Thanks for the support from everyone. I will try and go through the day as best that I can remember and give as much detail about what my thoughts were and game plan throughout the round.
I played the first round virtually flawless with 5 birdies and no bogeys, this with a 1 1/2 hour weather delay. I hit it very solid hitting 15 greens and only missing a few shots. I putted pretty well with 29 putts and finished the day with a one shot lead.
When I started day two I expected much more of the same, solid shots, make a few putts shoot 68 or 69 and win the tournament. WRONG!!! I only hit 3 of the first 7 greens and was really not as focused as I should have been. Thankfully all of the work I have doing from inside 50 yards paid off and I saved par on every hole and even up-and-down for a birdie on the 3rd hole. So I am 1 under after 7 and really haven't played well.
On the 8th tee I re-focused on the alignments, slowed everything down, firmed up the left wrist and away we went. I immediately started hitting better shots and did not miss another green the rest of the round. In fact as the round went on I started hitting it better!
On the 11th green I saw that I was 2 shots back of a couple players and several more were right behind me. Scores were very low that day with 2 players already posting 65s. I decided that if I did not make some birdies I was not going to make a very good check, let alone win the golf tournament. I birdied #12 from 6 feet and than just missed birdie on 13 and 14. On # 15 I had 170 uphill to a back hole location and the guy in my group just hit it 5 feet, I think we were tied at the time. I hit a really good 7 iron that hit the green and released to the hole. The gallery was getting all excited and I thought it was going in! Then I heard the moan and knew it did not go in, but I did have a tap in birdie 3!!
On #16 my tee shot got hung up in the right rough and I was not able to go for the green. It was a short par 5 so I knew I had to lay up in good position because the leader was making birdie in front of me and I needed a birdie to remain tied. My lay up scooted through the fairway and into a somewhat difficult lie 60 yards from the hole. My angle was great though. In the past I would have hated this shot but like I said I have really been working hard on these controlled distance shots. I was very confident with the shot and hit it 3 feet. I made the putt and came to 17 9-under par and tied for the lead.
I saw Craig Stevens make par on 17 and with only 107 I knew this was my time to grab the lead. However, my SW came up a few feet short and spun back 20 feet from the hole. This was the only shot that spun like this all week because the greens were a little spongy. After a 2 putt I came to 18 tied for the lead at 9-under.
I asked the official what Craig made and he said par. I had 195 to the hole, 178 carry over the lake in line with the hole, withit cut 5 paces from the left edge of the green and the water. There were over 100 people behind the green on the hillside and clubhouse patio. I have been asked several times if I was really aiming at the hole. The answer is sort of!
My normal shot is a slight draw, and my misses will tend to be left. However, I was hitting it so solid and was really in control of my emotions that I decided to take an aggressive line just right of the hole. I wanted to make birdie and win this thing without a play-off.
I just focused on the shot I wanted to hit, prepared for it like always, and pulled the trigger. The ball was so well struck I really did not feel it, but when I saw its flight I knew it was going to be close.
When the ball landed about 10 feet from the hole the crowd shouted and then really went nuts when it fell in the hole for a 1 and the title. Words can't describe the emotions that went through me. To make a hole-in-one is special, to win a tournament on the last hole under the gun is why we play the game. To do both in front of a bunch of close friends is an unbelievable moment that I will cherish forever.
I came away from this experience with some great memories, and the justification that hard work does pay off and that trust in The Alignments will produce good results. I am a very fortunate G.O.L.F.er indeed.
When the ball landed about 10 feet from the hole the crowd shouted and then really went nuts when it fell in the hole for a 1 and the title. Words can't describe the emotions that went through me. To make a hole-in-one is special, to win a tournament on the last hole under the gun is why we play the game. To do both in front of a bunch of close friends is an unbelievable moment that I will cherish forever.
I have heard of people making '2s' before and winning golf tournaments, e.g., Lew Worsham's 104-yard wedge shot at the last to steal the World Golf Championship from Chandler Harper way back in '53, but...
I have never heard of someone making '1' and winning an event, professional or amateur. This is Golf World, Golfweek, Golf and Golf Digest stuff. Maybe even the Guiness Book of World Records. Hopefully, the wires are burning!
Thanks, Jeff, for this post and for letting us live the moment with you.
