Chapter 18: The Championship

The next three days passed quickly. Dave and John practiced for four and half hours every morning. They also played two rounds of golf on Monday and Tuesday afternoons as planned. Keeping busy had distracted Dave from thinking too much about Ann's departure. He had spent some time with Jennifer during the evenings but she, too had been kept very busy by her mother.

When John dropped Dave off on Wednesday afternoon both were feeling fairly confident in their games. Dave was a little worried about John because he had never seen John want anything so badly before.

Dave was sitting at family picnic table thinking about what he could say to John the following morning to help him relax and focus on making good golf swings instead of thinking about his score. He was shaken from his reverie by blonde hair dangling in his face. He felt two familiar hands go over his eyes and he heard, "Has my boyfriend finally returned to spend a little time with his lonely girlfriend?"

He spun around quickly and pulled her into his lap. He kissed her passionately and said, "I'm all yours. Do whatever you want with me."

Jennifer jumped off his lap, took his hand, and led him into his trailer. There was no one in sight so Jennifer continued to pull Dave towards the bathroom. After closing the door behind them, Dave smiled, "Looks like someone has missed our private morning ritual." He didn't wait for an answer; he moved in front of Jennifer and started seductively peeling her clothes off.

Dave and Jennifer enjoyed a familiar sex filled shower and eventually used up all the hot water before they left the shower squeaky clean and sexual satisfied. Dave fully enjoyed the soft caressing passionate love with Jennifer. It was a nice change from Ann's wild erotic sex.

After drying each other tenderly the two teens cuddled on the couch to talk about the coming weeks and how to make best use of their remaining time together.

Julie and Beth arrived home from town just before suppertime. Dave's parents and Heather followed soon after. Everyone worked together to cook a tasty filling supper. After supper the two families played cards at the picnic table. It was a quiet relaxing evening and Dave was starting to focus on his golf game the following day. He was starting to get a little nervous but managed to push those thoughts out of his head.

As the sun fell over the corner of the campground Dave stood and said he was going to bed. Jennifer got up and asked if she could stay with him for a while. Dave looked at his parents and they, somewhat to Dave's surprise, nodded approval so the two teens went into the trailer. Dave pulled the couch out before he stripped down to his boxers and climbed under the thin sheet. Jennifer waited for Dave to get settled then lay down on top of the sheet cuddled to his side with her head sitting on his chest. It was the Canadian equivalent of Amish bundling but without any bundling board or bundling bolster.

They cuddled, kissed, and chatted for about an hour. Dave's parents entered the trailer and smiled at the teen lovers. They went to their room wishing the couple a goodnight. After some additional snuggling and caressing, Jennifer kissed Dave and wished him good luck before leaving for her trailer.

Dave tried to get to sleep but he couldn't stop thinking about his golf game tomorrow. He was guaranteed to finish in the top eight with the points he had already accumulated. He estimated he only needed a top fifteen finish to get fourth place. But he wanted to finish second. He had to beat Harvey.

Dave started to think about his round and he played a dream round in his mind. He shot a sixty-five in the first round and a course record sixty-three in the second round. He imagined going to the nationals and shooting the lights out there as well. He pictured himself winning the national championship and getting an invitation to play in the PGA Canadian Open in September.

Dave imagined he was playing with Tiger Woods. Dave was only one stroke behind Tiger when he heard a ringing cell phone. Tiger turned to a spectator and started to berate the individual for making noise while he was swinging. The cell phone continued to ring and Dave finally realized that it was real and not part of his dream.

Dave heard his father call softly, "Dave, you're wanted on the phone."

Dave got out of bed and walked into his parent's room to get the cell phone. His dad handed it to him and Dave said hello as he turned to walk back into the living room.

"Hello, Dave, I miss you. I just wanted to call and wish you luck before the Championship tomorrow." Ann's soft voice was music to Dave's ears.

He replied, "I miss you too. How are you doing?"

Ann chuckled, "Surprisingly, I'm doing pretty good. Mom had really missed me a lot and we have had an incredibly busy week together. I think Mom was trying to distract me. It definitely helped."

Dave quizzed, "So, do you have a good day planned for Monday?"

Ann chuckled again, "Yes, Mom has helped me plan a wonderful day for us. I don't know why but Mom is treating me totally different then she used to. She asks my opinion more and actually listens. We have gotten closer in the last week then we ever were before. I guess she sees that I am growing up and is happy for me."

Ann went on to describe her whole week and, after talking for about fifteen minutes non-stop, finally said, "Listen to me, I can't shut up. I better go and let you get some sleep. I love you and can't wait to see you on Monday.'

Dave answered, "I love you and look forward to Monday too. See you then, Goodbye."

Ann said a final goodbye before the line went dead. Dave set the phone on the fridge and crawled back into bed. He was really tired now and didn't think about his round the next day but fell right to sleep.

