Or as they call it across the pond “The Open Championship”. This is one of the oldest championships that exists in sports today. This year they celebrated the 150th playing of the event at of all courses, the Old course in St. Andrews. Obviously, being there was a very special time and I cannot write enough to explain how awesome this experience was. But I will try.

While making plans to go with my son Jaren, I had to decide on the mode of travel, place to stay and things for my wife Janick to do while we were at the tournament. Well, first of all, anyone planning on going to a British Open event needs to know that you cannot plan far enough ahead. I made reservations in April for July and we ended staying in Edinburgh, Scotland. This seemed like a long way from the golf course (it showed it to be an hour) but it turns out, it was a great place to camp while attending the Open.

We arrived on Wednesday night after a 12 hour journey from LAX through Paris to Scotland. After checking into our hotel “The Chester Residence” we quickly went to bed to catch up on sleep. In the morning, we were able to scout the city and transportation. The train station was 10 minutes by cab and the train took you to a stop just outside of St. Andrews. Then a bus ride into the course and you were dropped off right outside the 15th hole. This main entrance was perfect for accessing the entire course.

So off we went, an hours ride on the train, 10 minutes on the bus and golf all day. We did this for 3 days and caught the early trains up and the late train back each day. An average of 10 hours on the course each day was not enough! The course has no shortage of viewing spots for golf. We quickly learned a few things. If you watched the event on TV, you knew that it rained at times. Well, we planned ahead and had our rain pants and rain jackets on each day. That was the most important aspect of the trip. It rained each day for some period and the wind blew each day as well. Without the rain gear, we would not have survived. Some of you know this, but the main lesson learned, when you plan on traveling to Scotland, make sure you bring the rain gear. And don’t buy the cheap stuff! You will need Rain pants, not wind pants. At any rate, the course was fantastic. What you don’t see on Television is the large greens that dot the course. Many of the greens are over 100 yards wide because they are shared by two holes. The outward hole #3 would be shared with the inward hole #15. Each of the shared green combinations adds up to 18. So while you are playing #8, the guys on putting on #10 just off to the right. Needless to say, this creates some interesting golf. Holes #7 through #11 can all be viewed from a couple of locations (see map insert). This is where we spent most of our time as well as on #17 (the Road Hole) and #18. By sitting on #11 tee box in the stands you can view golf on all of these holes. If they had waiters serving food, it would have been heaven. Oh yeah, and the bathrooms were a bit too far away. But that was ok.

The main thing you take away from St. Andrews is the history. This is unmatched in golf. From Old Tom Morris to Bobby Jones, and even Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer you have great stories of golf and tradition. Tiger showed up but couldn’t putt, a theme to be repeated numerous times the remainder of the year. Nick Faldo played and you could see he was over matched in an attempt to capture another Open title. We saw Rory McIlroy play his heart out a few rounds and you can see why this kid is going to be great some day. But over the four days, it what Mr. Louis Oosthuizen from South Africa was the better golfer. He played the event of his life striking the ball effortlessly and putting like he grew up on the greens. You could see in his game on Saturday, that each shot was easy. He never looked pressed nor did he “miss” a shot it seems. When the dust had settled, he was along at the top. Standing amidst the crowd on the 18th green is an experience that I will never forget. I could tell by my son’s reaction to the crowd and players that he would never forget it as well. These are the true fans of golf as it should be played. It was something that I had never seen before, even the Masters has a different feel. Maybe it was the way Old Tom Morris imagined it to be when he laid out the Old Course? Maybe it was the way Bobby Jones felt after he picked up in 1921 and withdrew claiming he didn’t like the course. Then later returned to forge a fabulous history with St. Andrews and the people who live there. Whatever the reason, you cannot help but feel it as you stroll the fairways.

I look forward to returning to St. Andrews to play and even watch another Open Championship there in the years to come. My goal is to get there next year and feel the greens and wind while trying to keep the ball out of the gorse and tall grass. Walking off the first tee and hitting over the bern to the green and making par will be step one on the journey of a lifetime. We (Jaren an I) took out first step in July this year. Next step, Whistling Straits and the PGA, stay tuned for the final Major of the year. It should be a good one.

As for the golf, I guess there were about 30,000 other people that thought Pebble Beach would be a great place to be that weekend.  The crowds were huge and as each day wore on they got bigger.  If you love golf and have ever been to Pebble Beach, you will understand that watching the professional golfers tee it up and struggle so much on a great course is somewhat satisfying.  When I have played Pebble, the greens were always the most difficult part of the course.  To say the pros had trouble with the greens, would be an understatement.

