Orikoru
Tour Winner
Archer Cup today, singles matchplay knockout for mid-handicaps. Playing against an 11.8 I believe so I'm receiving 3 shots.
1st, P3: He pops a lovely one on the green, whereas I miss left. I can only make bogey and he makes an easy par. 1 down.
2nd, P4: He hits fairway, somehow I TOP my 3 wood. WTF? I never do that. I get away with it as it squirts between two bushes, but I have 200+ to the green - I hit a better 3 wood this time just short of the green but a bunker to go over. He slightly fats his approach and goes in that bunker. I normally never chip with 60 but it's the only option here - I play it nice and it nearly goes in, but runs 3 foot past. His bunker shot seems him right at the back of the green and putting down - he 3-putts for a 6, I dribble mine down to guarantee the bogey. How have I won that one? All square.
3rd, P3: Poor heely strike for me, ends up in right bunker. He's on the green. I can only hit my bunker shot well past the flag and I three-putt coming back. 1 down.
4th, P4: He nails his drive down the middle, I hit a good one too, but his really catches the dry slope and ends up going about 320 yards! Ridiculous. I just make the front edge of the green with 9 iron, and his pitch from a lot nearer isn't great as he also only just makes front edge. Both have 30 footers to a back pin.. he rolls his superbly to two feet to put the pressure on. So I promptly drain mine for bird! All square.
5th, P4: I pull my drive about a mile left, he hits a nice one up the middle. Somehow I've got a lucky gap through the trees though to send a wedge just off the right edge of the green. He finds the back of green. We both put it to about two feet and good-good it for the first half of the match in pars.
6th, P3: I hit a gripped down PW and it's the right choice, finds middle of green. He ends up short and in the bunker. I roll my first putt a little way past, but he only makes a 5 and concedes. 1 up.
7th, P4, shot: I hit the straightest drive you'll ever see, and he goes way right onto the adjacent hole. He hits back over and short of the green, and I absolutely flush my hybrid onto the correct tier of the green. He doesn't have much chance anyway with it being my shot hole, and I two-putt for the par to take it. 2 up.
8th, P5: Strap in, because this hole was an absolute SAGA. I hit my first drive, it's a bit of a weak, high fade up the right. His drive is a nice draw up the middle. I decide to hit a provisional in case my first one kicked right towards the pond, and I toe-hook this provisional way left onto the practice ground. We get down there, opponent parks his trolley next to his ball and we start looking all around the pond for my ball - can't find it anywhere. Nothing sitting in the pond and you would have seen it in the reeds. Over to the practice ground then, eventually find my prov ball over there, and slap it back over to our right hand rough with 7 wood.
When my opponent goes back to 'his' ball, he realises that's not his ball at all - it's my first. I had assumed he'd checked it but he never did, he just assumed. I'm sure the rules will say tough luck for me, but he said he couldn't allow me to be punished for something that he took ownership for and said was his fault for not checking - and my provisional had been behind this one still when I hit it the second time, so he thankfully said he was happy for me to play my original ball. So I stripe it down there with 7 wood, very nearly reaching the green in two on the bone dry fairway, which I wasn't even thinking of. His ball was a little way up in the left rough, and he just missed the green right from there. I knife my chip and it runs through the green and into the back fringe. He chips on but is some way short. I then hole my putt from the fringe for another birdie! He doesn't hole his.. and is probably quite gutted about how that panned out in the end... Drama.
3 up.
9th, P5: I pull my drive half a mile left - he over-fades his and misses right. I hit a wedge over the trees that are blocking me out, but end up in a ditch. He punches safely through the trees on his side. Taking a drop isn't helpful so instead I opt to chip out of the ditch, and actually manage this successfully to get back on fairway, but I'm still 180 yards out, and hit a weak slicey one well right. Long story short I continue to make an arse of it and he pars anyway. 2 up.
10th, P3: He hits the front of the green, but it rolls off again as there's a bit of a false front. Another rubbish weak fade with hybrid for me, leaves me having to flop over a bunker with 60 - the lie isn't good enough though, and I thin it to the back edge. Luckily, he completely misjudges his putt up the hill and it rolls back down. I lag mine to about two feet, and he overcompensates and slaps his 9 foot past! But he holes it nicely from there to spare his blushes, and I hole mine for half.
11th, P4: He hits a beauty up the fairway - I pull mine left. Again. I've got literally no gap to aim for so I just punch and pray - it hits a tree as expected. Managed to chip out the second time, then leave my pitch short of the green. Meanwhile he makes a stress-free par. 1 up.
