Chapter 26: Tactical Retreat

Dave woke at his usual time on Saturday morning. He felt tired after a very fitful sleep. He had tossed and turned all night thinking about Jennifer's concern over his meeting other girls while on the road. He had asked himself if he had avoided talking about Sheri because he knew Jennifer would be upset. Had he become too promiscuous? He had slept with a lot of women over the last year.

His mind was still churning when he exited the elevator and saw Jennifer smiling at him in the lobby. He walked to her and kissed her tenderly. He put on a false front and pretended not to be distracted by his concerns for her. She just thought he was distracted by his final round of golf.

The morning routine did not go well as Dave could not seem to refocus on his golf. As he sat staring out the window of the café he continued to think about Jennifer and his new problem.

They walked back to the hotel and he kissed her goodbye as he entered the restaurant. The team was going to the course earlier today because Bob had an earlier tee time. Dave ate quietly while the team and coaches left him to his thoughts. He tried to concentrate on his golf game but all the women he had been with over the last year kept taking over his thoughts.

When the team got to the golf course Dave went right to the practice range and hit balls for an hour. He thought that hitting balls would take his mind off his sudden guilt but it didn't work. Dave heard Bob's name called to the first tee and knew he still had an hour before his tee time.

He putted for a while before he found a secluded place in the clubhouse. He sat down and put his head in his hands. He thought, "Okay now, Dave, time to think only about golf. You have one more round to win the national title and show the American colleges that your golf in Carolina wasn't just a fluke." He thought about the first hole and started to visualize his plan for that hole. He worked his way through all eighteen holes and finally felt better about his concentration.

He went back to the driving range and pictured the specific holes on the course as he hit shots. When he finally heard his name called to the first tee he thought he was ready. He got to the tee and both Phil and Guy were already there. Dave exchanged cards with them and waited for his turn to hit. He hit last because he was the leader. Both Guy and Phil hit good drives into the middle of the fairway.

Dave pulled out his driver but made the mistake of glancing around at the crowd to find his parents. He found them and Jennifer was standing beside them smiling at him. The minute he looked into her eyes, the guilt consumed his thoughts again and he struggled to get focused on his shot. It seemed as if the pressure of a major tournament had made him super-sensitive and provoked an expanding guilt-trip from meager facts. After his pre-shot routine, he stood over the ball and hit a big hook down the left side. Down the left side and into the waste bunker. That was the first time he started his round by hitting into the waste bunker.

His ball had actually traveled as far as both Guy and Phil but he was farthest from the green because he was so off line; he had to hit his second shot before they hit. He was confident he could hit his four-iron the two hundred and ten yards to the green. He put a solid swing on the ball but the ball faded to the right and finished in a greenside sand trap. Both Guy and Phil hit their second shots onto the green.

As Dave walked to the green he kept telling himself, "Focus, focus -fairways and greens". His ball was sitting nicely up in the sand trap and he had lots of green to work so he was confident he could make a good shot. He blasted the ball to six feet.

Phil two-putted while Guy made his birdie putt. Dave lined up his putt and made a solid firm putt. The ball hit the back of the hole and dropped in. Dave told himself, "Good par. Keep grinding."

He again started telling himself, "Fairways and greens." On the second hole Dave again hooked the ball into the waste bunker. He was quickly losing confidence in his usually very dependable driver. His second shot on the long par five was much better as he hit a five iron back into the middle of the fairway. Guy and Phil were both in the fairway just past him in two shots. Dave had one hundred and thirty yards to the pin and he put a smooth ninety percent swing on his pitching wedge. The ball landed just past the hole and spun back to finish just two feet from the cup. Dave controlled his emotions and didn't do any hand pumps; he simply said to himself, "Good swing - you're back on track now."

Guy made a great shot and finished four feet from the hole while Phil hit his ball to within twenty feet. Phil two-putted for par before Guy ran in his second consecutive birdie. Dave focused on his putt and made a solid, firm birdie putt. Dave could feel his confidence returning. On the long par-three third hole, Guy hit his approach shot onto the green twenty-five feet from the hole. Dave hit smooth six-iron twelve feet from the hole. Phil missed the green right.

Phil chipped on but missed his par putt. Guy ran his put just past the hole and tapped in for par. Dave made a good putt that grazed the lip but didn't fall in. He tapped in for par; he was still three shots ahead of Guy.

The fourth hole was a shorter par-four - under four-hundred yards. Guy hit a solid driver down the middle. He continued to put the pressure on Dave. Dave chose his three-wood and hit it smoothly down the left side but remained in the fairway. Phil hit his shot left into the waste bunker. Phil's second shot finished just short of the green. Dave hit next and put a very good swing on his pitching wedge. The ball finished eight feet from the hole.

Guy hit last and his ball finished fifteen feet from the hole. Phil chipped his third shot close before Guy missed his birdie putt. Dave settled over his ball and rolled the birdie putt into the right side of the hole. The birdie gave Dave a four stroke lead again.

