FBGC Masters - Spring 2020 Recap

The Coronavirus forced us to switch locations at the last minute, but thankfully World Woods was able to accommodate. We'll never know how this ultimately affected the championship, but the finale lived up to the hype.

I have to say — World Woods is probably the best "golf setting" in our rota. Maybe it's due to the current quarantine situation, but it was awesome to be outside in the pines with a light breeze.

At some point during the day, each of the seven golfers mathematically alive looked like they were going to win the DPT Cup. And every single one of them shit themselves. Perhaps we should be hoarding toilet paper.

Let's review how they each grabbed Defeat from the jaws of Victory:

Geoff
Looked like a Champion: On the range. Always confident — especially with his new whip — he possessed the swagger of a soon-to-be two-time Champion. Geoff started the day 378.3 points behind John, so he needed to win, and also get help from the already eliminated field.

Where it went wrong: As soon as he walked to the first tee. Making a triple of the first hole basically ended his day. It's impressive that he reversed his usual trend by shooting 6-strokes better on the back nine... but he needed 8 fewer strokes overall to be in the discussion. The first, of four, triple bogeys was already too much to overcome.

Casey
Looked like a Champion: At the turn. Just like Geoff, Casey needed a victory to have a chance. Making par on the first three holes was a great start. Despite a double bogey on 7, he made the turn at +1 (net) and only a couple of shots off the lead. A strong back nine would keep him alive.

Where it went wrong: The incredibly easy par-5 10th hole. Seriously... a big hitter like Casey can't take a quadruple-bogey nine here. It's a fairly wide hole! I don't know how it happened, but that was the final nail in his coffin.

Adam
Looked like a Champion: After the 11th hole. He was picked by many to win the Cup, especially since he only needed a 4th or better finish (assuming he beats John and Gary). Two triple-bogeys hindered his chances, but back-to-back pars to start the home stretch returned him to Even (net) on the day and into the top 4. At this point, I told our group that Adam was definitely winning the Ultimate Prize.

Where it went wrong: The short, but incredibly tricky, par-4 12th. This shouldn't be a hole Adam struggles with. He could "Smooth Criminal" a 6-iron to the middle of the fairway and have a wedge to the center of the green — leaving an uphill putt for birdie. Not sure how it played out, but a double bogey completely knocked off his wheels. He finished his final seven holes +13 (gross) which is one less than his overall handicap. Ouch.

Reid
Looked like a Champion: After the 14th hole. Reid was a super long-shot, trailing John by 510.8 points. But after his par on 14, he sat atop the leader board at -3 (net). John and Gary had just begun the bed-shitting process, and it looked as if Reid might pull off the miracle.

Where it went wrong: The short par-4 17th. Reid's double on 15 didn't help either (along with John making clutch birdies), but the double on 17 forced Reid to need a birdie on 18 to win outright. None of us are good enough to get birdies when we absolutely need them.

Troy
Looked like a Champion: Sitting at the top of the leader board at -2 (net) after his 13th hole. Troy controlled his own destiny. Win and become Champion. He also previously won a Major on this course back in 2017 — so he had to be feeling comfortable. Turns out, all he needed was to play the final five holes in 7-over (gross).

Where it went wrong: The super-tricked up 14th hole. It's by far the worst and most offensive hole on the entire property. Troy made a triple, followed it up with a triple-double-triple sequence, and shot +11 (gross) to lose the Championship by about 4 swings. This might have been the worst ejection of the day.

Gary
Looked like a Champion: At the turn, and then again on 18. Gary played great golf for 17 holes. He ultimately lost it by making an 8 on the 10th (shout-out: Casey!). But he grinded his way back into contention and had a putt at potential victory.

John
Looked like a Champion: When it was over? John had everything to lose and you can't blame him if he started a little defensive. Triples on 2 and 5 had everyone thinking he was done. But three birdies on the day (Has he ever done that in Club play? Or ever?) allowed him to re-take control. All of us waiting behind 18 were disappointed how anti-climatic the end was going to be. Robbie was texting me from Oregon-quarantine for updates. And then John gave the people what they wanted: an inexcusable disaster on the penultimate hole (quad-bogey).

You could cut the tension with a knife.

So the stage was set. Gary needed to beat John by 2-strokes on the 18th to win the season. John was in the middle of the fairway, but we couldn't tell if it was his drive or his 2nd shot from a punch out. He goes with an iron approach to the par-5 green — and borderline shanks it right into a bunker. His 30ish-yard bunker shot hangs up just short on a hill, and we're told he's only laying 3 (which means he hit a hell of a tee shot).

Meanwhile, Gary lays up to a good number, and for once doesn't decel on his approach. He's got a decent look at birdie on the correct tier.

If he sinks the putt, John would need par to join the Champions Dinner. But John is still in a "spot of bother." Bogey is definitely in play, and double bogey isn't unreasonable. Let's check in on the action. This... just a moment ago:


I've said it a million times — but John is the best putter in the league. That downhill par-save was NOT easy. So here's your new Champion:

Great season everyone. I'll get the new schedule up soon and roll everything over. More off-season nonsense to come later... since I'm stuck in my house with more free time than usual.