Photo Heavy Morgan Cup 2020 Match 4: OUmagic vs Parrot Back Nine

oumagic

‘24 NFL Experience at Ballyhack
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The setting on the back nine. My lead went from +5 to +2 and I was leaking oil. This is about the time that the wind was really affecting me, and my back was on the verge of going out on me versus just being tight and sore. Anyone with a bad back might know that feeling of inevitable disaster. I pop an Aleve and Tylenol, used the restroom, and think to myself that I must win hole 10 to get the Big Mo back on my side. Instead, I crap the bed…

Hole 10: If hole 4 or 5 were my best of the weekend, this was my worst. Not too much trouble on my squirrely drive but was still a long way from the hole and I was in the rough. I hit a pretty good hybrid into the wind and uphill but end up short and in the rough. Parrot is again on in regulation, so I decide to go Phil Mickelson flop shot and shank it. The ball ends up in the rough on the edge of a bunker and I stand in the bunker and the ball is chest high and in deep rough. I barely get it over the lip laying 4 and concede the hole. Lead is down to +1
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Hole 11: I am reeling. Looking back, if I lost this hole, I probably lose the match. My lead is down to +1 and Parrot rips a drive down the right side. My driver has been loose, so I go 3W and hit it well. We had a long search for Parrot’s ball and there is no way I want to take a hole with a lost ball to my opponent that should be playable in the rough. The foursome looks for it and finds it farther up than expected. I let this get to me some thinking Parrot will be GIR and hit my 8i fat. I can’t remember what Parrot did here, but I assumed I lost the hole after that shot but end up winning with a bogey. Huge sigh of relief when I am back to +2.
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Hole 12: This par 3 was playing super tough with the wind. Jose goes first and hits it close. I hit 9i and it was one of my best shots of the day and I have about 25 feet for birdie. Parrot hits it on the green but is probably 40 feet away. He doesn’t hit a great putt and JB is watching this hole with camera in hand. He wants to video my birdie putt; I feel great and think I had it read perfectly but hit it 5’ past. Parrot misses his par putt and I think I have my putt lined up perfect and burn the edge. Sad Panda 3-putts after a fantastic iron. Lead is still +2 because Parrot also 3-putts.
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Hole 13: I hit a good shot off the tee. I think Parrot might be in the desert and am feeling pretty good about my chances on this hole. This should serve as a reminder to just play the shot at hand and not look ahead. I push 9i into the crap. I find it in the desert, but barely get it out. I hit it on the green in 4 and Parrot is putting. He gets par and I take double. Lead again is +1
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Hole 14: The wind is blowing everything to the canyon. I hit driver straight into the wind and find the fairway. I hit a fantastic 8i into the crosswind to about 8 feet. I don’t remember what happened to Parrot, but I remember thinking that I had this hole after my 2nd shot. Parrot hits about a 10’ putt (maybe longer) for his par save. I think I have the birdie in the hole, but it lips out. Lead stays at +1. I can’t remember if it was hole 13 or 14, but Jose says, “I don’t know if you realize how much I want this cup? JD says that we are in trouble and this match may decide the cup.” I tell him “I got this!” but in my head the nerves went from 10 to 100+. Lead remains +1
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Hole 15: Remember, this is the hole that Jose and I wanted to have my match done by? Well, the match is far from done. Parrot gets a pop and has the tee box. Inexplicably, he whiffs with driver. He says that it counts as a stroke and we all say it depends on intent and he said he intended to hit it. He calmly swings again and smokes it down the fairway. Now I don’t know if it is the nerves from the pep talk or that I saw my competitor whiff, but I hit one of the worst drives of the weekend into the canyon. I take a drop where it crosses into the desert and am in some THICK rough. I manage a good 4i but it rolls into the waste bunker. I get it out and hit a pretty good wedge to the green. I get up there and add up my strokes multiple times to realize I am laying 5 and Parrot is laying 4 with a pop. Knowing that my match is important, I try to make my bogey and miss. I wait to see where Parrot puts his first putt and concede. The match that Jose wanted over before hole 15, is All Square (or tied if you like the new term).
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Hole 16: I think the nerves and back pain have hit us both. Parrot hits a bad shot into the desert and I chunk a 5i over the desert. He takes a drop and puts it on the green. I have to go over the 4-5 foot bunker in front of me and Jose says, “I don’t care if you fly the green, the only way you lose this hole is if you hit the bunker. You don’t need par, you need to hit the green” I hit it 40’ past the hole and get a fist bump from my partner and I think Parrot was 42’ away on my same line. He shows me the way, we both 2 putt, me with bogey and him with double. Lead is +1 me. At some point, we had spectators, I think it was on the green here.
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Hole 17: It is a tough hole without the wind and tougher with the wind. I honestly don’t remember this hole except that Jose told me to play it like I did the par 5 4th hole. I hit a decent drive and lay up with my hybrid. I don’t remember what parrot did here, but I do remember thinking that if I just got on the green and 2 putted, I would win the hole or halve to go to 18. I bump and run a 9 iron so I didn’t have to mess with the wind, and was about 15’ from the hole. Jose is about 18’ from hole on my same line. As a gesture of goodwill, he says that he could putt to show me the line but we agree that I should putt first since Jose’s match had ended on hole 14. I hit a good putt and the bogey was conceded. Match is over 2 and 1
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I tried to include details and truths for the match that were in my head. Nerves in events are real. I like to think that this match helps me grow as a golfer and learn to deal with the nerves better in competition. I haven’t had those nerves in competition since High School, which was a long, long time ago. My friend Parrot and I shared a wonderful moment in time that I will never forget. Jose said to me, “Your point just won the #$%#’n Morgan Cup!” He later gave me the signed scorecard and told me to frame it and be proud of this accomplishment. Some that read this will think it is silly that a moment like this where a 47 year old mid-handicap gets teary eyed over a round of golf. Others will remember a THP experience where they had the same reaction. Best golf weekend I have ever had and maybe will ever have again.
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picture Jose sent us from his house:
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**By the way, I get my first injection into the back today and hope I can get back to pain-free golf in the near future, that way you all don’t have to hear my constant belly aching about my back.
 
