FOFC Golf Tour - Bell South Classic

[Breeze]

Bell South Classic - Atlanta Athletic Club





BOMBS AWAY - Golf for the Heavy Hitters

Duluth, Ga. - Break out the artillery and swing from the heels, boys. Let the big dog eat. Grip it and rip it. Tee it high and let it fly.
It's time for some heavy metal thunder.

Golfers playing in the Bell South Classic, which starts today, are going to have to lean on their drivers at The Atlanta Athletic Club. Fad Braxton might need both of his drivers.

How long is the course? The score card says 7,213 yards, but the score card lies. Recent rains have eliminated roll in the fairways, making the par-70 course play much longer. It fact, it's closer to a hiking trail than a golf course.

Seven of the 12 par-4s are longer than 440 yards. Two of them, converted par-5s, are longer than 470. No. 18 measures 490, but the players' yardage book lists it at 499. From the back tee to a back pin, it's every inch of 510.
There is no let-up. The par-3s average 205.2 yards, and water guards the green on three of them.

The great Bob Jones was a member here, but trust us, he never played this layout. It isn't a golf course, it's a backpacking trip. This is what the sport gets for putting titanium in drivers and moon dust in golf balls.

Earlier in the week, golfers trudged off the 18th green after practice rounds singing the same tune.

"It's very long," said last weeks winner Jeff Nights, and Nights is above average length wise off the tee.

"It is playing long, and then some," said TE Almighty, a player who's been in contention each week.

"It's one of the longest courses I've ever played," said Fad Braxton, whos hoping to break his run of bad luck this week..

In unleashing this monster, the PGA tour has allowed players' to take a rip and gotten away from making them hit pencil-thin fairways surrounded by jungle-thick rough.

The Atlanta Athletic Club is a different kind of beast.
"You have to hit driver," Nights said, "and you have to bust it."

Said Duncan Baxter: "This is definitely a course for the driver. You just can't get around it with a 3-wood or 2-iron, as you could at Royal Lytham (for the British Open). You even find people using 3-woods and 2-irons at the Masters now. This is definitely a driver's course."

Breeze, the PGA of America's CEO, said that was no accident.
"The focus was trying to make sure we put the driver in the hands of the players," Breeze said. "Basically, we recognize that the players today are doing extraordinary things. They are longer than we ever dreamed about, and all we are trying to do here is take a golf course and let them drive the ball."

Narrowing the field

To a man, the players have described the course as tough but straightforward and fair. Most welcomed the opportunity to let out the shaft off the tee.

"It's nice to see a course where the driver is needed a lot," said Brian "Putting Butcher" Babson, one of the longest players on tour. "Courses tend to be overpowered nowadays and people don't need to hit driver that often. But this week there's a huge advantage to being long and straight."
Some players said the premium on distance has eliminated as much as 75% of the field before the first shot is struck. Players with long odds this week include:

Its Craptacular
Marshall Herd
Kyle Smith
Ron Juckett
Alan Kelmay
Kyle Kappe III
Duncan Baxter
Michael Weideman
Fad Braxton, (poor Fad - looks like Jack Daniels sales will be up again this week)
TE Almighty
Shane Kormelink
Jimmy Fuijita

"I think this golf course most certainly favors a long hitter, somebody who hits it long and high," said Bay Hill champion Colton Mayes. "I think that's a test of the player's ability we haven't seen much lately."

The list of players who hit it long and high starts with Brian Babson, but includes Mike Tokunaga, David Gonzalez, while Kevin Wayne and last weeks runner up Rob Nielsen.also fit the profile.

"Babson, Gonzalez and Nielsen and these types of players will come to the fore, I'm sure," said Baxter.

Said Pebble Beach winner Stan Gunner: "I think this course is actually the perfect set-up for David Gonzalez. I think he's smiling all the way."

Tour Commissioner Breeze hinted that a short hitter has almost no chance to win.

"If you hit it straight and hit every fairway, you can get away with (being short)," he said. "But long driving is going to be a huge advantage, unless you are putting exceptionally well. The length of the course, over four days, is going to get to a lot of guys.

"If a guy hits it 320 and straight, he's going to be in the top 10. There's just no two ways about it. If he putts good, he might win. But if he doesn't putt good, he's still going to be up there because 320 and straight is going to be awesome this week and there's not a whole lot of guys who do it."
Although the entire course is long, the final four holes are truly back-breakers. No. 15 is a 227-yard par-3, No. 16 a 441-yard par-4, No. 17 a 207-yard par-3 and No. 18 a 490-yard par-4.

