Winner Winner

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner! That is what I have been saying the last couple days of golf. On Friday, I won a raffle (after playing in the WEBN Frog Open at Walden Ponds) that gave me 2 tickets to each of the last 4 UC football games this year. Then, on Saturday, I won a golf outing that gave me a round trip airline ticket to anywhere in the continental US. I can't wait for the next event!

Golf Round

I have been struggling for a while now. I just can't get the club to point at the target consistently at the top of the backswing. It is laid off always.

The first 9-holes was an absolute nightmare. I didn't have any pars and shot 45. Something must have clicked on #17 though. I made birdie on that hole and started to turn things around.

The second 9-holes was much better. I had 3 birdies and a bogey, shooting 34 for a total of 79. If someone would have told me I was going to shoot 79 today like that, I probably would have laughed at them. It was just such and up and down day.

Club Championship

So the Club Championship is this weekend and I am hitting the ball like garbage. I am going to have to get some work in beforehand just so I don't embarrass myself. Hopefully I will play well enough to win something this time. The last three years, I haven't won any prizes. I'll update after the day one (Saturday).

The Men's Met

The last two days were not so good, especially yesterday. I played Terrace Park Country Club in Milford, Ohio and just absolutely hit the ball everywhere. I mainly had a few bad holes, but I just couldn't get anything together and ended up shooting a horrible 87. The first three holes there I went, par, double bogey and quadruple bogey (5-6-8). Starting out 6 over par in the first three holes never helps the occasion. I thought I might have a chance to get some birdies, but just left everything short on the greens, which seems to be a re-occurring theme over the past week.

Today at The Ridge Club near Montgomery Road in Cincinnati, I hit the ball much better, but missed a few greens on the back 9 and the ones I did hit, I seemed to be in the wrong position on the green (above the hole). The greens were really quick and I just couldn't get the ball to stop around the hole on the downhill putts. Even though my score was 78, I felt I played much better than that indicates. Hopefully next year will be better...

US Public Links Qualifier

So today wasn't that good. I struggled all day and it didn't help that I got off to a very slow start bogeying the first 5 holes. I didn't have a par on the first 9 holes and shot 39. I just don't know what to say other than hopefully my next tournament will go better. I ended up shooting 81-79 and finished T-36 out of 61 that finished (some people didn't show up and others withdrew).

My next tournament is the Tony Blom Amateur Championship (the Cincinnati Met) on June 23 and 24. I'll update after that...

108th US Open

Tiger Woods, now that is a name that will go down in history along with Rocco Mediate. These two golfers gave us an absolutely amazing playoff yesterday (6-16-2008). The front 9 was fairly even with Woods going up right at the end, but the back 9 was very, very dramatic. Woods went up by three shots with 8 holes to play and I have to think that most people watching thought it was over. Rocco proved us all wrong.

Rocco ended up making birdie on three consecutive holes (13, 14 and 15) to take a 1 shot lead with three holes to play; the same situation as Sunday. Woods and Mediate traded pars on 16 and 17 and the US Open came down to number 18 once again.

Woods put his tee shot in the fairway, giving him an opportunity to go for the green in two, which he successfully did, while Mediate knocked it into the left bunker. Mediate played smart and just hit it down the fairway. Mediate's third shot came to rest about 15-20 feet from the hole while Woods had a 45 foot eagle putt to win.

Woods missed his putt by about 5 feet or so and then Rocco had a chance to win the US Open. His putt missed just left. They both made the next putt and we got to see extra golf again!

The sudden death hole was #7, a slight dogleg right par 4. Woods had the honor and put his tee shot on the right side of the fairway while Mediate put his tee shot in the left bunker again. Rocco's lie in the bunker was not all that good and thus he didn't hit a good shot. His next shot went well left and into the gallery. He received a free drop and knocked it on the green about 20 feet away.

Woods, meanwhile, hit his second shot just outside 20 feet and had that putt to win...he missed. Mediate had to make his putt to extend the playoff but just missed making Woods the 2008 US Open champion.

One Legged Wonder

Tiger Woods is amazing. Playing on basically one leg, he has managed to get into a playoff for the US Open. After the start of double bogey, bogey, I didn't think that he would actually get into a playoff. I mean, I didn't doubt him one bit, but it's the US Open for gosh sakes!

Rocco Mediate played a great four rounds this week. Unfortunately for him, he couldn't make a birdie on the last hole. He still has a chance, I wouldn't say great, but a chance no less, to win the US Open and be his first major championship win in the 40-something majors he has played in.

Tomorrow should be a great round of golf for these two. They tee off at 12:00pm EST (9:00am PT), so hopefully by 5:00pm EST there will be a winner. Enjoy the golf!