hole, a 485 yard par 5 dogleg right. On the teebox, I figured a birdie would secure my spot with a 72 (+1), so I had to play aggressive. Unfortunately, my tee shit sailed too far to the right and I was near some trees and had to punch out. I hit a fairly poor recovery shot, and was still in the damp right rough over 200 yards out for my 3rd shot. I hit a solid enough 4 iron, but the wet grass slowed my club down at impact and the ball came to rest 15 yards shot of the green. A lackluster uphill chipshot to the front-to-back sloping green left me with 25 feet. I blew my first putt by about 6 feet and made the come back putt for an upsetting bogey.

On the bright side, had I qualified, the tournament would have conflicted with the first weekend of the Metropolis Club Championship, which would have been a epic bummer to have to make that decision. While I'm disappointed with how I played the 15th hole and 18th hole, I know that my game stacks up well against the competition.

At my level, its very crowded. There are literally hundreds of scratch golfers in the Met Area, most of whom can shoot anywhere between even par and ten over on any given day. It takes more than anything, a rock solid mental game to rise above the rest and come out the victor. One mistake, just one, is unacceptable.

Sunday, my dad and I leave for West Palm Beach, Florida where I will be one of 19 trying to qualify for 6 spots in the big show in Israel, Summer 2009.