Today is the first round of the 2-person SportsPal tournament at Osprey Links Golf Course. It is one of the biggest tournaments of the year and my friend Blair and I have entered. We have played in this event before and finished near the bottom of the Championship flight (and out of the prizes). This year we are hoping to improve on our standings and walk away with a bit of the prize purse.

Started in 1947 in North Bay, Ontario, Sportspal manufactures canoes and other water craft. They have sponsored this event for years and we are grateful that during this year of craziness, they have stepped up again. Thanks to Carl and Dave Crewson from BW Marine Products for your ongoing support.

This tournament is a unique event where the first day (today) is the qualifying rounds in which we play a best ball format. After this today’s round, we are flighted and play medal play (scramble) on Sunday. Both formats have their own unique strategy and require a different approach to scoring well.

The first day is what I would call moving day. To make it into the championship flight the 2-person team requires a score around par. Anything under par puts you near the top of the flight. For this round, I plan to forget about what anyone else is doing (including my partner) and try and play my best round of golf. That means pressing when I have an advantage and playing conservative when needed. Best ball is really like playing a round of golf with my friend. So, by focusing on my game and forgetting what happens around me is how mentally I will succeed. The ultimate goal, at the first, is to shoot a lower score than our opponents in the group. Then see where we fall out with the rest of the field.

The second day is a scramble. Blair will play first on every shot and I will (hopefully) place our ball in a better position. Neither one of us are long ball hitters, so playing aggressive when possible is key to shooting low. I think if I have a shot, pin hunting will definitely the the flavour of the day. There is no sense playing conservative in a scramble because that strategy will fail. Pars are not good enough, so birdies and possibly eagles are our goal.

In the past, Blair and I played better during the best ball format than the scramble. Well, we need to change that this year if we have any inclination of finishing at the top or at least near the top of the leaderboard. We have the game to compete if we both play well! Here is to a positive attitude that we will succeed!

Have you played in a golf tournament with a similar format? If so, how did you do?

I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!