Thursday morning I watched as some of the early tee times went off of #1 and #10.  Seeing the young stars of tomorrow hitting the first drive with the thought of winning the U.S. Open is a great moment.  You know they believe they have a shot at the trophy.  However reality will set in after two days and most will not make the cut.  Friday comes with new thoughts of trying to survive to the weekend, making the cut and staying close to the leaders from the previous day.  Many of the top professionals struggled the first two days and didn’t make the cut.  Either the wind, which was cold and blowing both days and the slick greens would do them in.  Some of the notables who didn’t make it to Saturday were Tom Lehman, Geoff Ogilvy, Louis Oosthuizen and Trevor Immelman.  What do they players have in common you ask?  Each has won a Major including Ogilvy at Wing Foot in New York (I was there and it was great) and Louis Oosthuizen (British Open 2010).  Check my next blog!!

The thing I love to do is read all the papers after the first two days to see what everybody is saying about the course, the conditions and the leaders and their play.  Being out on the course you get a first hand feel of the conditions and set up.  For me, I will honestly admit that to par just one hole playing on the course as it is set up would be an accomplishment.  As the commercial says “These guys are good”.  On Saturday, the real test comes.  The USGA (United States Golf Association) who runs the USGA events such as the U.S. Open, U.S. Amateur, etc., has total control over the way the course is set up for play.  They decide each day what to do with the pin placement, speed of the greens and length of the holes.

Some would say these guys are evil.  Some have said the USGA doesn’t like the golfers breaking par on the U.S. Open layout such as Pebble Beach.  The golfers will always be politically correct in the assessment of the USGA officials.  After all, they are professionals.  But make no mistake the courses the PGA (Professional Golf Association) set up each week for the weekly events in no way resemble the USGA layout for the U.S. Open.  The USGA doesn’t work for and is not run by the PGA.

So with the scores being somewhat better than expected, the USGA decided to bring them up a bit.  They let the greens get firmer and faster, the set up pin placements in locations that were near impossible to reach.  Case in point, #8 and #14 were both holes that for the resort golfer (guys like you and me) we would get on the green and two putt and move on, hopefully with a par!  Not this time, the shot over the ravine and water on #8 too me is the hardest shot at Pebble Beach.  It is no less than 180 yards of all carry and you have to carry a final bunker to a sloped green.  Go long and you are in another bunker or worse in the rough chipping down a steep slope.  If you watched the golfers on Thursday and Friday, they were going at the green with no real success.  The best shots were in the front bunker and then a sand shot to the pin with hopes of a short par putt.  On Saturday and Sunday, the players were “laying” up to the front apron and pitching the ball up the slope of the green to the back pin placement.  Those that went for the flag were chipping down the slope and watching the ball roll past the green to the place where others were pitching back up from.  No fun at all and believe me, if you were reviewing all the scores from that hole, you would see that many of the golfers who finished 2^nd and higher, didn’t par that hole each day.  Now take the 14^th, a par five that seemed to garner all the attention.  Did you see the 9’s that were posted on that hole?  It was ugly.  Watching this in person made you cringe and turn away, almost like a bar fight where one guy was beating somebody past the point of making the point, if you know what I mean.  Nobody knew what would happen on this hole.  It got so bad that laying up to around 80 to 100 yards didn’t assure you of anything.  I walked up on this green on Sunday after play was complete and the location of the hole and plateau of the green where the ball would stay without running back down the fairway or into the rough was about the 10’ x 20’.  Needless to say, from 100 yards, you go out and try and keep the ball within this area on CONCRETE!!  The greens were so hard and fast that par was a Great score on that hole.  Bogey 6 was acceptable and applauded when the players were lucky enough to obtain that.

BUT, with all that adversity such as the wind, the USGA set up, the difficulty of the course itself (nobody ever said Pebble was easy, at least I don’t think so) the shot that still stands out in the everybody’s mind is the tee shot on #18.  This is a daunting site.  The vista overlooking the ocean on the left, the Monterey hillside and the Lodge at Pebble on the right is one of the most impressive last holes you could ever play.  You want to hit it out over the ocean and carry as far as possible up the fairway.  You want too.  But you don’t.  You borrow as much as possible to the right without being completely lame and try and hit it square.  You then take a second shot up the fairway and hope to be on in three and two putt for a par.  Ok, I have tried to hit it up the fairway, but I still haven’t found those shots in the water off the rocks!

