2017/05/05-09 There's a new sheriff in town... but not for long...

DP - Jacksonville

   This reporter had received intel that Puma was coming back to Jacksonville to take on the reigning champ, Eric "Birdie" Taylor.  Puma had been planning for this visit, which is one reason it occurred later in the year than usual.  As the slightly slimmer, more toned Puma stepped out of his chariot, it was clear, he meant business.  Puma had arrived a few days earlier to acclimatized himself to the warm Florida weather.  It also have him a chance to warm up and play a few practice rounds.  Up north, during the winter, Puma throws the discs just for his puppies' enjoyment.  They love chasing the discs.  However, that doesn't hone the accuracy required for the precision needed to beat the champ.  Our hero needed putting practice without a dog chomping at every disc.  On Thursday, Puma went to the course by himself to work out the putting kinks.

   On Friday, the day before the big match, Puma and his rag-tag posse of TJ, Boom-Boom and Bushie played at Ed Austin.  The wind was blowing steadily at 20+ mph and before starting the match was started the group decided it was simply a fun match.  The wind was expected to be about the same the next day so it was good practice.  The practice was definitely needed as Puma missed a few make-able putts but still won easily.  TJ also tested out his new score keeping app, which keeps track of the # of metal (putts that hit the basket but fail to go in), # of woods (any significant tree hit), # of splash downs and # of lost discs in the lake.  Puma led the pack with 6 metals while TJ led with # of woods with 7.

   As the sun rose on the big day, Puma was anxious to face his nemesis, who was already at the course assembling his disc chariot.  The practice in the wind the day before was useful as the winds had actually picked up overnight.  Surprisingly, TJ (The Jason), a notorious ally of Birdie and a well known late morning person was there and surprisingly alert.  Rick "Bushie" Pike, desperately wanting to not end up in last place yet again, had convinced  Ryne "Fresh Meat" Edwards to join the gang and participate in only his second disc golf game.  Unbeknownst to Puma, his chauffeur, Simon "Boom-Boom" Bouma had been plotting for many months to unseat our hero, Puma.  Boom-Boom and Bushie had been secretly practicing to improve their games and challenge for a leadership position.  They had spent the previous few months experimenting with new discs and other gizmos to reduce the talent gap that obliviously existed.  That practice definitely did help one of them.  Boom-Boom, for example, was now making putts, although his exclamation of "aviar for the par" chant was getting tiresome.  

   At the start, Birdie set the tone with a great drive.  However, he clanked his second shot to settle for par.  Boom-Boom, TJ and Puma all made pars as well.  Bushie's  "Rise from the bottom" plan seemed to be in jeopardy from the outset as FM made bogey and Bushie made double.  The short second hole did not go as planned as both Puma and Boom-Boom's drives went wandering away from the basket.  Birdie and TJ made par as did Bushie, in a rare attempt to redeem himself.  It was at the 3rd hole that things took a turn for the worse.  Birdie threw another magnificent drive and was the only one to make par.  The early morning started to catch up on TJ, who started his 5 consecutive bogey streak.   Puma, perhaps a bit too keyed up, tried to steel himself and calm down in order to make a game of it.  When Birdie made a rare bogey on #4, Puma sensed an opportunity and made a nice par saving putt.  After that, for a while, it was close.  Birdie went up by 2 when Puma made a bogey on #6 but the lead dropped to only 1, after Birdie's bogey on #8.  However, the next 3 holes decided the match.  Birdie made 3 pars as Boom-Boom and TJ both went +3 and Puma carded a +4 over those 3 holes.

   Boom-Boom tried to make a game of it with 6 pars over the next 7 holes.  However, the final outcome was decided on #17, when Birdie threw his worst drive of the day.  The drive went too high, keeled over, barely clearing the fence as it hit the ground and turned into a roller.  However likes most greats, when life gives you lemons, Birdie makes a fine lemonade.  The disc rolled in a great arc settling within 2 feet of the basket for an easy birdie.  In the end, it was Birdie with a 52.  Boom-Boom scored a career best 63 with TJ and Puma settling for 65.  FM experimenting with different discs and different throwing styles seemed to be making progress.  This also means that Bushie had better take notice as within one or two more games, FM may be able to compete (and get a new nickname).  Both Puma and FM led the pack with 10 metals!  FM had the easy lead in woods with 9, although TJ tried to stay close with 7 woods and Bushie had 6.

