Breakthrough

Eureka! Finally, practice, persistance and perspiration has paid off. Went out today and played the best front nine ever. A dodgy wedge shot on the 5th cost me and dropped me to a double bogey but I hit the green on 6 to get that shot back with a par. Then on the 8th I hit my tee shot off the toe and got a nasty bounce. 180 yards and with trees blocking my approach...

...up until this point I had been following the advice that Bob McArthur had given me at Thetford. Embrace your fade and play for it. Apart from my first tee shot it had been working beautifully...

So back to the 8th and I set up as normal and then opened my stance slightly. I saw the shot, pulled the trigger and it curved beautifully around the trees and onto the green. From a position from which I'd normally have chipped sideways I'd made the green and scored par. Despite a double bogey on the 9th I finished the front nine with 23 points.

Now things didn't quite go to plan on the back nine. Worst tee shot of the day on 10 led to a woeful 7: ouch. Missed a short putt for par on 11 but then got up and down on 12 for a sand save and a par. Fast forward to the 14th and I've got a chance to break 90 for the first time. Tight narrow green so do I play it safe from 180 yards or do I go for it? Of course I went for it and I have no regrets. Missed left and hit my provisional into the gorse for two lost balls and a blob. If it was a medal I'd have played it differently but this was a friendly knock and I was going for my shots. The attitude paid dividends on the 15th which I parred for the first time ever. This was a great moment for me as I've now scored par on every hole on the course. Another blob on 17 when my drive went left and very, very long leaving me a tricky shot over trees that I lost in the foliage, but a par on the last meant I'd finished the back nine with 18 points despite three blobs.

So 41 points in total and potential to score much, much better. Really felt in control of the ball for long periods today and my short game was much improved (18% scramble conversion). I missed a great chance to break 90 but I have no regrets. If I can build on today I feel it may well happen in next week's medal and that's when it really matters.

78 (63)
4(3), 6(5), 4(3), 5(4), 7(5), 3(3), 6(5), 4(4), 6(4), 7(4), 4(3), 5(5), 6(4), -(4), 4(4), 4(4) -(4), 3(3)