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It's hard to put into words how one of my favorite people tells stories, but if pictures could speak, I hope these offer some justice. He had Parshooter36 and AMart absolutely rolling. (early apologies for the arctic legs, I wasn't trying to be super obvious while capturing greatness)
Wicked cool bearded man, you are one of the greats.
Before I go any further into detail on practice rounds and competition rounds I have to say thank you to the volunteers. It was said probably 100’s of times by everyone, but these guys absolutely killed it. The guys following along on the forum really have no clue how hard these guys were working. They always made sure we had everything we needed so we could focus on one thing and one thing only and that was playing golf. They were bouncing around from hole to hole to make sure everyone was on video, to make sure everyone had water, to lend a hand in any possible way they could. It was a honor playing in a event that was worked by volunteers who so selflessly rocked this event for us. Without them this event doesn’t go on the way it did. Thank you guys you were nothing short of amazing.
I got my first taste of True Blue and Caledonia on Wednesday and Thursday for practice rounds. On Tuesday I got to play a practice round at True Blue with Wardy, Brad, and Seth, and what a great foursome that was. True Blue is an absolutely beautiful golf course. It’s really hard to put in words so I’ll leave that for the 100’s of pictures my fiancé took (she’s coming up later). But to watch Wardy and Seth hit the ball was a blast. These guys hit the freaking cover off the ball. Brad played extremely well too! It was nice having a veteran of the course there to play with to help with advice on how to play certain holes and the layout of the course.
Caledonia came on Thursday with Dan, Kevin, and my boy Marc. What a gorgeous place to play golf. It was the most beautiful course I’ve ever played. The course was so well manicured it’s difficult to put into words. Watching those 3 boys hit the ball on such a beautiful course was a treat for me as well! All 3 of them absolutely killed the ball. I was lucky enough to have my A game that day and I ended up throwing up a 1 under par 69. It’s the first time I’ve been in the 60’s and I could have asked to have done it at a more beautiful golf course with a better bunch of guys.
Friday Staff Sponsor Day, it was everything and more than I ever dreamed of it being. Standing at the pro shop of True Blue waiting to get the ok from MikeG to head down to the range to see everything. The anticipation building inside me was unreal. Then he asks if were ready and we start walking our way over to the range and there they are. 40 Staff Bags from 5 amazing companies with all our names on them. As I’m walking down and I see the staff bags lined up and I look over my shoulder and see the absolutely beautiful 18[SUP]th[/SUP] of True Blue I think to myself is this real? Am I dreaming? It’s really here. 8 months of hard work, practicing when I didn’t want to, forcing myself to practice in the rain, giving up time with my family to get myself to bring the best golf of my life to Myrtle was all suddenly worth it, without any doubts it was worth it. Walking up seeing the Bridgestone US Open bag with name on it made all the hard work worth it. Getting to look through it and see all the surprises that Bridgestone Josh and Lauren brought for us was amazing. I could dream something like this up in my wildest of dreams! As we got done taking pictures and every started to get acclimated with there new sticks, I took a moment to make sure I took it all in. I didn’t want to think back to myself and say “Man I wish I would have given up a little more range time to spend sometime with everyone.” I made sure to get a keepsake that will give me memories of Staff Sponsor Day forever. For those of you that didn’t catch it I made sure to walk around and have everyone that was involved with the event sign a True Blue flag. It’s something I will cherish forever and something that will remind me of the amazing time I had on the range that day at True Blue.
Saturday morning started the competition rounds. Trouter and I drew Adam and Jeramiah for Shamble and Mod. Pinehurts. Let me tell you what you want to see a guy hit a golf ball you watch Adam hit his driver. The guy absolutely pounds the ball off the tee. It was a sight to see you drive the ball buddy. Jeramiah you aren’t far behind him my friend. It was truly impressive to watch you to play golf. I’m glad to say Marc and I pulled out the W on you guys, but it was an absolute pleasure teeing it up with you fellas. Couldn’t have asked for better guys to play with.
Saturday afternoon we lucked out and drew arguably the 2 best guys on the forum. Tim and Eric. Again I have to say the most fun I had playing golf was playing with you fellas and Marc. It was hard to take the match as a real competition round when we were having as much fun and sharing as many laughs with each other as we did. Never once did I feel like I was playing in a tough match, because I just felt like I was having fun on the golf course and I can honestly say that no matter the outcome of our match I would have had a blast playing with you fellas. I do have to give a plug to my buddy Marc. During this match Marc hit the best golf shot I’ve ever seen in person, and I’ve gone to 2 PGA Tour events. Both Majors at that. I think it was hole 16 I tugged a drive into the pine straw on the left hand side of the fairway. I left Marc with a pretty poor look. He was 187 to the stick, up against a tree with a restricted swing. Marc’s pacing back and forth trying to figure out a plan of attack for the shot I left him. I then watch him knock a 5 iron stiff from 187, out of the pine straw with a low penetrating draw ball flight. over water to 15 feet. I’m not exaggerating when I say I giggled for 15-20 mins to myself over replaying the shot he hit in my head over and over again.
