Jamaican Open - Spring 2023 Recap

 

It was an interesting day yesterday in many different ways.  To start the round, the weather was perfect for scoring.  It was warm, but there wasn’t too much wind.  Then the wind picked up out of the northwest and it looked like we were going to get hit with a thunderstorm.  We dodged the storm, but the wind decided to stick around.  It’s rare that a group gets an advantage based on when they tee off, but I think Group 1 got lucky.  Hole number 4 played like a true Par 5 into the strong wind.   Picking the right club on Number 7 became much more difficult and Hole 8 probably played 50 yards longer than normal.  The more holes you were able to get in before the wind picked up, the better. 

Reid got off to a fast start.  He was three under (net) after three holes and looked to be cruising towards taking home his own tournament’s trophy.  Things got a little shaky towards the end of the front 9 and then a 7 on the short Par 3 #10 derailed any hope of winning. 

Brendan managed to birdie #4 going into the wind from the back tees.  He even beat out Dan for the long drive while doing so and we started joking around about what the nickname “B.D.” really stands for.  He made two more pars on holes 5 and 6, and then hit the green on #7 and had a pretty good look at birdie.  A two putt par looked inevitable and I thought I was witnessing the first “good” pitcher round of the season.  The three putt that followed didn’t seem like a big deal at the time, but it turned out to be the beginning of the end for BD.  His 39 on the front was followed up with a 53 on the back.  Still a Top 5 finish though.

What I have learned over the years is that a tournament at Grasslands really doesn’t start until Hole 13.  The scores on the front 9 are always very good.  Holes 10, 11, and 12 are all pretty short and straight forward.  The six hole closing stretch is a bitch even without strong winds.  Faz managed to play the final 6 holes even par and pulled away from the field.  Faz definitely deserved and earned the win with that finish.  The second best score on those final six holes was three over par. 

Chandler actually had the best round of the day (Gross), a 76, which is the new low scoring record at Grasslands.  Dan joined Faz and Chandler shooting in the 70’s with a 79 from the Gold/Blue combo tees.  He also had one of the more impressive Eagles that you will ever see on Hole 12 when he hit a 235 yard 3 iron about 30 feet past the hole and then drained the putt.  Buchert (hey, that’s me!) managed to avoid a goose egg for Season Points, finishing T-3 with Dan.

Just  some random observations that demonstrate the difference in difficulty between the Front 9 and Back 9 at Grasslands - Out of 20 players, nobody shot a 50 or worse on the Front 9.  We had 10 players shoot a 50 or worse on the Back 9.  We had 2 quadruple bogeys or worse on the Front 9.  There were 17 quads or worse on the Back 9.  Gorecki tied the course record for worst score with a 107 (48 on the Front 9; 59 on the Back 9).

Random note:  Danny recorded a par on Hole 12, so Gorecki’s streak lives on in infamy.

With Faz winning and Chandler coming in second place, things are set up for one of the most exciting finishes in recent FBGC history.  Reid, Faz and Chandler all control their own destiny.  If any of those three finish solo first, they win the Cup.  It doesn’t matter what anyone else does.  Gorecki, Melberg, Troy or Geoff would have a very good shot of winning the Cup with a solo first place finish.   Gary, JW, and Hauch would need to win and then get a decent amount of help.