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| Aberdeen Clubhouse |
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| Aberdeen Staff |
Plenty of range balls for $3, found a little room on the putting green, and I even remembered to bring a towel out to deal with the dewy conditions.
Aberdeen’s cart staff was outstanding, directing traffic, giving rides to the range, etc. You won’t meet a more helpful bunch of guys… But I digress…Aberdeen has three nines, Highlands, Woodland, and Meadows. We played Highlands and Meadows (6,079 yards from the white tees). I would love to tell you all about the entire round, but I think I paid for staying up writing and doing pictures last night. Think I’ll try to make this one relatively quick (didn't quite work out that way after all).
Anyway, today I rode with Orlando Henrique of Portugal (42nd after Day 1), and we played with Charles Dickerson of Bella Vista, Arkansas (30th after Day 1), and Bill Clarke of Hamilton Square, New Jersey (tied for 10th after Day 1). I didn’t know where they stood coming in, and I didn’t really care. I just wanted to play as solid as I had yesterday.
We teed it up on Meadows No.9,
We teed it up on Meadows No.9,
a 352-yard par-4, playing as the 18th hole for those starting on Highlands No.1 (yes, I know it’s confusing if you aren’t used to shotgun starts). I teed up the first ball and hit it almost just the way it wanted to…it went through the fairway. Charles hit a nice drive, but both Bill and Orlando struggled off the first tee.
As we rode to my ball, I continued to fiddle with myGolfshot app, which has become like another club in my bag (provides distances to green). It refused to work (much like my 60-degree wedge), and I gave up after countless tries…much like my 60-degree wedge (no longer in the bag). I was missing that app right off the bat, because I was in the mulch under a tree, and had to go over water to get to the green (see course layout here)!
I guessed it was about a 9-iron shot, but wasn’t gonna mess with the water, and pulled an 8-iron left of the green, but pin high.I used Sean Balliet’s chipping technique, and got up and down for par. Phew! Picking up where we left off yesterday, felt good.
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| Highlands No.5- Lone birdie hole of the day |
I bogeyed the next two holes, but was not at all worried…after all, bogey golf is the game I typically try to play. I sandwiched four pars and a birdie between the first and final two bogeys on Highlands, finishing the first 10 holes just three over par.
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| Highlands No.5 tee box |
I know my usual playing partners are thinking, “That’s pretty doggone good for you!” I was thinking the same doggone thing!
Things had slowed down quite a bit at this point, and we were past the 3 1/2-hour mark for 10 holes. I was struggling to keep my concentration. I bogeyed Meadows No.1 (our 11th, just 306 yards), and that was a great bogey considering what I had done on the hole. Somehow I scraped out a par on the 494-yard, par-5 second. But I was feeling the late night and slow play.
My first double of the tournament came on the next hole, a mere 300-yard par four (tee shot went all of 50 yards),
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| Meadow No.5 |
Chris, Mike, you two will understand this, but I’m not sure anyone else will. Meadow No.5 is a 358-yard par-4, that’s pretty straight forward (see Meadow layout here), with a slightly elevated green. I hit a good drive down the right side of the fairway, and was doing all I could, in the fog that had descended upon me over the previous few holes, to figure out my distance. I pulled and 8-iron and a 9-iron, still unsure of which I would hit.
I chose the 9-iron, stood over the ball, and began my pre-shot routine. somewhere in the back of my consciousness, I thought the grip felt a bit thin (I use mid-size), but continued "bravely" on…I hit the 9-iron thin, and it went a bit long and left. Shouldn’t be much of a problem though…
Until I went to put my irons back in the bag…did you see this coming? There I am trying to put my clubs away and can’t figure out for the life of me why there’s no empty space in the usual slots. Finally it hit me! I had pulled my playing partner’s clubs!
My playing partners struggled most of the day, but Bill carded a nifty 87 to finish second in the foursome.Charles posted a 91, and Orlando would probably knock me upside the head if I listed his score.
As it stands, I, at least, tied for first in my foursomes the first two days, and I sit atop the leaderboard going into Day 3. Not bad for an old "shankapotamous" like me.
Tomorrow we’ll be headed to Tournament Players Club Myrtle Beach for a 9:30am tee time. Steph has ridden over ten hours on golf carts over the past couple days taking photos and will probably do at least another five tomorrow! Stay tuned for a massive photo gallery once we have had time to go through the photos.
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| 2nd shot, first hole |
Are you bleepin’ kidding me! How is that even possible? He uses TaylorMade Burners, I use Giga Golf TRX Powermax Slot irons. He has iron shafts, I have graphite. He uses standard grips, I use midsize. Un-bleepin’ real man!
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| Playing partners Charles & Bill |
So anyway, I bogeyed the hole…before the two-shot penalty,when I’m playing the best consecutive two rounds of golf I have, perhaps, ever played, on the second day of a tournament with 3308 (had a few dropouts) other participants vying for top honors.
I have pulled some bonehead moves in my day, on and off the golf course, but I can’t think of anything more calcified than that move. In case you weren’t counting, that was a seven (7) on a hole that should have been at worst a bogey.
In my fog, I was troubled, but I didn’t have the energy to be too upset. After all, this is golf. I parred two of the final three holes, and carded an 83. That’s right, 83 with a two-stroke penalty. All I can say is that if I lose my flight, it had better be by more than two strokes!
In my fog, I was troubled, but I didn’t have the energy to be too upset. After all, this is golf. I parred two of the final three holes, and carded an 83. That’s right, 83 with a two-stroke penalty. All I can say is that if I lose my flight, it had better be by more than two strokes!
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| Bill putting one in |
As it stands, I, at least, tied for first in my foursomes the first two days, and I sit atop the leaderboard going into Day 3. Not bad for an old "shankapotamous" like me.
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| Day 2 Leader Board |
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| TPC Myrtle Beach |
Tomorrow we’ll be headed to Tournament Players Club Myrtle Beach for a 9:30am tee time. Steph has ridden over ten hours on golf carts over the past couple days taking photos and will probably do at least another five tomorrow! Stay tuned for a massive photo gallery once we have had time to go through the photos.
Heads up: If I’m still in contention after tomorrow. I might just pass on doing the Day 3 Update, as getting some more rest than I got last night and will get tonight will be in order. I’ll combine the final two days if that’s the case. Thanks for hanging out in Myrtle with us! “Fore!” T. A. & Steph
We're gonna put some fluorescent tape on your club handles TA! Hang in there. Tim
ReplyDeleteGood job!!! Keep up the good work and finish strong. I know you can do it.
ReplyDelete