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I tried to include details and truths for the match that were in my head. Nerves in events are real. I like to think that this match helps me grow as a golfer and learn to deal with the nerves better in competition. I haven’t had those nerves in competition since High School, which was a long, long time ago. My friend Parrot and I shared a wonderful moment in time that I will never forget. Jose said to me, “Your point just won the #$%#’n Morgan Cup!” He later gave me the signed scorecard and told me to frame it and be proud of this accomplishment. Some that read this will think it is silly that a moment like this where a 47 year old mid-handicap gets teary eyed over a round of golf. Others will remember a THP experience where they had the same reaction. Best golf weekend I have ever had and maybe will ever have again.

**By the way, I get my first injection into the back today and hope I can get back to pain-free golf in the near future, that way you all don’t have to hear my constant belly aching about my back.

Cheers to pain free golf!
 
My side of this is going to take some time. I was reading through Magic's recap and looking at my Arccos and realized that I couldn't remember much at all of this side except for the ************* ******** **** *********** whiff, the next shot which came to rest in a ********* divot and a few other shots. I'll look through again and post up my thoughts.

In any event, it was an honor to play Magic. He was a gracious sportsman and competitor, and is a fine fellow. I can't wait to find my way to Arizona and tee it up with Magic, @Doubleb21 and the rest of their posse out there.
 
Freaking awesome recap. Way to hold the line despite some struggles.

@Parrot -way to battle back and make this a match.
 
By the way, I get my first injection into the back today and hope I can get back to pain-free golf in the near future, that way you all don’t have to hear my constant belly aching about my back.

I hope you do. Back pain mucks up everything.
 
**By the way, I get my first injection into the back today and hope I can get back to pain-free golf in the near future, that way you all don’t have to hear my constant belly aching about my back.
Best wishes to you @oumagic - I've dealt with lower back issues before, it sucks big time!
 
