Golf Match #2 I choke away an easy point

A week ago, Bill and I played our 2nd match in the golf bet. Once again after 9 holes I had a 3 stroke lead with a 40 on the front 9. It seemed like I played even better than I scored.

On the back nine, my golf game started to leave me. I hate that feeling of knowing that you have played great golf for 2-3 rounds and you just know the bad one is coming. I did everything I could to fight it off, but bad shots at really bad times kept happening.

The funny thing was that Bill could not get his game going either. Every time I gave him an opening he tripped over himself. On 13 I hit it in the water with my tee shot. Then Bill stepped up and did the same thing. I did him one better by then putting my pitch shot in the lake again! I took an 8 and he took a 5.

His next screw up was on 14. Since he had the honors he went first and inexplicably hit his 2 iron out onto Osborn Road and out of bounds. I was in the middle of the fairway. After Bill hit his 3rd shot from the tee, his 4th shot was also heading out of bounds towards Osborn again. I thought it was out for sure. He even hit another provisional because Bill thought it was probably OB. But he walked up to the tall pine tree on the right and there it was. I made bogey and he only made double bogey.

By 18 I had built my lead back up to 3 strokes. I hit 3 wood off the tee on the par 5 to keep it in play and to keep the fairway bunker out of play, since I can't reach it with that club. I hit a weak slice to the right that I briefly thought might bounce out of bounds. Luckily the grass was long and sticky so it did not go far. Bill was in the middle of the fairway. My second shot required me to punch out back into the fairway keeping it under a big tree. I hit a great shot and managed to advance the ball about 150 yards. Bill was still in good shape with his second and then played his 3rd onto the green.

I had 185 yards to the middle of the green. I thought about my choices. I could lay up with a 140 yard shot and take the lake out of play on the right. I still might leave myself a tough shot if I pull it left into the fairway bunker or push it too far right and get stuck behind the big pine tree. I could also hit 5 iron and just aim way left. If I hit it straight it's in the greenside bunker and all I have to do is get out and two putt for the win. I decide to play the 5 iron shot and aim left. Apparently I did not aim far enough left as I rinsed it in the lake. Fuck!

I'm still ok if I can make double bogey, Bill still has to make his long birdie putt to tie. I take my drop and the ball bounces a little forward into the longer rough. I hit my pitch shot over the lake trying to put the image of my botched pitch over the lake on 13 out of my head. The ball lands 6 feet from the pin. I am hoping to have a little bite on the shot, but because of the rough I can't get enough spin on it and it rolls past the pin and up a swail in the middle of the green.

Bill proceeds to hit his birdie putt from just outside where my ball is. His putt screams down the hill and runs 6 feet by the hole. Now all I have to do is two putt. It's not easy because it will tough to stop the ball near the hole after seeing what Bill's ball did. I hit a great putt that almost goes in. Unfortunately it still creeps 4 feet by the hole so it's not a gimme.

Bill makes his first clutch shot of the day and drains the putt for par. I hit a good putt but somehow it does not go in and I take an 8 on the last hole and Bill salvages a 1/2 point. I shot 48 on the back nine. Absolutely horrible!