The Playoff Magic is Back!

Here is a quick recap of the first tournament of the season, the Cincinnati qualifier for the 101st Ohio State Amateur. 39 golfers, including me and my new best friend, Chris Sabo, played for 12 spots in the field.

1st hole, par 4: OK drive in right rough, couldn't shoot at flag for 2nd- missed left and was left with a tough downhill chip. Got it to 20 feet - and finally sank a long putt. Par.
2nd hole, par 4: OK drive in fairway; pin tucked back left behind water; I did not shoot for it - and left myself a 35 foot putt through the fringe over a mound. 3 putt.

Side story #1: So I asked Chris Sabo what he is doing nowadays.
"Coaching", he said.
Oh, I asked. For who?
"The Reds..."
Um, ok, I guess I should have known that living in the city.

3rd hole, par 3: 5 iron to 20 feet, made the downhiller. Even.
4th hole, par 5: good drive, good 3 wood, wedge to 20 feet, 2 putt par.
5th hole, par 3 (230 yds): 3 wood to bunker, blast to 6 feet, miss. +1.
6th hole, par 4: Drive, wedge to 18 feet; make a putt. Birdie, Even.
7th hole, par 4: Drive, pin tucked short right behind pond. Don't shoot at it...Don't shoot at it.... I leave myself 40 feet, but easily two-putt.
8th hole, par 4: Hybrid, 8 iron to 30 feet, have a two tier putt that I blast 7 feet by and I miss the comebacker. 3 putt bogey. +1.

Side story #2: I am officially insane on the golf course. For whatever reason, Billy Joel's "We didn't start the fire" pops into my head. So I am on the tee, trying to thread a hybrid into a fairway 25 yards wide with water left and OB right....
I start the backswing...
"Chubby Checker... psycho!"
and now the downswing...
"Belgians in the Congo!"
How I made impact with the ball is amazing.

9th hole, par 5: Drive, layup, wedge to 25 feet: 2 putt par. 37.
6/7 fairways, 8/9 greens (wow!) , 37.

Then my swing took the back nine off.

10th hole, par 4: Ugly 200 yard pull hook into weeds; chip out, 9 iron to 20 feet, 2 putt bogey. +2
11th hole par 4: Fanned 3 wood, hooked 8 iron into weeds; chip 25 feet past, 2 putt bogey. +3
12th hole, par 5: Drive into fairway bunker; 8 iron out, wedge just over the green, almost make chip. Par.
13th hole, par 4: OK Drive, 225 left into wind; I hit 3 wood fat. 50 yards short. Hit a wedge within 5 feet. I stand over the putt - no songs now - and say "well, these are the putts you have to make..." And I do.
14th hole, par 3: 4 iron short, wedge to 6 feet. Again, a must putt - that rams the back of the hole and goes in.
15th hole, par 5. 499 yard par 5. What do I do? Pull-hook again into weeds. Hit a terrible punch and advance it 50 yards in weeds to a horrid lie. I now punch out sideways and lie 3, 195 yards from green, on this easy hole.
Hybrid 5 yards over the green; I now have a downhill chip for my 5th shot.
I chip 5 feet by - and make it. Bogey on a hole where I hit 4 bad shots. +4

For the back nine, by the way, that's 1/5 fairways, 0/6 greens.

16th, 200 yard par 3, pin tucked left over water. 5 wood - and it starts right and hooks and hooks - and hooks - but no splash.
Ball hits the rocks in front of the green, and the ball goes over the back of the green, but not in the water that is present behind the green. Chip to 9 feet. It's uphill, it's right to left - I hit it firm and it catches the side of the cup and goes in. Par. +4

17th - par 4. Drive in the fairway. Approach from here is very much like Augusta 12 - stream in front of the green, pin tucked back right. Don made 7 (?) from here to miss a spot by one last year. Again, I'm not even looking at the pin - I hit a solid 8 iron right on my line - almost too good - back fringe. 2 putts, par. +4.

18 is a 470 yard par 4, water all the way down the left side, and the hole doglegs left into the water, and of course, the pin is tucked back left.

I try to get a little too much on my drive - and I overcook it - bounce, bounce, bounce, and it disappears left into the water.
Into the water.
Crap.
I had 76 or 77 in mind as a good score - now I need to make 5 here just to get the 77. I am lying 2 195 yards away facing a dauting shot over water to a green that juts out into a lake. How do I do that?

Hybrid starts at the right edge of the green, but then starts hooking immediately. Oh shit.
The ball now is at the flag and hooking as it descends - it somehow catches the leftmost part of the green and stops. I am left with a 20 foot putt, which I two putt for a 5, 37-40-77.

1 fairway, 1 green (and that was a fringe!), 5 consecutive up-and-downs on that back nine.

Sabo is in with 71 and is assured a spot.

When I got to the clubhouse, there were 10 scores at 77 or lower (including mine). There's only 6 people out there left - so if 1 or 2 come in at 77 or lower, I'm fine; 3 or more and there will be a playoff.

One group comes in - one guys shoots 74.
Last group comes in - a 75 and a 77.

So there are 4 people at 77 for 3 spots. We go back to 18 for the playoff.
Chris Sabo sticks around - "Playoffs are a lot of fun!"
Yeah, not if you are in them! He took a cart, and I ask if I can borrow it for the playoff; he agrees, and I find myself being driven by Chris Sabo back to the 18th tee for the playoff.

We draw lots for the order - I draw the dreaded... "1".
I made sure I didn't overcook this one and left the drive out to the right, a weak 235 yard drive. However, one out of the 4 hit the water on the drive in about the same position I did 30 minutes ago. Two other guys are in the fairway, about 180-200 yards out.

Now what? Here I am, 227 from the pin - with water all down the left side. I am next to hit. Should I hit 5 wood and get it close to the front of the green, guaranteeing a 5 and a possible 4, or play a 4-iron down the right side, leaving a 60 yard pitch? Is 5 good enough to win this 4-for-3 playoff?

Sabo says three times "I think 5 is golden. Five will get you in". I pull the 5 wood out. "5 is perfect". I hesitate - and pull the 4 iron out. I bunt the ball 160 yards down the fairway, leaving me a 55 yard pitch.

The other 3 - even the one who hit in the water off the tee - goes over the green.

I'm next to play - all I need to do is to not shank or thin a half wedge here, and a 5 is fine.
Back..and through. A bit fat, but the ball releases...and rolls....to within 3 feet.

5 minutes later, I tap in for my 4 as a formality and grab a spot in the State Cahmpionship.

And the good news? Kermit also made it from the Cleveland qualifier - so we will both be at Springfield CC the week of July 9 for the state. Maybe the tee time gods will somehow pair us together.

Is this play-by-play boring? Too bad. I'm relieved that the old Eric - the Eric from 1988, or from 1995 - can get up and down from everywhere when it counts. If I can just fix my driver - which was pretty good in March - I should be OK this year.

(and the playoff magic is back! I won 6 straight playoffs dating back to 1997 before losing a playoff in Iowa in 2005. Back in victory lane!)