Monday 24th June
8:10am is the starting time on a absolutely perfect morning for golf, barely any wind with clear skies. The course was in great condition, greens not super fast but quite firm especially on first bounce so being in the fairway to control the approach shot is key.
It's essentially a 18 hole shootout and I didn't know before teeing off but there was only to be 6 spots available and in my mind I knew something like -3 would be needed to progress, which is very achievable.
I started perfectly, hitting a good tee shot down the fairway followed by a wedge to 10ft on the 1st. I was unable to convert the putt and this would unfortunately set the tone for the day. I three putted on the 3rd from 27ft which was frustrating but I kept patient and continued to hit very good shots. I made birdie on the par 5 7th then set up chances all inside 10ft on 8, 9 and 10 but again, my putter let me down. The frustration was building and making bogey on the 11th and 13th really made it very difficult to recover from.
On the last few holes I tried my best to make something happen but it just didn't go my way and I ended up finishing at +3 which would turn out to be 6 shots away from getting through.
A very frustrating way to finish, 35 putts hitting 14 greens in regulation with 5 shots inside 10ft to not covert one is not going to get the job done, especially on a day like today.
A big thanks to RHG member Mick for caddying for me for the practice and competition day, he did a fantastic job ensuing that we stuck to our process on each shot.
I have a couple of weeks now to rest a little and get more practice done ahead of Clutch at Studley Wood.
Thank you for following.
Ryan