More from 4-11-15 and 4-12-15...
This is grand. I am watching The Masters with my Google Chromecast casting, and I am typing away here at the same time. C.J., Bruce, Reilly and I played eighteen this morning. C.J. and I got whooped again 5 and 4, but it was still great fun to be out on an overcast, but warm April Saturday afternoon. I just posted one of my Masters posts from my blog to Facebook, the one where I wrote about seeing Tiger live for the first time with my brother Guy three years ago.
*Jordan Spieth is running away with...
the tournament this year. He just made his approach on #15, and he will have an eagle putt coming up. If he makes that putt, he will be on his way to setting a record for his 54 hole score at The Masters. Dustin Johnson made three eagles yesterday.
Bruce earned his first eagle of the season yesterday on #14 when he and I continued to complete a full 18 holes after Reilly left. He and I have played 36 holes in the past in the past 24 hours. I earned four birdies in these past two rounds, so I’ll get started recording them.
Aztec Municipal Golf Course-Hole #18-Birdie #6 of 2015
As I mentioned, Bruce and I played on after Reilly left yesterday. They rode in a cart, but I was walking/jogging to keep up. My right knee and back were a little stressed after that, so I wimped out and rode in a cart today, but it only cost $5.25, so it was worth it. I texted C.J. to ask if he’d be willing to ride in a cart with me, and he called me a weenie, but he didn’t mind riding in the cart at all as we played our round today either.
*Jordan Spieth just made back to back birdies on #15 and #16 to get to 18 under par. Wow!
We had four holes left to go when we got to this hole because we had skipped over to #4 due to congestion at the beginning of our round. I chose the points game to help me focus on fairways and greens in regulation, but Bruce ran away with it, playing very consistent golf. Today, he played really steadily, too. I kept saying, “Nice par, Bruce.”
The final score for the game (with Bruce’s eagle) was 50 to 18. This birdie helped keep me just below respectable. Bruce rode ahead in the cart to make sure #3 and #18 were clear. They were. I chose #3’s fairway, and I had a high, straight drive. From the fairway on #3, I used my 5-iron. My next shot had poor contact and came out low and left. It ended up left of the cart path that goes between #3 and #18. I used my A-wedge for the pitch shot approach, and I pulled it onto the green above the hole which was on the left side closer to the front of the green. I aimed my putt to be short and left, and it was a good read with a good stroke and a great result.
*Jordan Spieth just double-bogeyed #17. He is five strokes ahead of Phil Mickelson and Justin Rose now, and he is human.
These next three birdies all came on the back nine today, but it was in a losing effort. C.J. and I were embarrassed again by the father-son team who won going away 5 and 4, ending the match on #14 again. The last time we lost to them on #14 they both went birdie-birdie to close us out. I see similar characteristics in Reilly’s swing compared to Bruce’s. Very smooth, crisp contacts, and consistent ball flights. He, like Bruce, also has a very mellow demeanor, a great thing to have for this sometimes frustrating game.
Aztec Municipal Golf Course-Hole #11-Birdie #7 of 2015
Cameron and his buddy Billy came up behind us so quickly on #10 with two tee shots that hit the green, so we let them play through. After Cameron made his birdie putt, and as we played #11 together, I told him (and this is the first time I am writing this) that I am now going to be the Level 1 Golf Coach for The First Tee at Hidden Valley.
*Jordan Spieth just set the 54 hole record for the Masters Tournament after a smooth up and down on #18. This is only his second Masters appearance, and he is the same age as James, 21. Wow! Congratulations, young man.
This birdie was really fun, especially the ending. I used driver off the tee, and I aimed over the first cottonwood on the left. The ball flight was low, though, and it was headed for the ditch below that tree on its right side. Thankfully it made it over the ditch, and when I walked down the hill to find it, it had actually rolled all the way out to the fairway and stopped on the right side of the bunker. I chose my A-wedge again for the pitch, and I pulled it to the left once more, but it did end up nearly even with the hole on the left side. I had about 20 feet for my birdie attempt. I picked a spot about a foot to the right and a foot past the hole, since this green is still fuzzier and slower than all the other greens. This is the fun part. My ball stopped on the lip of the hole on the left side. As I walked up to it, I was certain it was stuck there. Bruce was convinced it was still moving, but it wasn’t. It had come to rest. I mentioned something about the wind, wishing we had some wind. We didn’t. We continued to wait, though. I was in no hurry now that Cameron and Billy had played through. I don’t know the amount of time we waited. It could have been anywhere between ten to thirty seconds, or maybe more. Then it fell in. Bruce was right. Woo hoo!