"Having a four-shot lead going into 15 is not safe," said announcer Gary McCord, "There will be no lead that is safe going into the last four holes."

18 a true test

The 18th is particularly scary, requiring a long and accurate drive and a second shot that can play as long as 240 yards to a green guarded by water in front and to the right. Golf legend Arnold Palmer called the hole "ridiculous."
But is it fair?

"It is," said Mayes, "if you don't assign a par to it."

Said Nielsen: "What a finishing hole. I had to hit driver, 5-wood there the other day. I don't know what the rest of the guys have got to do."
Babson hit two 3-irons into the water in a practice round. Faxton and Smith, two shorter hitters, played together Tuesday and both had 3-woods into the green. They weren't alone. Marshall Herd Jimmy Fuijita also had 3-woods Tuesday; Wayne had a 1-iron.

"I would just hate to see the leader have to lay up on Sunday," said Palmer.
Don't laugh. Duncan Baxter said if he came to No. 18 Sunday with a two-stroke lead and didn't hit a good drive, he would lay up and play the hole as a par-5.

"There's a lot of the field, unless it's downwind, they can't get there in two," Tokunaga said. "It's just a long, long hole. It's a long, long course."
There's just one thing left to say:

Bombs away.

[Blade]

Alright, here we go...

Tokunaga will go Normal for the first round.

[vtbub]

Juckett remembers Corey Pavin at Shinecock in '95.

Aggressive

[JAG]

Brian "Putting Butcher" Babson: Now THIS is my kind of course! Where have you been all my life baby? That last course was for guys who like to wear nice shirts and pants, sip their white zin, and discuss poetry by candlelight. This one is for athletes! Bring it on FOFC golfers!

[JAG]

Incidently Breeze, great intro!!

[MrBug708]

Aggressive the whole way

[Coffee Warlord]

Kickass intro Breezer. Time for the hard hitting Nielsen to grip it and rip it!

[sterlingice]

Agreed on the awesome intro. Sterling goes aggressive!

SI

[corbes]

What Rob Nielsen didn't know, after playing a practice round with Fad Braxton, was that Fad did indeed have a three-wood into the green. Two of them, as a matter of fact, were needed to reach the long par 4 in three shots.

What Nielsen also didn't know was that Braxton had arrived at the course only minutes before his tee time for the practice round.

You see, what happened after we left Braxton at the sleazy roadside bar is kind of a mystery. The facts, though, are this:

-He woke up in a dingy Jacksonville motel room with a screaming headache.
-He had $3,000 in his pants pocket, but no wallet.
-He also had no car.
-In his car were his golf clubs, which are now presumed to be missing along with his car.
-He had a tattoo on his right thigh with the words "Destiny" surrounded by a pierced heart.

More information as developments warrant.

[JAG]

I'm hoping Braxton can find someone who can fill him in on details from that evening.

[TLK]

Kevin Boroniec- Aggressive

[Breeze]

Originally Posted by JAG

I'm hoping Braxton can find someone who can fill him in on details from that evening.

Me Too - Sounds.......interesting

[The_herd]

Great, just the course I didn't need.

Marshall Herd - Neutral

[Breeze]

With the exception of Herd, I have the base scores done for all the players that have listed their style of play. Hopefully, others will respond soon, and I can being posting round 1 results on Monday. Otherwise, I'll start using defaults Monday and being posting Tuesday.

[AnalBumCover]

Fujita: NEUTRAL

[Travis]

Bywater will try neutral for round number one.

[Blade6119]

Colton Mayes will go normal for the first round

[Sublime]

Bradley Nowell - aggressive

[RPI-Fan]

Smith - Conservative

[kingfc22]

Go LONG baby. Gonzalez is going aggressive.

[tucker342]

AJ Tucker - Aggressive

[JeffNights]

Why shy away now? Nights is AGGRESIVE

[Katon]

Neutral.