12th, P4, shot: He doesn't quite catch it 100% but it's still up the middle. I pull my drive left. AGAIN. I try and chip out, but do that thing where you don't commit properly and duff the simplest of shots. He goes for the green but pulls it a bit left towards a tiny troublesome bunker. I actually hit a nice 9 iron to the front edge of the green - he ends up not in the bunker, but just above it with a truly impossible lie - he duffs it into the sand and then gets on for four. I play a reasonable putt to 2 feet for 5 net 4 and he concedes. 2 up.
13th, P4: I finally hit a good drive again! He slices his tee shot to the right. It takes him two attempts from there to get on the green. I hit a pitch and run to the green, but the ground is so hard that my club bounces and thins it through the back. I chip on from there - opponent has 15 feet for par, and he sinks it! I have 12 feet for the half.. and I sink that as well!
14th, P3: Very hard par 3 this. I overthink it and duff my tee shot well short. He slices his again and goes in the long stuff - but plays an excellent shot from there to find the green. My chip inexplicably runs off the left side of the green when it should have gone the other way, but I managed to get up and down for bogey and he two-putts for the half.
15th, long P3: We had a long wait for the green to clear, before I step up and top my 3 wood for the second time today. Have no idea what's going on here as I'm normally so consistent with 3W off the tee. He almost tops his one as well, thankfully, but his runs up a lot further than mine; mine also went quite far left. I try and hit 54 over a tree, but I knife it and it goes about 40 yards long and right of the green. I knife it from here as well - having a really hard time with the rock hard ground and my club bouncing before the ball. I end up not even making a 5 and he's on in 2 so I give it up. 1 up.
16th, P4, shot: He slices his tee shot right. I think right, here's my opportunity - I too slice my tee shot right. He has to chip back to fairway though, I'm lucky enough to get a drop from a staked tree and hit a solid pitching wedge up there. He hooks his next one a bit left - from 100-ish yards I hit a lovely shot onto the green. Ultimately two-putt for a 5 net 4 which he can't match. 2 up.
17th, P4: I put my trust in 3 wood again, despite the two earlier tops - this time I hit it perfectly. He also hits a good shot just short of mine. He hits onto the safe left part of the green. My ball, is in a bloody divot. A bone dry divot with not a blade of grass in sight. Typical. I make sure I strike ball first but the club turns over and I miss well left of the green. The lie down there is very fluffy and I whiff the chip before eventually getting on in 4. I don't make the putt for 5, so he ends up with two putts from 5 feet for the win; I tell him to pick it up. 1 up.
18th, P4: He stripes his nicely. I do my usual plan of trying to fade it off the left bunker with 7 wood - I flush it but it draws instead, carries over said bunker, and leaves me a 55 yard pitch to the green, which is not the plan at all. He hits a lovely shot onto the green, I pitch mine with the intention of definitely not leaving it short since there is a horrible bunker there. I thought I played it well, but when we get up there, it turns out it's just kept on going, rolled through the green and down the bank at the bank into a horrendous lie surrounded by pine cones. I knife it back across the green from there, then leave the next chip well short, then hit a putt in the vague direction of the hole but I'm not even thinking now, complete head loss. He pars to take it to extra holes. All square.
1st, P3: He pulls his tee shot left into a bunker. Here is my chance, I thought! I too pull it left into the same bunker. It's a downhill bunker shot for me, I get out of it but it runs right through the green off the other side. It's still me to play first as it turns out his ball just luckily kicked out of the original bunker despite hitting it... I actually play a delightful chip to about two feet. He dribbles his onto the green and two-putts, I hole mine for the half.
2nd, P4: His tee shot is good. Mine is not, it turns right but doesn't quite cascade down the bank into the ditch, it just stays on that bank, leaving me an awkward shot with ball below feet - but I do a great job with this, hit it slightly toey with 8i which cancels out the slope nicely and it hits middle of green. He finds the green too, and we both two-putt for pars.
3rd, P3: He slightly fats his tee shot. I flush my 8 but it's gone a bit left. When I get there, it turns out I've flown the green by about 30 yards and I'm just inches short of a ditch that's technically on the 4th hole. Guess I had too much club then - oops. I literally have nowhere to stand because of said ditch, so I have to try and play it with the ball behind my feet, and I completely cock this up - it goes all of about ten feet. I chip it onto the green from here but still a good 6 feet from the hole. He gets out of the bunker and two-putts pretty easily to take the match, as I failed to hole my bogey putt.
Honestly don't have the words to sum that up really. I'd say it was soul-destroying if I still had a soul left to destroy. Once again I've bottled a match that I should have won. Frankly my opponent couldn't believe how well I was playing on that spell in the front nine, but that seemed to very quickly go in the bin as soon as the pressure was on. I don't think I'll bother with the solo knockouts next year, I clearly don't have the minerals to actually see out a win, so what's the point? Pathetic.
