Yesterday was the best round of golf my chums and I have ever shot as a team. Our team is now known as “Team 59”. Yup, we shot 12 under at Osprey Links’ par 71, 6100 yard diverse front and back nines. I have played there for many years and yesterday’s round was one where Rick, Blair, Fernando and I were firing on all cylinders. We all contributed and except for the last hole, we had multiple balls to choose from for every shot. It was a round of golf that we have been waiting to appear for a very long time.

We started on the 18th hole with high hopes for the round. Our tee shot was inside the 100 and we had the below look at our approach shot. The pin was located behind the big rock on the left and was in the middle of the green. Blair hit a fantastic shot over the rock that landed on the front of the green and rolled about 15 feet past the hole. My shot landed on top of the rock, bounced forward and stopped seven feet from the pin on the right. After Rick putted in for birdie, we were off and running!

As we navigated around the course, everyone was hitting the ball well. Fernando was our long hitter and produced many great tee shots. On the par 5, 16th hole, he launched a drive 285 yards only two yards from the blue stake. Yes, he was in the middle of the fairway and it gave us a chance to go for the green in two. This is a rare instance and we almost hit the green in two. Fernando hit many long shots and we used those successful shots to hit many close approach shots.

Rick was our putter extraordinaire. Of the 12 birdies, he sank seven and gave us great reads on the rest. He was our first hitter off the tee; he was in play 75% of the time and that relieved the pressure off the rest of us. His short game was strong and basically he set the team up for success for the round.

Blair hit many clutch shots when we needed him too. He hit many great approach shots that left us with real birdie opportunities…..which we converted. Specifically, he was the only one in play off the 12th tee box. This is the most difficult tee shot on the course and Blair came through.

Blair and I have been friends for a long time and can easily talk strategy. Our interaction helps me make better shots and I rely on him to help me talk through most shots. Today, we made the right decisions at the proper time which resulted in many birdies.

I played well. I hit the ball and made a few good shots. Many times my good shots were over shadowed by my playing partners. If you are wondering, I think this is fantastic. I never want to putt and during yesterday’s round I only putted six times. We did use a few of my shots, but not nearly as many as in the past. As an anchor, it is always a good thing when the team is carrying me.

Shooting 12 under par with a final score of 59 is the highlight score of my 2022 season. Everyone contributed, played well, and made clutch shots. As a team that has played together for many years, it has finally happened where we shot to our potential. I had a great time and I am grateful to have broken 60 with my close friends. On a side note, we won the tournament.

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