Maryland National - Don't Give Up, Don't Ever Give Up!
Another GolfWeek Amateur tour stop. This time in lovely Middleton, MD. Mean Gene and Clint were in on the fun as well. And by fun I mean being beaten down...
Date: Sunday 6/1/2014
Location: Maryland National, Middleton, MD
Score: 90
Excuses: Losing my focus, poor course management
Course Conditions: Excellent! Fairways and greens were pristine, the rough was very penal, and the elevation changes were great. And more great views of Sugarloaf Mountain.
The Good: Solid Birdie, finishing in the money
The Bad: Opening with two straight double bogeys, including one on a short par 5
The Ugly: Three triple bogies in a row on 9, 10, and 11
Having played this course multiple times before, I thought I had a leg up on the competition. Unfortunately, one of the tour members in my flight was a current member of the course. So I wasn't going to out strategize him, I would just have to do in the old fashioned way, go low. Sadly, it's hard to go low when you start high. I started out with two double bogeys. This is pretty bad for me on a normal day, but when one of those holes was a par 5 that played all downhill and I was in the fairway a mere 225 yards away on my second shot... You get the idea.
After those first two doubles, I manage to settle down and only added three more strokes to my total, missing pars and birdies by mere millimeters. Then came #9. The ninth hole is a short par 4 with water all along the left side and a sand trap in the middle of the hole sitting at around 230 yards. I hit my driver with a soft fade all day and the only danger to the right of the hole was light rough and the cart path. I aimed for the trap expecting it to go right or to carry the trap, only to hit an incredible draw right into the water. I ended up with a mind bashing triple and finished the front nine with a 46.
Things were looking pretty bleak at that moment for my tournament hopes. Then came #10. The tenth hole is another pretty short par 4 with deep rough to the left and trees and water to the right. The essential play is to get the ball on the fairway as close to the edge of the water as you can because the green is small and well protected by bunkers and water. I hit a decent drive but it did not move as far right as I would have hoped and settled in the deep rough. I'm only 110 yards out so I decide to take an easy wedge to get it to the green. Sadly I hit a hosel rocket right into the water hazard. I ended up with another triple.
I'd love to tell you that I persevered and took the high road and didn't let things get me down. I'd be lying to you. On #11, I hit what I thought was a terrible drive and was in a very salty mood. The drive turned out to be fabulous and I was only 130 yards out. In what I would describe as the worst shot of the day, I hit another hosel rocket out of bounds, this time from the middle of the fairway. I ended up with another triple.
Having mailed in the tournament at this point, I faced a daunting 227 yard par 3. Granted, the tee shot plays WAY, WAY downhill, but it's still damn near 230 yards. Only guessing at elevation and the wind, I crush a good six iron (partially afraid of another hosel rocket) to 15 feet from the pin. I lipped out the birdie putt but got a solid par. On #13 I hit a decent drive that settled to the right rough, then crushed a great hybrid to 90 yards. I then hit the best shot of the day, a half gap wedge that bounced off the pin and settled one foot from the hole. Birdie and skin!
On the next hole I made a very uncharacteristic mistake. Par 3, playing about 165 of the 178 yards it was supposed to. I put a 7 iron about 15 feet from the hole. I left my putt around 2 feet short and proceed to half-ass the perceived "gimmie" and end up lipping it out. Lesson learned, take no putt for granted in tournament time... That one would come back to haunt me...
I finish the round with three more bogeys and one more par to a tune of a 90.
Not a good round by my standards, and the only solace I had was that I scored just lower than Gene and Clint, but not by much... In fact, I didn't even stay for the presentation or take a picture of the scoreboard because I had figured I was completely out of it. I instead opted to get back home in time for Game of Thrones (The Mountain That Rides vs. The Red Viper of Dorne).
I come to find out later (at the next tournament) that I had finished in 5th place and won a gift card. I finished one measly stroke out of a tie for 3rd place, 2 strokes out of outright 3rd, 3 strokes out of second place, and a whopping 7 strokes out of 1st (the aforementioned course member won..). So, hindsight being 20/20, here's what I learned:
1) On 9, I could have just hit a hybrid off the tee short of the trap and taken the water completely out of play. Strokes Saved: at least 1
2) On 10. I could have hit a 3-wood or a hybrid off the tee to the 150 marker. Strokes saved: at least 1
3) I wouldn't have had the mental meltdown to fix me coming over the top and hitting the hosel. Strokes saved: at least 1
4) I should have given my full attention on the putt on #14. Strokes Saved: 1
And there you have it. Second place in my grasp and I give it away by not being mentally tough enough.
As Jimmy V. was famous for saying: "Don't Give Up, Don't Ever Give Up." Stay focused, stay the course, and trust the process.