Aztec Municipal Golf Course-Hole #17-Birdie #8 of 2015
It’s not often that I attempt to drive this green, and I’m not sure why I tried this time. I shouldn’t have probably. The last time, my low drive assaulted the fence, but the fence would have none of it and stopped my ball cold. The result that time was a double bogey.
This time, I felt confident and carefree, so the fence lost. My ball flew high, well above the fence, and I thought it would be over the green. It wasn’t. It was a pitch away, and it was short of the green. Before I took my turn, Bruce nearly holed out for an eagle, his ball popping slightly into the hole and then popping out again. My ball curled around behind his and nearly hit it. I used my A-wedge (loving this club for pitching and chipping), and my ball stopped above the hole two feet away. I remember aiming for the right edge and putting my putter in a lower gear as it was a slightly downhill putt. Got it!
Aztec Municipal Golf Course-Hole #18-Birdie #9 of 2015
My drive this time to #3’s fairway was similar to the one before, but a little longer. Before steering up to the teeing ground, I turned the cart to make sure #3 was all clear, and C.J. wondered where I was going when I did. I had about 180 yards after that, so I chose my 6-iron. C.J. and I had a talk about how the club is de-lofted when we have a downhill/sidehill lie, the kind where our right feet are above our left. I swung right down the slope, and the approach was beautiful; I was confident it was going to be on the green when it was halfway there. It flew over the tree on the front left side of the green, so I couldn’t see it land, but I knew it was good.
I didn’t leave the eagle putt short; it lipped a little on the left side as it went down the slope. I had enough left over to get my full attention, but I made that putt for my ninth birdie so far this year.
*Jordan Spieth just won the Masters in record-setting style! Way to go, Jordan!
This is grand. I am watching The Masters with my Google Chromecast casting, and I am typing away here at the same time. C.J., Bruce, Reilly and I played eighteen this morning. C.J. and I got whooped again 5 and 4, but it was still great fun to be out on an overcast, but warm April Saturday afternoon. I just posted one of my Masters posts from my blog to Facebook, the one where I wrote about seeing Tiger live for the first time with my brother Guy three years ago.
*Jordan Spieth is running away with...
the tournament this year. He just made his approach on #15, and he will have an eagle putt coming up. If he makes that putt, he will be on his way to setting a record for his 54 hole score at The Masters. Dustin Johnson made three eagles yesterday.
Bruce earned his first eagle of the season yesterday on #14 when he and I continued to complete a full 18 holes after Reilly left. He and I have played 36 holes in the past in the past 24 hours. I earned four birdies in these past two rounds, so I’ll get started recording them.
Aztec Municipal Golf Course-Hole #18-Birdie #6 of 2015
As I mentioned, Bruce and I played on after Reilly left yesterday. They rode in a cart, but I was walking/jogging to keep up. My right knee and back were a little stressed after that, so I wimped out and rode in a cart today, but it only cost $5.25, so it was worth it. I texted C.J. to ask if he’d be willing to ride in a cart with me, and he called me a weenie, but he didn’t mind riding in the cart at all as we played our round today either.
*Jordan Spieth just made back to back birdies on #15 and #16 to get to 18 under par. Wow!
We had four holes left to go when we got to this hole because we had skipped over to #4 due to congestion at the beginning of our round. I chose the points game to help me focus on fairways and greens in regulation, but Bruce ran away with it, playing very consistent golf. Today, he played really steadily, too. I kept saying, “Nice par, Bruce.”
The final score for the game (with Bruce’s eagle) was 50 to 18. This birdie helped keep me just below respectable. Bruce rode ahead in the cart to make sure #3 and #18 were clear. They were. I chose #3’s fairway, and I had a high, straight drive. From the fairway on #3, I used my 5-iron. My next shot had poor contact and came out low and left. It ended up left of the cart path that goes between #3 and #18. I used my A-wedge for the pitch shot approach, and I pulled it onto the green above the hole which was on the left side closer to the front of the green. I aimed my putt to be short and left, and it was a good read with a good stroke and a great result.
