I began my defence of the Deepwoods Golf Association Championship with the opening round of the 2009 season at Copetown Woods Golf Club. Strong wind made it tough for most competitors, but I was in a good zone and pulled out a solid result.
Playing the back nine first, I wasted a perfect drive on hole #10 when my second shot on the par-5 from only 165 yards out was hit fat. The ball came up well short of the green in a large waste bunker. Of course, it was also nestled behind a shrub within the bunker, forcing me to chip out sideways. After a double bogey on #10, I made par on the next two holes. Both were textbook plays, as I hit the greens in regulation and 2-putted to finish. On hole #14 I hit a nice drive, which was good enough to win the longest drive competition. There are much longer hitters on the Deepwoods Tour, but I'm sure the wind made it tough on them. I got near the green with my second shot, but ended up beneath a pine tree, which led to a double-bogey.
Hole #16, the third par-5 on the back nine at Copetown, was notable as I registered an impressive par. I hit the fairway, advanced the ball to the 100-yard marker, then hit the green and made a couple of putts. Easy stuff. The only terrible hole on the back nine was #17, a par-3 measuring 137 yards and rated the easiest hole on the course. I mis-hit my wedge off the tee, sending the ball to a bunker on the left side. It took a couple of swipes to get the ball out, followed by three putts for a triple-bogey.
Playing the front nine, I scrambled well to save par on hole #1, a par-5 stretching 439 yards. I pulled my drive left, then played the next two shots hugging the trees along that side. A chip and a putt finished it up. On hole #2, my drive came to rest about a foot into the long fescue. It didn't appear very thick, but the long grass wraps around the clubhead and shaft, making it tough to get out. A triple bogey was the result. On hole #4, a short par-3 measuring 139 yards, I missed a par putt from within 3 feet. The wind was incredibly strong and I found it impacted my putting more than anything else.
Some bad luck on hole #6 produced another triple-bogey. After duffing my tee shot and advancing the ball with two more strokes, I was 50 yards away from the green, near the tee area of hole #5. I hit a sand wedge shot that went high in the air, hitting an overhanging electrical wire before coming to rest on the lower tier of the large green. I opted to replay the shot, figuring I could stick the ball on the top tier of the green near the flag. Sure enough, I mis-hit the replayed shot and came up well short of the green. Following that episode, I made par on the next two holes. Pars are very boring to describe, but extremely satisfying to make.
Overall, I was happy with my score, especially given the terrible weather conditions. I actually shot the same score as I did last year at Copetown Woods. This year my handicap is lower, so it didn't produce as many points according to the modified Stableford system used by Deepwoods. Still, it was good enough for seventh place. A cluster of players directly ahead of me means that third place is just two points away. It's a long season and I am still in the hunt.
Score: 94
Par: 72
Putts: 39
Fairways: 5
Greens: 6
No comments:
Post a Comment