No More Astrisks, Please

     I went on to win holes #16 and #17, too!  I got the closest to the pin bonus on #16, but we all tied with pars, so the money was pushed to #17 where I got the only par on that hole with a nifty up and down from the left side of the green to a back right pin position.  With the bonus and those two holes, I won another $430,000.00, but would it be enough to win?  

     The next hole would decide it all, but I asked Bruce not to tell me where we stood.  Here’s where we stood, though, now that it’s over.  Bruce had $930,000.00, and I had $940,000.00.  He hit the fairway.  He got a par.  I missed the fairway.  I got stuck under a tree.  Then I knocked my ball farther under the tree.  I ended with a snowman!  Ugh!  If I had gotten a double bogey, I would have shot even par for the back nine, but it wasn’t meant to be.  Instead, I shot a 36, adjusted to an even par 35 for my handicap.  That’s twice I’ve shot even par for nine holes with an asterisk.  For once, I’d like to shoot even par with no asterisks.  

     That’s it for all of the birdies.  It was a birdie bonanza for me, but we had a birdie bonanza ourselves when we played in the tournament on Friday.  It was the Guzman Energy Tournament, and The First Tee was invited to have a team play for free; it even included a free lunch and four free drink tickets for every player.  Very generous.  

     Bruce almost did not play due to Rei having another collapsed lung, but he changed his mind when he heard the surgery went really well and Rei was feeling better than ever.  Bruce is always a first choice, but I was doing my best to get a team that was all First Tee.  When I heard that Pat and Patrick Otero and Tom could not play, I asked Bruce immediately.

It was a dream team, in my opinion.  We had Mike Goen, C.J., Bruce, and me.  Four of the most easygoing, skilled golfers I know.  This is a quick breakdown of how we got our score of twelve under with no mulligans.

Hole #6-Mike’s tee shot was just short of the green, and we got up and in from there with two putts.  Even.

Hole #7-Bruce’s drive was past the tree and on the fairway, and C.J. followed up with a second shot that was on the fairway around 100 yards.  I finished the hole with an approach to three feet directly in front of the hole, and they let me finish the putt.  One under.

Hole #8-Mike’s tee shot put us in the shade and 113 yards away from the hole that was on the middle tier.  Mike, Bruce, and I all got our balls on the green and on the correct tier, but Bruce was closest, and he finished with a breaking downhill putt from left to right.  Two under.

Hole #9-Bruce’s and my drive ended up next to each other on the fairway past the corner despite my ball hitting the trees on the corner.  We chose mine, but only because it was not as blocked by the other trees.  C.J. put us a pitch away from the green, but we almost chose Bruce’s ball that was in the front right bunker.  My pitch got us closest, just to the left of the hole.  I attempted to finish the birdie, but my ball went over the edge on the bottom side.  Thankfully, C.J. stepped up and did it the right way.  Three under.