But the shot that makes us take a deep breath and hope to finish strong is now the last hole of the U.S. Open and the professionals need to get home to win.  Each and every golfer went to the tee box for the first two days with a chance to win the tournament.  On the last day only a handful had the chance.  All failed except one.  Graeme McDowell from Northern Ireland was able to meet the challenge.  He was able to complete the round and tournament of his life in 284 strokes.  He was 3 over par for the day and Even par for the 4 days of the event.  Remember what I said about the USGA and breaking par.  They succeeded in their wish and McDowell was the last man standing.

Many of the top names, Woods, Els, Michelson and Davis Love III finished in the top ten and all had a chance to take the trophy.  But each met with some form of failure be it lack of putting (Woods) bad shots at big moments (Michelson) or just plain didn’t have it that day (Els and Love).  As for me, watching these fantastic players struggle at some point on such a great course is why I know that playing the game of golf is a privilege that should be enjoyed.  Making par is great, breaking par, well I will let you know when it happens.  But the bottom line is, they all play at a level that many of us will never know.  So go out and enjoy the game, have fun and pretend that you just made a putt to win the U.S. Open!  Graeme McDowell used to do this and you know what, it finally happened to him.

As some of you know, this was the second of the 4 Major championships played each year.  My Masters blog was posted and this is the second major of the year.  I will be posting the British Open followed by the PGA championship in August.  My personal “bucket list” for the year is ½ complete.  Onward and upward!!

The course itself was originally shaped by Dr. Alister Mackenzie and Jones. Jones had visited the site earlier while playing in Augusta. He had been searching for land to create a course. At the time it was an abandoned nursery. Jones was told of the property and upon seeing it for the first time, was quoted as saying “Perfect! And to think this ground has been lying here all these years waiting for someone to come and lay a golf course on it.” Consisting of 365 acres of rolling hills and many large trees, including the Magnolias that line the course, it was as Jones put it, perfect. Now if you have been there, you will know that a more beautiful course is hard to find. Add the beauty to the years of exciting golf and you have one of the finest events ever to be held. Jones would stand on a tee area and hit shots to assist Mackenzie in defining the best layout. Mackenzie was already renowned for his Cypress Point design along with Pasatiempo both on the Monterey peninsula near Pebble Beach. After playing Cypress Point, Jones had dubbed it as one of the best courses ever to have been built and knew he wanted Mackenzie for his Augusta layout. Alas Dr. Mackenzie died just 2 months prior to the first tournament in 1934 after completing the course.

12th hole at Augusta National

The very first Masters in 1934 was won by Horton Smith at 4 under par. After that, the club committee switched the back and front nines to create more excitement in the event. How prophetic was this bunch? Imagine Gene Sarazen holing out his 2nd shot on the Par 5 15th for a double eagle to go on and win in a playoff in 1935. This began the allure of the Masters and put it on the map alongside the U.S. Open and the other great events of the day. In 1939 they talked Jones into calling it the Masters for the first time. Fast forward to Saturday and imagine standing in the fairway and watching Phil Mickelson hole out his fairway shot on the 14th for eagle right after having made his eagle on the Par 5 13th. Then turn around and watch as he comes within inches of sinking his eagle chip on the 15th settling for just a Birdie! That’s 5 shots in three holes people. Excitement, remember the committee mentioned above? Now that crew knew what they were talking about. Mickelson’s Saturday heroics were enough to capture the tournament and the heart of the thousands that lined the fairways.

But wait, he then goes out and possible does it one better. Did you see the shot on 13 on Sunday? WOW! All I have to say is, he is either crazy or crazy good. I know it is the latter, but come on.

As somewhat of a history buff, I love reading about the old days when past greats like Ben Hogan, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and many others before them marched across the now famous land and laid siege to the great course. If you have time, and you should if you are a fan of golf, go to www.Masters.com and you will find some great stories.

I was able to walk the course with my 14 year old son, Jaren and enjoy my 51st birthday. I could not have picked anything better than this for the day. We talked about how the course was made, why this land was chosen and many of the traditions of the event. I have been reading the Grand Slam of Golf, the Bobby Jones story. It has all the accounts of Bobby Jones and his ups and downs, victories and defeats, including the history of Augusta and the Masters. It is a wonderful chronicle of this great man and great golfer’s life. I did not intend on having the answers for my son, it just worked out that way. But it did make the day even more special. We flew home and now have a great memory to share for the rest of our lives. I can only hope it will be as great for him as it is for me.

