Big Match

I played my quarterfinal Langly cup match on sunday against Mike Kray, the 4 time club champion. I played Mike 2 years ago in the langly cup and took it to the 18th hole but lost. I was definitly looking to redeem myself this time around. Here's the breakdown in true Matty B fashion.

We started on the back nine.

#10 - The trash talking got going early on this one. Just before I tee off I let mike know that he doesn't have to chase me all day, meaning I'm going to bomb my drive past him all day. So i get set and hit my first drive......15 yards off the tee. Laughter erupts, including myself. MIke proceeds hit it up the fairway on the left side. I hit a nice rescue to about 190, and 5 iron to the green. Mike is in the left side bunker in 2, out in 3, and 2 putts for par. I 2 putt, and with a stroke I take the hole, Harris 1 Up.

#11 - I hit a 5 iron to be safe, but end up hitting the large tree just right of the fairway, leave myself with 180 yards and no shot to the green due to the tree. So i hit a 5 iron low and up behind the small trees to the left front of the green. Mike is on the green in 2. I have no shot again, having to go under the trees. So i use my 7 iron and kind of (on purpose) skull is along the ground. Bounce, bounce, bounce, I have a 6 foot par putt. Mike 2 putts, I drain mine, Harris still 1 Up.

#12 - I use a 5 iron to attack the middle pin with no wind. I nail a perfect shot to about 10 feet pin high, just right of the pin. Mike hits his left, and lands on the fringe about 20 feet away. He barely misses the birdie putt, but I roll mine right in. Off to a great start, and I'm 2 Up. Keep your cool Harris.

#13 - I bomb a drive but it's tailing right, towards the woods. Luckly it gets down and I'm about 150 out to the back bin. Mike was already on in 2, but at the back of the green. I hit a nice 8 iron, but it comes up way short and I'm in the front of the green, about 80 feet away. I hit a great lag putt that comes up about 6 inches short, par, bet birdie. Mike barely misses his putt and I take a 3 Up lead. Steady!!!

#14 - Mike and I both hit the green with very long birdie putts. Neither of us make the putt, but we both tied, Still 3 Up

#15. I hit a bad drive left and on the the #6 fairway. Mike is right up the middle. I try to hit an easy 4 iron as a lay-up, but I hit it poorly and I went in the water to the left of the fairway. Couldn't recover and made a boogie while mike made the routine par to bring the match to 2 Up. Just a side note, Mike ALWAYS makes par. Crazy how good this guy is.

#16 - Both of us are down the hill hitting our 3rd shots. Mike goes first and leave it about 12 feet for birdie. I make a nice shot to about 8 feet. Of course, Mike drains the long birdie putt no problem. I give the ball no chance of being short, and run it over the edge. Oh well, can't really complain about loosing to a birdie. Harris 1 Up

#17 - Nothing special here. Mike is on but only about a foot infront of me as I come up just short of the green. I make a great chip to about 6 inches for the gimmie. Mike 2 putts for par. Harris 1 up.

#18 - I watch Mike hit first. It's sailing right over the trees and towards the highway (In my head, YESSSSS). I step up and bomb my drive, but it's right along the tree line to the left. I yell, cut, cut, cut, but it doesn't, and it stop just infront of the large willow, leaving me no backswing. No problem, Mike is out of bounds. Then I get to my ball and there is a problem, mike is in the trap, not out of bounds. I choke up a little on a 7 iron so that my backswing doesn't hit the tree and i put the ball in the back of my stance. I chop at it and manage to get it up and just short and right of the green. Mike is actually chipping from the same distance, but in the fairway. I make a beautiful chip to about 5 feet. Mike drains his par putt first. I then step up and drain my right to lefter centre of the cup.

We head to the back 9. I shot a 36 on the front, Mike was 35, but I'm 1 Up and feeling it.

#1 - Mike strokes it perfectly down the middle. I hit 5 iron left and into the trap under the willow tree. I make great contact on the ball but pull it left and find my ball about halfway inbetween the #1 green and the 18th tee. Mike is just long of the green but it's a back pin so he's in o.k. shape. I have to go under a tree, over the small hill around the green, and then contend with a huge left o right break. By the way, my short game chipping around the greens was on fire this day. I make a great shot that lands perfectly in the rough slowing it down and rolls to about 8 feet. Unfortunatly, I miss the putt for par and make boogie. Goodthing Mike missed it aswell, Harris still 1 Up.

At this point I'm still feeling pretty good. No nerves, and the swing is working well. Putting out of my mind, and chipping is great, only problem I'm having is driving. Usually thats my best part, but today it just wasn't working. I hit 3 fairways all day.

This is where things starting getting interesting.

#2 - Mike is up the left side near the pine trees. I bomb a drive, but it's hard left and bounce off the hills around the 17th tee. After almost conceding the hole I begin to walk towards the green and spot my ball lying dead in the middle of the flower bed at the top of the tow rope near 17. Mike instructs me to measure my nearest point of relief. To the right would have been on the side of a hill with little to no shot. To the left was a small area where I would have a shot no problem. I measure the bad way first, 3.5 drivers, then go to the left, 3 drivers. I take my drop and hit a solid 8 iron, but it goes long of the green and the pin is in the very front. Side note, Mike had told me the pin was in the middle, no big deal. I walk up to ball and make another great chip to about 5 feet. Mike is already in for a par. I make the great save and I'm still 1 Up.