The alarm clock in Dave's head was ringing and he woke before seven. He got up and had a quick shower before going outside to join his parents for breakfast. They enjoyed a quiet meal before loading into the car and heading for town.

His parents wished Dave good luck as they dropped him off. Dave got his clubs out of storage before going to the practice range. He had several hours to practice before his tee time. John arrived soon after Dave and they hit balls for about an hour before going to the junior practice green to practice chipping. They spent a half hour there. Dave smiled at John and said, "Let's go hit some putts before we have to tee off."

John nodded agreement and followed Dave to the main practice green next to the clubhouse. John explained to Dave, "I'm glad we're playing together today because I'm really nervous."

Dave smiled back and replied, "Yeah, me too."

After putting for about twenty minutes Dave turned to John, "Let's go grab a pop and have a little talk." John nodded questioningly before following Dave up the stairs to the clubhouse. They went to the bar and then took their drinks to the junior lounge on the lower level.

Dave knew they would get some privacy there and as soon as John followed him inside Dave closed the door. He turned to John and started what he hoped would be a relaxing conversation for John. "John I really want you to do well today and I can tell you are as nervous as hell. I'm pretty nervous too but I wanted to give you some advice my Dad gave me at the start of the season."

John nodded appreciatively before Dave continued, "Your golf swing is by far the best I have ever seen it. You're hitting the ball incredible. Don't fuck it up by over-thinking." Dave chuckled, "That's not quite how Dad said it; but you get the point. Trust your swing. Don't try to force a shot by hitting a club farther then you know you can hit it. Pick a different club and put a normal swing on it."

John nodded, understanding what Dave was saying, "The other important thing is not to chase tough pin placements in the early part of the round. Just aim to the safe part of the green. You know these greens as well as I do and you might sink a few long puts so don't force things early. If you find you have good control you can get more aggressive as the round moves forward. Remember, you are leading so the guys in eighth, ninth and tenth have to come get you. Don't make it easy by shooting a big number."

John was listening intently and continued to nod his appreciation. Dave finished with, "And the last and most important thing is don't try to make up for a bad shot with a high risk stupid shot. If you get in trouble - take the safest line and walk away with your bogey. Again, don't shoot a huge number on a hole just because your ego says you can make an impossible shot. Okay?"

John thanked Dave and the two friends went back to the practice green. The first round was set up so that the top sixteen players were interspersed with each other. First place, fifth place, ninth place and thirteenth place were playing in the last group. The second last group was second, sixth, tenth and fourteenth. That put Dave and John in the third last group together and they were both pleased with that. The final day would have the top four in the last group with fifth thru eighth in the second last group.

The tee time finally arrived and Dave hit first because of his third place position. Dave always found the first tee the hardest shot of the day. Especially at Hornsby because the course practice range was up the right side and it had out of bounds markers between it and the first fairway.

Dave pushed his tee into the ground leaving the ball nice and high. He stood well behind the ball and took two practice swings before he addressed the ball. Dave positioned the ball off his front foot, placed the driver's head behind the ball and focused on a smooth full swing. His backswing was slow and methodical. Dave's focus was totally on ball as he reached the apex of his swing with his body coiled, full of energy. He released the club head down driving with his legs. At the bottom of his long swing, he snapped his wrists making solid contact with the ball.

Dave continued to watch the ground as the ball disappeared out of sight. He slowly looked up at the expected line and found his ball sailing through the air exactly where he had expected. The ball landed well up the fairway, just left of centre and it rocketed forward because of the topspin from a perfect draw. The ball settled about ten yards from the left rough leaving Dave with about ninety yards left to the pin.

Dave heard congratulations as he walked to the side of the tee. He whispered to John as he walked by, "Slow and steady. Trust your swing." Dave watched John go through his pre-shot ritual. John settled into his stance and put a good swing on the ball. John's timing was off slightly and he pushed the ball to the right a little. He ended up about five yards into the rough on the right side but the rough on most holes at Hornsby wasn't overly long so Dave knew John would have no trouble getting the next shot to the green.

Dave said to John, "Good shot. No trouble getting to the green from there. Remember 'Fairways and Greens'. Hit the fairways from the tee and then get it on the green. Let the score take care of itself." John nodded with a relieved expression on his face.

The rest of the round went relatively well for both golfers but Dave soon realized that playing with John was a disadvantage instead of the expected advantage. Dave was thinking about keeping John on his game so much that he never really got in the flow of his own game. He hit the ball well but spent more time talking John through his shots then thinking about his own.

The result helped John immensely as he shot seventy-one. It was his career low round and put him ten strokes ahead of the ninth position. He was ecstatic at the end of the round and kept thanking Dave for coaching him. As soon as the round was over, John rushed away from the course. Dave knew he was going to tell his father and Dave felt good for his long-time friend.