Sunday singles. I drew the only and only the man, Freddie Kong. When I found out Friday night that I was going to play Freddie, I’ll be honest I was nervous. But I wasn’t nervous in the way that I thought he was going to steam roll me, because lets face it I’m sure most everyone did. But what I was nervous about was I wanted to bring Freddie some solid golf to play against. I wanted all the hard work to pay off. I wanted to be able to say I hung in there with the Panda. I’ll be the first to admit I know Freddie wasn’t working with his A game. I wasn’t either but we both played some solid golf. I would judge our match as my B game vs his B- to C+ game battling in a heavy weight slug vest as far as match play golf goes. Pretty much all of the 18 holes we played needed a birdie or better to take the hole. I can’t even tell you how many times there was a change in who was up to even to who was down. There was a lot of good golf played between the two of us. Quality shots from the tee, the fairway, the rough, to making some really big pressure putts on each other. I can honestly say this was the most physically and mentally draining match I’ve ever played in. As I sat 1 down on the 17[SUP]th[/SUP] hole realizing I had to make a move we both hit good tee balls leaving us both in the fairway. Both of us hit the green and both put our first putts to gimmie distance where the Panda graciously asked me if I wanted to go good good to go the 18[SUP]th[/SUP]. I couldn’t have accepted that fast enough, because I’d rather take a shot at beating him on the 18[SUP]th[/SUP] to push the match than miss a 2 footer and lose it on the 17[SUP]th[/SUP]. Then I received the classiest gesture I’ve ever received on the golf course. At that point we found out from the volunteers the fate of the cup was already decided and our match didn’t matter. And there I thought to myself man I took the Panda to 17 and lost one down I was damn proud of myself for battling through that, and Freddie looks at me and shakes my hand and says “We’re playing this out.” At that moment I wasn’t sure what to do because I knew the volunteers were told to bring us in and then I heard Freddie say “I’m not taking this away from Jimmy, he earned it.” I knew it was time to turn it back on. Here it is for me, the 18[SUP]th[/SUP] at True Blue, I needed to win the hole to push with Freddie with probably 20-25 people watching us play our last 3 holes. Freddie pipes a fairway wood down the right side of the fairway and I follow suit. I had 157 to the stick with a draw lie. I generally fade the ball so I aimed dead red on the stick even with water left. I hit the shot and I instantly knew I wasn’t wet and I looked up and I see I pushed it to the middle of the green leaving the door wide open for Freddie to stick one close and put me out of my misery. Unfortunately the Panda tugged his approach into the water on the left side and conceded the hole to me to push the match. At that moment I knew what all the hard work was for. It was for bringing my best game to Myrtle Beach for the Morgan Cup even if I didn’t bring the A game. Shortly after the interview with Panda (which I want to state here as well the fact that he is by far the best golfer I’ve ever teed it up with up. Like I said he didn’t bring his A game and I’m damn glad he didn’t because if he did I wouldn’t have stood a chance but I’m proud to say I stood toe to toe with arguably the best golfer on THP and pushed with him. And I want to say thank you again Freddie for playing that match out with me. I said it once I’ll say it again it was by far the classiest gesture I’ve received on the golf course.) I was greeted by my Captain. Dan was right there waiting for me with a huge smile on his face and when he told me he was proud of me that’s when it hit me. The Morgan Cup was over. I picked him up and hugged him as tightly as I could, because I knew we came up short as Team Albatross and I knew The Morgan Cup was over, but to work so hard for a team and for a Captain and to have him right there by my side and tell me he’s proud of what I did meant the absolute world to me. Thank you Dan for everything buddy. You are as good a friend as anyone could possibly ask for.
A lot of people might not understand the concept of a forum, or the love for golf that we all have, but I do know that the people involved in this event understand it perfectly. It’s not just an online forum it’s a community. It’s family and friends it’s a getaway. It’s paradise. This past weekend for me was paradise. This weekend was as close as I’ve ever come or ever will come to being a professional golfer. To Josh, Morgan, Bridgestone, Callaway, Cleveland/Srixon, Taylomade, Cobra/Puma, the volunteers, True Blue & Caledonia, the other 39 pariticapnts and anyone else I may have missed, thank you, thank you for the best weekend of my life. Nothing else compares to the emotions I felt playing in the rounds I did during The 2014 Morgan Cup.
