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Victory at the Hills

8/17/2009 8:22:53 PM

This has to be one of the best victories in my golf career. I was playing in the regional finals of the ESPN National Golf Championship which is a two person best ball tournament with my golf partner Blake Baumann. The event was being hosted at the Hills of Lakeway's Flintrock golf course. It is one of the premier golf facilities in the Austin area. The Hills of Lakeway is host to the Fedex Kinko's Senior PGA Golf Championship and many other of Austin's top golf events.

We qualified by winning our local event at the Hills of Cove Golf Course in Copperas Cove, Texas. We shot 66 and ended up winning on a tough windy and very hot day to advance. What I really liked about it is that we received a dozen of Callaway's Tour ix golf balls at the local event and then at the regional we got a really nice Callaway shirt and a $75 gift card to spend at Callaway's website on merchandise.

Me and Blake went to play a practice round and scouted out the golf course and prepared a game plan. The tournament kicks off and we started off on the back side and ended up shooting 5 under. We turned to the front and shot 3 under but we made 5 putts over 6 feet long to save par. The last one was on our final hole and I had an 8 footer and made the putt. I felt like Tiger Woods performing in the clutch and boy was it clutch.

We turned in our scorecard of 64 and had to wait. As scores came in we saw 69's, 68's, couple of 67's, 65, and then a 64. We were tied and the winner advanced to Las Vegas for the national finals. They did a scorecard playoff and it started by taking your back nine scores. We both carded 5 under on the back. Then the next tie-breaker is your total on of the last 3 holes on the back nine. The other team went birdie-birdie-birdie and we went birdie-birdie-eagle. My partner Blake eagled the 600 yard par-5 finishing hole.

It was awesome and we were victorious. What we did later find out is that both 64's qualified so we had nothing to sweat out.

17 Shots Later ...

7/4/2009 9:05:15 PM

The setting was New Braunfels Texas and the golf course was The Bandit. I was playing in a professional golf tournament and it was a memorable day. The golf course had just opened and the wind was howling drying out the already challenging course. I had played 17 holes 1 under par and was heading into 18 leading. I was the only person in this golf event that was breaking par.

I stood on the final tee box staring down the 552 yard par 5. I ripped a drive straight down the middle setting up a go for the green in two. From 224 yards out and down wind, I creamed a 5 iron and came up just short in the bunker laying about 30 feet from the pin.

Just below and to the left of the green was a creek that ran parallel to it. The reason I tell you this is because of my next shot. I was in the sand trap and my ball was sitting on a small rock. A tree was over hanging the bunker as well. I swung and because of the rock my ball came out higher than I figured and caught the tree which kicked it left where the adventure began.

My golf ball rolled down the hill and got on the cart path. It rolled all the way down to the other side of the creek into knee high rough. I am now 40 yards away from the green. I try and hit a wedge and the grass wraps around the head of my golf club and I shank the ball into the creek. I dropped my 5th shot and went to hit my 6th shot. I swung my next shot and splash, back into the creek. I dropped again and now am hitting my 8th shot. I go back and grab my eight iron. I swung as hard as could and you guessed it, back into the creek.

I proceeded to do this 4 more times and finally knocked it across the creek. I then chunked my 17th shot onto the green and my golf ball was resting 55 ft away. I took out my putter and hit the putt. It snaked in and I walked off with a crowd pleasing 18 costing me $5,000 in first place prize money. To date that is my highest score I have ever made on a hole and one of my most memorable golf moments.

My first Ace!

7/4/2009 9:04:45 PM

It was a beautiful day in Lampasas TX and I was playing in the annual A.C. January Memorial Day tournament hosted at Hancock Park. It is a 3 day individual stroke play golf tournament that is broken up into different flights by your handicap. The 11th hole is a 160 yard par 3 that was playing slightly down wind.

I grabbed my Wilson Staff 9-iron and swung as smooth as silk. My golf ball landed 1 foot from the hole and bounced into the cup. It was amazing! My first ace! It was the first hole-in-one of my career and it came in a golf tournament. This happened on the second day of the tournament and helped me to shoot a 66.

The next day trailing by 2 shots I came around to hole #11. It was playing 150 yards this time but with no wind. I grabbed my 9-iron and set up to the ball. I just had that feeling. I swung, mad e contact, and the ball took off seeking the pin. It hit a foot in front of the hole and the ball one bounced into the hole…and then out. Almost! I went onto make birdie and finished 3rd place in the tournament.

It is a great first class small town golf event. I highly recommend the A.C. January Memorial Day tournament if you are ever needing a place to play. They pay cash prizes as well and it’s not expensive to enter.