Coming off scores of 90 and 89 in two consecutive rounds at Osprey Valley Hoot, I was primed for my next event on the GTA Amateur Tour. This one was held at Brampton Golf Club, a classic parkland course in the heart of Brampton. The threat of thunderstorms loomed all day, but we managed to play the round shower free, except for a single hole during the back nine. It was hot and humid all day however.
I started the round with two bogeys, followed by two pars. The bogeys were a bit unlucky, as I was playing well, but found myself in some tough spots. On hole #1, my approach to the green was partially blocked by a lone tree on the left edge of the fairway. I tried to avoid it altogether, but clipped some branches and had to pay the price. On hole #2, a par-5 with OB on both sides of the fairway, I was in excellent position after two shots. In the middle of the fairway 120 yards away from the flag, I caught the approach shot fat, which sent the ball left of my target line and into a greenside pond. After taking a penalty stroke, I made a nice up and down from 75 yards away! Holes #3 and #4 were textbook pars.
All the trouble in this round came on holes #5 through #8. I made par on hole #7, a par-3 measuring 164 yards, so actually the trouble came on the other three holes. A tough side hill lie caused problems for my second shot on hole #5. A skulled chip shot and a duffed chip shot later on in the hole led to a triple-bogey. An errant tee shot on the next hole led to a lost ball and subsequent penalty stroke. My approach to the green was actually struck very well, but the result was terrible. The approach was right at the flag, which was hidden behind a cluster of spruce trees. When I approached the flag, I discovered that a bunker lay between the trees and the green. Sure enough, I was a yard short of clearing the bunker. My first shot from the sand was fat, while my second was thin, sending the ball to the fringe on the opposite side of the green. A three-putt was almost inevitable from there, leading to a score of 9 for the hole. On hole #8, I thought I could get my second shot over a short pine tree on the right side of the fairway. I smacked the trunk of the tree and then struggled with a couple more approach shots. I was also in a bunker on this hole and hit a mediocre out. The result was a score of 8 for the hole.
It seems as though I got all the bad shots out of my system on the eighth hole, as I played extremely well for the rest of the round. In fact, I shot a remarkable 38 on the back nine! A clutch putt saved bogey on the par-4 tenth. A good tee shot and two putts were good enough for par on hole #11. Hole #12 is when the rain came, leading to double-bogey. After the rain passed, I made a beautiful birdie on hole #13. The tee shot on this par-3 must carry water all the way to the green. I picked the right club and struck it well, leaving a straight 12 foot putt, which I drained.
A good putt from the front of the green set up a tap-in par on hole #14. I had hit a solid drive and pair of approach shots to get things going. I made an even better putt from the front of the green on hole #15. The flag was at the back of the green, so this one traveled a good 90 feet to get there. The ball stopped just inches from the cup. It was another tap-in par on hole #16, a beautiful par-3 from an elevated teeing ground. This one was set up by an excellent 4-iron off the tee into the wind. The par streak continued on hole #17, a par-5 measuring 456 yards. After a shaky second shot, I hit a nice 6-iron to the edge of the green. A good lag putt set up the easy tap-in. The par streak ended with a bogey on hole #18, but I broke 90 for the second consecutive round, so I didn’t mind at all. I finished fourth for the tournament, which was my best finish so far on the GTA Amateur Tour.
Score: 89
Par: 71
Putts: 31
Fairways: 3
Greens: 4
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