August 23
The crowds gather at the AGC clubhouse for the final round of the Resorters . . .
August 7
The morning of the championship rounds – men’s semi-finals and women’s final – dawned in dubious weather. There was actually some moisture around, so we opted out of golf. That afternoon, as previously reported, we had an engagement with Elsa Lee at the winery. The weather remained iffy – but with continous weather radar checks we were pretty sure we could catch the men’s championship on the back 9. Through the wonders of modern technology we were able to follow the ongoing matches. We were delighted to hear that “the kid,” Braeden Sladek, had defeated the overwhelming favorite (by Calcutta betting), Donald Constable, who won the Resorters in 2010 and then was a pro for 10 years, in the semi-final. Braeden would thus be playing for the championship, and we were off for the golf course by 4:00 . . .
Go play golf. Go to the golf course. Hit the ball. Find the ball. Repeat until the ball is in the hole. Have fun. The end. ~ Chuck Hogan
[Once at the golf course, we just looked for the crowds. They were on the 14th hole. The Super, on the left, led me across the back 9 to the assembling masses around the 16th green . . . ]
[This was also a hub of several holes, so there was a concession tent . . . ]
[Other flights were playing in front of the men’s championship match, which was the last one on the course. Alayna Eldred had by now won the women’s championship . . . ]
[Between holes 15 and 16 . . . ]
[A panorama of that area . . . ]
[Walking in the middle of the far fairway (14th) is Braeden and his caddy . . . ]
[Meanwhile, back where we were waiting, Echo Press editor Al Edenloff was interviewing Tom Ryan, the Men’s Masters champion . . . ]
[The crowd has now moved to the 15th tee . . . ]
[Editor Al has found another interviewee, Betsy Aldrich, Women’s Executive champion . . . ]
[Now waiting at the 16th green, the Sladek-Kelly Brown match was “all square” . . . ]
Golf tip: Lay off for three weeks and then quit for good. ~ Sam Snead
[Panorama around the 16th green . . . ]
[Braeden was on in two, putting for a birdie . . . ]
There is no such thing as natural touch. Touch is something you create by hitting millions of golf balls. ~ Lee Trevino
I’m the best. I just haven’t played yet. ~ Muhammad Ali
[A good putt, but still a little meat on the bone . . . ]
[Kelly Brown’s 2nd shot went over the green, he made a poor chip, but then sank what had to be a more than 20-foot putt for this par. Braeden then needed this putt for the halve . . . ]
[And he made it. Match still all square . . . ]
[The par 3 17th . . . ]
[The crowds made it hard for me to get any photos on this hole. But a roar went up from the green. Braeden won the hole with a par and went to 18 with a 1-up lead . . . ]
[The crowd storming down the 18th fairway . . . ]
[Braeden said later he did not hit the driver, with a 1-hole lead he just wanted to put his tee shot in the fairway . . . ]
[He did. Perfectly placed for a little flip wedge. Meanwhile Kelly’s drive was behind a tree behind the 11th green. He actually made a terrific low draw punch shot around the tree which just rolled off the back of the green . . . ]
[The winning shot by Braeden . . . ]
Golf is a game that needlessly prolongs the lives of some of our most useless citizens. ~ Bob Hope
If I had cleared the trees and drove the green, it would’ve been a great shot. ~ Sam Snead
Half of golf is fun; the other half is putting. ~ Peter Dobereiner
I always thought of myself as some sort of athlete until I started playing golf a couple years ago. ~ James Caan
Most people play a fair game of golf – if you watch them. ~ Joey Lauren Adams
What a shame to waste those great shots on the practice tee. ~ Walter Hagen
Practice puts brains in your muscles. ~ Sam Snead
[Perfect shot – maybe a 15-footer – guarantees no worse than par . . . ]
[Kelly could not up and down from behind the green – Braeden wins!]
[Likely many more championships to come . . . ]
Golf is the cruelest game, because eventually it will drag you out in front of the whole school, take your lunch money and slap you around. ~ Rick Reilly
Nobody ever remembers who finished second at anything. ~ Jack Nicklaus
Playing golf is like chasing a quinine pill around a cow pasture. ~ Winston Churchill
Golf is more fun than walking naked in a strange place, but not much. ~ Buddy Hackett
I was three over. One over a house, one over a patio, and one over a swimming pool. ~ George Brett
Swing hard in case you hit it. ~ Dan Marino
Golf is so popular simply because it is the best game in the world at which to be bad. ~ A. A. Milne
Up Next: Dunno, finally caught up . . .
alexandriacardinals2.wordpress.com 