So back to Phil and the 2010 Masters. As exciting as it was, one could not help but notice the stark contrast between Tiger’s finish and Phil’s victory. Having finished his round, Tiger was asked to sum up the week. His basic answer; “I finished 4th! I came here to win.” He went on to say that he would take some more time off and assess his situation before playing again. Really? He just finished 4th behind one of the great players and rounds in the history of the Masters and has to “assess” his situation? His game was clearly off after not playing for 5 months. Had he been in top form, we might have witnessed one of the greatest Masters ever. That is what we all were there to see, at least I was. Tiger Woods the golfer must not be thinking clearly. What else does he have to do? His great escape comes on the golf course. Imagine Tiger walking away from golf completely? I can’t, neither can the networks.

Now picture Phil, walking off the 18th green and hugging his wife. Talk about the picture perfect moment. Now cut back to Phil during the past 4 days. Did Tiger playing in the Masters make it more or less a magic moment for Phil? I don’t think it mattered one bit. Was it more of an “event” because Tiger was there? I don’t think so. What it did was create more money for CBS and the other news media covering the event. There were no more than the usual number of patrons (people who attend the event are referred to as patrons, not fans) they treated Tiger with respect and they applauded him as a past champion. All of this was refreshing within the confines of the event where Tiger’s past 5 months were not allowed. The Masters is bigger than Tiger or any other golfer. That is what Jack, Tom Watson, Arnie, Ben Hogan and the rest of the past champions came to understand. The Masters is a privilege shared by few. To come and win is an absolute honor. To play and feel the history, well ask the person who finished in last place what he thinks. Nathan Green is from Australia, he made a hole in one on the Par 3 16th hole on Sunday during his final round. Green said; “It was a big thrill to do it on this big stage.” He was on his way to a final round 75 to finish last of those that made the cut. He wasn’t thinking of anything but how awesome it was to have the hole in one. His main concern? Being able to play in the Masters again and performing better than this year. Did I say privilege to play? Nathan Green get its.

We will see all the usual suspects later this year at Pebble Beach for the U.S. Open in June. This is a crazy event. I cannot wait to go. I will be there watching and hoping for something special. We will see our cowboy with the black hat and the one with the white hat. You can figure out who is who. What you won’t know is who will win the next big event. Certainly this year at the Masters, Phil, Augusta National along with Jaren, myself and rest of the people watching were the Big winners!

Until next time, Fairways and Greens!

Each year, I try to do something different and interesting. I have to admit, I do this more than once a year, but it is different each time. This is about the President’s Cup golf event at Harding Park, in San Francisco (or Daly City to be more precise). I left for the Monterey Pennisula on Tuesday October 6th. My flight to Monterey was short, but the excitement I felt was enough to make me feel nervous. I will be teeing off at Pebble Beach on Wednesday morning at 7:50 a.m.

For those of you who like golf, you know what I am talking about. For those of you who have played Pebble Beach, you KNOW what I am talking about. I have had the pleasure of playing there twice before. I learned a great deal about golf, my game and life each time. Now I am better prepared. Now I am ready!

I have spent the last 10 weeks getting myself physically fit to walk the course. Walking 4 days a week, working out 3 days a week, practicing on the range 3 times a week. All with the single hope that I can break 80!

Well the day came and went. The first tee was awesome. My experience kept me from yanking a bad drive, but before I even teed off, there stood Arnold Palmer. Are you kidding me? He was walking the grounds in the morning and stopped to watch the golfers. Of course I went right up to him and shook his hand and we stood and talked like we were best of friends. He was every bit as nice as people say and it was the highlight of the morning. I then stood up, energized by the meeting, and striped a 3 wood right down the middle. The second shot was 15 feet left of the flag. 3 putts later, I was shaking my head and wondering how did 15 feet turn into 25 so fast. Oh, they forgot to tell me they had rolled the greens on Tuesday prior to Mr. Palmer playing his round. Just a bit of info that I could have used before I ran the first one into the ocean almost!

Well once my caddie and I had a come to Jesus discussion, things went well. A few birdies (Holes 6 and 16), a few bogeys; well a couple more than a few and I was on the 18th tee box wishing it wasn’t over. A par 5 and I was in at 80. A birdie and I would break 80 on Pebble Beach! Well let’s just say, it was a great round. The players were great and the caddie was just a good. No I didn’t make a birdie and I didn’t put one in the water, but it now stands as the best round I have played at Pebble.

