The Hudson Cup (The first "major" of the year)

This is a picture of what I would be doing with the hudson cup if I one....Duxbury Yacht Club is where the Hudson Cup was held this year. It is a super old place, one of the first few in Mass I believe. The pro shop and club house is an old original barn, with very high ceilings and large wooden rafters... pretty cool. Let's get to the first tee...

1- This was the calmest I have been for a tourney this year, I wasn't so much confident, but just relaxed and ready to take on whatever. I was the first up on the tee, and on this hole there was really absolutely no trouble, except getting stuck behind a tree... I stepped up and hit a drive just in the right rough. It was only a gap wedge in, I hit it to about 15 ft just below the hole. The greens were aerated, so there were pretty slow and bumpy. I hit a good putt and it slid right at the hole and caught the lip. Heyyyy I didn't double the first hole! could mean good things... Even

2- Pulled my drive a little left, but into a clearing, so I had a shot to the green...I didn't have much grass under my ball, and I had to get it up over a tree...but I thought it would be no problem, 65 yard lob wedge... I didn't catch it great, and the ball came out low and nailed the tree just ahead 10 yards. I played a great shot from here just to get it on the green and give myself a chance to make par. I left my putt a little short and tapped in for bogey... +1

3- Easy little par 3, only about 150 yards... I probably over thought it, and ended up switching to an 8 iron and trying to hit a little punch in there. I pulled it badly into the greenside bunker. When I got up to my ball, I saw the dirtiest fried egg, buried lay I have had in a really long time. I got the ball out of the bunker, but it couldn't hold the green and rolled over the back. From there I hit a good pitch, left myself 5 feet. I jabbed at that putt and missed it right. Quickly a double... not good at all... +3

4-Short par 5, kinda hot right now after the double.. and I know I need to make the best of this short par 5... I hit a nice cut into the middle of the fairway, hit it hard. I ended up only having like 170 into the green... I hit a solid 7 iron to about 20 feet, and had an easy two putt birdie... +2

5-Hit a 3 iron off the tee of the short par 4, it rolled down a hill into the left rough, wedge in from there... I thought it was right on it, but it got a horrible kick and rolled through the green. Great chip from there, to a foot... tapped it in, par... +2

6-Made a pretty poor choice here, and pulled driver on a hole that I really shouldn't have. I had never seen the course, so I didn't have much of an idea of what was ahead of me. I pulled the drive badly across the fairway of the pervious hole.. It took awhile to find the ball, and I got a really lucky break. My ball was right on the OB line, but someone had pulled one of the stakes out of the ground, so it was just laying there, if it had been upright I would have been OB, but the next stake was a little father back so my ball was in... I knocked my ball from the trees, to the rough just off the green. My chip shot rolled 10 feet by and I made a clutch par putt coming back. I got away with one there... +2

7-I should have hit 3 wood here, but instead hit 3 iron, pulled it left into the rough... from there I only had 150 downwind, from a great lie... I decided on a full PW from there, once I hit it, I knew it had to get down... I caught a flier out of there, and it flew the green from 150yards.. amazing... it bounced and ended up out of bounds....I knew it, and had to drop one from there... hitting 4... I just missed the green, putted from the fringe to a foot and knocked it in... another quick double, the golf gods were getting me back for the pervious good fortune... +4

8-I knew there was no way to contend at this tourney if I wasn't around Par, the scores were going to be low today... It wasn't looking like I was going to be there. Another par 5, must make birdie.. Hit a good drive down the left side, had about 240 into the green. Pulled out my rescue club and knocked it on the green, really good shot..Once again, easy 2 putt birdie.. great to get a stroke back... +3

9- 220 yard par 3...really tough hole into the wind, I ripped a 3 iron that landed about a foot from the hole..but bounced hard off the back of the green...It was a really good shot, from there I had a tight little chip. I hit a great shot to about a foot and a half, just had to knock that in and get out of the front with a 39... stepped up confidently, stroked that tiny little putt and didn't even hit the hole.. pulled it dead left and made bogey... fucking 40... I was about to pack it in.... +4-40 on the front.

