It's not an
exaggeration to say that the 2005 Club Championships will go down as one of
the most dramatic sporting events of all time.
It was, as Ninnis pointed out, a
"Chamber of Commerce" type of day in Pasadena. Absolutely perfect golfing
weather--no clouds in the sky, temperatures in the low 70s, the kind of day
God created so that Man could play golf.
The Brookside Course was in great
shape--fairways were lush, the greens rolled true, and there was enough
rough to make accuracy key. The Course was also playing long, with some serious 450
plus par fours and one 195 yard par 3 dead over water.
In short, it was a perfect day to
crown a new Club Champion.
Several players put themselves in
strong position with their front nine. Billy 'O, Jimbo, Hank, and Pops were
just some of those who made the turn in contention for the Jacket.
But it was Swatty, playing in the
first group, who rose to the occasion shooting a 43 on the front and,
despite the pressure (and heckling from his cart-mate Ish) kept his focus
and shot another 43 on the back for a very strong net 69.
As the players filtered into to the
clubhouse, it began to look more and more likely that Swatty's 69 would hold
up and he would win the Championship.
But then came the word from the
course (via a cell phone call from Kid) that G-Man, who was playing in the
last group, was on fire and looked to be in contention. The members made
their way from the Clubhouse back out to the 18th hole to watch the action.
The 18th at Brookside is a bear of a
hole: 441 yards with water on the right and a green that slopes front to
back. The gallery soon learned that G-Man needed a bogey to beat Swatty
by a stroke. G-Man's tee shot found the water and after taking the penalty
stroke he hit to around 120 yards out and lay three. His fourth
shot landed short and off the green. The pin was in the back, and G needed
an up and down from around 25-30 yards out to force the playoff. G's chip
was not quite strong enough and he left himself a tricky 12 foot putt. The
crowd fell silent as G went through his traditional pre-putt routine. Once
set, he pulled back and buried it center cut. The crowd went nuts.
Playoff time--the first in Club
Championships history.
Both players were allowed to choose a
Caddy. Swatty surprisingly passed on Ish and selected Billy O. G-Man chose
his golf teacher and swing guru Shark.
Both players proceeded to the first
tee. After a coin toss, Swatty had the tee box first. The first hole at
Brookside is a straightforward short par 4, one of the easier holes on
the course.
Swatty, hitting his trusty 3-iron off
the tee, crushed his drive a bit to the right. He got a favorable bounce
off a cart path and landed in the left rough leaving a 60 yard shot to the
green.
G stepped up and hit a solid drive
down the middle, leaving himself with about a 100 yard shot in. On the
second shot, G hit on the green, but short, and with the back pin placement,
left himself a 30 footer straight uphill.
Swatty made a solid shot from the
rough right at the pin, but a bit long, landing off the green on the far
side of the pin. He now faced a tricky down hill chip.
G's lag putt was a bit too strong and
ran 8 feet past the hole. Swatty's chip landed softly but kept rolling
down hill, leaving him a 10 foot comebacker. Swatty two-putt from there
and recorded a 5 for the hole. G-Man now needed to make the 8-footer
to tie. Again, G went through his putting routine, bore down and sunk the
clutch putt.
On to playoff hole #2.
The players went back to the first
tee, so that the gallery wouldn't have to move.
Swatty led off with a short
down-the-middle drive, leaving himself 170 yards to the hole. G-Man ripped
his drive and landed dead in the middle with 100 yards to the pin. On
his second shot, Swatty made a nice swing, landing on the front of the green
with a long 30 footer up hill. G-Man could take control with a solid
approach shot, but also left his short landing right next to Swatty.
Swatty's putt was not nearly struck
hard enough and he left himself a good 15 feet. G-Man's lag putt was a
beauty, rolling to within 2-3 foot of the hole. Swatty looked to be in
trouble since G would most likely make his putt. But he struck the putt
confidently and rammed home a miraculous putt to par the hole. Now the
pressure switched to G who had to make the short putt to tie the hole. Again
G was a rock under pressure and confidently sank the putt.
On to playoff hole #3.
Again, back to the first tee.
Swatty hit a monster drive with his
#3 iron, dead center leaving a 100 yards to the pin. G-Man, however,
pushed his drive to the right landing under some trees, leaving himself in
real trouble. G had to punch out and his punch shot advanced only 20 or so
yards and was still stuck in the thick rough.
Now the momentum switched to Swatty.
But perhaps the pressure of the day got to him and he hit one of his few
poor shots of the day, chunking the ball about 40 yards, leaving himself a
tricky 60 foot shot.
G was now back in the hole. But the
pressure was getting to him too and he hit an absolutely horrid shot that
was heading way right of the green and straight for the giant concrete
drainage ditch. But G caught a luck break as the shot hit a tree and instead
of dropping into the ditch kicked toward the green and ended up near some
bushes.
Swatty then hit
his third shot over the green and into the far side rough. G used a putter
to punch out from the bushes and ran the ball by the hole leaving himself 25
feet coming back uphill. Swatty chipped on an ran his ball past the hole 10
feet. G-Man's first putt left himself short by 7 feet. Swatty then had a putt
to win the Championship but missed and tapped in for a double bogey.
For the third
time, G-Man needed to make a long putt to keep his hopes alive. And for the
third time, G-Man was clutch and drained the putt.
On to playoff
hole #4.
By this time, another group had tied
off on #1, so the fourth playoff hole was played on hole #2, a 400 yard par
4.
Swatty hit a
monster tee shot, but landed in the right-side rough about 125 from the
green. G-Man hit a nice drive down the middle, leaving himself a 175
yard second shot. G's second shot was perhaps his worst of the day, a
shank that flew to the left, leaving G in the rough about 130 from the hole
with Trees causing some trouble. G's third shot was a a solid effort,
and landed on the front edge of the green.
Swatty's second
shot was one his best. Out a bad lie in the rought he hit the ball to
within 12 feet pin high.
So now G lies 3
and Swatty lies 2. G's putt rolls up to about 3 feet of the hole.
Swatty's putt slides by and also ends up about 3 feet away. After some
arguing over who was away, G ended up stroking his ball in for the bogey.
Swatty can now
win the tournament if he makes the 3-footer. Under enormous pressure (and
after some additional controversy) Swatty buried the putt with authority.
David Swatik is
the 2005 Club Champion.
