Watching in mock disgust as my tee shot on the 196-yard, par-3 second hole at Leslie Park Golf Course hits a bank by the green and bounds into a sand trap. (photo by Leisa Thompson)8:00 a.m. - Hey, whaddaya know, I actually slept in for a change. Since I played halfway decent the first two days of the tournament (75-73 148, good enough for fourth place going into Sunday's final round) I'll be teeing off in the second to last threesome of the day at 2:30 p.m.
This is cool on two fronts. The first being the fact I could sleep in, which I did, and the second being the fact I could watch the entire final round of the British Open before I had to play myself.
And what a British Open. Tom Watson coming oh so close to pulling it off at the age of 59. Even my kids were into it. But alas, it wasn't to be. My adrenaline was pumping and my heart was racing and I was so nervous watching him come down the stretch. I can only say this wasn't the best way to prepare for a round of golf.
When I got to the course I was already emotionally drained and I had yet to hit a shot. I also had skipped a lot of other things I normally do before playing a round of tournament golf. Things like cleaning my clubs, or for that matter, cleaning myself.
A good two days growth of beard stayed in place and I'm pretty sure I just skipped deodorant all together. But really, it's not like I'm Ian Poulter. I just came to play golf, not make a fashion statement.
Now for the best part. The actual account of what it's like to be in contention while playing a final round in a tournament.
First, let it be known that I have won golf tournaments before. In fact, three of them. The only problem is they were all in the same year and that year was 1982. Two of them were high school tournaments which were one day affairs, the other was the Huron City Championship, a match play tournament I won as a 17-year old before I knew what pressure was.
For some reason, as you age, the pressure feels even greater if you ever find yourself sniffing a trophy. They say it gets easier the more times you find yourself in that position. Certainly Mike Weir, who shot a final round 80 in the 1999 PGA at Medinah after entering the day as a co-leader, can attest when he came back to win the Masters a few years later.
But I haven't found that comfort level yet. It took me years to break 70, but when I finally did it, it didn't seem like that big of a deal and I've done it every year since. But for some reason, breaking into the top three is a lot harder.
The swings you put on the ball can be mighty ugly when you're nervous and fatigued. A few years ago, after 12 holes at or around par in the final round, I completely lost all my touch around the greens. Chips, putts, pitch shots - all a mystery. I played the final six holes way over par and shot 79. It was as if I had an out of body experience.
The next day; a normal Monday, I returned to Leslie Park and shot 71; amazed at how natural it felt to swing a golf club or go for a par-5 in two without thought of potential horrible outcomes.
It's the weirdest phenomena, struggling with fatigue and feel and fear. I mean really, what's there to be afraid of? It's not like we're playing for money or anything. Still, the pressure is there, as is the fear of chopping the hell out of the course and posting a score in the 90's (no offense to anyone who shoots in the 90's).
You can tell yourself it doesn't matter. You can tell yourself to just relax and play golf. You can tell yourself to just hit the clubs you normally hit and play the way you normally play, but the truth is, it's different.
First of all, if you're playing for fun and you miss a putt, chances are you'll rake it back and try it again, and maybe again and again, until you make it. Even though this doesn't seem like a big deal, the whole time you're getting a feel for the greens and you're grooving your stroke and your confidence. If you blow a three-footer in the tournament, it's just pick it up and move on with your tattered confidence in tow.
With all that in mind, and with Tom Watson's heartbreaking loss looming large, I still found myself rather calm as I stepped to the first tee for the final round. Once again, my playing partners Alex Wunderlich, a friendly 16-year-old Huron High School student, and Zach McCurley, another affable youngster, were younger than I was combined.
It's weird playing with a couple kids who are young enough to be your kids. Both boys bombed their tee shots well past mine, yet, at the turn, the old man of the group was even par. Of course, like most days in the city tournament, the axe was bound to fall, and it did. This time it was the tenth hole where I decided to dig myself a three-shot hole to try and recover. A horrible drive followed by an ill-placed layup, followed by a pushed third shot into the hazard and the next thing you know - TRIPLE!
Well, I'd been there before, but this time the putter couldn't save me. I did rebound fairly well with some good saves and a tee shot on the par-3, 12th that actually hit the side of the cup on the fly creating a bit of damage to the hole, but nothing else. By the time my near hole in one (missed it by that much) came to rest, I was 18-feet from the cup. I did birdie the 16th, but for the second time in three days I put a shot against the fence on the 18th and had to take an unplayable. Still, I had my chance to salvage par after knocking my approach shot to 15-feet after my penalty drop. I missed and had to settle for a round of 76.
By day's end I wound up in fifth place. Not bad for an old dude. Once again there will be no trophy this year, but that only means I'll be back again next year marking time until I either finish in the top three and quit, or turn 50 and take my game to the senior championship.
In the end, this year may have been my most memorable city tournament ever. Sure, the 5th place finish was nice, but this week was so much more than a top-5 finish. I'll always remember Tom Watson's run at Turnberry, as well as my two triple bogeys, my kid puking the morning of the second round making a WD a real possibility, my wife's successful year at art fair, my last week as a photographer at The Ann Arbor News and, of course, the amazing disappearing ball mark fiasco.
A special thanks to tournament director Andrew Walton and course director Doug Kelly for making this year's course setup one of the best. Kudos also to all the course volunteers and the many special folks who work at Leslie Park. Folks like Mike, Logan, Andrew, Joe, Lance, Scott, Terry and everyone else. You guys are the best and it's no accident that Leslie Park was recently named the best municipal course in the state of Michigan.
Congrats also to Matt Paterini, winner of this year's tournament after a long (at least six holes) playoff with Aaron Peterson.
Later this week I will return to Leslie Park to play for fun. And I'll probably shoot a 75 or a 76 and I'll get in my car and drive home and never think another thought about the round. But tonight I'll think of the two triple bogeys that kept me from a third place trophy. But those 15 strokes on two holes are also the reason I'll be back again next year!
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