1st, P3: He pops a lovely one on the green, whereas I miss left. I can only make bogey and he makes an easy par. 1 down.
2nd, P4: He hits fairway, somehow I TOP my 3 wood. WTF? I never do that. I get away with it as it squirts between two bushes, but I have 200+ to the green - I hit a better 3 wood this time just short of the green but a bunker to go over. He slightly fats his approach and goes in that bunker. I normally never chip with 60 but it's the only option here - I play it nice and it nearly goes in, but runs 3 foot past. His bunker shot seems him right at the back of the green and putting down - he 3-putts for a 6, I dribble mine down to guarantee the bogey. How have I won that one? All square.
3rd, P3: Poor heely strike for me, ends up in right bunker. He's on the green. I can only hit my bunker shot well past the flag and I three-putt coming back. 1 down.
4th, P4: He nails his drive down the middle, I hit a good one too, but his really catches the dry slope and ends up going about 320 yards! Ridiculous. I just make the front edge of the green with 9 iron, and his pitch from a lot nearer isn't great as he also only just makes front edge. Both have 30 footers to a back pin.. he rolls his superbly to two feet to put the pressure on. So I promptly drain mine for bird! All square.
5th, P4: I pull my drive about a mile left, he hits a nice one up the middle. Somehow I've got a lucky gap through the trees though to send a wedge just off the right edge of the green. He finds the back of green. We both put it to about two feet and good-good it for the first half of the match in pars.
6th, P3: I hit a gripped down PW and it's the right choice, finds middle of green. He ends up short and in the bunker. I roll my first putt a little way past, but he only makes a 5 and concedes. 1 up.
7th, P4, shot: I hit the straightest drive you'll ever see, and he goes way right onto the adjacent hole. He hits back over and short of the green, and I absolutely flush my hybrid onto the correct tier of the green. He doesn't have much chance anyway with it being my shot hole, and I two-putt for the par to take it. 2 up.
8th, P5: Strap in, because this hole was an absolute SAGA. I hit my first drive, it's a bit of a weak, high fade up the right. His drive is a nice draw up the middle. I decide to hit a provisional in case my first one kicked right towards the pond, and I toe-hook this provisional way left onto the practice ground. We get down there, opponent parks his trolley next to his ball and we start looking all around the pond for my ball - can't find it anywhere. Nothing sitting in the pond and you would have seen it in the reeds. Over to the practice ground then, eventually find my prov ball over there, and slap it back over to our right hand rough with 7 wood.
When my opponent goes back to 'his' ball, he realises that's not his ball at all - it's my first. I had assumed he'd checked it but he never did, he just assumed. I'm sure the rules will say tough luck for me, but he said he couldn't allow me to be punished for something that he took ownership for and said was his fault for not checking - and my provisional had been behind this one still when I hit it the second time, so he thankfully said he was happy for me to play my original ball. So I stripe it down there with 7 wood, very nearly reaching the green in two on the bone dry fairway, which I wasn't even thinking of. His ball was a little way up in the left rough, and he just missed the green right from there. I knife my chip and it runs through the green and into the back fringe. He chips on but is some way short. I then hole my putt from the fringe for another birdie! He doesn't hole his.. and is probably quite gutted about how that panned out in the end... Drama.
3 up.9th, P5: I pull my drive half a mile left - he over-fades his and misses right. I hit a wedge over the trees that are blocking me out, but end up in a ditch. He punches safely through the trees on his side. Taking a drop isn't helpful so instead I opt to chip out of the ditch, and actually manage this successfully to get back on fairway, but I'm still 180 yards out, and hit a weak slicey one well right. Long story short I continue to make an arse of it and he pars anyway. 2 up.
10th, P3: He hits the front of the green, but it rolls off again as there's a bit of a false front. Another rubbish weak fade with hybrid for me, leaves me having to flop over a bunker with 60 - the lie isn't good enough though, and I thin it to the back edge. Luckily, he completely misjudges his putt up the hill and it rolls back down. I lag mine to about two feet, and he overcompensates and slaps his 9 foot past! But he holes it nicely from there to spare his blushes, and I hole mine for half.
11th, P4: He hits a beauty up the fairway - I pull mine left. Again. I've got literally no gap to aim for so I just punch and pray - it hits a tree as expected. Managed to chip out the second time, then leave my pitch short of the green. Meanwhile he makes a stress-free par. 1 up.
12th, P4, shot: He doesn't quite catch it 100% but it's still up the middle. I pull my drive left. AGAIN. I try and chip out, but do that thing where you don't commit properly and duff the simplest of shots. He goes for the green but pulls it a bit left towards a tiny troublesome bunker. I actually hit a nice 9 iron to the front edge of the green - he ends up not in the bunker, but just above it with a truly impossible lie - he duffs it into the sand and then gets on for four. I play a reasonable putt to 2 feet for 5 net 4 and he concedes. 2 up.
