The Stone Creek, Stone Cold, Muni Miracle

The Open flight semi-final match of Park/Higgins vs. Baker/McLeod took place on Saturday afternoon. This was wonderful timing because Friday night had gotten completely away from the Silver Fox. After fighting nausea with greyhounds and beers for 3 hours on Saturday morning , the 1:00 tee time seemed just about perfect. After trading early pars on the first three holes, Baker/McLeod went 1up on #4, when Park/Higgins made bogey. And then a Ken McLeod birdie bomb on #7 put them 2 up. At his point Jeffrey was starting to get nervous and Hobie is still busy getting tanked. Jeff hit a huge drive and could easily reach the par 5 ninth hole in 2 with a mid-iron, so after poor drives into the fairway bunker by both Baker and McLeod, it seemed fairly certain that the good guys were going to finally win a hole and only be 1 down going into the back nine. Crazily, after chunking his second shot out of the bunker, Baker uses a hybrid from 185 yards and hits it right into the freaking hole for EAGLE! Are you kidding me? As everyone was congratulating Mr. Baker for his heroic shot, someone pointed out that it was a actually a “Sandy” Eagle. Hobie leaned over to Jeff and asked “what do you think KJ’s rule is for a “Sandy” Eagle. A still stunned Jeffrey says “KJ would probably blow him.”

The back nine starts pretty much like the front nine with both teams trading pars until #13, when Park/Higgins finally win a hole with par and go 2 down with 5 holes to play. Pars tie both #14 and #15 and Gardeniaville’s finest are still 2 down with three to play. This is where the match really heats up. To help bring home the thick textures and true flavor of the story, I have asked Hobie to give a first person rendition of the last three holes.

“Well, as we drive up to #16 tee box, I glance over at Jeffrey and the fear in his face is almost palpable. He’s babbling about how he can’t believe we are going to lose to these guys and that he always loses these matches, blah, blah blah… Jeff is in straight-ass Reptilian mode. In a situation like this, you have to make the person feel safe. I tell him to relax and that we aren’t going to lose this match. And even if we do lose the match, his family will probably still love him.”

Jeff and I both pipe drives on #16, a short par 4, leaving us each about 80 yards from the green. Jeff comes up a little short, but handy. I flatten out my lob wedge a little and hit a one-hop stopper to about 2 and a half feet for birdie. Birdie wins the hole. We are now 1 down with 2 to play. At this point I am feeling it. I tell Jeffrey to stay out of my way and as long as he doesn’t run over me with the cart, we will win this freaking match. For the first time since we teed off on #1, Jeff cracked a smile. On hole #17, all four of us hit good drives down the middle of the fairway. I had a perfect wedge distance for my second shot and hit it on the green about 6 feet right of the hole. Everyone else made their pars, which left me this birdie putt to win the hole. I had putted horribly all day, but this one was a no-doubter. Right into the middle of the cup to square the match going into #18.

Hole #18 is a tricky drive that requires a little fade off the tee box. The previous day in qualifying, I had missed the fairway a few yards left, and was left with no shot, which resulted in double bogey.
No way…Not today. I stripe one down the left side and it come to rest in the light rough. I have some trees in my way, but I am far enough back that I can go over them without too much of a problem. Baker is in the trees right but McLeod is right down the middle. Jeff is down the right side in great shape. Baker punches out and ultimately ends up on the green in three, about 30 feet from the hole. McLeod hits one just long, on the collar, but can still get the putter on it. He has about 10 feet for birdie. Jeff’s adrenaline gets the best of him and he hits one right over the stick about 20 yards too far.
That leaves the Hobster…With the sun setting, and a huge crowd surrounding the green, I hoist a majestic beauty that drifts pin high, about 12 ft from the cup. The crowd tried to hold their excitement to mere golf claps, but it proved impossible. Several “You the man’s” and “Hobie for President” could be heard escaping the lips of the adoring fans.

Amazingly, Baker drains his 30 footer for par. Fittingly, it was going to take a birdie to win this match. Jeff had an extremely difficult chip from a downhill lie to a short-sided pin. He made a brilliant stroke and nearly holed the shot, but did stop it close enough for a par to tie Baker. The stage was officially set. Whoever holed the next putt would win. Since I was away, I had to putt first. For special moments like this I go into what I call my “Panther trance.” As I draw the putter back, I have total clarity of purpose. This ball must go into that hole, period. And…Whammo! The putt pours in the middle of the cup and the standing room only crowd goes absolutely ape shit. Reminiscent of the Leonard/Olazabal, Ryder Cup match at Brookline, McLeod still had a putt to tie. So after removing spectators and players wives, McLeod hit a solid putt, but it just slid by on the high side. Match over. Pandemonium ensues.

Afterward, when a reporter asked Jeffrey to explain how his partner had managed to birdie the last three holes to win the match, Jeffrey said “I don’t really know. It was Magical. It was a Miracle.”