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left to right from singles sunday
Little Rat, Oumagic, parrot, jmk202
 
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Big headwind and uphill here. Both the drive and 5 iron were hit damned good. I didn't expect to have to hit 5 iron and didn't think the 5 got there but it did. Magic had some trouble and I got the win. I'm 1 down now and feeling it.

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Many thanks to Magic and @LittleRat for helping find find my golf ball. It was farther up than where we were initially looking. After that, my memory here is no help. Magic has 6 on the card so I'm guessing I 3 jacked it. Momentum killed, back to 2 down.
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I missed my putt here for par. Terrible first putt, if I recall correctly. Thankfully, Magic misses too and I'm still 2 down.

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This hole had one of those WTF just happened moments. I pulled 4H into the left rough. I've got about a foot wide window to try and punch it through. I take 8 iron and try to smooth it through finishing low. I pushed it and nicked the the outside of the tree on the right side of the window I had. Apparently, the ball hit just right to impart some hook spin on it and instead of kicking right across the fairway, it spun left and rolled up onto the green. I couldn't believe what I had just seen. After Magic's troubles, I win with par and am back to 1 down. Little did I know another WTF moment was a hole away.
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I badly push my tee shot (and the wind is blowing hard that way) and was not sure whether it was enough to get to the fairway. I carried the desert by about a yard, maybe. I'm in some gnarly rough but manage to gouge out a PW into the crosswind and find the green. Another bad first putt but I made about a 10 footer for par and get the halve when Magic misses the short bird.
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Here's the WTF of all WTFs I think I've experienced on a golf course. I've got a pop. My plan was to swing easy and put driver in play. Well, somewhere in my brain something short-circuited and I swung a lot harder than I intended and ******** whiffed it. I couldn't believe. First thought was if I jump in the canyon will they notice? the guys are looking at me wondering WTF? I tell them I whiffed and say that's a stroke, right? All 3 said well it depends on whether you intended to hit it. I said oh yeah, I did. Well, it's a stroke. Well, I haul off and smash my best driver of the weekend right into a divot. Some evil spirit took holt of Magic and forced him into piping one into the canyon. Can't make this **** up. I end up making 6/net 5 (Arccos doesn't not to count practice putts after a concession) to win the hole and go all square.
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You'd think I'd have been steely focused after getting AS. Anything but between nerves, exhaustion, back pain and more nerves. I guess I was so intent on catching him that I didn't know what to do next. I hadn't looked at the forum or asked where the matches stood but I could see others gathering around. I hit my 5 iron into the gunch. I dropped and hit a solid 9 onto the green but 2 putts later, I lose the hole to Magic. 1 down again.
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I hate playing in wind. We don't get much more than a breeze in Oxford so a 2 club wind in your face is noticeable and takes you out of your comfort zone in decision making or indecision. With the wind in my face, Jake told me to play this as a 3 shotter and count on my wedges that had been pretty good all day. I hit a really good 3W and had right at 200 left. I'm thinking I can get 4 H there but pull 7 iron to play for about 80 in and a good angle. I hit it the right distance but pushed it into the waste area. I hit flubbed a 58 trying to make the hero shot. I chip on but miss the bogey putt and concede Magic's bogey putt. It's over.

I had a blast playing Magic and watching Jose play lights out. Sean is a wonderful guy and a new close friend. Jose is a merciless competitor but a fine gentleman. Although I hate that I lost the match that clinched the Cup for Paradise, I'm mighty grateful to have been a part of this match. The Morgan Cup is mystical and magical and this match had both. Some stuff happened for which I have no explanation.

I've said it another post but it bears repeating, Jake (interesting coincidence?) kept me in this match. Without him, it's over early. Thanks, buddy.
 
Well done, Sean! I know exactly what you are talking about with the back. If I hit 50 range balls in a short succession, I will be in pain. It is more just hanging on to what I can now. Let me know how the injection goes.
 
This we definitely the match that was being paid close attention to. The battle back to A/S from Parrot was incredible and the will to stay strong and pull it back under control from Oumagic was pretty special. Thank you gents for sharing what we couldn't see on Sunday!
 
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