This weekend my club Tuckers Point had its biggest tournament, the Member/Guest Shootout Derby. First time playing in it for me.
The format was two ball best ball....each team member (2 players) play their own ball on each hole and the best score of the twosome is recorded. Once this is over the top 5 teams qualify for a Shootout in which all 5 teams play the first 4 holes (we miss #4 though because they didn't want two par 3s in the derby (#2 is a par 3 as well as #4) but the teams have to play alternate shots. All 5 teams played from the first tee and one team was to be eliminated per hole
My buddy Luis and I started off really well in the tournament. After 10 holes we were 7 under par. Then things went downhill quickly and we ended up at 5 under for the round. Not thinking we had a hope of making it to the Shootout we put our clubs in the car and went to have lunch. Just after we started to eat they posted all the scores. We were tied for 5th but qualified for the shootout on retrogression (That is the FIRST time retrogression has worked in my favour, I have lost many times because of it). I had to rush out and get our clubs back on the cart.
Basically everyone who had played in the tournament plus a bunch of guests from the hotel were provided with golf carts to follow the shootout and watch the action. Luis asked me to hit our drive on hole 1. There were so many people around the green I had to "excuse me" my way top the boxes. Normally I would hit a driver from the blue tees but they had put them on a forward area so rather than risk over hitting I used my 3 wood. Despite the pressure I banged one out with a sweet draw into the middle of the fairway to leave Luis a 120/130 yard approach shot. However, one team had lost their ball by hitting through the fairway and they couldn't find it. They went back to the tee, put it in the trap and could not get out of the trap on the next shot....so they conceded the hole. Down to 4 teams and on to #2.
Luis hit our drive and put it pin high but off the green leaving me with a tricky chip which I flubbed. Then I missed a putt to beat the other team we were fighting with to stay in the shootout. We tied the hole and had to replay it. A member of the other team ended up missing an easy 2 putt to force a second replay so we squeaked through. Down to 3 teams and on to #3, a long par 5.
I drove our ball straight down the middle...lots of "oos and ahhhs" and I heard a lot of people commenting on how a guy my size (160 lbs soaking wet) could hit the ball so far...lol. Luis had about 220 to the green and turned to me and said "I am not going to try and make it Chris, too far and I might really screw it up. How about I put it 100 out for you?" I agreed and he did exactly what he said he would do. Due to the pin position I had no green to work with...the flag was way off on the right side of the green with only about 3 feet of green on either side of it from where I was hitting from. The crowd had all gathered on the bank to watch and as I stepped up to hit my shot I actually laughed at how much my knees and hand were shaking. I stepped away from the shot to compose myself and kept saying "KEEP YOUR HEAD DOWN" over and over again to myself.
I took my lob wedge out and struck the best shot of my life. It landed about a foot in front of the hole, took two bounces and then spun back and *almost* dropped in but it stayed hanging on the lip of the hole. The director of the tournament called it a gimme...and Luis didn't even need to put. The birdie kept us safe and in it and we only had to watch as another team got knocked out.
Down to 2 teams and on to the 5th. Nothing spectacular to report there...I had a putt to win the whole thing from about 5 feet and missed. Then the other team had a 3 footer to force a playoff...and they missed, handing us the championship.
Made my weekend.
