Club Championship

The past two weekends I played in the club championship at Metropolis CC up in White Plains. I was fortunate enough to win after qualifying two Saturdays ago, winning in the quarterfinals that Sunday, and then winning in the semifinals last Saturday and the finals on Sunday.

Qualifying is always frustrating because the round is very slow as most members are not used to the medal play format. This year there were 10 players going for 7 spots (the previous winner gets a bye and plays the 8th seed). I started the round off well with a birdie on 1, but then bogeyed six holes in a row (holes 2 through 7), parred the 8th hole and double bogeyed the easy 150 yard par 3 9th for a poor +7 42 on the front nine.

I knew I had to play solidly on the back nine or risk not qualifying. I bogeyed the difficult 440 yard dog-leg 10th hole but then finished the last 8 holes in +1 giving me a 42-38 80 (+9) securing the 4th seed. The most memorable shot of the round was my second shot on the 18th hole 400 yard dogleg right. I drove the ball too far right into a grass bunker with the ball at least a foot above me with the pin tucked on a tier on the right side of the green and a tree menacing if i hit my shot just a few yard too far right. I had about 135 yards and I took the 9 iron and aimed at the pin knowing the slope would push the ball to the left. Luckily, I pushed the shot just a little and it went right for the hole, landed and stopped on the green about 6 feet away. I just missed the putt for the birdie.

The next day was the quarterfinals and I was paired with Craig, a nice kid who plays squash for Princeton. Last year he beat me on the 15th hole after I was 3 up thru the first 4 holes. There was no way I was going to lose twice in a row, so I focused as much as I possibly could and was able to win on the 15th hole (4&3). I played very well, made a bunch of birdies and was pleased that my putter was working for me. Craig birdied the 13th and 14th holes to give me a scare, but I rolled in a 25 downhill slider on the short 15th hole par 3 to win the match. I think I was +1 for the 15 holes.

The following Saturday was the semifinals against last year's winner Mark. Mark is a solid player who thinks through every shot, and as a result is quite a slow player. It's difficult to establish a rhythm playing against him because there is so much down time, but that's part of the game. I lost the first hole after literally shanking a 60 yard wedge, but won both the 2nd and 3rd holes. Then I lost the 7th and 8th holes to brilliant birdies...Mark sunk a 40 yard pitch on 7 and then hit a stellar approach on 8 to tap in distance. I can't remember if I was even or one down going into the back nine.

We were even through 13 holes which makes it like a 5 hole tournament. Somehow I lost the 14th and 15th holes putting me in a tough spot at 2 down with three to play. The 14th hole I lost after I was unable to get up and down (i think...) and I three putted the 15th hole. Strangely, I never felt like it was an unsurmountable deficit and I headed to the 480 yard par 5 16th needing to win some holes fast.

I hit a perfect drive right where it needed to be down the left side and left myself about 220 yards against the wind to the middle pin. I hit a perfect one-iron that came to rest on fringe just above the hole. It very easily could have come off of the fringe and trickled very close to the hole. Mark had to lay up with his second shot and I watched his third almost go directly in the hole and back up to about 15 feet away - a pretty easy uphill putt. I studied my 20 footer and drilled it right in the middle for eagle.

The 17th hole Mark and I both hit our drive too far left and Mark was first to play and had to contend with a branch. He hit a great shot right on the green about 35 feet away. I had about 95 yards to the front pin and wound up hitting the shot about 80 yards. I was short of the green in the fairway with a ramp up to the pin. I used my 3 wood and was able to hit the shot to about 7 feet. I had to concede Mark's putt as he putt it to about a foot and a half. Then I walked up and sunk the putt to extend the match.

The 18th hole I hit my drive too far left and Mark did as well. He was faced with a difficult shot near a tree and was able to hit the shot towards the green about 25 yards short. I had about 175 yards to go and had to hit the ball high enough to go over a group of trees. On my practice swing I clipped a tree I didn't realize was in range of my swing and I waited an intense two seconds to see if a leaf would fall...if it did the match was over. Luckily, no leaf fell and I put the ball to 25 feet on the green. Mark then skulled his chip and was still outside of me having to go up and then down a tier to the hole. He hit his putt to about 12 feet. Then I of course blew my putt about 8 feet by the hole. Mark then was able to sink his 12 footer for bogey, forcing me to make my par putt to extend the match to extra holes. Luckily, I was able to make the putt and we went to the 1st hole.

We both played a solid 1st hole and each had birdie putts. Mark's was from about 15-18 feet and he just missed it. Mine was about 10 feet and I just left it on the edge. On the second playoff hole (the 2nd hole) I flared my drive out to the right just like I had in just about every other club championship round. Hitting the ball to the right is not a bad location because there is plenty of room and gives you a good angle at the wide but not very deep green. Mark saw me hit this shot and I guess he tensed up because he pull hooked his drive which hit some trees. He was very very lucky that his shot stayed in play because it very easily could have gone in the water.

From there, he had about 200 yards all over water from the rough. He elected to play to the right and put the ball in a good position just short of the green to the right, but he still had to contend with a 40 yard chip all the way across the green with the pin just on top of a steep tier...a very difficult shot, and under pressure on the 2nd playoff hole with a bunch of people watching made it even more difficult. I had about 155 yards to go with a good angle from the rough and made probably my best swing of the day. The ball hit just at the top of the tier right at the hole but slowly and sadly trickled back down the hill. Mark chunked his chip and was still away. Then he got the ball on the right tier with his next shot but still had about 20 feet. I hit a conservative putt and left myself with about 6 feet. Mark then missed his putt which I conceded and I was faced with being able to two putt and win the match. I just missed the putt but had an inch or two left and Mark conceded the putt and match.

The following day for the finals I was up against a very nice guy named Gordon who was the medalist in qualifying shooting a fine 77. I have never played with a faster golfer than Gordon and I found it very easy this time to find a good rhythm. I really played good golf in the morning 18 and found myself 8 up despite a three putt to tie the hole on 18. I hit a number of memorable shots including a 185 yard 6 iron on the difficult 7th hole for a gimme birdie.

The second 18 I knew that I was in great shape and just needed to continue to focus and make good swings. I birdied the 1st hole to go 9 up and got as much as 10 up before I lost the 25th and 26th holes with bogeys - the only holes I lost all match. Finally, I was 8 up with 9 to play on the 10th (28th) hole. Gordon and I both hit good drives. Gordon hit a great shot on the green and I was up next with 210 yards downhill with a pretty strong right to left slope and a backstop behind the hole which could funnel the ball right to the hole. I put a good swing on the ball with the 4-iron and it went right towards the middle of the green with a slight draw. It hit the front of the green and rolled towards the hole, coming to rest about 8 feet away right where I was earlier in the day when I had made the putt to win the hole. Gordon missed his putt and I made it for a birdie and to win the match and the tournament.

I was very pleased with how I played in the tournament. My strength was definitely my driver. I was able on most holes to knock the ball in the right spot with a good angle to the green. My irons were also on point for the most part. I did have some problems with putting but when I needed to make a putt, this year I was able to. I did have some problems with my chipping (as usual) but I was able to mostly circumvent the problem by putting with the 3-wood when possible.