[Breeze]

Bell South Classic - Atlanta Athletic Club - Round 1


Brian "Putting Butcher" Babson - arguably the longest player on tour, Babson was hoping to captilize this week by getting off to a good start. However, Babson is also a poor putter, hince the nick-name, and he's inconsistent. If hot, he could shoot the lights out, but we really haven't seen that from him yet this season. He starts off with a nice birdie on number 1, actually sinking a putt in excess of 20 feet to go 1 under. He misses a birdie putt of about half that distance on 3 and settles for par. The par 5- 5th proves to be quite easy on this day. The drive was around 350, leaving only 190 yards to the pin. He reaches the green in two and two putts. On 8 he hits a long drive, but it's off line and behind trees. He comes up clutch though - when he takes an 8 iron - opens the face a touch and gets the ball airbourne quickly, goes over the tree and the ball lands on the green within 15 feet of the hole. A miraculous shot that allows him to get his 3rd birdie on the front 9. Front 9 Score - 32 : (-3)


Michael Weideman - Weideman isn't long off the tee, but he is one of the better iron hitters on the tour. He'll put a lot of pressure on his irons if he doesn't hit good drive, but he might be able to overcome short drives. The first 3 holes go down as routeen pars. Number 4, Michael sinks a 20 foot par putt. Number 6 he gets up and down out of a bunker to save par. Number 8 and 9 are birdied, when the drives were in the middle of the fairway and he's able to use his iron playing skill to get under par. Front 9 Score 33 : (-2)


Sterling Silvers - Silvers can't get much going on the front 9. He has to hit a clutch 2nd shot on number 2, after his drive is short and left. The second shot is handy around the green, he chips up to 5 feet and makes the par putt. On 5 he plays smart - to the green in 3, and sink the 11 foot birdie putt. But a poor drive on 9 forces him to layup with the second shto and he can't get up and down again to save par. Front 9 Score - 35 : (EVEN)


Fad Braxton - Fad is becoming a cult favorite here on tour. The story leaking out about his rather interesting night following the DQ at TPC has made him a household name. During the round today, several spectators, who seem to be more interested in motorcycles, brawls and drinking were following him around and rooting him on. Rumor has it, they were his - um "drinking buddies" during last weeks bender, but Braxton claims to not remember any of them (including the scantily clad blond with the huge boobs). Whomever these guys are, Fad should consider keeping them around. He begins the round with a birdie. He decides to play smart off the tee and try to rely on his putting. On 1 he sinks a 24 foot putt for bird. On 3 he hits the green, but a bad break causes the ball to back off the green. He chips up and sinks a tough 8 foot par putt. Another great putt on 6 gives him birdie. Two more putts made (8 and 9), both from over 25 feet give him birds. The shortest driver on tour is 4 under on the front thanks to a hot putter. It will be difficult to match this pace, but he's playing well right now. Front 9 Score - 31 : (-4)


Rob Nielsen - Coming off a heartbreaking loss last week, Rob is excited to hit this monster of a course - feeling he's got an inside track to be on the weekend leaderboard. Nilsen uses his length to his advantage early going birdie birdie out of the gate. After 2 pars a drive of 330 allows him to reach the par 5 - 5th in two and two putt for his 3 birdie on the front. The 9th hole is only about 420 yards, and Rob felt this was one of the true birdie ops on the course. He tries to his a big drive, but puts himself in trouble off the tee. A cluch second shot below a tree branch rolls up in front. He then chips and putt for par. Front 9 Score 32 : (-3)


Its Craptacular Crappy is not long off the tee, and this course is going to be a real test for him. It starts off great - a long birdie putt drops. But the good news is short lived. A bogey at two occures when he has to hit a 3 iron into the green and it doesn't hold. Number 3 is another bogey when the drive is short and the 470 yard hole isn't reached in two. This streaky golfer is now scratching it around, hoping to find a groove. He doesn't find it on 4. He misses the green off the tee and can't get up and down. Now he's played 4 holes, has yet to par and only birdied 1 of the 4. The next 2 are pared. Number 7 - the green is missed and he can't get up and down. Number 8 - short drive bogey. Number 9 the drive is in the rough, but Crappy does manage to scratch out a par. Front 9 Score 39 : (+4)

Reading back through this I was going to edit my typos - but damn there are just too many.

[JAG]

Excellent, a good start. And Fad, whoa, he's coming out!

[Coffee Warlord]

I'm liking that start.

Hey Butcher! Wanna make this interesting? We both pack serious drivers. 50 bucks a hole, shortest drive pays up.

And just to keep it more amusing, winner at the end of the day buys drinks at the bar.