#3 - Mike and I both hit our ball left but no trouble. I hit first and come up just right on the fringe middle of the green. Mike goes long. Did i mention my chipping was on this day? I chip to about 1 foot. Mike blows his chip shot by the hole about 20 feet. Misses the par putt and taps in for boogie. This is where things really get interesting. I basically duff the putt and miss making boogie. Bo big deal I say to myself and try to wipe it out.

#4 - Mike come up just short on the par 3 and right of the green. I see the door wide open with an easy 5 iron in hand that I have been hitting well all day. Regardless, I hit it right and into the trees. I couldn't chip out of the woods and get it on the green, i make 4, mike makes 3, we are all even.

#5 - Things take a turn for the worst here. I get a stroke on this hole, and no one ever birdies this hole, so a par wins the hole I'm thinking to myself. Mike is dead down the middle, again. I bomb a drive out of anger, down the middle. I hit my 7 iron pretty good to the front right of the green, but it's a front left pin. Mike is on in 2 aswell. No problem 2 putt for par and the hole. Mike makes his par no problem. I hit my 70 footer lag putt to about 1 foot, sweet I win the hole. I go to tap mine in, didn't rush, actually looked at it and everything, and proceed to blast it past the hole. O.k. I'll just tap this one in and take the tie, no blood. I then go ahead and miss that one to. Mike finally gives me one and I actually 4 putt the hole to loose. This was very difficult to accept. I'm realing now on the verge of a full out Matty B tilt.

#6 - Mike hits a massive drive down the middle. But i follow with an equally huge drive middle of the fairway. He hits 3 wood from i'm guessing about 300 yards, comes up about 50 yards short. I hit my 2 iron rescue from the same spot, come up about 20 yards short. Mike's chip it o.k. but still a tough birdie putt. I hit mine a little firm and roll about 20 feet past the pin. I didn't hit the best putt, but i still left myself an easy 4 footer straight up hill. Mike has about 2 feet for par, so I need this one. The jitters start to creep in, and I've got the last hole on my mind and the other other easy putt missed on #3, not good thoughts. I miss the putt that I have been hitting all day and make boogie. To my astonishment, Mike misses the putt and makes boogie. But i get a stroke on the hole, so I win the hole. Very bitter sweet. All square going into the last 3 holes.

#7 - Back pin with a little cross wind. I hit a solid 5 iron to the back of the green, but had to ship to the back pin that was on the right side. Mike had a tough birdie putt, i wasn't o concerned he would make it, but Mike is a really good putter so I didn't doubt he could. I hit a great to chip to the dreaded spot of the last few holes of a foot. Mike makes par and of course makes me putt it. 'm shaking over this putt like never before. Some how I will it in and gain some confidence back. Still all square, 2 holes to play, exact same situation as the last time we played.

#8 - I couldn't believe it, but I'm geting a stroke on the easy par 5. Both Mike and I drive long but left. Our balls were probably 5 yards apart, Mikes being a little more right then mine had a shot at the green. A very tough 5 wood, but a shot nonetheless. I almost don't even have a shot at getting down the hill cause I'm directly behind a tree. I chop at it with a 5 iron to keep it low barely missing the tree in front of me. Literally less then an inch from hitting the tree, but it gets down the hill about 50 yards from the pin. I hit a beautiful 56 degree wedge to about 6 feet, great shot, needed that big time. Mike is right of the green behind the bunker. A very tough chip shot. He attempts to lob it over the trap and land it softly but over hits its and find himself with a birdie putt from the left front of the green about 30 feet. Did I mention I'm nervous as hell right now? He strokes a beauty of a putt and I'm watching it thinking I can't believe this is going in, but it stops about 2 inches short, I breath again. With a little less preasure knowing I can 2 putt from 6 feet to win the hole, I roll my birdie straight in and take the hole even if I didn't have the stroke. I feeling great but still nervous and thinking I don't want to have to make a 1 footer to win, sad actually.

#9 - Walking up the tow rope Cal tells me to go infront so he can play caddy. He tells me "Harris, step up to your fucking drive on 9 and swing the shit out of it. Blast it harder then you ever have and don't think about anything else." Good advice. I did just that, dead down the middle to the 150 yards marker. After that I talked a little shit to Kray, suggesting he block it left or right, no preference. He doesn't block it, but does go up the right side and gets in the tiny little bunker. I'm nervous now, a par wins this thing and I'm sitting pretty in the middle of the fairway. Walking up to Mikes ball we find his ball in the trap and a divot is resting up against his ball, of shit this gets better and better. But after looking at his, I walk over to my ball and find it dead in the middle of the fairway, and dead in the middle of a divot, NOOOOOOOO. WHY ME. Mike with little effort hits out of the sand just short of the green to a front pin, probably an easy up and down for him. I have no idea how to hit the divot shot. So i attempt something with my 9 iron and skull it. But it flys to the green almost, a couple of bounce and rolls up to about 4 feet. Mike hits his chip a little past the hole and misses the par putt, makes Boogie. This is in the bag. I missed the 4 footer but left it on the edge for a tap in and the HUGE win. 2 Up.

So i beat Mike. I feel like I won a tournament with this win it was so big. He is a phenominal golfer. I played really well for me and it still almost wasn't enough. I also discovered I get way to nervous when I'm in a situation to win and have to find some way to over come that. Regardless, a win is a win and I'm in the final 4 for the first time ever. My next match is against either Andy a guy from our group who is a 5 handicapp, or this other guy who is a 9. I don't want to have to play someone and give 5 strokes, so hopefully Andy beats that guy.

Plus my handicapp dropped to a 4 this weekend after rounds of 78, and 77. I'm playing better right now then I ever have. Hopefully I can keep it going and give a go at winning this Langly Cup.

Thanks for reading, if you made it this far.