Qualifying round for Connecticut Casper Cup. Keith, Ben and Richie. Richie was not qualifying.
Started off rough, but got it together by the 4th hole. Even with the rough start (double, bogey, double) was able to post an adequate front nine.
The back started better and was looking good until the hated 15th. Hit a really nice draw off the tee but aimed it a little too far left, not confident that it would actually draw. It was the best draw I hit all day. Anyway, it took two bounces and flew deep into lateral hazard. Penalty. Drop 3rd. Before hitting I looked up to check if my playing partner was hitting. He was still searching around for his ball near the woods on the right side. So I lined up, took it back to the top and all of a sudden I hear the click of a golf ball being hit. I flinched and yanked it back into the same hazard. How he was able to get set up and hit before me is still a mystery.
In any case, 4 penalty, drop and hit 5....into front bunker. 6 from bunker to 10 feet, but on the upper tier of the green, while the pin is on the lower tier at the bottom of fairly steep slope. No way to stop it without hitting the hole. Not a bad putt for 7th, just tapped it enough to get it started over the edge of the slope, but it slowly passed the hole and just kept rolling out about 5 feet past. Missed the come-backer (8) and tapped in for 9. Ouch. So much for a decent qualifying score. And it all started with a really nice draw off the tee.
As if that wasn't enough to knock me out of the round, on par 5 17th, hit a pull draw up into the crap near OB on the left. Lost ball. Hit provisional, just in case before leaving tee. It was a weak slice nearly in the woods on the right at the bottom of a steep ridge. Not a pretty lie or feasible place to get a fairway wood or hybrid on, so hit a really nice 5i up, out and across the fairway, into the rough, but in a good position. Then another 5i from thick rough, almost reaching the green. Fast, downhill chip stopped 6 feet past pin. Again, missed come-backer. With the S&D penalty, it added up to an 8. Haven't had an 8 and a 9 in the same round since I was a new golfer.
Take those two bad holes and give me bogeys instead and I would probably have qualified for the event next week. It's hard to overcome an 8 and a 9, particularly that late into the round.
Yes, I also had a bit of a rough start until I found my swing on the 4th hole (the great swing I had working a few nights ago), but for the most part, I played okay. I wasn't all that disappointed.
Went into the bar, had dinner, came out at 7:30 and decided to go out for a few more holes. Glad I did. Played really well as the sun set on the completely empty course. It erased the ugly images in my head of the 15th and 17th from earlier in the day.
