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My two TGA (Topeka Golf Association) events for the year are done, the city stroke play tournament and the city match play tournament, stroke play was about 3 weeks ago and match play ended today. Mark Elliot, a qualifier for alternate this year at the US Open, won both tournaments. He sank a 50 footer on the 18th hole at Topeka CC for birdie after surrendering several strokes on the last few holes to be tied going in. His opponent lipped out an 8 footer for birdie giving Elliot the win. I came in tied for 24th registering a 76, 77, 80, and 81 (ugh). The 81 at Topeka CC would have been worse but I was trying to walk the 2 country clubs that weekend, got tired and rode the last 9 holes and I went -1 for the last 7 holes to salvage an 81.
The match play went much better, with a field of ~48 people and a qualifying round to get 32 for the main flight (divided in 2 after the first matches with winners and losers forming 2 flights) and the remainder forming a 3rd flight. I shot 79 to get the 28 seed at Shawnee CC (nasty greens, small, heavily sloped and even the grass seems heavy so the ball can appear to move pretty fast on one putt and slow on the next (the grain of the grass making a big difference). Cut the damn grass!
I lost my first match 1 down, my opponent sank a 5 ft par putt on the last hole to maintain his 1 hole lead. That sent me into the loser's flight while the 16 winners went into the championship bracket. Elliot won it today 5-4 (5 holes up with only 4 to go) over Sam Wempe (Washburn U was heavily represented), and Elliot beat the guy who sent me into the loser's bracket 1 up, the same score I lost by.
I won my 2nd match 2 up, I was up 1 and took the last hole so I could play the weekend. Saturday was brutal, I had already played 3 days in a row and my right rotator cuff and lower right back were causing pain and if you won the first match of the day another was waiting to be played. My morning match was against the son of the superintendent of the country club
but I still won 2-1 
thanks to him 3 putting the 17th green. He's happy though, he's heading to somewhere near Lakeland ? Florida for college at a golf intensive school...and I'm nearing 50 with my last days of golf not too far off.
My afternoon match was against a soon to be senior at a local HS and I choked the 18th hole big time. I was 1 up going in but I "forgot" to deloft the PW I was hitting uphill into a heavily sloped green (dont be above the hole) and I hit a lazy pop up that trickled backwards into the bunker fronting the green. The kid was on in 2 and I chunked my next shot a few feet out of the sand. 
So we went to the 1st hole for our playoff, a dogleg left ~380 yd par 4. As the fairway turns left about 240-270 off the tee, fairway bunkers cover both sides and trees block a potential short cut left of the fairway and trap with the driving range (and fence) left of the trees. The shortcut actually has to come very close to passing over part of the driving range, not much room for error.
Virtually everyone who plays the hole just lays up short of the bunkers which is how I played the hole (without much success, I'm better off just blasting away) but I felt the match slipping away and was pretty disgusted with my driving (and that last hole) so after he hit a lay up I slammed my drive over everything
. I knew it on contact, the ball sailed just to the right of the large tree blocking the green from sight and over the bunkers. I ended up right in the middle of the fairway with about 50-55 yd to the center of the green and the kid's lay up shot landed him in the left fairway bunker. His 2nd came up short of the green and I pitched about 13 ft past the pin. I missed the downhill bird but he 2 putted for the bogey... I felt bad for some of these guys, the kid was real unhappy bout losing while the older guys took it more in stride. I mean, I'm happy about the feeling of accomplishment and all that, but if I lose it just doesn't bother me much. Maybe when you're younger you have higher expectations... So Saturday was in the bag and I was not looking forward to another match Sunday, but it was for the championship of the "President's Flight" and if I could walk I'd be showing up for the match.
So I loaded up on Aleve and went out again to brave the heat and suffer a lower back desperately in need of surgery (or a chiro) for 18 more holes. This guy could putt and I knew he had a better short game than me, frankly I didn't expect to win more than 1 match, if that, I'm new to the format and tournament play takes some getting use to. These guys are not only better players, they have more experience under pressure. But match play aint stroke play, it allows one to take risks they wouldn't take in a stroke play format. Like the drive I hit on the 1st play off hole against the kid. High risk, big reward. The kid drove up to see my ball hoping it was either him, or not me, maybe a range ball. He slammed his steering wheel when he saw it was me and he was stuck in the bunker a good 50 yds back. The psych effect cannot be discounted
I won the first hole...and that was that...for quite a while... Jerrod was up by 3 after only 5 holes. I won 1 and he won the next 4 (yikes) with an eagle followed up by a birdie. The play was slow and Elliot v Wempe was right behind us so the gallery watching them play was watching us tee-off (I dont need the added pressure!). I birdied the 6th and 8th to cut his lead to 1 but thru the first 13 holes I was fighting just to get even. As soon as I tied him, he'd win the next hole. That changed on the par 5 14th (I eagled it the previous day) winning it to get even and took the 15th with par to take a 1 hole lead. So naturally I gave it right back and we were tied with 2 holes left - and thats how we finished. Onto the 19th hole - his drive went thru the fairway leaving him more tree troubles and my drive was sweet, 100 yd easy PW to a red flag. His punch under a tree left him about 32 ft to a nasty pin and I nailed my PW to within 4 ft for birdie. I didn't have to putt, he 3 putted and it was over. Now...