The next day I was off to San Francisco and the golf event. The weather forecast had sunny skies and 75 degrees. Unfortunately for me, it never reached above 60 and the sun came out on Friday for a few hours. Otherwise it was cold and windy. I didn’t dress correctly so I spent too much money in the merchandise tent buying warm clothes. Aside from that, watching the golf for four days and following Tiger, Steve and the rest of the Americans was a great experience. I was able to see some of my old friends with NBC Sports who I have had the pleasure of working with from 2003 through 2007.
Roger Maltbie, Dottie Pepper and some of the on course spotters, etc., were all fun to chat with. Even my cousin’s husband Dawson was there from Madison, Wis. I was able to get him to work the Ryder Cup in Dublin, Ireland a few years back and he is still working the circuit. He knows how much walking and work you have to do for little pay. The thrill is being up close and personal with the players each day. That is why I refer to Tiger and Steve by first name. We are buds as you know! Right! Steve Stricker is from Madison so there is that.

After four days, I returned home to hear “who are you” from my wife and son. They didn’t miss me as they say, since they were too busy having fun on their own. My golf adventures will continue as I have plans on being at the 2011 US Open at Pebble Beach of all places. Can’t wait. Next blog will be my experience playing in the World Series of Golf, stay tuned.

Here is how it works; the person, who draws the high card, goes first. This is like being dealt first in a card game. Each hand or on the next hole a different person is first to act or in golf hit the first tee shot. After the tee shots are completed, the first person has the option of checking or betting. The remaining players have the option of calling the bet, raising the bet or folding. Folding in this golf game means you pick up your ball and wait until the next hole to play again. After the bets, etc., the person who acts first hits again. This hitting, betting, etc., continues until someone wins the hole outright by holing out with the lowest score, or everybody else folds. In the case of ties, the players left each split the total amount bet to that point including antes. The object of the game is to take everybody’s money. The game is played with 5 players and it is mathematically impossible to go past two playoff holes based upon the antes. They double every 3 holes and start at $100.

Enjoying the White party prior to the event.

First there was a practice round to get used to the format and see how you handle the pressure of the event. That was followed by television interviews; you see the whole event was taped for broadcast over 13 weeks this past summer on WGN. Oh, I didn’t mention that cameras were right behind you while you were hitting? Guess I forgot to tell you about the rigid nature of the rules and how yelling “go all in” was frowned upon by the people in charge. I made that mistake on the first hole. I thought I was going to need an escort from the course. At any rate, after the practice round, I went to Vegas for the big event in May. There was another practice round on Monday, followed by the White party. This is where everybody shows up at the Mirage pool dressed in white. Cocktails and food, music and entertainment were on schedule for a great evening to kick off the 3 days.

As the evening went on, it became clear who the players were and who was there to have fun. Many of the golfers in the tournament included poker pros, most of who are sponsored by Full Tilt Poker. The hosts and cosponsors of the event are Mirage and Full Tilt. Lets just say, it was very cool hanging out with the best poker players in the country. Phil Ivey, Jesus Ferguson, Daniel Negreanu to name a few. Most of these guys were in for a while and left early, as I did to get some rest for tomorrow’s big day.

On Tuesday morning the players all gathered at the Paiute Golf course to get the tournament started. Cameras were everywhere. During the warm up on the range, they were coming up and asking questions, looking for some pearls of wisdom, comedy or just plain footage for the show. I did my best to make a show of it. I came dressed in my Packers gear; including shoes, hat, and shirt along with green and gold Packer golf bag. Everybody knew who the Packer guy was in the group. Each five some teed off at different times. Our group went off at 8:30 a.m. The five somes were broken down by handicap so we all played from the same tees. As the tournament goes on, the players with higher handicaps stay at the front tees and the players with lower handicaps stay at the back tees, and so on. This way everybody was even as the players were eliminated. Where the real difference became evident was the betting format. Even after a good drive in the fairway, you could be standing there with an all in bet to win or go home. That became the theme and definitely added the pressure to the entire day.

