“We’ll putt-out and let you have your Tiger moment” is what my good buddy Ross Ruprecht said as I stared down the line of a 15 footer for par on the 18th hole of River’s Edge golf course, the last hole of the 2009 Myrtle Beach Masters. Make the putt and the elusive Green jacket was mine. Miss it and in the format we play where the last day of a four day stroke play tournament counts for double, and my other good buddy John Catarina would, perhaps more deservingly, dawn the jacket.

To all but the dozen or so guys who make the annual trek or people who simply like reading stories about golf, this post wont mean diddly. But for me and a handful of others, the Myrtle Beach Masters is second only to Augusta. At age 51 and a handicap factor of 9.4, I suppose the likelihood of playing at, let alone winning, Augusta is beginning to fade. But I haven’t given up on that dream either. Playing Augusta that is, not winning.

This year marks my third trip to the Myrtle Beach Masters. My first year was in 2007 when I blogged about it here. Last year in 2008 election stuff got in the way of my chronicling the event. And this year, well, I was focused and really wanted to win.

Winning, as I did by jarring the 15 footer and letting out an almighty yyyyeeeaaahhh!!!, was a bitter-sweet victory. Going into the final round my good friend John(ny) Catarina was the odds-on and sentimental favourite. Sentimental, because John has never won the event in its 15+ year history and because there simply isn’t a guy down there with a bigger heart. John was also the odds-on favourite because in order to beat him from where I stood in second place after round three, I would need to gain on him by 8 strokes.

John was on fire the first three rounds with net scores of 70, 71, and 74 and against my decent enough rounds of 75, 73, and 74. On the eve of the final last Thursday night, I had a premonition John would shoot a gross 95, net 71. Against that score, I would need to shoot a gross 78, net 66. When all was said and done, John shot exactly what I’d thought, 95. And I responded just as precisely with a 78 and a total 5 round score of  353 to John’s 355.

Other scores included: 3rd Doug VanFraassen (381) – 4th Chris Hynes (384) – 5th Jim Oake (395) – 6th John Cowan (396) – 7th Ross Ruprecht (397) – 8th Manny Andrade (407) – 9th Rob Jacome (409), and 10th Martin “Hercules” Kusmirek (413) which also happens to be the average length of his drives, see photo right.

After the round John shook my hand and with that ever-present twinkle in his eye said “would have been nice had you talked to me.” With that, my one golf fault – that I know of – was exposed.

When I am in a very competitive situation, especially in golf, I tend to get a little quiet, if not downright antisocial. I know this about myself. I’ll also think nothing of asking a fellow competitor to move his shadow if it’s in my line or line of sight. Twenty years ago an old golf buddy, Kevin Burnatowski, used to tease me about not talking if I made four or five pars in a row. Far be it an after-the-fact strategy, remaining quiet, intense, and all to myself is in fact the only way I know how to score in a competitive round as opposed to a social round of golf. Some can do both. I, so far, haven’t mastered that art, nor is it high on my to do list.

Still, it’s one thing to be in “prick mode” in a GAO competition as I did last year when I won my division, or when earlier this year my 16 year old son Austin and I reclaimed the BBFM Father and Son Invitational, but it’s apparently quite another thing to be that way with best friends. I don’t apologize easily.

According to John however, in the only other year where he finished in second place once before, the eventual winner that year, Ross Ruprecht, was worse that me. Somehow that isn’t hard to imagine.

All in all it’s been a pretty good year of golf for me. I fulfilled my dream of becoming a Clublink member, I finally got my equipment sorted out, and my index appears to be heading in the right direction. Shoulder difficulties notwithstanding, my goal is to once again be a solid 5 or better by early next season. For this year however, I have to be satisfied with winning the Myrtle Beach Masters and the Father and Son invitational.

My sights for next year in Myrtle are already set with two competitors, Ross and Van Marineau, having already served me notice – in their own special way –  they intend getting in the way of a repeat. For my part, step one is better vision which the good doctors at Lasik MD will be taking care of Monday next. Step two and three will involve losing 30 or so pounds and gaining much needed flexibility and strength. Apparently there isn’t instant laser surgery for those two steps. And finally hours of practice and time with my golf coach and mentor, Terry Miskolczi.

Update in 6 months.

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