(DP) Jacksonville - October 12, 2006
Championship - Quarterfinals - Northern Division
On a warm, clear late afternoon, the crowd gathered. The excitement
and tension is the air was palpable. Unlike the usual weekly games, where
players tried to improve with some friendly competition, the game tonight
was different. The tone was set from the moment Eric "Birdie" Taylor
threw his first tee shot, intent on making an ace or at least a birdie.
Throwing it long and straight, Birdie launched it through the well known,
but not quite well beloved pine trees, guarding the tee box, trees with
nicks and gouges and still bearing names such as Pike's Pine and Puma's
Pine. Eric didn't quite have the curve he wanted on it and the disc
sailed further and further from it's intended course until it nestled down
into the unnamed pine trees on the far side of the fairway. However, it
was a shot that the other players took notice of. This time there would
be no fooling around. The playoffs were on. Dave "Lord" Skelton came up
and threw his disc around the trees with maybe perhaps a bit too much
curve landing on the left side of the fairway. KC "Sunshine" Reeves
stepped up. He too, was there trying to make a statement, and wasn't
going to let Birdie dominate. His tee shot, long with the desired curve
ended up in the middle of the fairway on top of the slope leading to the
first hole. Puma, who had practiced restlessly the past few weeks, trying
to master his new discs that he had purchased to give him any advantage he
could get, had planned on playing a bit conservatively, in order not to
make the mistakes that typically costs players several strokes. No heroic
shots, just keep it in the fairway. Well that plan went out the window
before he got his first throw in. It was obvious that today started the
playoffs and you either went for it or you went home. Puma using his new
sidewinder, threw a bit low and it fell short of all other tee shots but
it was at least in the fairway and away from the trees, which bore many
marks from many of his previous tee shots.
As the players had learned throughout the regular season, the second
shot is perhaps more important than the first. The concentration level
was high, as the players approached their discs. Puma went with a hammer
throw and ended up within 10 feet of the basket. Lord Skelton, not to be
outdone, made a very nice shot underneath the overhanging branches,
narrowly missing the basket, to leave it within 5 feet. Sunshine trying
for the birdie went over the top dropping it within 4 feet. Birdie also
narrowly missed the first of his birdie opportunities.
As each player made their par putt, the comment was made on how
different the level of play was. 4 players, 4 pars. On the second
hole, Birdie Taylor made the best drive of the group, long and straight,
setting up a 40-foot birdie opportunity. Eric just missed the birdie try,
settling for a drop in par, as did Sunshine and Puma. Lord Skelton
nicking a tree, ended up with the first bogey of the evening. The
intensity continued onto the next hole, where KC clanked his 3rd shot to
drop a stroke as Puma and Birdie continued the par streak. On the fourth
hole, Puma's Posse showed up and watched as Birdie Taylor again made a
magnificent tee shot and missed yet another medium length birdie try.
Puma clanked his 3rd shot off the basket to record his first bogey of the
night.
The shot control got a bit off on number 5 and everyone wandered
aimlessly around the woods retrieving discs, although Lord Skelton made a
wonderful second shot from the right side of the woods to give him the
only par. Hole #6 loomed as a make or break chance. KC went for it,
throwing a long, very low, straight shot down the narrow fairway, heading
right for the big tree that juts out. However, his disc skipped sideways
off of the ground right before the tree, curving around the tree and
ending up significantly past it but in the woods on the left. The hole was
costly for Puma as he recorded a 5 with everyone else getting bogies.
Birdie made a great first shot on #7 but failed to capitalize. KC made a
wonderful recovery shot and a long par putt to save. Everyone made par on
#8. Puma buckled a bit under the growing pressure on #9 recording another
5. Birdie Taylor went a bit too far right clearing the entire lake on his
tee shot but still made par. KC curved his tee shot over the lake and
onto the fairway also made par. After 9 holes, it was close, very close,
as Birdie led all players with a score of 30, followed by KC with 31, Lord
Skelton with 32 and Puma with a 34.
All players made pars on #10. Puma made a very nice tee shot on #11
straight through the 2 sentential trees, only to hit an overhanging branch
and dropping the disc straight down. Lord Skelton showed everyone how to
was suppose to be done with a long nicely thrown drive. All players made
very nice second shots. Puma made his 20-foot par attempt as the others
had par attempts of 5 feet or less. On #12, the players knew this was a
birdie opportunity and went for it. KC got his disc a bit too high and
went wide left. Eric made a nice but not one of his best throws on this
hole to leave him a 40-foot birdie chance. Puma went a bit too far right,
clipping yet another branch, falling 70 feet short. Lord Skelton feeling
the groove out drove everyone, settling his disc about 20 feet away but
behind the tree and bushes guarding the hole. Unable to see the basket
visually, Lord Skelton calmly went to his disc, used the force, and threw
a Comeback Klein special backhand flip putt into the basket for his second
birdie of his career. On #14, Puma and Lord Skelton had less than
desired drives; KC and Eric started battling it out. Realizing that Lord
Skelton and Puma were much too close to their scores and that they were
running out of holes to play, they had to make their moves. Both made
incredible drives, Birdie narrowly missing the trees on the right. KC
then promptly went up to his disc and threw a 10 foot second shot, *TWACK*
into a tree. Yes, the youth and inexperience of this young turk was
beginning show. As is common, it is experience and guile that comes alive
in the playoffs. All players knew that #15 is a birdie hole and all went
for it. Eric hit the trees on the right hand side quickly ending his
birdie hopes. The others all narrowly missed their birdie tries. Eric
made a very nice 35 foot par putt to avoid losing any ground. The night
was fast approaching. There were other groups on the course slowing down
the playoff party but the beat went on. Puma made the best drive on #16
of his illustrious career as the others all went tree hunting. KC made a
great recovery shot, a bit left of the hole, but it was Puma that provided
the excitement as his launched his second shot from 123 feet away and
watching his famed dragon nestle softly into the basket for his first
birdie of the evening and the third of his career. On #17, all of the
players went for birdies. Lord Skelton trying a backhand toss errantly
threw his wide right. Puma hoping his dragon liked this basket as much as
the last one, narrowly missed his second long birdie attempt. Birdie
Taylor went a bit too high to miss his attempt. KC who again went a bit
high on his drive, luckily avoided a nesting disc, had a clear shot from
the fairway. Sunshine went for the hole masked only by the growing
darkness and missed it long. His par attempt clanked off the basket as he
ended up with a bogey. On #18, KC knew he had to make a birdie to have
any kind of a chance, threw his tee shot *TWACK* into the tree, 20 feet
away, effectively ending his disc golf championship hopes. In the end,
there can only be one. Puma buoyed by his birdie and realizing he was on
a record pace stepped up and made a nice drive down the middle of the
fairway. Approaching the tee, Lord Skelton knew he had to make par to
record a new record career low score. Lord Skelton made a great drive out
driving Puma by 30 feet and KC by 150 feet. Eric not to be outdone, out
drove everyone with a majestic tee shot about 15 feet into front of
Dave's. Dave threw his disc wide left, way left, thereby ending his
chances while Birdie and Puma made the throws needed to secure their
victory. When the dust settled, Eric had a 60 (impressive considering he
had no birdies), KC had a 61, Puma had a new career record low of 62, and
Dave with a 5 on 18 missed his career low of 66 by 1. Birdie and Puma
now wait for the winner's of Sunday's Southern division playoff game.
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