As Tuesday started out, I was feeling good. I drew the Ace and was first to tee off. My tee shot landed in the left bunker under the lip about 90 yards from the green. Out of 5 players 3 were in the fairway and only 2 played the hole. Landing in the bunker was the best thing to happen as it was easy for me to fold and watch losing only my $100 ante. Getting used to the cameras and overall pressure of the day took some time I figured. On the Hole #2 my drive was right down the middle. I was not the longest hitter in our group, but I was holding my own. With me and two others playing the hole, the first bet was $1,000. We called and hit our next shots. I was last to play since I had been first on Hole #1. With this advantage, I felt like it was time to take a chance. Well the first two guys hit great shots. Both ended up within 15 feet from about 160 yards out. Now I had the pressure of executing to stay even in hopes of staying in the hole. My shot went short right and rolled off the green. The next bet was $3,500 and the next guy called. I would be faced with a chip and putt for almost ½ of my money. And if somebody rolled in the putt before I hit, I would have to hole the shot to tie. Well this is why the poker part pays off. It was easy for me to fold and save the money. Live to see another hole, as they say. Both players two putted for par and we moved on to the 3rd hole.

On Hole #3, I again hit a great drive down the middle. I was feeling good with my driver and had some adrenalin pumping from the last hole. Well it ended up with me and another guy. This guy had played in the event in 2008. He had played the first two holes and halved each. So he had more money than I did and he was feeling lucky. We made the bets $2,500 in the fairway and he played first. So a total of $5,500 was on the line ($100 antes through 3 holes) He hit his shot right and I thought in the bunker. His balled ended up on the side hill in the rough not in but not out of the bunker. A tough lie and even harder shot. Now I was in go mode. I played an 8 iron from 145 yards thinking I would be charged up some and hit it a bit longer. Well that was the truth! I hit it long and right just off the green above the hole. Not a bad shot and I certainly had the best of the two positions. But all in all, I didn’t hit it where I was aiming. He checked his bet and I did the same. My plan was to get it close knowing that he would have to hit a great shot to get close I would then go all in and hope he would fold. He punched his shot out about 25 feet below the hole with a big break. I chipped to about 6 feet with a straight in putt.
He checked and somewhere in the back of my head, I felt a little birdie saying “don’t be greedy”, so I checked as well. Now the pressure was on. Even though we would still have money left and it was only the 3rd hole I felt like the whole game was on the line. He lined up his putt while I looked mine over. After what seemed like forever and the cameras positioning around him for better angles, he stroked it up the hill and it went in the hole like a homesick gopher! I couldn’t believe it. He jumped up and down, his caddie went wild and his wife was cheering. After everybody had settled down, including me, I lined up my putt again. 6 feet and straight in, or was it? Maybe a bit of a break, hit it firm, allow it to break, don’t hit it too hard, etc., etc.. You can imagine that I was freaking out. Now I had the biggest putt of my life. Miss and I would be down to less than ½ of my starting money. I would have little or no chance of surviving the whole day without putting my money on the line a few times. When I stood over the putt, I went to grip the putter and realized I was shaking so much I didn’t want the TV camera to notice. So I leaned on my putter to relax my hands. I stood over the putt so long, I could hear my brothers (as they say when we play together) that the grass would grow an inch before I would hit. In this case, they would have been right. When I finally took the putter back and hit it square, it went right in the hole without a doubt. I gave it my best Tiger fist pump and said something. The truth is I was so amazed that I made it, I don’t remember what I said. But the cool thing is that every time they showed the WSOG on WGN, that putt is in the opening credits, including the fist pump.

So off we went to the next hole, with some money in my bank. I didn’t play the next hole while getting air and trying to settle the nerves. The player I was against kept pushing and kept making the shots. On Hole #4 I was 4th to hit. The first three players didn’t reach the green on the Par 3 180 yard hole over water. I decided early on that I was going to be aggressive on the Par 3’s in hopes of stealing some antes and maybe getting close on a few. This was my chance to step up, as they say. I played a rescue 4 and hit it 10 feet to the left of the flag safe and away from the water. I got high fives and was feeling good. The next and last player was the, at the time, weakest so far. You can guess what happens next. He put it 2 feet from the hole like a dart board with a big swooping hook off the water. I check, he goes all in, I fold and so much for picking up a few extra dollars. That is poker on the golf course in a nut shell.

