cyoung2ty
Member
So, my club is holding their yearly match play championship this weekend. It's supposed to be 16 golfers playing off the back tees in the 'championship' bracket... and 16 golfers playing off the middle tees in the 'net' bracket. If you advance to the championship match, it would be 2 matches Saturday... 2 matches Sunday.
I qualified in the 8th seed of the 'net' bracket. Early this morning was the first round. My opponent was the #9 seed and happened to be the same guy that I had as a partner in a winter-long fourball tournament. This meant that we each knew how the other played. My course handicap is a 14... his a 9. This meant that I was getting strokes on handicap holes 1 through 5.
Early on, it was a little rainy and overcast. I got out of the gates really, really slowly. I missed a 7 foot birdie attempt on the first hole and we halved with pars. He then continued to make pars while I made bogey on 2, 3 and 4... and added a double on 5 which was one of the holes I was getting a stroke on (net bogey). 4 down through 5 holes. Awesome.
We halved 6 with bogeys... his of the three-putt variety. On 7, he got in trouble off the tee but managed to get himself back into position and hit a really good 4th shot to give him a look at par. I was 50 yards from the hole on my 3rd shot and tugged it to the left of the stick, 24 feet away. My birdie attempt missed just low and he made his par. Still 4 down through 7.
Here's where things started to get interesting. I got a stroke on 8 but didn't need it. My par (net birdie) beat his bogey. 3 down through 8. No strokes on 9. My drive went way right into the 8th fairway. His went way left into the short game practice area (not out of bounds). My 7 iron from there 8th fairway found the green and left me 34 feet. His approach hit a tree... then he pitched to about 30 feet. My par held up against his bogey. 2 down through 9. My 42 on the front side was 3 worse than his 39.
He got a big break on 10 when his drive hit the trees up the left side and kicked into the fairway. My 4 iron was in the fairway but I hit a low 9 iron that caught the green and fed off into a bunker. I was extremely short sided and we halved with bogey. 2 down through 10.
A big drive on 11 (getting a stroke) was followed by a decent approach while he pushed his approach into a muddy lie. Unfortunately for him, the ball didn't plug... so no relief. My par (net birdie) beat his double. 1 down through 11.
I messed up 12 pretty bad with an 8 iron that finished just shy of the green. My putt from there caught the grain after the slope and went off the back of the green. Trying to get cute, I left my chip short... then almost hole the next, but took a double. He made par. 2 down through 12.
On 13, I was getting another stroke. I hit a big drive that took a horrible kick and ended up on the base of a tree. My only option was to hack it out to the right, further into the rough. I couldn't go left or backwards. I then hit a solid 4 iron about 60 yards shy of the green. My wedge from there came up short. A bad pitch to 9 feet left me a tricky putt that I couldn't make. I settled for a double (net bogey) while he made par. 3 down through 13 with 5 holes to play.
My drive on 14 was big, but didn't draw. I was in the rough on 15 with a tree between my ball and the green. I got up and over and left myself a slick 18 footer downhill for birdie. I hit an awful putt that left me an even slicker 6 footer for par. I made that for par (net birdie) while my opponent made par. 2 down through 14.
On 15 I hit a good drive, a great 4 iron layup and then a wedge from 51 yards to 3 feet. It was a birdie (net eagle) while my opponent made bogey. 1 down through 15.
That was the last of my strokes for the round. Now I'd have to win at least 2 holes straight up to have a shot to win.
I hit a solid 4 iron on 16 into the right side of the fairway then stuck a 9 iron to 6 feet and made that for birdie. His birdie attempt came up just shy and he settled for par. We were all square.
17 was playing with an odd, swirling wind. I hit a 9 iron that started at the stick but finished 34 feet to the left... on the green. My opponent hit his ball into a bad spot in a bunker. He got out but left himself 25 feet or so. My putt took off on me and I ran it 9 feet beyond the hole. He nearly holed his 25 footer. It hit the cup, popped up and settled on the lip. My 9 footer slid by and we halved with bogey.
The final hole is brutal when walking... straight uphill and very steep. I hit a solid drive that didn't draw enough for me and ran into a bunker. My opponent split the fairway. When we got up to my ball, I saw that it was only about 4 feet from the high lip. I had 107, up the hill and into a strong breeze. My 9 iron hit the lip and shot it across the left side of the fairway into the rough. He hit a thin wedge that caught the front of the green and ran up onto the correct tier, leaving him about 15 feet for birdie. From 91 yards, I hit a wedge that finished 30 feet left of the hole. My par attempt from there dove just low. I tapped in for a disheartening bogey. His birdie attempt got about halfway there... you could tell his nerves were shot. He managed to sink the par putt and take the match.
I love how different match play is. It's fun to be in a match even when you think you may not be. I hate how a single bad kick can ruin a hole and kill momentum. The kick my drive took on 13 to land at the base of that tree was wild. I still have no idea what it hit to jump that way.
In the end... it was a fun match. I gave away a huge opportunity on 17 with a really, really poor putt. Ultimately, that's what I'm putting it on. The bad kick was one thing... a poor putt when it's all in my hands is another.