[Breeze]

Mike Tokunaga - Mike is another long htter, and an iron willed player, who needed his focus today. Number 2 is a 3 putt bogey. At 4 he gets the stroke back - thanks to a 7 iron that stops only 4 feet from the hole. The 5th is easy for another of the long hitter. He reaches in two and two putts for his second birdie in as many holes. A tough putt on number 6 nearly cost him a stroke. The big breaking putt from 11 feet was misready by the caddy, but Tokunaga focused in on the shot and believed in his own assessment, saving par. Number 7, once again forces Tokunaga to focus in. He misses the green off the tee short side, but hits a great chip that catches the fringe first to take the steam out of the shot, then it trickles down to within 3 feet of the hole. He can't scrape out a par on 8 and gives a stroke back when he misses the green with the approach and can't duplicate the marvelous chip from the 7th.Front 9 Score 35 : (EVEN)


Alan Kelmay - Kelmay's lack of length off the tee didn't hurt him early. He hits a super 5 iron into the green at 1 and gets bird. On two its the 3 iron combined with a putt sunk from 19 feet. On 5 he birds by hitting the green in regulation, but getting the ball inside 7 feet. A great putt on 7 dropped from 33 feet for birdie. On 9 he scrapes the ball around but sinks the 17 foot par put. Front 9 Score 31 : (-4)


Ron Juckett - Juckett misses a 9 foot par put ton 1. He misses the green at 2 with his 4 iron and then can't get up and down. On 3 he does even worse - settling for double. In the first 3 holes Ron is 4 over, and the length is really killing him. a poor iron 3rd shot on 5 keeps him from having a run at birdie. He manages to get up and down from the sand on 6 or he'd have had another bogey. He can't get up and down from the short side fringe on 7 and 9 is too much for him as well. This streaky player is on a terrible run right now shooting 41 on a par 35 front 9. Front 9 Score 41 : (+6)


Jeff Nights - Could we get our first back to back winner? Nights starts out Double bogey, bogey so things don't look good. But this focused golfer gathers his composure and birdies the next two holes. In fact, he birdies two more on the front 9 (7 and 9) and manages to finish under par for the first 9. Front 9 Score 34 : (-1)


Kyle Kappe III - birdie on 1. A clutch chip on 3 saves par. Back to back birds on 4 and 5 put him 3 under for the front 9. Then a rare big drive on 8 sets him up for yet another birdie. Kappe, another player that was supposed to struggle on this course is sitting 4 under. Front 9 Score 31 : (-4)


David Gonzalez - The favorite of many experts coming into this week, Gonzalez starts off with a drive of 343 yards - just to send notice that length wouldn't be a problem for him. He birdies 1. A great putt from 23 feet gives him bird on 4. A huge drive on 5 allows him to reach the green in two. The eagle putt from 44 comes up about 2 feet short. Tap in for birdie. He gets a little lose off the tee on 6 and settles for bogey. He does get the stroke back on number 9. Front 9 Score 32 : (-3)

[Breeze]

Duncan Baxter - Another player, who may be in over their head on this corse. He starts with a par, but his lack of length sees him bogey the next 2. A lack of length also prevent him from birding the par 5 - 5th. The driver is the nemisis on the 8th as well. This time it's not as much the length as the accuracy. Front 9 Score 37 : (+2)

Kyle Smith - the short hitting Smith is up, will he struggle like other short hitters Baxter and Juckett or thrive like Braxton or Kappe? Smith scrapes out a par on 1, then gets up and down from the rough for par on 2. His ability to save par runs out on 3 and 4 where he bogeys. He makes a 15 foot birdie putt on 5 and follows that with a birdie putt on 6. He sinks a 3rd birdie putt - this one from 31 feet on 9. He's 1 under on the front, but he easily could have been several strokes over par, but he found ways to make a save. Front 9 Score 34 : (-1)


Kevin Wayne - Wayne is a big hitter, who should thrive here, but he pars out. On 8 his length gave him a good shot at birdie, but he pushed the 8 iron right and left himself a 28 foot birdie putt, which he missed. Front 9 Score 35 : (EVEN)


Bradley Nowell - Nowell starts off the tourney by getting up and down for par. Then he pars the next 4 without any effort, but he can't make a run at bird. On 6 he sinks a 17 foot par putt. On 7 the putt falls from 13 for birdie. On 8 it's the iron approach to within 6 feet that sets up another bird. And the front 9 is closed with a putt from 22 feet for his 3rd straight birdie. Front 9 Score 32 : (-3)