Until then. Back to the RANGE, PRACTICE GREEN, and GYM
Next Stop: The Golf Club at Landsdowne
Date: Sunday 6/1/2014
Location: Maryland National, Middleton, MD
Score: 90
Excuses: Losing my focus, poor course management
Course Conditions: Excellent! Fairways and greens were pristine, the rough was very penal, and the elevation changes were great. And more great views of Sugarloaf Mountain.
The Good: Solid Birdie, finishing in the money
The Bad: Opening with two straight double bogeys, including one on a short par 5
The Ugly: Three triple bogies in a row on 9, 10, and 11
Having played this course multiple times before, I thought I had a leg up on the competition. Unfortunately, one of the tour members in my flight was a current member of the course. So I wasn't going to out strategize him, I would just have to do in the old fashioned way, go low. Sadly, it's hard to go low when you start high. I started out with two double bogeys. This is pretty bad for me on a normal day, but when one of those holes was a par 5 that played all downhill and I was in the fairway a mere 225 yards away on my second shot... You get the idea.
After those first two doubles, I manage to settle down and only added three more strokes to my total, missing pars and birdies by mere millimeters. Then came #9. The ninth hole is a short par 4 with water all along the left side and a sand trap in the middle of the hole sitting at around 230 yards. I hit my driver with a soft fade all day and the only danger to the right of the hole was light rough and the cart path. I aimed for the trap expecting it to go right or to carry the trap, only to hit an incredible draw right into the water. I ended up with a mind bashing triple and finished the front nine with a 46.
Things were looking pretty bleak at that moment for my tournament hopes. Then came #10. The tenth hole is another pretty short par 4 with deep rough to the left and trees and water to the right. The essential play is to get the ball on the fairway as close to the edge of the water as you can because the green is small and well protected by bunkers and water. I hit a decent drive but it did not move as far right as I would have hoped and settled in the deep rough. I'm only 110 yards out so I decide to take an easy wedge to get it to the green. Sadly I hit a hosel rocket right into the water hazard. I ended up with another triple.
I'd love to tell you that I persevered and took the high road and didn't let things get me down. I'd be lying to you. On #11, I hit what I thought was a terrible drive and was in a very salty mood. The drive turned out to be fabulous and I was only 130 yards out. In what I would describe as the worst shot of the day, I hit another hosel rocket out of bounds, this time from the middle of the fairway. I ended up with another triple.
Having mailed in the tournament at this point, I faced a daunting 227 yard par 3. Granted, the tee shot plays WAY, WAY downhill, but it's still damn near 230 yards. Only guessing at elevation and the wind, I crush a good six iron (partially afraid of another hosel rocket) to 15 feet from the pin. I lipped out the birdie putt but got a solid par. On #13 I hit a decent drive that settled to the right rough, then crushed a great hybrid to 90 yards. I then hit the best shot of the day, a half gap wedge that bounced off the pin and settled one foot from the hole. Birdie and skin!
On the next hole I made a very uncharacteristic mistake. Par 3, playing about 165 of the 178 yards it was supposed to. I put a 7 iron about 15 feet from the hole. I left my putt around 2 feet short and proceed to half-ass the perceived "gimmie" and end up lipping it out. Lesson learned, take no putt for granted in tournament time... That one would come back to haunt me...
I finish the round with three more bogeys and one more par to a tune of a 90.
Not a good round by my standards, and the only solace I had was that I scored just lower than Gene and Clint, but not by much... In fact, I didn't even stay for the presentation or take a picture of the scoreboard because I had figured I was completely out of it. I instead opted to get back home in time for Game of Thrones (The Mountain That Rides vs. The Red Viper of Dorne).
I come to find out later (at the next tournament) that I had finished in 5th place and won a gift card. I finished one measly stroke out of a tie for 3rd place, 2 strokes out of outright 3rd, 3 strokes out of second place, and a whopping 7 strokes out of 1st (the aforementioned course member won..). So, hindsight being 20/20, here's what I learned:
1) On 9, I could have just hit a hybrid off the tee short of the trap and taken the water completely out of play. Strokes Saved: at least 1
2) On 10. I could have hit a 3-wood or a hybrid off the tee to the 150 marker. Strokes saved: at least 1
3) I wouldn't have had the mental meltdown to fix me coming over the top and hitting the hosel. Strokes saved: at least 1
4) I should have given my full attention on the putt on #14. Strokes Saved: 1
And there you have it. Second place in my grasp and I give it away by not being mentally tough enough.
As Jimmy V. was famous for saying: "Don't Give Up, Don't Ever Give Up." Stay focused, stay the course, and trust the process.
Until then. Back to the RANGE, PRACTICE GREEN, and GYM
Next Stop: The Golf Club at Landsdowne
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