Anyway... sorry for the long post. I just needed to type it out to get it off my chest.
I qualified in the 8th seed of the 'net' bracket. Early this morning was the first round. My opponent was the #9 seed and happened to be the same guy that I had as a partner in a winter-long fourball tournament. This meant that we each knew how the other played. My course handicap is a 14... his a 9. This meant that I was getting strokes on handicap holes 1 through 5.
Early on, it was a little rainy and overcast. I got out of the gates really, really slowly. I missed a 7 foot birdie attempt on the first hole and we halved with pars. He then continued to make pars while I made bogey on 2, 3 and 4... and added a double on 5 which was one of the holes I was getting a stroke on (net bogey). 4 down through 5 holes. Awesome.
We halved 6 with bogeys... his of the three-putt variety. On 7, he got in trouble off the tee but managed to get himself back into position and hit a really good 4th shot to give him a look at par. I was 50 yards from the hole on my 3rd shot and tugged it to the left of the stick, 24 feet away. My birdie attempt missed just low and he made his par. Still 4 down through 7.
Here's where things started to get interesting. I got a stroke on 8 but didn't need it. My par (net birdie) beat his bogey. 3 down through 8. No strokes on 9. My drive went way right into the 8th fairway. His went way left into the short game practice area (not out of bounds). My 7 iron from there 8th fairway found the green and left me 34 feet. His approach hit a tree... then he pitched to about 30 feet. My par held up against his bogey. 2 down through 9. My 42 on the front side was 3 worse than his 39.
He got a big break on 10 when his drive hit the trees up the left side and kicked into the fairway. My 4 iron was in the fairway but I hit a low 9 iron that caught the green and fed off into a bunker. I was extremely short sided and we halved with bogey. 2 down through 10.
A big drive on 11 (getting a stroke) was followed by a decent approach while he pushed his approach into a muddy lie. Unfortunately for him, the ball didn't plug... so no relief. My par (net birdie) beat his double. 1 down through 11.
I messed up 12 pretty bad with an 8 iron that finished just shy of the green. My putt from there caught the grain after the slope and went off the back of the green. Trying to get cute, I left my chip short... then almost hole the next, but took a double. He made par. 2 down through 12.
On 13, I was getting another stroke. I hit a big drive that took a horrible kick and ended up on the base of a tree. My only option was to hack it out to the right, further into the rough. I couldn't go left or backwards. I then hit a solid 4 iron about 60 yards shy of the green. My wedge from there came up short. A bad pitch to 9 feet left me a tricky putt that I couldn't make. I settled for a double (net bogey) while he made par. 3 down through 13 with 5 holes to play.
My drive on 14 was big, but didn't draw. I was in the rough on 15 with a tree between my ball and the green. I got up and over and left myself a slick 18 footer downhill for birdie. I hit an awful putt that left me an even slicker 6 footer for par. I made that for par (net birdie) while my opponent made par. 2 down through 14.
On 15 I hit a good drive, a great 4 iron layup and then a wedge from 51 yards to 3 feet. It was a birdie (net eagle) while my opponent made bogey. 1 down through 15.
That was the last of my strokes for the round. Now I'd have to win at least 2 holes straight up to have a shot to win.
I hit a solid 4 iron on 16 into the right side of the fairway then stuck a 9 iron to 6 feet and made that for birdie. His birdie attempt came up just shy and he settled for par. We were all square.
17 was playing with an odd, swirling wind. I hit a 9 iron that started at the stick but finished 34 feet to the left... on the green. My opponent hit his ball into a bad spot in a bunker. He got out but left himself 25 feet or so. My putt took off on me and I ran it 9 feet beyond the hole. He nearly holed his 25 footer. It hit the cup, popped up and settled on the lip. My 9 footer slid by and we halved with bogey.
The final hole is brutal when walking... straight uphill and very steep. I hit a solid drive that didn't draw enough for me and ran into a bunker. My opponent split the fairway. When we got up to my ball, I saw that it was only about 4 feet from the high lip. I had 107, up the hill and into a strong breeze. My 9 iron hit the lip and shot it across the left side of the fairway into the rough. He hit a thin wedge that caught the front of the green and ran up onto the correct tier, leaving him about 15 feet for birdie. From 91 yards, I hit a wedge that finished 30 feet left of the hole. My par attempt from there dove just low. I tapped in for a disheartening bogey. His birdie attempt got about halfway there... you could tell his nerves were shot. He managed to sink the par putt and take the match.
I love how different match play is. It's fun to be in a match even when you think you may not be. I hate how a single bad kick can ruin a hole and kill momentum. The kick my drive took on 13 to land at the base of that tree was wild. I still have no idea what it hit to jump that way.
In the end... it was a fun match. I gave away a huge opportunity on 17 with a really, really poor putt. Ultimately, that's what I'm putting it on. The bad kick was one thing... a poor putt when it's all in my hands is another.
Anyway... sorry for the long post. I just needed to type it out to get it off my chest.