*Jordan Spieth just double-bogeyed #17. He is five strokes ahead of Phil Mickelson and Justin Rose now, and he is human.
These next three birdies all came on the back nine today, but it was in a losing effort. C.J. and I were embarrassed again by the father-son team who won going away 5 and 4, ending the match on #14 again. The last time we lost to them on #14 they both went birdie-birdie to close us out. I see similar characteristics in Reilly’s swing compared to Bruce’s. Very smooth, crisp contacts, and consistent ball flights. He, like Bruce, also has a very mellow demeanor, a great thing to have for this sometimes frustrating game.
Aztec Municipal Golf Course-Hole #11-Birdie #7 of 2015
Cameron and his buddy Billy came up behind us so quickly on #10 with two tee shots that hit the green, so we let them play through. After Cameron made his birdie putt, and as we played #11 together, I told him (and this is the first time I am writing this) that I am now going to be the Level 1 Golf Coach for The First Tee at Hidden Valley.
*Jordan Spieth just set the 54 hole record for the Masters Tournament after a smooth up and down on #18. This is only his second Masters appearance, and he is the same age as James, 21. Wow! Congratulations, young man.
This birdie was really fun, especially the ending. I used driver off the tee, and I aimed over the first cottonwood on the left. The ball flight was low, though, and it was headed for the ditch below that tree on its right side. Thankfully it made it over the ditch, and when I walked down the hill to find it, it had actually rolled all the way out to the fairway and stopped on the right side of the bunker. I chose my A-wedge again for the pitch, and I pulled it to the left once more, but it did end up nearly even with the hole on the left side. I had about 20 feet for my birdie attempt. I picked a spot about a foot to the right and a foot past the hole, since this green is still fuzzier and slower than all the other greens. This is the fun part. My ball stopped on the lip of the hole on the left side. As I walked up to it, I was certain it was stuck there. Bruce was convinced it was still moving, but it wasn’t. It had come to rest. I mentioned something about the wind, wishing we had some wind. We didn’t. We continued to wait, though. I was in no hurry now that Cameron and Billy had played through. I don’t know the amount of time we waited. It could have been anywhere between ten to thirty seconds, or maybe more. Then it fell in. Bruce was right. Woo hoo!
Aztec Municipal Golf Course-Hole #17-Birdie #8 of 2015
It’s not often that I attempt to drive this green, and I’m not sure why I tried this time. I shouldn’t have probably. The last time, my low drive assaulted the fence, but the fence would have none of it and stopped my ball cold. The result that time was a double bogey.
This time, I felt confident and carefree, so the fence lost. My ball flew high, well above the fence, and I thought it would be over the green. It wasn’t. It was a pitch away, and it was short of the green. Before I took my turn, Bruce nearly holed out for an eagle, his ball popping slightly into the hole and then popping out again. My ball curled around behind his and nearly hit it. I used my A-wedge (loving this club for pitching and chipping), and my ball stopped above the hole two feet away. I remember aiming for the right edge and putting my putter in a lower gear as it was a slightly downhill putt. Got it!
Aztec Municipal Golf Course-Hole #18-Birdie #9 of 2015
My drive this time to #3’s fairway was similar to the one before, but a little longer. Before steering up to the teeing ground, I turned the cart to make sure #3 was all clear, and C.J. wondered where I was going when I did. I had about 180 yards after that, so I chose my 6-iron. C.J. and I had a talk about how the club is de-lofted when we have a downhill/sidehill lie, the kind where our right feet are above our left. I swung right down the slope, and the approach was beautiful; I was confident it was going to be on the green when it was halfway there. It flew over the tree on the front left side of the green, so I couldn’t see it land, but I knew it was good.
I didn’t leave the eagle putt short; it lipped a little on the left side as it went down the slope. I had enough left over to get my full attention, but I made that putt for my ninth birdie so far this year.
*Jordan Spieth just won the Masters in record-setting style! Way to go, Jordan!
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