6/10

6:13pm – What a weird day tournament-wise. Both rounds today were at Rosedale (the course I threw a +3 and a +13 on….hmmm) HOT and breezy and overcast. Let’s try to make this quicker than yesterday.
Round 3: I start out on the hardest hole, 8, with an island green (where everything else is OB). I throw a great drive and set myself up for the island. I’m feeling good about my chances. And then I SALLY a throw like I am a four year old girl learning how to throw a punch. It’s sad. I go OB, and take a 5. Not an auspicious start. The next hole is one of the hardest, and I’m the only one on my card to par it. Hmmm, could be good after all. And then it all came unglued. I lost my Firebird (my flick disc) yesterday, meaning I have NOTHING overstable in my bag anymore. And the next hole requires it. So I try a midrange, and it goes WAY off course, down a cliff, and pretty much to an unplayable lie. We need to make a ruling, call the TD over, and he rules that I get a one-stroke penalty and play on (more on this later). I take a 6 on the hole. So after three holes, I’m already plus five. I stop the bleeding a little bit with a tough birdie, but follow it up with stupid bogies. I really had NOTHING going for me this round. No drives, no ups, and I missed 4 putts within the circle. Ug-ly. (They rate it a 946, one point above my rating – yeah, that’s accurate…*sarcasm*)
I eat alot for lunch and have another can of amp and I’m back at it. I’m now around 40th place (cash will go to maybe the top 24). So I’m pretty much out of cash and now just want to save face. Which takes us, NOT to round four, but to a picture to break up the monotony.

Unwarranted artistic basket shot
Round 4: I start out on 10, the hole that I 6′d the previous round. The spotter tells me (after I three it) that I played it wrong last time and should have gotten a 7. I feel very bad, thinking I’ve cheated. My group didn’t correct me, and the Tournament Director didn’t say anything. I feel like I’ve dodged a bullet, but I resolve to bring it up to him at the end and take my penalty stroke anyway (I talked to him, and he told me that, due to various extenuating circumstances, his decision stands and I don’t need the extra stroke. Okay). Anyway, I’m a bit flustered by this, but manage to string together 7 straight pars. Good start. I take a stupid up on the next hole for a 4, and then on the hardest hole on the course I take another 4. Still, not bad: +2 with some birdie holes coming up. I par 1 and 2 (which is good) and par 3 (which is bad). 4 is tough, and I 4 it. So I’m +3 with only a few left. Sweet. And then I par, and then hit back-to-back birdies after some sweet drives and a 25′ putt and a 15′ putt, respectively. So with only two holes (albeit two very hard holes) left, I’m at +1. Next is the island hole. I have a good drive which kicks unfairly and I’m left with a backwards up shot for a tough tough 3. I MAKE the shot, and put myself within 25 (a very good up). But of course I botch the putt (one of only 2 missed putts, and they were both long). On the last hole, you need to throw 300′ to a 12′ gap to have a shot for a 3 (I 3′d it the first round). I throw it literally 2′ to the left of where I should and had NO shot. I should have flicked, but I lacked confidence in my flick after the earlier debacle. So I try a tight hyzer and I hit trees. Then I flatten out my next up and give myself a 40′ for the bogie, which I miss. So I take a tough-luck 5. That’s right, I finished +4, which is still relatively good (a 989 rating), but considering what it COULD have been if not for smarter ups/putts and a little luck, I’m a bit disappointed.
I’m about 10 strokes out of the cash now with the longest, most open course we play tomorrow. I don’t like my chances, but at least my rating will go up. It’s the silver lining of a gold brick. It’s nice and all, but I’d just like the whole shebang, you know?

11:31pm – I think it would be downright negligent for me not to mention how absurdly amazing the Freemans have been as hosts. Seriously, a guy I have only known online and traded a few discs with and his wife, who likely had NO knowledge of me, put me or 5 nights in their house, trusting me with with their housekey, their dogs (who have taken a liking to me the likes of which I’ve never seen before) and their stash of Mountain Dew. It’s downright scary. Dennis and Janna have been supurb hosts and I can’t quite express how appreciative I am for it.
And now, for something completely different – the stats.
Miles: 8 / 4,914.9
Money: -$58.69 / -$1,956.00
Rounds played: 2 / 38