Stan Gunner - Gunner pars the first 3. Bird at 4 thanks to an excellent 6 iron off the tee that back up and stopped only 7 feet from the pin. Number 8 is a 300+ yard drive, and a 7 iron into the green for birdie. Number 9 is a drive in the rough, and pitch out below a tree and pitch to the green and 2 putts from 29 feet for bogey. Front 9 Score 35 : (EVEN)


Colton Mayes - Mayes finished strong last week and is looking to stay hot. A birdie birdie start is a good way to do that. The par 5 -5th is reached in two and two putted for birdie. The final two holes on the front are both birdied and Mayes has his second straight 30. Talk about being on a hot streak - WOW. Front 9 Score 30 : (-5)

[Blade]

Man, I always let myself get behind during the opening round!

Here's hoping I have a decent back nine to at least stay close to making the cut...

[sterlingice]

If Sterling can make the cut on this one, I'll be happy!

SI

[JAG]

"Putting Butcher" - Nielsen, you're on. I may be a crappy putter, but no one matches my length. Just bring some serious cash to the bar after the round, long drives make me thirsty.

[Breeze]

AJ Tucker - Tucker starts with a bogey then settles down. He birdies the par 5, but laying up and hittng a great 9 iron inside 5 feet. He finishes the front by paring out. He does have a shot at being aggressive with the approach at 9, but he pulls the ball and misses the green to the left. Front 9 Score 35 : (EVEN)


TE Almighty - A 26 foot birdie putt at 1 is followed by a terrible drive bogey at 2. A bird at 3 and everyone following Almighty is getting motion sickness. A 300 yard drive at 5 gives Almighty a shot at getting to the green in two. The 4 wood comes up just short, but he gets up and down for birdie. On 9 a terrible drive puts him in danger of dropping a stroke, but he comes up with a clutch 2nd shot and 2 putts from 45 feet. Front 9 Score 33 : (-2)


Shane Kormelink - A perfectly placed drive of about 278 allows him to attack the pin at 1. He converts and birds the hole. The next 6 are solid pars. On 8 he hits a big drie, but he can't capitalize on the relatively short second shot - settling for par. On 9, the drive is no where near as good as 8, but he hits a better iron approach and sinks the 22 foot birdie. Front 9 Score 33 : (-2)


Kevin Boroniec - Kevin starts out with 3 steady pars and an up and down par save on 4. On 5 he hits a big drive, but his corse management skills told him not to attempt to reach the green in two. He elected to play to the green in regulation and is rewarded with an easy 8 foot birdie putt. Two holes later he sinks a 24 foot birdie putt. Front 9 Score 33 : (-2)


Marshall Herd - Herd starts by leaning on his putter. Number 1 is birdied when a 20 footer falls. On 2 he hits a good drive, but can't capitalize, and settles for par. An 11 footer finds the bottom of the cup on 3 for birdie. A slippery 9 foot par putt drops on 4. Number 5 the putter comes up big again - a 28 foot putts rattles home. The final 4 are pars. Front 9 Score 32 : (-3)


Jimmy Fuijita - 1 - Par, 2 - 3 putt bogey, 3 - par, 4 - 20 foot birdie putt made, 5 - par, 6 - a poor iron approach - settle for par, 7 - par, 8 - par, 9 a par putt drops from 13 feet. Front 9 Score 35 ; (EVEN)


Rolin Bywater - Which 9 will kill him this week? Bogey, Bogey, and he can't scramble out of trouble on 3 - Bogey. Looks like it might be this one He does gather his composure for a birdie on 6. The iron approach there stops 10 inches from the pin. Front 9 Score 37 : (+2)

[Breeze]

Side Bet Update - Driving Distance Winner (Nielsen vs Babson)

Hole 1 - Babson
Hole 2 - Nielsen
Hole 3 - Babson
Hole 4 - (par 3)
Hole 5 - Babson
Hole 6 - Nielsen (Babson 's longer but misses the fairway - I assume you have to hit the fairway to win?)
Hole 7 - (par 3)
Hole 8 - Babson
Hole 9 - Nielsen

[Coffee Warlord]

Yep, I officially must say only fairway counts!