   After grabbing some breakfast, TJ suggested playing another round.  The winds had died down and the weather was quite nice.  Bushie sensing that FM was improving too quickly made up a quick excuse and beat a hasty retreat, dragging FM with him.  The remaining 4 players, went back to the course to settle things.  It was obvious from the outset that this match was going to be different.  Birdie missed his par putt on #1 and Puma missed his first 2 putts!  Both TJ and Boom-Boom made pars giving them the lead.  However, both Birdie and Puma made birdies on #2 to close the gap.  With Boom-Boom and Puma making a par on #3 and Birdie and TJ making bogey, Boom-Boom had a 1 stroke lead over the other 3.  Birdie's drive hit the nearest tree on #4 and he struggled to find a clean throwing lane.  With Boom-Boom's bogey, TJ and Puma were able to catch up and tie for the lead.   After hole #6, TJ and Puma were in the lead, battling for supremacy at 19, with Boom-Boom at 20 and Birdie at 21!!!  Had they found Birdie's kryptonite?  Was it feed him before playing or simply exercise him for a few hours before playing?   TJ was so overjoyed and giddy about being in the lead,  that he promptly lost his focus and didn't make par for the next 5 holes.  Puma also faltered a bit making only 2 pars over those same 5 holes.  Boom-Boom had 3 pars while Birdie got his second wind and made 4 of 5 pars.  After #11, it was Boom-Boom and Birdie tied for the lead, with Puma 1 stroke behind and TJ only 2 strokes behind.

   Birdie took the lead with a birdie on #12 with TJ making his 6th consecutive non-par.   The next 3 holes were pressure packed as the new kid, Boom-Boom battled with Birdie for the lead with Puma and TJ trying to stay with them.  On #16, both Birdie and Puma stumbled to make bogey.  This produced yet another tie for the lead.  Boom-Boom was on fire, making 7 consecutive pars with TJ close behind with 5 consecutive pars.  Each player missed their par putts on #18.  Boom-Boom, who earlier in the day set a career low, beat his own mark and tied Birdie at 59.  Both Puma and TJ did better in this second round than they did in the first round.  However, it was Boom-Boom Bouma who put everyone on noticed that there was a new sheriff in town to contend with.

   On Sunday, "Rusty" Randy Knagge, who last played back in October had heard about the previous day's fireworks and wanted in on the action.  While Birdie couldn't attend and TJ licking his wounds, Rusty and his son "Perky" Preston arranged for a game at Ed Austin park.   Joining them were the true warriors Bushie, Puma and Boom-Boom.  The weather was ideal.  All of the players from Saturday showed their fatigue of playing their 3rd (Bushie) or 4th (Boom-Boom) or 5th (Puma) game in consecutive days.  Bushie in particular, was in full lumberjack mode, whacking an impressive 19 trees along the way.  In the end, Puma had manage to tie the game totals at 2-2 with Boom-Boom, with Rusty hanging on to beat Bushie and Perky.

   On Monday, Birdie was back with a vengeance.  Fresh off his day of rest and relaxation, he wanted to put this new upstart in his place, as he challenged Boom-Boom to another match.  Puma, now in the unusual position of playing second fiddle, tagged along.  For Puma, it was his last full day in Jacksonville and he wanted to break the tie with Boom-Boom.  For Boom-Boom, his arm exhausted from 4 straight days of disc golf, it was simply a way to boost up everyone's spirits and let them get over confident for the next match.  Birdie put it away early with 5 pars on the first 6 holes while everyone else struggled.  With 14 total pars, the final score was fairly predictable.  Birdie finished with a 63, Puma at 72 and Boom-Boom at 75.  As Puma limped back home, he realized that while he did manage to beat Boom-Boom 3 out of 5, he lost to Birdie 3 more times.  There was more work that was still needed.