The final round of the Deepwoods Golf Association took place at Crosswinds Golf & Country Club on a wet Sunday afternoon. It was cooler than seasonal and cloud cover kept the sun hidden away until the round was over. Light rain fell during the middle of the round, but standing water was a factor from start to finish. I was in the final group of the day, challenging for the title of 2015 Deepwoods Champion.
The front nine went about as well as I could have hoped for and certainly well enough to be crowned champion. I put together two pars and seven bogeys for a score of 43 at the turn. This translated into 19 points under the modified Stableford system used by Deepwoods. One of my fellow competitors was on the same pace, but he started the round a few points behind and was not closing the gap. The other two started even with me and they only managed 15 points each on the front nine. I was in the driver's seat and I knew it.
The key to my play on the front nine was the fact that I never made more than one mistake per hole. As a result, I never made worse than bogey. On the first hole, a short but tricky par-4, the mistake was a 3-putt after reaching the green in regulation. On holes #2 and #7, it was a pulled drive. On hole #6, the hardest on the course, the mistake was a duffed chip from flag-high, left of the green. On each occasion, I followed up with good shots. The driver was working fairly well and my irons felt solid. I was keeping my right hand loose and hitting them straight.
I made par on hole #10, thanks to a great up and down to a back pin location. One of my opponents took a quad on the hole, so I was in good shape for the title. Then, on hole #11, I hit a terrible duck hook with the driver, sending the ball into a pond. Despite taking a penalty stroke, I still had a chance to make bogey on the par-5 hole. My third shot was a good 4-iron, leaving about 150 yards to the green. From there, I found the front of the putting surface. Two putts were needed for bogey, but I blasted my first way past the hole. My second 3-putt of the day resulted in my first double-bogey. Incidentally, my playing partner made birdie, for a 3-point swing. Uh oh!
I didn't know for sure, but I felt like I was still leading the pack, albeit by a slight margin. I bogeyed the next two holes, so I felt like I was back on track. Hole #14 is the easiest on the course, so I wouldn't get any strokes to help me. Then again, neither would my competition. I hit a mediocre drive, but was still in the centre of the fairway, 150 yards from the green. My 8-iron shot came out low and squirted right, into the rough short of the green. My pitch shot went past the hole, but it should have been an easy 2-putt for bogey. Unfortunately, I babied the first putt, a downhill one, leading to a 3-putt and zero points. I now felt like the pair of 3-putts on holes #11 and #14 might cost me dearly.
That doubt was the worst thing that could have happened. I basically played sloppy, nervous golf over the last four holes. On hole #15, a par-5, I pulled my drive left towards out of bounds. I was lucky that my ball stayed in, but it was only a foot or so from the fence. I thought about turning a club over and hitting it left-handed, or about hitting it one-handed with my back to the target. None of those options felt good. I finally opted to slam the lob wedge straight down, but the angle was so steep and the lie so terrible, that the ball only moved a couple of feet. I went on to have more trouble near the green, finishing with a triple-bogey and zero points. Argh!
At that point, it was over. Unless I made par over the last three holes, I would have to rely on my scores from earlier in the season. I went on to record a bogey and two doubles, then headed to the clubhouse, expecting to hear that one of the others in my group had taken the victory. Amazingly, three of us ended the season tied and would go on to a sudden death playoff!
I had the best chance to win on the first playoff hole. None of us hit a good tee shot, with one going left into some trees, and the other joining me right in a fairway bunker. I hit a great out though, finishing in the fairway, just 20 yards from the green. The guy who went left into the trees ended up in the fairway as well, but 30 yards behind me. The other hit a poor shot into some gnarly fescue, also about 50 yards from the green. He punched near the green, chipped on and 2-putt for double-bogey. The two of us in the fairway made weak shots to get on the green and then both of us 3-putt for double-bogeys of our own.
On the second playoff hole, a par-5, we all found the fairway with our drives. Two of us were short though, and had to lay up before a hazard that crosses the fairway up near the green. The other drilled his drive deep, then finished just left of the green with his second shot. He had the advantage at that point. Ultimately, he would chip and 2-putt for par. I found the edge of the green with my third shot and also 2-putt for par. The last guy stuck his approach from 100 yards to within six feet and drained the putt for birdie and the championship.
It was my third runner-up finish on the Deepwoods Tour, which must be a record. I do have one championship to go with those, but that was a long time ago. So close, yet again!
Score: 93
Putts: 36
Fairways: 8
Greens: 2
Penalties: 2
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