[Breeze]

Front 9 Leaderboard

Colton Mayes		-5
Alan Kelmay		-4
Fad Braxton		-4
Kyle Kappe III		-4
Bradley Nowell		-3
Brian Babson		-3
David Gonzalez		-3
Marshall Herd		-3
Rob Nielsen		-3
Kevin Boroniec		-2
Michael Weideman	-2
Shane Kormelink		-2
TE Almighty		-2
Jeff Nights		-1
Kyle Smith		-1
Stan Gunner		-1
AJ Tucker		E
Jimmy Fuijita		E
Kevin Wayne		E
Mike Tokunaga		E
Sterling Silvers	E
Duncan Baxter		+2
Rolin Bywater		+2
It's Craptacular	+4
Ron Juckett		+6

[JAG]

Originally Posted by Coffee Warlord

Yep, I officially must say only fairway counts!

What kind of strong-armed player are ya? I thought we cared about power and distance, not sissy-stuff like actually having the ball go where it's supposed to.

But, even with that, I'm still up 4-3. Bring it.

[Sublime]

Wow...Bradley hasn't been this close to the leaders ever.

[MrBug708]

Why was I supposed to struggle?

[Coffee Warlord]

Originally Posted by JAG

What kind of strong-armed player are ya? I thought we cared about power and distance, not sissy-stuff like actually having the ball go where it's supposed to.

But, even with that, I'm still up 4-3. Bring it.

I don't make the PGA rules. They don't count our drives the land in BFE, so we won't either. Like it or not, those wimps do pay us.

And eh, I'm down 50 bucks. You're a dead man on the back. It's a well known fact leftys can drive farther than righties. Doomed.

[JAG]

Breeze, please make sure to add the money Butcher wins off Nielsen to his tour earnings.

[kingfc22]

Hell, I'll raise that wager to $100 and out drive both Nielson and Babson.

[Coffee Warlord]

You're on, slick.

[Coffee Warlord]

Originally Posted by JAG

Breeze, please make sure to add the money Butcher wins off Nielsen to his tour earnings.

You realize all winnings in our side bet will be offset by our bar tab, right?

[Blade6119]

I love being the top dog to start a tourney...it won the last time it happened@!

[JAG]

LOL Nielsen...you just may be alright.

Gonzalez, I hope you've been winning enough to afford that $100/hole hit you're gonna take.

[tucker342]

I could out drive all you bitches!!! I just don't wanna take your money

[Coffee Warlord]

Take a seat, kid. This is the adult competition.

[kingfc22]

Originally Posted by JAG

LOL Nielsen...you just may be alright.

Gonzalez, I hope you've been winning enough to afford that $100/hole hit you're gonna take.

After this tourney, I'll be sitting at home with a nice paycheck in hand. Then I'll turn on the TV and start laughing when I see Sportscenter's Top 10 missed putts of the day: all featuring Babson.

[JAG]

Hey, I made a 20+ footer on the front nine. I think that's the best putt I've had all year. But yeah, I'm not getting into any putting competitions.

[Breeze]

Bell South Classic - Back 9

Brian Babson - (-3)
Number 10 starts off with a great drive ($50 bucks worth?...we'll see). The approach is nice and the 12 foot birdie putt - misses. The drive at 12 is 347 yards - leaving him exactly 200 to the middle of the green. He reaches in two and...3 putts for par. Number 13, Babson is forced to go with a fairway wood off the tee to keep from hittng through the fairway. The iron approach is great and the 8 foot birdie - goes in. On 16, Babson misses the fairway - the second shot reaches the green, but he's left with a putt about a mile long for birdie. Since putting isn't his thing - it's not surprising he 3 putts for bogey. 18 is ugly. Babson's drive is long but right and it ends up in some mogles. With the ball well above his feet, he elects to be aggressive a real surprise here and he pulls the ball into the water on the front right. Drops, chips up and doubles the final hole.
Scores 33 : 37 (-1)


Michael Weideman - (-2)
The back 9 start out pretty good. He pars 10, then hits a drive right down the middle on 11 - attacks the pin and converts the birdie. 13 is another birdie op, but the putt slips by the hole, grazing the top edge. On 15, Michael's drive is a little week, his second swing on the second shot appears labored and he is forced to sink an 11 foot putt to save par. The long walk on this course appears to be getting to the How do you say this nicely? Um...less than fit Weideman. On 16, he doesn't reach the green in regulation and he can't get up and down to save par. On 17, his tee ball is pulled into the water. He drops then manages to gunch the ball in the water again. Chip on and sink the 9 foot putt for 6. Number 18 is not much better. The extremely long and difficult par 4 is too much as Michael bogeys. He closes the final 3 holes - 5 over par - and his lack of fitness kills what was looking like a good round.
Scores - 33 : 39 (+2)