Dave sat on the balcony of the clubhouse and watched the final two groups come down the eighteenth hole. Harvey was in the second last group and Dave could tell by the smile on his face that he had played well. As he walked away from the eighteenth green he smiled up at Dave and sneered, "Seventy, MacDonald. Still think you can knock me out of second?"

Dave just smiled at him and replied, "It's not over yet, Thompson." But privately Dave was cursing at himself. 'Holy fuck, I gave him a three shot lead. I knew seventy-three wasn't enough to beat him here. Get your shit together, MacDonald.'

Luckily, Julie soon showed up and Dave made a hasty exit. Julie asked how he did and he explained, "Not good enough, I shot seventy-three. I was too busy coaching John and didn't pay enough attention to my own game. John played incredible though and shot seventy-one. He is in a really good position to qualify for the trip."

The rest of the drive was very quiet as Dave mentally beat himself repeatedly for not focusing more on his own game. By the time he reached North Beach he was so wound up that he was hateful to be near. He was cranky as hell and, when Jennifer asked how he did, he just shrugged his shoulders and walked past her into the trailer. Jennifer started to follow him but Julie grabbed her arm and shook her head, "Give him some time to calm down. He isn't good company right now."

Julie and Jennifer sat at the picnic table talking. Jennifer hoped Dave would come out and join them, but he didn't.

Well over an hour later, Julie's parents pulled into the campsite. Roger could tell by Jennifer's and Julie's expressions that things were not going well with Dave. He asked, "How bad was it?"

Julie replied, "He shot seventy-three and is three behind the guy in second but twelve ahead of fifth place."

Roger looked puzzled, "So what's the problem? He should make the top four easily."

Julie further explained, "He's pissed because he spent the whole day coaching John and lost focus on his own round. He wanted to shoot a low round to get ahead of the guy in second."

Roger asked, "How did John do?"

Julie smiled for the first time, "He shot seventy-one. His best round ever. Dave says John just has to shoot in the seventies tomorrow to guarantee a spot."

Roger's face suddenly turned very angry. Jennifer was startled by the look on his face but Julie had seen it several times before and she knew what was coming. Roger's voice rose slightly as he said, "This is bullshit. I thought he was over this spoiled childish shit."

Roger started for the trailer but his wife grabbed his arm. He turned and looked at her. She smiled, "Remember, he's only fifteen. Slow down and think before you tear a stripe off of him."

Roger's face calmed slightly as he nodded agreement then walked to the trailer. He stood by the door collecting his thoughts then proceeded inside. He looked at Dave moping on the couch. "What's going on, Dave?"

Dave looked at him, "I didn't play as well as I should have. I lost focus."

His father sat beside him on the couch. He looked at Dave and the anger on his face was now replaced with a questioning look, "Do you remember several weeks ago when you told me you thought you could finish in the top four but you really hoped John could make the top eight?" Dave nodded remembering the discussion. Roger continued, "Well, from what Julie just told me, you coached John to his best round ever, right?"

Dave just nodded as he was quickly realizing where this conversation was going. Roger finished with, "So it looks like John is in good shape to finish in the top eight and you are in good shape to finish in the top four, right?" Dave looked bashfully at his father who raised his voice slightly to emphasis his final comment. "Dave you may have sacrificed second place to help John - but don't you think a good friend is worth a lot more than bragging rights?"

Dave looked at his father sheepishly realizing how selfish he had been, "Sorry."

Roger shot back with a softer tone this time, "It's not me you need to apologize to. There are two girls still sitting outside waiting for their brother and boyfriend to come out and spend some time with. Go apologize to them."

Dave realized how stupid his pouting was and stood up and went outside. Julie and Jennifer were sitting at the picnic table talking to his mother. He walked over and sat with them. He looked at Julie first, "Thanks for picking me up at the golf course. Sorry for getting so cranky in the car."

He then hugged Jennifer, "I'm sorry for blowing you off when I got home. If you both still want to spend some time with me, I'd love to go for a swim."

The two girls looked at each other and nodded agreement so all three went to get changed. Carol told them to be back in an hour for supper. They had a good time at the pool and Dave's somber mood had completely disappeared by the time they returned.

Beth and Heather were at the campsite when they returned. After a good supper Julie turned to Dave and asked, "Daryl and I are going to the show tonight. Do you and Jennifer want to come?"

Dave looked at Jennifer's smiling, nodding face. He replied, "Sure, we'd love to double date with you."

Dave and Jennifer enjoyed the movie. Julie and Daryl were good company. Daryl was only a year older than Julie so all four had common interests. Discussion about the movie after it ended was very casual and comfortable.

Julie, Dave and Jennifer arrived back at North Beach just after dark. Dave walked Jennifer to her trailer and kissed her goodnight before returning to his trailer.

Dave tossed and turned for several hours before finally dosing off.

