Round 10 - June 27, 2000 The Champlain
I thought this would be the day. I got my new balata balls, Wilson Smart Core!, it was a beautiful day. I'd get to golf with two of my buddies that I haven't been able to get out with yet. It would be a great day. Oh well, some things aren't meant to be! It started off O.K. Stevie "the Mallard Allard" teed off with me and Rollie, a 73 year old member, at 10:15. Stevie and I were playing for greens fees on the front nine as he had to leave after nine. It ended up that he had to leave after seven with a one stroke lead, so I gave him a greens fee for the Loch March. Nice eh? I went on to par number nine and end up with a 47 on the front. All I had to do was shoot 42 on the back and I'd come in with the elusive 89. All was right on track up until 16. Andre Gaulin joined Rollie and I at 10 and we played shot for shot 'till 16. That's when I blew up. I took a double on 16, a double on 17, and a quadruple on 18 to finish the nine with a 50. A 50! That gave me a total of 96. Unreal! I had four pars, hit 7 fairways, 3 greens and took only 28 putts for a miserable 96 off the blues. Andre took a 95, his personal best! Congratulations. Rollie played well. Although I didn't have his scores, I'd say he was easily under 100. Back to the chipping green.

My moment of zen came at number 7. A 154 yard par 3. Off the tee I dropped just short right into the bunker. With all the rain we've had the bunker was more like a mud pit. I took very little sand and popped the ball over the green twenty yards off the back. For my third shot I had to put the ball low under the boughs of a droopy pine tree, 15 yards to the green on a down slope, to roll another 15 yards to the pin. Impossible you say? Yes. I caught the boughs and dropped the ball 3 feet off the green in the light rough. After much focusing I hit a beautiful chip with my 7, landing 2 feet on the green and rolling the last 30 feet breaking slowly right straight to the pin and in for a 4. It made my lousy round bearable.

PS. It should be noted that Lino "the Luck charm" Disipio played an incredible round yesterday at the Canadian shooting a 93. It should also be noted that Lino shot a 105 with me at the Dome on June 12, not a 107 as reported earlier in the round 7 recap.