Thanks for the support from everyone. I will try and go through the day as best that I can remember and give as much detail about what my thoughts were and game plan throughout the round.
I played the first round virtually flawless with 5 birdies and no bogeys, this with a 1 1/2 hour weather delay. I hit it very solid hitting 15 greens and only missing a few shots. I putted pretty well with 29 putts and finished the day with a one shot lead.
When I started day two I expected much more of the same, solid shots, make a few putts shoot 68 or 69 and win the tournament. WRONG!!! I only hit 3 of the first 7 greens and was really not as focused as I should have been. Thankfully all of the work I have doing from inside 50 yards paid off and I saved par on every hole and even up-and-down for a birdie on the 3rd hole. So I am 1 under after 7 and really haven't played well.
On the 8th tee I re-focused on the alignments, slowed everything down, firmed up the left wrist and away we went. I immediately started hitting better shots and did not miss another green the rest of the round. In fact as the round went on I started hitting it better!
On the 11th green I saw that I was 2 shots back of a couple players and several more were right behind me. Scores were very low that day with 2 players already posting 65s. I decided that if I did not make some birdies I was not going to make a very good check, let alone win the golf tournament. I birdied #12 from 6 feet and than just missed birdie on 13 and 14. On # 15 I had 170 uphill to a back hole location and the guy in my group just hit it 5 feet, I think we were tied at the time. I hit a really good 7 iron that hit the green and released to the hole. The gallery was getting all excited and I thought it was going in! Then I heard the moan and knew it did not go in, but I did have a tap in birdie 3!!
On #16 my tee shot got hung up in the right rough and I was not able to go for the green. It was a short par 5 so I knew I had to lay up in good position because the leader was making birdie in front of me and I needed a birdie to remain tied. My lay up scooted through the fairway and into a somewhat difficult lie 60 yards from the hole. My angle was great though. In the past I would have hated this shot but like I said I have really been working hard on these controlled distance shots. I was very confident with the shot and hit it 3 feet. I made the putt and came to 17 9-under par and tied for the lead.
I saw Craig Stevens make par on 17 and with only 107 I knew this was my time to grab the lead. However, my SW came up a few feet short and spun back 20 feet from the hole. This was the only shot that spun like this all week because the greens were a little spongy. After a 2 putt I came to 18 tied for the lead at 9-under.
I asked the official what Craig made and he said par. I had 195 to the hole, 178 carry over the lake in line with the hole, withit cut 5 paces from the left edge of the green and the water. There were over 100 people behind the green on the hillside and clubhouse patio. I have been asked several times if I was really aiming at the hole. The answer is sort of!
My normal shot is a slight draw, and my misses will tend to be left. However, I was hitting it so solid and was really in control of my emotions that I decided to take an aggressive line just right of the hole. I wanted to make birdie and win this thing without a play-off.
I just focused on the shot I wanted to hit, prepared for it like always, and pulled the trigger. The ball was so well struck I really did not feel it, but when I saw its flight I knew it was going to be close.
When the ball landed about 10 feet from the hole the crowd shouted and then really went nuts when it fell in the hole for a 1 and the title. Words can't describe the emotions that went through me. To make a hole-in-one is special, to win a tournament on the last hole under the gun is why we play the game. To do both in front of a bunch of close friends is an unbelievable moment that I will cherish forever.
I came away from this experience with some great memories, and the justification that hard work does pay off and that trust in The Alignments will produce good results. I am a very fortunate G.O.L.F.er indeed.
Jeff,
You provide an excellent example for us all. Your dedication and preparation have allowed you to be in a position to handle all the things that come up in tournament golf.
Instead of being thrown off by sub-standard ball striking, you kept cool and relied on your short game while you waited for your long game to mesh. This can be esp. difficult during a run of excellent ball sriking. You have good understanding of your motion, so you could sort out the problem calmly and produce better swings.
You were aware of your position in the tournament so you could adjust your strategy (more aggresive), but did not get ahead of yourself. You gave yourself plenty of chances, but you showed patience by laying up on the par five from the rough and after missing makeable putts.
On the last hole, you displayed it all. Awareness of situation. Desire. Aggression. Confidence. Focus. Commitment to routine. Poise. And a great swing.
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