ScienceBoy
Money List Winner
WARNING!!! Long descriptive passage ahead! If you are not in the mood to read a hole by hole, blow by blow description hit the back button now!
An account of my first ever Club Singles Knockout match
The very best matchplay matches are those where the lead changes hands often. Today, my very first every singles knockout match the lead changed four times! Yes four times!
Teeing off at 4.30 in windy conditions I was playing an 8 handicapper, I am off 14. It seems a tough ask for an improving mid handicapper to try and match an established single figure player but I gave it my all.
The first hole was close, I missed a 4 footer for a par to win, ending it in a half. A four on the par 3 2nd to go one down, first holding of a lead.
I then won the 3rd with a nice par, halved the next. I missed another easy one on 5 for bogey, one down now.
A good tee shot but still lost the par 3 6th, two down! Then 7 was almost a birdie! Drove nice, duffed my layup so had to go for the green. Uphill into the wind from 185, I nailed a 5 wood to about 12 feet and he conceded as he was still off the green for 6 and I was putting for a 4!
I won 8 with two solid shots and a good putt to bring it back to all square.
On to the SI 9th, the tricky par 4 was halved in 5s. Then the real exciting stuff happened. Two pars on 10 and 11 put me two up followed by two double bogeys, back to all square! Just one lead change in 13 holes!
14 is tough, a long par 4 into the wind and uphill. My opponent drove wild right but found a good lie, put himself on the back fringe. I drove down the middle but dropped my approach in the bunker, 6 feet below the hole and about 20 yards away! I thought I was out of it until I hit the bunker shot of my life to 4 feet and rolled in the par. His 5 meant I was back to 1 up! Two lead changes now.
A couple of three putts on 15 and 16 put me one down standing on the 17th tee, now three lead changes and I was getting nervous, no shots left so I had to match him on one hole and win the other to take it to extra holes!
He drove wild right again on the par 3, 180 ish yards. Lucky for him it dropped out of the trees onto the path leading up to the 18th tee, he still had a chance!!
Under the pressure of my life, into a howling gale I nailed a 4 iron to about 10 feet short and two putted. He missed his tiddler to leave it all square going down 18!
Two nervous but safe drives were followed by two nervous but safe layups. I had about 80 yards and he had about 90. I had no water or bunkers in the way, he had to fly it to the tight pin cut right on the front.
He played first, rolling just past to about 15 feet. I got a bounce off the hill and rolled onto the top tier, 30 feet away!
I had to put across a left to right breaking top tier, then die it on the edge of the slope to let it roll up close. A big ask for any player as anything short is a testing 5 footer down a tier, anything long is off the green!
somehow I stopped it between the bottom of the tier and the hole, 3 feet away but still left to right and a tough putt.
He had to just roll it close and tap in to put the pressure on. He did the first bit, getting inside my 3 feet by an inch or so. A tough putt still, like mine it was left to right but it could also be straight depending on the speed of the greens.
By sheer luck rather than skill I holed out, I was ready for extra holes then! I stood back, full of nerves but knowing I could play the 1st hole well if we had to go there. He stepped up and rolled it by on the low side... I had won and took the 4th and final lead change!
Hopefully that all adds up, I cannot believe I won and what a match! We were both exhausted afterwards and the sweet taste of nectar in the clubhouse was a blessing!
On to the next round now, lets hope its a lot less stressful! I am so happy I could pull out the shots when I needed. The most annoying thing was both the doubles on 12 and 13 were from shots that were struck better than expected and overshot the green. One was a 5 iron from 160 into the wind, ball below my feet. The second was the same but with a 7 iron with the wind and even more below my feet, that one going a full 200 yards!
Overall I have learnt so much, which I would have done even if I lost but winning just makes it even better. I cannot wait for the next one and I hope I learn as much again!
An account of my first ever Club Singles Knockout match
The very best matchplay matches are those where the lead changes hands often. Today, my very first every singles knockout match the lead changed four times! Yes four times!
Teeing off at 4.30 in windy conditions I was playing an 8 handicapper, I am off 14. It seems a tough ask for an improving mid handicapper to try and match an established single figure player but I gave it my all.
The first hole was close, I missed a 4 footer for a par to win, ending it in a half. A four on the par 3 2nd to go one down, first holding of a lead.
I then won the 3rd with a nice par, halved the next. I missed another easy one on 5 for bogey, one down now.
A good tee shot but still lost the par 3 6th, two down! Then 7 was almost a birdie! Drove nice, duffed my layup so had to go for the green. Uphill into the wind from 185, I nailed a 5 wood to about 12 feet and he conceded as he was still off the green for 6 and I was putting for a 4!
I won 8 with two solid shots and a good putt to bring it back to all square.
On to the SI 9th, the tricky par 4 was halved in 5s. Then the real exciting stuff happened. Two pars on 10 and 11 put me two up followed by two double bogeys, back to all square! Just one lead change in 13 holes!
14 is tough, a long par 4 into the wind and uphill. My opponent drove wild right but found a good lie, put himself on the back fringe. I drove down the middle but dropped my approach in the bunker, 6 feet below the hole and about 20 yards away! I thought I was out of it until I hit the bunker shot of my life to 4 feet and rolled in the par. His 5 meant I was back to 1 up! Two lead changes now.
A couple of three putts on 15 and 16 put me one down standing on the 17th tee, now three lead changes and I was getting nervous, no shots left so I had to match him on one hole and win the other to take it to extra holes!
He drove wild right again on the par 3, 180 ish yards. Lucky for him it dropped out of the trees onto the path leading up to the 18th tee, he still had a chance!!
Under the pressure of my life, into a howling gale I nailed a 4 iron to about 10 feet short and two putted. He missed his tiddler to leave it all square going down 18!
Two nervous but safe drives were followed by two nervous but safe layups. I had about 80 yards and he had about 90. I had no water or bunkers in the way, he had to fly it to the tight pin cut right on the front.
He played first, rolling just past to about 15 feet. I got a bounce off the hill and rolled onto the top tier, 30 feet away!
I had to put across a left to right breaking top tier, then die it on the edge of the slope to let it roll up close. A big ask for any player as anything short is a testing 5 footer down a tier, anything long is off the green!
somehow I stopped it between the bottom of the tier and the hole, 3 feet away but still left to right and a tough putt.
He had to just roll it close and tap in to put the pressure on. He did the first bit, getting inside my 3 feet by an inch or so. A tough putt still, like mine it was left to right but it could also be straight depending on the speed of the greens.
By sheer luck rather than skill I holed out, I was ready for extra holes then! I stood back, full of nerves but knowing I could play the 1st hole well if we had to go there. He stepped up and rolled it by on the low side... I had won and took the 4th and final lead change!
Hopefully that all adds up, I cannot believe I won and what a match! We were both exhausted afterwards and the sweet taste of nectar in the clubhouse was a blessing!
On to the next round now, lets hope its a lot less stressful! I am so happy I could pull out the shots when I needed. The most annoying thing was both the doubles on 12 and 13 were from shots that were struck better than expected and overshot the green. One was a 5 iron from 160 into the wind, ball below my feet. The second was the same but with a 7 iron with the wind and even more below my feet, that one going a full 200 yards!
Overall I have learnt so much, which I would have done even if I lost but winning just makes it even better. I cannot wait for the next one and I hope I learn as much again!
