D
Deleted member 29109
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Surely the mistake was the 3 putt and poor execution of a shot missing shot sided?Yesterday afternoon played semi of club singles hcap KO. Giving 3 shots to a good matchplay player (he wouldn’t be in the semi if he wasn’t). I played well but lost. The manner of it irritates and disappoints me in equal measure. Not because he played well and holed everything in sight (and boy did he hole some long putts), and that I left about 4 hanging or just inches short. No..that’s golf. It was a great and tight match all the way with neither of us ever more than 1 up.
What rankles is the terrible tactical mistake then blunder I made on the 17 when we were all square.
After he had played two, his best was 4 but difficult requiring up and down from about 75yds, much more likely 5. To get a 5 I could lay up just short of the green with say a 7i avoiding the risk of the bunkers front left and right guarding the narrow entrance to the green. My short game was good, so an up and down chip and putt for a 4 was very possible, worst case 5 and likely half but a win on the cards. However I decided to go for green, confident that I could cope with a bunker shot if I was a bit off line. Even right of right bunker was ok. Left of LH bunker I didn’t really consider. And that’s where I hit it. Pin high in short rough but short-sided by a low mound covered in deep rough. Went over it well but left long and not so easy putt (in circumstances). Three putted for a 6. He got a 5. Down last after his perfect 2nd and with me having a difficult 2nd I couldn’t get the birdie likely required to take match to extra holes.
Curses and rats. It’s not the losing that hurts it’s the manner, because despite everything I feel I lost due to a silly tactical matchplay error. I’m a very experienced and reasonably successful matchplay player and I shouldn’t have made that mistake. Damn
If you’d have laid up, there is no guarantee you would have hit the green or being close with your 3rd. You could easily have left yourself with the same putt.