I want to take a second and say thank you to my beautiful fiancé. I really could not have done this without her. She was an absolute trooper for me this weekend and only made this entire experience better. She’s my best friend in the whole world and she did everything she could in her power to make sure I was happy and focused on golf and only golf this weekend. Amanda, I love you and can’t wait to make you my wife (even tho I’m still not used to saying fiancé yet!)
Jersey Nate's 2014 Morgan Cup Recap - Day 1:
Arriving on the course on Thursday morning was a surreal experience. Over seven months, I'd thought about the Morgan Cup constantly...but it was actually here. I passed the THP tour van and my heart skipped a beat. The first THPer I saw was Ken/vman, who gave me a big smile and a hug. "Good to see you again," he said. He directed me to the range, where I saw a group of THPers warming up and hitting balls, with JB just chatting it up with everyone. The butterflies were gone (only to return later) and I was with family again. Hit a few balls and a few putts, all the while seeing familiar faces and introducing myself to new ones. Captain Howzat then got the Paradise boys gathered and directed us to Caledonia...
Spoiler
With one of the most picturesque entrances I've seen, Caledonia made me just gasp at its beauty. We all gathered on the 10th tee and chatted it up as if we had known each other for years...that's how I feel about Team Paradise. We shared a few laughs and jokes before we teed off for my first round of the #THPMC weekend. For the first 9, I was grouped with Matt/mmaynard, Tim/Wicked Cool Bearded Man, and Henri/Castor Hades. My first tee shot of Morgan Cup weekend? A high and right pull into the trees on 10...yeah, the butterflies were back.
When we got to the Par 3 11th, I was so juiced off of adrenaline that I blasted my iron over the green, over the hedges behind said green, and onto the back of 12 tee. I ended up hitting a blind chip over the hedges that hit the pin and settled to a couple feet for par. I said to the group, "Well, that was lucky!" Tim looked at me strangely: "What do you mean? You meant to hit that shot, and you executed it. We need to work on your confidence." Stepping onto 12 tee, I hit a nice 3W down the middle and Tim chimed in: "Was that lucky, too?" and chuckled. (Tim, while I'm still working on my confidence as a player, you have no idea how much that little exchange means to me, my friend.) Another highlight of my first 9 was me piping a drive through the fairway on 18, pulling my short iron from the rough, and pushing my shot well left, into the parking lot and past the bag drop. Whoops.
We switched up the foursome for our second 9 and I had the pleasure of playing with Jordan/Smithfaced, Christian/Scarnici, and Kyle/Flog2424. Kyle's bunker shot from his knees (pictured here) was a thing of beauty, as were several shots from my teammates. All through this round, I was trying to think about how it would feel with the pressure of the competition, the cameras...oh, how I underestimated that feeling.
Spoiler
Jordan and I checked in to our villa and I decided to hit the range and not play another 18. I wasn't alone - THPers were still the vast majority of golfers on the range there, fine tuning and working out their swings in preparation for the big show. After a shower, me, Jordan, Henri, and Henri's friend Rob went for a trip to the PGA Superstore. Henri and Rob bickering like a married couple in Finnish about the climate control in their car...priceless. They also are possibly the only two who looked at a trip to Walgreens as a joyful experience to be savored, and we were so late in coming back to the property that we had dinner from the Arby's drive through. We watched a storm that was off in the distance as we had a great conversation about the differences between Finland and the US. When we finally got through the construction traffic and back to our villa, we had a beer and tried to get some shut eye (read: tried) before Staff Sponsor Day in the morning...
Recap #2 - Them Matches
I'm going to do this a little differently, the matches have been updated and recapped by the other guys so I'm going to do a short recap and then focus on the most important thing to me, the dudes I shared these matches with. Different, yes, but I thrive on different.
Jman/Ddec vs Smithfaced/Scarnici
Tale of two nines, no doubt. After my blistering 17 yard tee shot, Dean and I played really well on the front and caught the breaks we needed to to build that 4 hole lead that everyone now knows crumbled like no other. But Jordan and Christian played insanely well almost the entire back 9 putting the pressure on us like we had on them. We leaked oil, tried to bring it back, but I sent one into the drink on 18. It was one of the most enjoyable times I have had on course as even when it got tense, we all cared about eachother and our shots. That was special, truly.
Dean - You'll get yours in my next post, but you are amazing.
