Skins at Hillcrest Continued

Continued from 6-28-26.

        I was discouraged at the turn.  I was a little low on energy, too.  I stopped at the new snack stand and ordered a brat for $5.00.  I still had half of the homemade breakfast burrito that Eric mostly put together for the three of us that morning.  I helped a little.  They had cut-up steak bites from the steaks that Grant made for our dinner the night before.  Yummy!  

Still, I needed more food.  I did bring a yogurt and a Fairlife protein drink, but they were gone already.  While I was waiting for my brat, I was discouraged and having all kinds of weird (yet normal) thoughts:

 

   “Well, it’s a gorgeous day, and I am with my friends.”

“Things will get better.  I will eat, and they won’t.  I will be gaining energy while theirs will be waning.”

“Am I done with golf?  I haven’t played as much as I have in the past.  I am losing interest in golf.  Am I losing interest?”

“How could I possibly come back?  Is it even possible?  I will need to win most of the holes on the back to pull this off.”

“Grant is playing better than he ever has.  I do have more experience on this golf course, though.  This is his first time here, but he is playing well.”

“I would be happy to come back to just second place.  That would give me something to hold on to.”

“I haven’t played up to my potential yet.  Things could get better.  Just keep going.”

*Scottie and Hovland are finishing now after the delay.  It’s late now.  6:22 here.  Hovland has a putt to win it all.  He missed barely, but Scottie has an eight and a half footer for his par after running his birdie putt well past the hole.  He’s made it!  They will have the playoff tomorrow now.  Wow!

Grant got the first point on #10.  I thought, “Oh, boy.  Here we go.  Come on!  At least get to second place.”

    Then, miraculously, things slowly improved. 

We all tied with bogeys on #11.  I had a great chance for a par.  I was just off the green, but I left my first putt short.  That point pushed to #12, the par three over the water.

We all got over the water.  Grant was on the green on the right side, but the hole was on the left.  Eric made it barely.  He was in the tall grasses near the shore.  I used my Wishon 5-iron/hybrid and swung a smooth shot to the green.  I heard John say, “Beautiful.”

The wind pushed it farther left, but it stayed on the green.  They got bogeys, but I managed only two putts for my par.  They were putting pressure on me when I got ready for my par putt, but it didn’t work.  I gave it a solid pop and put it in the hole.  My first points since hole #1!  I got two, because we all tied on the previous hole.  Those bogey fives from hole #12 were a foreshadowing of things to come.

Then I won the tough par four #13 with a bogey.  I didn’t see Eric’s drive, but it sounded like he went out to the right like I did.  I ended up in the dirt with 190 yards to go.  I had to wait quite a while for Eric to figure out what to do with his ball up against the fence.  I backed away twice.  Then Grant saw that it was my turn and drove their cart back to where I was.  I yelled ahead to Eric to indicate that I was going to play my shot.  Then he realized it was my turn.

My ball landed short and right of the green in the tall grass.  I used my wedge and popped it out and onto the green within two putting range.  They struggled, so I got another point.  In two holes, I had gained three points and was now tied with Grant.

Grant gained one more point to jump ahead of me again on the next hole.  I had another great opportunity for a par, but once again, my first putt from just off the green came up short.  Arrrrgggghhhh.  

The score was Eric, 5, Grant 5, and Patrick, 4.  I had a glimmer of hope, though.  I was gaining.  It was more likely for me to win at this point.  I had crawled back after being dominated on the front.

To be concluded…