Hole #6 was the next wild one. We had a guy who sliced the ball 30 yards on every shot. #6 is a par 5 on which all the players hit good tee shots. I hit a good 3 wood and was 80 yards out. The “slicer” hit his right down the middle, but back about 110 yards. The guy who won the 4th hole bombs a 3 wood just off the green. I have called a bet of $1,000 to this point. The bomber bets $3,000 and the slicer calls. The bomber is getting warmed up I deem and I fold. He is 10 yards off the green with a straight forward chip. The bomber goes first and lays 2 feet of sod over his chip advancing the ball about 5 feet. The slicer clearly nervous skulls a wedge about 2 feet off the ground and it ends up……..wait……..you guessed it, about 2 feet from the hole. The bomber checks and the slicer goes all in. The bomber folds and is left with 1/3rd of his money. As I learned throughout the match, the tide can always turn and the nerves were always present.

Now on Hole #9, the slicer is first to hit off the fairway and has bet ½ his money. He gets 3 callers. Me, and two others. He promptly sticks a slicing 5 iron 3 feet from the pin over a bunker and water on the right. #9 is a hard hole. 2 guys hit in the water and I am on the front left (protecting from hitting in the water) and fold when he goes all in. Prior to hitting that shot, I had to decide whether to go for broke or play it safe and hope he wouldn’t push all in. Well it didn’t work. Now I am down to less than $3,000 in money with the blinds at $900 for three more holes. I fold from the rough on #10, I fold from the fairway on #11 and #12. On #13 I am faced with going all in to stay in the event and moving on to day 2 or going home. I hit what I would like to think is my best drive of the day. Not because it was right in the middle and not because it was the longest one in the fairway, but because there was more on the line and I was scared to death. So hitting that shot at that moment was a victory in its own right. Me and two others played the hole with my all in bet from the fairway. The first two were short left. I was in the drivers seat. All I had to do was get it close and beat these two to keep going for a few more holes. Well, my shot sticks the flag from 110 yards, jumps once and rolls slowly over the edge of the green down into a swail behind the green. I am bummed and knew that I needed to have this one close. The other two chip up and bottom line we end up halving the hole, which gives me just enough to stay in the next hole. The rules are that each player must have enough money to equal the ante on the hole in order to keep playing. So I was all in on #14. The fairway is a dog leg left with approximately 230 to clear the desert and get within a 100 yards to the green. Hit it straight and you are left with over 160 yards to a small green. I hit my drive as bad as I possible could. I was in the desert stuck behind a twig or root, whatever. I was in a bad way and took as long as possible while another player found his ball out of bounds and played. He was all in as well. I knew I had to make a miracle shot so I punched a 9 iron up to the green and stood and waited for my 3rd shot. There were 4 guys in the hole. Me, the guy (bomber) who was all in as well and laying 3 with a penalty. The other two were on the green but both with long 30 foot or better putts. As we stand there, the first guy strokes it and almost makes the putt. I dodged one bullet and didn’t have a heart attack, although if that is what it feels like, I would not like to have one. Well the next guy hits the cup, the ball jumps what looked like a foot in the air and goes down to the bottom of the cup. GEEZ! Now I have to make a 60 foot chip to stay in the game. I run mine past the hole 2 feet, just missing the edge and pick up and congratulate the winner of the hole.

Mind you this whole day has taken 6 hours to play 14 holes in the desert. I am tired and thirsty. I cracked open a Miller Lite that I was saving for after the round. It was good and I was cooked. The pressure of the day had taken its toll. I was going home without having made my money back and not even making it to the 18th hole. No chance for the $300K. When I got back to the club house, there were many other golfers hanging around. Some had been eliminated on earlier holes. There was one who was all in on the first hole and lost. Story goes he snapped all of his clubs in half right there and then. There were more interviews after the round and lots of food and drink. The days festivities were well managed and it was a joy for all the played win or lose. The Full Tilt Poker and Mirage groups along with the World Series of Golf personnel went out of their way to make everybody feel great.

The good thing, I was able to get back to work earlier than planned. The bad thing, I am now hooked and have been working towards the goal of playing again next year. Step one; Save money. Step Two; Practice my golf. Step Three; Practice my poker. I cannot imagine doing anything that was more fun. Each shot and play was awesome to be part of. Having the chance to watch it unfold on TV was a great experience as well. I didn’t get a lot of air time, but our groups 1 hour portion included some of my interviews and of course the “putt”. For the moment, I was a winner. You can go to www.worldseriesofgolf.com for more information and check out the format. I would highly recommend this event to anyone who loves the two games of golf and poker like I do. See you next year!!!

Comedian Ray Romano looks over his next shot while the TV sticks the microphone in close for a isten.