Stay Of Execution

We were due to play one of Royal Ascot's honour board events on Saturday, the Jack Jarrett Trophy. It is a pairs event, combined stableford scores off three quarter handicaps. I was playing with my friend Mike Stannard, newbie to the club, fellow Golf Monthly Forum member and now my partner in the Volvo Matchplay event as part of the Golf Monthly team. However due to a heavy overnight frost, the course was back on temporary greens and despite promises of a quick thaw, the decision was made to postpone it for a week.

I wasn't overly fussed about playing on temporary greens and so went home with the intention of hitting the practice ground in the afternoon to find something, nay ANYTHING resembling a chipping action. However Mike had decided to chance his arm and come up on the off chance that the course was back on full greens. It was and I decided to play with him rather than practice on my own. I bumped into Matt Davis (Sundance) from our regular Saturday swindle and club pro Alistair White was also looking for a game. A fourball was arranged. We decided to have a match and Ali and I took on Matt and Mike.

I started off well with a solid enough drive left of the green and made a four. An errant second out of bounds at the next from a bare hanging lie put me out of contention but Ali made a pros par with the others in trouble. From there I clicked. I made a long overdue par at the 3rd finding both fairway and green in regulation. On the 4th I pushed my drive right and had to move the ball left to right to avoid a staked tree about ten feet away. I hit it perfectly to about eight feet and just missed a birdie but the par was good enough to secure a win. By the time I'd chipped stone dead for a par at the next we were two up.

As quickly as the form had arrived it went again. Out of bounds at the next following a horrid hooked tee shot and tree trouble at the 7th meant Ali was having to work overtime and make pars to keep the lead intact. He succumbed to a net birdie from Matt at the 7th to halve our lead. The eight was halved and Matt made a fighting nett par to match Ali's par four and at the 9th to give us a slender lead,  one up, at the turn.

My poor ball striking continued and I really did nothing of significance to help my partner. Mike on the other hand was driving the ball great and had got a hole back at the 11th after hitting the green and when he and Matt won the 12th too they were in the lead for the first time. Ali made a solid par at the 13th and at the next found the fairway bunker left. I was in good position having got a decent drive away at last. My approach finished just short and right. The opposition were both short. Ali hit a great shot from the bunker to within a foot for birdie. I made a par (nett birdie) but somehow Mike found a way to match me and he and Matt were still one up.

They should have gone two up at the next (15th) but contrived to make silly errors and so a par was enough to get a win and tie the game. We all hit great drives up the 16th. I was slightly right (playing safely away from the out of bounds that runs down the left of the hole and is very adjacent to edge of the fairway) and my 5 wood approach missed the green to the right. I was faced with a short pitch over a gully to a tight pin on the back right of the green. I can't say I hit it perfectly or as planned but somehow it hopped, bobbled and rolled to within three feet and I sunk the putt to give us a slender lead. Mike and Ali halved the 17th and so it was off down the last.

I hit another decent drive as did everyone else and we all hit good seconds. Everyone was within a few yards of each other and about 100 yards out. Matt pulled his approach left onto the fringe of the green. Ali came up a bit short on the front third of the putting surface. Mike stepped up and nailed a peach. High and true it was undoubtedly his shot of the day and it ended up about four feet away. No pressure on me then. In the end I hit my wedge well but a tad thin and it was twelve feet past the flag. Ali couldn't make birdie. Matt only made a six and so it was down to me. If the putt dropped we won. It was downhill, slightly left to right as I saw it and so I aimed for the left lip. In the end it was almost dead straight and it shaved the left edge and I had to settle for par. Mike had his testing four footer to win the hole and save the match. He made no mistake and an honourable draw was the result.

I have to say I was bitterly disappointed with the way my game trailed off in the middle part of the round and even though I managed to come in at a vital time on the 16th I never felt in control of my swing. It was a case of what might have been again really and to be honest it was a good thing the Jack Jarret was postponed. At least I've got some more time to tweak the game a little. My partner had a few wobbles to and so I don't think we would have threatened the prize table but at least we haven't peaked too soon. This week could be our week instead.