10- Wasn't talking much at this point, I was upset with myself about playing like this on such an easy track... I knew I had to make some birdies on the back... Pulled driver again on a short hole, pushed it right... it hit a tree and easily could have bounced OB....but it stayed in, I got a drop out of some GUR (ground under repair). hit a low skipper, punch lob wedge to about 7 feet... needed this putt! It was a little right to left slider, dropped it in the low side... birdie... +3

11- Real good hole, with water on both sides... just played it safe and hit a 3 iron down the middle... I had a 7 iron into the green, I hit it right on the stick, just 15 feet short... This shot, right at it... felt really good. I could feel myself start to get going at this point. I unconsciously stood up and put the putt right dead in the heart, another birdie.... +2

12- Another long par 3... I hit a 4 iron in, made another real good swing... to about 35 feet pin high... Lagged it up there nice, and tapped in for par... +2

13- Long long par 5, solid hole, water down most of the left side with a huge tree blocking shots into the green. Pumped a driver down the middle, killed a 3 wood down the right side and still had a half lob wedge in... At this point if I could get another birdie, I would be rolling...just set... I played a pretty good little shot in there to about 10 feet...this was a huge putt... I hung it out right and it just wouldn't come back, missed it... missed chance... par +2

14- Pushed a drive right, but got away with a shot to the green from the trees... punched a PW through the trees and it rolled to the back of the green. This wasn't a putt I could go at, but a downhill 40 footer that I just needed to cozy up there.. I did just that. My putting has really been the heart of my game recently, and I probably haven't been able to say that for over 5 years.. It feels really good standing over putts. I 2 putted and made par... +2

15- This was a long, but wide open par 5... I tried to kill this drive, and I did... center stripe, it was really good. I was bout a yard behind the 250 plate with a 3 wood in my hands... this was going to be a really important shot, I took my time, stepping away before I hit my shot because of the strong wind into me. Made the best swing of the day by far, couldn't have struck it any better, nice high draw into the green, landing just on the front edge and rolling up to just inside 20 feet. Eagle putt here, last thing I think before every eagle, "never leave an eagle putt short", It was a right to left putt, right after I hit the putt I thought I missed it because I didn't start it high enough, as it got about 3 feet from the hole, it broke back to right at the end and dropped in... HUGE EAGLE... really really clutch... got me back to even... Even

16- Best drive of the day here, little fade into the middle of a dogleg right. Had a full PW in from here, to an elevated green that slopped heavily just off the green. I pulled it a little, but got away with it when it hit on the left side and rolled towards the hole to the right. 20 foot left to right slider... I was in the fucking zone.... that putt never left the center of the hole, I was rolling the rock kids, boss of the moss.. birdie... -1.... I had gotten back 5 shots in 7 holes... don't know if I have even gotten on that kind of run before.

17- Tough little par 3... pulled a 4 iron over the green to left, bad mistake here... had no grass under my ball and had to play a cute little shot to the hole that was straight downhill... I chunked it, pretty much the first poor chip shot all day... that left me with a 40 ft straight downhill putt, I played it was great touch and it only rolled by 3 feet... I need this putt for bogey, told myself that I couldn't make double... and I didn't... bogey.. Even

18- Pretty easy closing hole, if you hit a good drive... I nutted one right down the pipe, perfect... left me like 60 yards into the green. I wanted to make another birdie here badly, I hit a pretty good shot in, but it ended up a little short, leaving myself with 15ft. up the hill.... I made a good run at it, but it slid just right.. easy par... Even-32 on the back..

I had battled back from a frankly terrible front 9 on an easy course, with one of the better 9 holes of golf I've played in quite some time. Although I didn't perform as well as I wanted, it was really encouraging to battle like that, and score like that on the back. I ended up taking 5th place, and making $300... and I believe I'm still in the lead for the player of the year... all positive!
----Had a basketball game tonight as well, we scored 110 points... I scored around 30, with at least 6 three's... so my stroke was working in many different ways tonight... Goodnight!