Christian - I think you just hit another fairway. You are one cool dude and your family was freaking AWESOME all day long. You worked your ass off and it showed. I love that you got to experience this and I love even more than you embraced it like you did. Your one of the good ones. It was an absolute pleasure to tee it up with you.
Jordan - Dude. I get emotional thinking about you to be honest. When I made you putt that 1.5 footer it was one of the hardest things I have ever done, Dean and I literally couldn't watch because I hate doing that stuff, and then for the result to be what it was it broke my heart. Its why when on Sunday I was watching you on 18 in that match I was going to be there to hug you when all of that happened. You were not going to be there alone, you are one hell of a guy and a true friend to me now. I will never forget us teeing it up, ever.
Jman/DevRickus vs adwillingham/Paladin
This was one of the most insane matches, through 15 holes there were NO PUSHES. It was a chaotic back and forth of who was going to make the bad miss each hole it felt like for a while. Some excellent shots were hit and some crucial up and downs were made. Luckily Ricky and I after going 2 up through 2 to even through 4 settled in and stopped pressing so damn much. Donne and Paladin though hit some BOMBS including two of the prettiest hybrids I think I have ever seen from Donne, seriously, they were gorgeous. Rick and I managed to hold on but I've not laughed like that in a round in a long time.
Rick - Like Dean, you get more later, but the journey you have taken is beyond inspirational to me.
Paladin - It was SO GOOD to finally meet you in person. The internet is good and bad, bad because people get lost in translation sometimes and I feel like I kind of had that happen between you and I at times in the buildup. But you are a solid dude with a hell of a work ethic and an amazingly kind wife. Once you find that tempo and embrace it, this game will change forever for you with how you can hit and spin a golf ball.
Donne - One of my favorite people on this entire planet ever. Having to play you was hard for me because I love ya so damn much, but you made it clear from the start it was about fun and that actually settled me a ton after my morning round. You have done SOOOOOO much work and it absolutely shows, you mash that Cally gear and I love that you just smile ear form ear when you do. It was an honor to tee it up with you my friend, finally.
Jman vs Canadan & WarEagle vs Fupresti
Oh lord, this one. At dinner Friday it was surreal, I had said MONTHS ago I would end up playing Dan so it didn't really shock me when it happened, what else can you do but laugh when you have to play your best friend on this entire planet? Funny thing is I had about 5 guys come up to me, shake my hand, and act like I was dying, that kind of pissed me off a lot to be honest, you absolutely have to be on point to play Dan but even though those things were meant to be nice, it stung a lot as I don't think of myself as worthless on a course. When it was announced I couldn't look over at Dan, I just couldn't, he and I are on the exact same wavelength so much its scary so I knew exactly what he was thinking, that it was his friend and there was a bit of trepidation about what this could mean. So I did the only thing I could do, I walked over hugged him, and told him I loved him and it would all be OK. I managed to go 1 up through the first few holes as we all laughed and joked, but when you make one miss on Dan he capitalizes, my pars weren't good enough when they were there, and my bogeys weren't either. I didn't play terribly, I just hit a crazy Canamerican animal.
Ryan - Dude, you are my brother. It goes beyond the internet, you'll get a lot more about you in my next part too, but I love ya. You played amazing on that front 9, seriously, it was amazing.
Dan - Blood. You get more in my next part because you ARE TeamTHP. But, you were there when the levity of the situation hit me. On 11 I knew it was over as I was just drained, I was emotionally drained from the months of buildup and I couldn't do anything, at one point I was clubbing up 3 clubs on shots. On that hole all I could do was give you a hug because I was losing it, sadly that made you lose it too. You are my family.
David - FUUUUUPY. You and I have talked about a lot of things and I am glad I could be there for you at times, I wish I would have had that in my own travails outside of golf. You are a great dude, and its SO nice to see you SO happy, I know more than others just how big of a damn deal that is with the things people like us have gone through. You played so well on the back, turned it on when you needed to and didn't look back. But more than that, we had a blast the whole time, good shots bad shots whatever. You are amazing, don't ever forget that, I'm always always always here for you dude.
Why am I cutting onions at my desk!
Why am I cutting onions at my desk!
Canadaniel - I said this on the patio at True Blue, but wow dude. What a captain you were. You took a group of guys that were good and really morped them into something out of this world. WTF did you do to Amart? Can you do it to me? Beyond that though, we'd spent limited time actually together in person and a highlight of the weekend was you joining your other team for a Saturday evening of laughs and memories. That was important for me, you and I think for all of us. I suspect it's not easy being against us and with us at the same time, but in the end - you are with us and we're better off for it.
I could have sworn someone had a video of him walking in.
La Playa.
Real authentic mexican food. If they remember to bring you what you ordered.