Sterling Silvers - (E)
This course really puts pressure on players, and Silver's starts to feel it at the turn. On 10 he finds a bunker by the green and bogeys. On 11 he misses the green with the approach and he can't get up and down - bogey. On 12 - one of the easier holes on the course - Silvers was looking to stop his bad streak, but it only got worse. From the tee box he was looking for a big drive in an effort to reach the par 5 in two. He didn't get it - in fact, he missed the fairway and ended up blocked by a tree. Trying to make something happen Silvers attempted to hook the ball around the edge of the tree and gain a significant chunck of yardage down the fairway. The ball clips the edge and ricochets diagonally across the fairway and into the trees on the opposite side. With his backswing block - Silvers has not choice but to chip back into fairway laterally. His 4th shot is from the middle of the fairway, but it's also still 270 yards from the green. He lays up, Then with a wedge in his hand for par - he hits the ball long and leaves himself a 31 foot bogey putt - missed and double is recorded. 4 over on the first 3 holes of the back 9. From here he settles down. He birdies 15, but drops the stroke on 18, when he hits a poor drive right left and is blocked by trees. Rather than risk hitting the ball in the water, he lays up, Chips on and 2 putts for 5.
Scores 35: 39 (+4)

Fad Braxton - (-4)
On the leaderboard early Fad is walking on cloud nine. He has also benefited from some unconcious putting. It's his best shot this week, since he'll be hitting a bunch of flat faced irons into greens and probably will be faced with plenty of long putts. On 10 the length gets to him. The par putt is over 16 feet and he misses. On 11, it takes a great 5 iron to salvage the hole have a terribly short drive. On 12 he plays the par 5 like a par 5 and the 3rd shot 9 iron is within 10 feet. The hot putter doesn't let him down here as he sinks it to get back to even on the back 9. The 450 yard par 4 - 16th was too much. A 245 yard drive left him with a 5 iron into the green. It was on-line but short and he can't get up and down. Number 18 is also too much. He doesn't even attempt to reach the green in two - hoping he can chip and putt for par, but he misses the 13 footer and settles for bogey. A disappointing finish, but I'm sure given his recent history and the fact this course isn't playing to his strength Braxton will take it - in fact, he'd probably take it on the next 3 rounds as well.
Scores 31: 37 (-2)


Rob Nielsen - (-3)
Nielsen misses the fairway on 10, and that eventually leads to bogey - when the approach shot catches a flyer and bounces over the back of the green and he can't get up and down. At 11 he has a chance to get the stroke back, but his putt from 18 is misread - as it starts moving right when it dies as opposed to holding the line. Number 12 starts off with a 336 yard drive, and he reaches the green in two with a 4 iron. He two putts from 44 feet and gets birdie. The next 3 holes are birdie, birdie, birdie and Nielsen has entrenched himself on the leaderboard. The first two birdies are set up by big drives. The 3rd was just a well played par 3. Number 16 start off looking like it's going to be another birdie. The drive is well over 300 yards, but he pushed the approach and two putts from 35 feet. Number 17 is pared. !8 starts with a 300+ yard drive. He decides to fire at the pin, but hangs the ball out to the right - probably guarding against the water to the front and left. He's long as well and the 28 foot birdie putt goes 6 feet by. The comebacker is made and Nielsen pars 18.
Scores 32: 32 (-6)


Its Craptacular - (+4)
Crappy really struggled early with the length of this course. He missed greens with long irons and didn't get up and down well. On the back, he elected to play more to his strengths. He pars the first two and his confidence goes up. On 12, his drive is bad, but he hoods a 4 iron and punches beneath a tree limb and it goesl 200 yards down the fairway. The amazing scramble shot allows him to hit a 9 iron on the green - which stops on 7 feet from the hole, birdie made. The next 4 are pars. Number 17, a par 3 bites him however. His approach finds a bunker to the left. He's left with a very long sand shot. He blasts it out well, but it has too much backspin - doesn't release and comes up well short of the hole. In fact, he misses the 27 foot par putt and settles for bogey..
Scores 39: 33 (+2)