He woke bright and early the next morning and again went to shower before eating breakfast. As soon as he walked out of the trailer he noticed the cloudy dark skies and wondered whether it would be a wet final round. The weatherman had predicted a cloudy day for Friday with forty percent chances of rain. The weather was expected to get worse over the weekend with thunder storms predicted for Saturday and Sunday.

His parents dropped him off at Hornsby wishing him well.

Today Dave was focused on his game. John arrived later and seemed a lot more confident and comfortable today. They practiced for several hours under cloudy but dry skies.

John teed off in the second last group and hit a good drive up the middle of number one. Dave wished him well then put his 'game face' on as he focused completely on his game.

The first eleven holes went well and the rain continued to hold off. Dave was two under par and had gained one stroke back on Harvey. With only seven holes left Dave knew it was time to get aggressive. He was teeing off second after Randy. Harvey was hitting third and Kenny Sentner was hitting fourth.

Randy hit a good drive safely down the left side of the par five twelfth fairway and well away from the woods down the right side. Dave had noticed the pin placement for the twelfth hole when he was standing on the tenth tee and knew the pin was in the back left corner of the green guarded by a large mound. Dave had played this pin position many, many times and knew the best angle to come in from was the right side of the fairway.

Dave aimed his tee shot dangerously close to the tree line on right side then hit a perfect draw which arced back into the fairway - perfectly placed on the right side. The ground on the right side of the fairway was also harder than the left side and the ball bounced high and ran well down fairway.

Harvey hit next and played it safe down the left side of the fairway. He pulled his shot slightly and ended up in the heavy rough which lined only a few holes at Hornsby. Dave knew that unless Harvey got a really lucky lie he would not be able to go for the green in two.

Dave had stopped watching Kenny play because Kenny was several strokes behind Dave and Dave knew that, unless he himself choked, Kenny would not catch him in the standings.

Harvey was the first to hit his second shot. As Dave had expected, the ball was buried in the heavy rough. Harvey hacked it out into the fairway leaving his ball still on the left side of the fairway about one hundred and twenty yards from the pin.

Randy hit next and rolled his long iron shot onto the front of the green. Dave watched Randy hit; then he decided to stop watching Randy shoot as well because it was just between Dave and Harvey now.

Dave's ball had rolled thirty yards past Randy's good drive leaving Dave only one hundred and ninety yards to the pin. Dave debated whether to be really aggressive and go right at the tough back pin or safely roll the ball into the back middle of the green. His debate was short. He knew Harvey would have to make a great shot just to get close for a birdie try. If Dave hit a good safe shot he would likely have about fifteen feet for eagle. The high risk shot might leave him inside five feet but if he missed slightly he could either bounce over the green or hit the large contouring mound in front of the pin and roll well to the right.

Dave hit a smooth six iron towards the middle of the green. It landed right in the middle and bite slightly but rolled to the back of the green. It was in perfect shape twelve feet from the hole.

Harvey approached his shot knowing Dave was in good shape to make a possible eagle. He took the aggressive tough line directly over the mound straight at the pin. He hit the slightly short hitting the down slope of the mound sending the ball rocketing across the back corner of the green and over the back. From where Harvey was standing the shot looked perfect and he thought he was going to be really close to the hole. Dave was standing on the right side of the fairway and he saw the ball bounce over the back from his better angle. He thought how he was glad he took the safe line through the middle of the green.

When Harvey finally saw where his ball ended up, he started cursing about a stupid pin placement. He eventually calmed himself and made a good chip to about two feet leaving an easy par putt. Dave read his put to have a very slight break from left to right. He stood over his ball taking several practice strokes to get confidence in the speed of the putt. He pulled the putter back thinking, "Square back - Square through'. The ball rolled towards the left lip but didn't break early enough and carved around the lip ending up two inches directly behind the hole.

Dave shook his head then tapped the ball in for an easy birdie four. Harvey ran his two- footer in for five.

Dave watched casually as Randy hit a three wood safely up the middle of the dogleg thirteenth hole. Dave was feeling confident after having reduced Harvey's lead to one stroke; but he wanted to keep the pressure on so he took out his driver and took a very aggressive line over the corner of the woods. Because there was very little wind, Dave knew he could fly his shot over the corner and leave a very short second shot to this normally challenging par five.

Dave hit his drive perfectly and it disappeared over the corner of the woods. Dave knew it was in perfect shape and so did Harvey. Harvey went back to his bag and debated changing from the three wood in his hand to a driver. After a short mental debate he pulled out his driver and aimed for the same line as Dave. But the minute he hit the ball he yelled, "Shit!" because he knew it wasn't hit well enough to clear the tall old red oak trees guarding the corner. Harvey grumbled as he put his driver back in the bag and took out his three wood to hit a provisional ball. The three wood shot landed perfectly in the middle just past the corner.