13th, P4: I finally hit a good drive again! He slices his tee shot to the right. It takes him two attempts from there to get on the green. I hit a pitch and run to the green, but the ground is so hard that my club bounces and thins it through the back. I chip on from there - opponent has 15 feet for par, and he sinks it! I have 12 feet for the half.. and I sink that as well!
14th, P3: Very hard par 3 this. I overthink it and duff my tee shot well short. He slices his again and goes in the long stuff - but plays an excellent shot from there to find the green. My chip inexplicably runs off the left side of the green when it should have gone the other way, but I managed to get up and down for bogey and he two-putts for the half.
15th, long P3: We had a long wait for the green to clear, before I step up and top my 3 wood for the second time today. Have no idea what's going on here as I'm normally so consistent with 3W off the tee. He almost tops his one as well, thankfully, but his runs up a lot further than mine; mine also went quite far left. I try and hit 54 over a tree, but I knife it and it goes about 40 yards long and right of the green. I knife it from here as well - having a really hard time with the rock hard ground and my club bouncing before the ball. I end up not even making a 5 and he's on in 2 so I give it up. 1 up.
16th, P4, shot: He slices his tee shot right. I think right, here's my opportunity - I too slice my tee shot right. He has to chip back to fairway though, I'm lucky enough to get a drop from a staked tree and hit a solid pitching wedge up there. He hooks his next one a bit left - from 100-ish yards I hit a lovely shot onto the green. Ultimately two-putt for a 5 net 4 which he can't match. 2 up.
17th, P4: I put my trust in 3 wood again, despite the two earlier tops - this time I hit it perfectly. He also hits a good shot just short of mine. He hits onto the safe left part of the green. My ball, is in a bloody divot. A bone dry divot with not a blade of grass in sight. Typical. I make sure I strike ball first but the club turns over and I miss well left of the green. The lie down there is very fluffy and I whiff the chip before eventually getting on in 4. I don't make the putt for 5, so he ends up with two putts from 5 feet for the win; I tell him to pick it up. 1 up.
18th, P4: He stripes his nicely. I do my usual plan of trying to fade it off the left bunker with 7 wood - I flush it but it draws instead, carries over said bunker, and leaves me a 55 yard pitch to the green, which is not the plan at all. He hits a lovely shot onto the green, I pitch mine with the intention of definitely not leaving it short since there is a horrible bunker there. I thought I played it well, but when we get up there, it turns out it's just kept on going, rolled through the green and down the bank at the bank into a horrendous lie surrounded by pine cones. I knife it back across the green from there, then leave the next chip well short, then hit a putt in the vague direction of the hole but I'm not even thinking now, complete head loss. He pars to take it to extra holes. All square.
1st, P3: He pulls his tee shot left into a bunker. Here is my chance, I thought! I too pull it left into the same bunker. It's a downhill bunker shot for me, I get out of it but it runs right through the green off the other side. It's still me to play first as it turns out his ball just luckily kicked out of the original bunker despite hitting it... I actually play a delightful chip to about two feet. He dribbles his onto the green and two-putts, I hole mine for the half.
2nd, P4: His tee shot is good. Mine is not, it turns right but doesn't quite cascade down the bank into the ditch, it just stays on that bank, leaving me an awkward shot with ball below feet - but I do a great job with this, hit it slightly toey with 8i which cancels out the slope nicely and it hits middle of green. He finds the green too, and we both two-putt for pars.
3rd, P3: He slightly fats his tee shot. I flush my 8 but it's gone a bit left. When I get there, it turns out I've flown the green by about 30 yards and I'm just inches short of a ditch that's technically on the 4th hole. Guess I had too much club then - oops. I literally have nowhere to stand because of said ditch, so I have to try and play it with the ball behind my feet, and I completely cock this up - it goes all of about ten feet. I chip it onto the green from here but still a good 6 feet from the hole. He gets out of the bunker and two-putts pretty easily to take the match, as I failed to hole my bogey putt.
Honestly don't have the words to sum that up really. I'd say it was soul-destroying if I still had a soul left to destroy. Once again I've bottled a match that I should have won. Frankly my opponent couldn't believe how well I was playing on that spell in the front nine, but that seemed to very quickly go in the bin as soon as the pressure was on. I don't think I'll bother with the solo knockouts next year, I clearly don't have the minerals to actually see out a win, so what's the point? Pathetic.
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Ben two-putts for half.
Well played.
than any other part of the game. Probably why I’m off 2 point something rather than 6 or 7. You do need true and consistent greens though.
