Phoenix City Amateur - Round 1

Played in the first round of the Phoenix City Amateur today, a four round event, first round held at Papago today. I shot 73, 1 over par, which puts me T-3rd, 2 shots out of the lead. 1 guy at 71, 1 guy at 72, and 3 or 4 of us at 73. I believe there was one more group left to post when I left, but that's where it stood when I left anyway. Wind was up a bit, quite gusty at times, and the pins were tucked behind nearly every bunker, really setup pretty strong, as can be judged by the scores. I played out of the trees on the front 9 but put got it around better on the back. Here we go!

Number 1 is a 552 yard par 5, and I didn't remember a single whole all day (played this once 12 years ago). Blocked it right but found it on some hardpan, 5 iron over the junk into the fairway and what I though was a too deep GW, which ended up about 5 feet past the hole, and we jarred it for birdie. We're already stuck on the 2nd tee box, group in front is in the trees in the left searching for all their balls. They clear and I hit 3 wood dead left right where they were. Great, but I actually find my ball, literally stopped from going down the desert embankment by a small rock. I can't move it as it's literally holding my ball on hill, it's about 2 inches by 3 inches, but I have a punch shot. I pull 6 iron and hit it and hope, ball squirts dead left about 30 yards, but still playable. I punch out from there just over, chip and a putt for 5, and a good 5 for nearly losing the ball twice really. Toed the tee shot on #3, right at 150 in, I yanked it but thought it would clear the bunker on the left, nope, dead into it. Pin cut behind the right bunker, sitting on top of a shelf, hit a great bunker shot to about 18 inches, par. 4th was playing about 208 yards, hit a perfect 4 iron to about 5 feet, above the hole, breaking left to right, just pushed it a bit and lipped out low, easy 3. Fifth is 390 yards, yanked driver dead left into the trees, 3 feet from being ok, tried to slide a wedge right of it, nope, dropped straight down. Hit a great Stan Utley pitch shot to 4 feet, canned it for par (I didn't deserve that). Yanked another driver on 6, sitting on some nasty rocks / hardpan in the desert, got cute and "el hoseled" the SW. Another Stan Utley pitch but too far, about 15 feet, lipped it out and made bogey.

Finally hit a good tee shot on 7, 417 yards, 9 iron in, pulled it a bit, left me this ridiculously fast "looking" put up and over a ridge to a pin in the valley, somehow left it 6 feet short, buried that one for par as well. 198 yard par 3 8th, another pin ridiculously tucked behind a bunker, 4 iron to 40 feet and 2 putt par. Par 5 9th, here we go, let's get some! Good tee shot, just in the right rough, 240 out, a little downwind, decided on a chaser 3 iron, worked it all out, cut it around a tree from the hanging lie, fan it a bit, chunk. Great layup to 90 yards though. SW too deep to 20 feet, 2 putt par, out in 1 over 37. Ten is another par 5, ok NOW let's get some! Great tee shot to the corner, great 3 wood to I thought the middle of the green, nope, wind gust knocked it down, just short. Stan Utley pitch to 2 feet, made the putt, back to even. #11 is a 190 yard par 3, over water, over a gaping steep face bunker, just scary and ugly. Pin back right corner, hit a perfect 5 iron 15 feet short left, right where I drew it up, lame ass putt short and low but easy 3. Good 3 wood on 12, 99 yards to clear the high lipped bunker where the pin was tucked, as soon as I hit it I knew the GW uphill into the wind was not going to make it, so I did what any reasonable golfer would do, I begged please. Just made it but hopped left, 25 feet, great speed just didn't see it breaking left at the end, but good par. Great 3 wood off 13, 408 yard par 4 (playing a bit up), pin is accessible, but on a shelf just behind the corner of the front bunker, so I bailed at the last second, 20 feet short right, 2 putt par. Hit the bottom groove of the 3 wood on 14, right into the middle. Yet another ridiculously tucked pin, 142 yards to clear the lip, just a hair over comfort zone for 9, but too much for 8, hard 9 was tugged a hair, cleared the bunker, but kicked straight left and funneled down the slope to 40 feet away. What a ridiculously bad hop. First putt went 8 feet by, yowza. 2nd putt went right in the middle, 2 putts is 2 putts right?

Out of position with my bag leaving the green to go to the par five fifteenth, went back to get another guys towel he left on the green, the other 2 guys went first to let me catch up, out of breath and hurried to hit it, blocked it. The good news is I hit it so bad that I stayed short of the trouble. Pissed off though, and fat/hooked 5 iron into the left rough. 115 to go, perfect GW but the grass was a bit thicker than I thought and it fluffed out. Made the green but about 25 feet short. Ran this putt about 6 feet by, and I swear this green was faster. Not as fortunate this time, the par putt lipped out low and I made bogey. Great tee shot on 16, 8 iron in but the wind caught it a bit and I ended up pin high about 15 feet left, and left the putt 2 feet short, just pitiful really, but a solid par. 17 is a 227 yard par 3, no trouble around the green though, but I hit a lame chicken 3 iron pin high, 50 plus feet away. First putt was about 6 feet short, but that's about as far as I can hit a putter, I think I pulled something there. Anyway, 2nd putt was the purest putt ever, center cut for par. Thought I blocked my tee shot behind the trees in the corner on 18 but got up there and got a favorable bounce left past the trees into the fairway, 140 yards left, a bit downwind, hit 9 iron well, but it started going a bit left, hit pin high about 8 feet away and spun back down the hill into the fringe leaving me about 15-20 feet back up the hill. Great putt hit hard as hell, just missed it left and a tap in par to close the day.

So 37 - 36, and a miracle 37 considering how bad I was hitting it off the tee on the front. I hit 11 greens in a row starting on 7, streak busted with the zipped 9 iron on 18, 2 inches into the fringe. 31 total official putts, but without making birdies and not really missing greens on the back, they add up quick. I hit 1 of 7 fairways on the front and 6 of 7 on the back, swinging much better off the tee as the day wore on. By my count, there were 10 really hard and tucked pins, what happened to 6, 6 and 6? Tomorrow is at Encanto, which I've never seen before, of course I didn't remember anything about today's course either. I heard it's 300-400 yards shorter, but a par 70 instead of 72, and dead flat. On to tomorrow, wish me luck!