Actually I'm quite proud of this, I knocked off 4 better players in 3 days and won my flight of 16... Oh yeah, after I hit my drive on 18 today I limped off the tee box and collapsed. My lower right back was in so much pain I could barely walk. The Aleve I took must have been wearing off and that was about the 4th (and worst) time I pulled those muscles on a follow thru.
The match play went much better, with a field of ~48 people and a qualifying round to get 32 for the main flight (divided in 2 after the first matches with winners and losers forming 2 flights) and the remainder forming a 3rd flight. I shot 79 to get the 28 seed at Shawnee CC (nasty greens, small, heavily sloped and even the grass seems heavy so the ball can appear to move pretty fast on one putt and slow on the next (the grain of the grass making a big difference). Cut the damn grass!
I lost my first match 1 down, my opponent sank a 5 ft par putt on the last hole to maintain his 1 hole lead. That sent me into the loser's flight while the 16 winners went into the championship bracket. Elliot won it today 5-4 (5 holes up with only 4 to go) over Sam Wempe (Washburn U was heavily represented), and Elliot beat the guy who sent me into the loser's bracket 1 up, the same score I lost by.
I won my 2nd match 2 up, I was up 1 and took the last hole so I could play the weekend. Saturday was brutal, I had already played 3 days in a row and my right rotator cuff and lower right back were causing pain and if you won the first match of the day another was waiting to be played. My morning match was against the son of the superintendent of the country club
but I still won 2-1 thanks to him 3 putting the 17th green. He's happy though, he's heading to somewhere near Lakeland ? Florida for college at a golf intensive school...and I'm nearing 50 with my last days of golf not too far off. My afternoon match was against a soon to be senior at a local HS and I choked the 18th hole big time. I was 1 up going in but I "forgot" to deloft the PW I was hitting uphill into a heavily sloped green (dont be above the hole
) and I hit a lazy pop up that trickled backwards into the bunker fronting the green. The kid was on in 2 and I chunked my next shot a few feet out of the sand. So we went to the 1st hole for our playoff, a dogleg left ~380 yd par 4. As the fairway turns left about 240-270 off the tee, fairway bunkers cover both sides and trees block a potential short cut left of the fairway and trap with the driving range (and fence) left of the trees. The shortcut actually has to come very close to passing over part of the driving range, not much room for error. Virtually everyone who plays the hole just lays up short of the bunkers which is how I played the hole (without much success, I'm better off just blasting away) but I felt the match slipping away and was pretty disgusted with my driving (and that last hole) so after he hit a lay up I slammed my drive over everything
. I knew it on contact, the ball sailed just to the right of the large tree blocking the green from sight and over the bunkers. I ended up right in the middle of the fairway with about 50-55 yd to the center of the green and the kid's lay up shot landed him in the left fairway bunker. His 2nd came up short of the green and I pitched about 13 ft past the pin. I missed the downhill bird but he 2 putted for the bogey... I felt bad for some of these guys, the kid was real unhappy bout losing while the older guys took it more in stride. I mean, I'm happy about the feeling of accomplishment and all that, but if I lose it just doesn't bother me much. Maybe when you're younger you have higher expectations... So Saturday was in the bag and I was not looking forward to another match Sunday, but it was for the championship of the "President's Flight" and if I could walk I'd be showing up for the match. So I loaded up on Aleve and went out again to brave the heat and suffer a lower back desperately in need of surgery (or a chiro) for 18 more holes. This guy could putt and I knew he had a better short game than me, frankly I didn't expect to win more than 1 match, if that, I'm new to the format and tournament play takes some getting use to. These guys are not only better players, they have more experience under pressure. But match play aint stroke play
, it allows one to take risks they wouldn't take in a stroke play format. Like the drive I hit on the 1st play off hole against the kid. High risk, big reward. The kid drove up to see my ball hoping it was either him, or not me, maybe a range ball. He slammed his steering wheel when he saw it was me and he was stuck in the bunker a good 50 yds back. The psych effect cannot be discounted I won the first hole...and that was that...for quite a while... Jerrod was up by 3 after only 5 holes. I won 1 and he won the next 4 (yikes) with an eagle followed up by a birdie. The play was slow and Elliot v Wempe was right behind us so the gallery watching them play was watching us tee-off (I dont need the added pressure!). I birdied the 6th and 8th to cut his lead to 1 but thru the first 13 holes I was fighting just to get even. As soon as I tied him, he'd win the next hole. That changed on the par 5 14th (I eagled it the previous day
) winning it to get even and took the 15th with par to take a 1 hole lead. So naturally I gave it right back and we were tied with 2 holes left - and thats how we finished. Onto the 19th hole - his drive went thru the fairway leaving him more tree troubles and my drive was sweet, 100 yd easy PW to a red flag. His punch under a tree left him about 32 ft to a nasty pin and I nailed my PW to within 4 ft for birdie. I didn't have to putt, he 3 putted and it was over. Now...Actually I'm quite proud of this, I knocked off 4 better players in 3 days and won my flight of 16... Oh yeah, after I hit my drive on 18 today I limped off the tee box and collapsed. My lower right back was in so much pain I could barely walk. The Aleve I took must have been wearing off and that was about the 4th (and worst) time I pulled those muscles on a follow thru.
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