Dave strode to the next tee confident and refocused but as he reached for his driver he looked up at the crowd following him and Jennifer's face jumped out of the crowd. As he looked at her he heard the word 'Cheater!' echo in his mind. He looked closely at her but she simply smiled - he had imagined it. Dave had become his own enemy and distracter. He stood over his ball and tried to visualize a good swing but, as he actually hit the ball, he felt his right hand turn over too much and the ball rocketed off-line to the left, again. His ball went into the woods left of the fairway. He cursed himself as he pulled his wooden tee from the ground and returned to his bag to dig out a second golf ball to hit in case his first ball could not be found.

After both Guy and Phil hit solid drives, Dave changed to his three-wood and hit his provisional ball into the middle of the fairway. The walk up the fairway was filled with Dave making nasty comments towards himself, "Stupid idiot - don't choke!" Suddenly, Dave stopped walking and decided to take a moment to think. After a brief reflection he changed his mind set, "Stop talking negative - think positive. Let's find this ball and get it back in play. Play one shot at a time."

After a short search they found his ball in the thinly wooded area. Dave actually had a decent shot back to the fairway. He chose his six-iron and hit it three-quarters because a tree behind him prevented a full swing. Dave managed to hit the ball back into the fairway but he was still well over two-hundred and twenty yards from the green on the long par-five.

Phil hit a great three-wood for his second shot and was only fifty yards from the front of the green. Guy hit a long iron shot near the one-hundred yard marker. Dave had to hit his third shot next. He determined he was two-hundred and twenty-two yards from the hole. He took out his five-iron and made a solid swing; the ball finished on the green, twenty feet from the hole.

Guy hit a nice wedge shot eight feet from the hole and Phil chipped his shot to four feet. Dave made a good putt, but missed. He tapped in a short par putt. He was happy he made a par but he was worried that he would lose some momentum to Guy who had a makeable birdie putt.

Dave watched as Guy rolled his birdie putt over the edge. Dave was relieved - he didn't lose any of his lead and, more importantly, Guy had missed out on a good opportunity to gain the momentum. Phil made his birdie putt which brought him to within four strokes again.

Over the next nine holes, Dave continued to scramble. He hit his driver poorly but he managed to make several very good chip shots and a few good sand trap shots to save pars. He had had one bogey, one birdie, and seven pars on those holes. He was even par over the nine holes and had only lost one stroke to Guy and actually gained a stroke on Phil. Dave was now three shots ahead of Guy and five ahead of Phil. There were only four holes left so Dave tried to focus on making pars which would force Guy to go three under on the last four holes just to tie.

The fifteenth was a long, downhill par-five. Dave would normally hit his driver and have little or no trouble hitting an iron onto the green for his second shot; but today he didn't trust his driver. Guy hit first and his long drive put him in reach of the green in two. Dave had managed to put Jennifer out of his mind and hadn't once looked at the crowd since the fifth hole. He pulled out his three-wood and hit it really well. It was still short of Guy's solid drive; but it was well-positioned. Phil hit his drive left into the rough.

Phil hit an iron back into the fairway around the one-hundred yard marker. Dave stood over his ball and he had two-hundred and sixty yards to the hole. A really good three-wood could get there and he debated going for it. He finally decided that Guy could easily get home in two as he was thirty yards closer than Dave, so Dave went for it with his three-wood. He hit it solidly and the ball rolled just onto the front of the green.

Guy hit a good five-wood and ended up twelve feet from the hole. Phil hit his wedge shot fifteen feet from the hole.

Dave putted first and he rolled the fifty-foot putt to within four feet. Phil missed his birdie but tapped in for par. Guy looked at his putt from all angles and finally settled over his ball. He hit a firm putt that hit dead centre of the hole and dropped in for an eagle. He pumped his fist in excitement as he retrieved the ball from the hole. Dave lined up his putt and stroked it towards the hole. The ball lost speed as it neared the hole and moved from dead middle to the left side of the cup; Dave stopped breathing. The ball curled around the hole in apparent slow-motion and hesitantly dropped in for a heart-stopping birdie.

Dave was relieved he had only lost one stroke to Guy. He was now two up with three holes left. Dave made par on both sixteen and seventeen - he made a good chip on sixteen and then a great sand shot on seventeen both of which helped save his par. Guy meanwhile made par on sixteen and birdie on seventeen. He was now only one stroke behind Dave as they stood on the tee of the last hole.

Guy had honors and hit a large drive down the middle. Dave didn't think Guy could get on the long par-five last hole in two with that drive. He immediately pulled out his three-wood and hit it solidly down the middle. Phil hit a good drive but he was now five strokes behind Dave so he wasn't on Dave's primary radar any longer.

After Phil hit his second shot to just inside the one-hundred yard marker, Dave stood over his ball. He had almost three-hundred yards to the green and chose his six-iron. After a smooth swing the ball flew straight, bounced a few times, and settled just past the one-hundred-yard marker. Guy's drive was again twenty yards ahead of Dave's and he must have been feeling some pressure because Guy immediately pulled out his three-wood. The camera crews from the previous day returned; but this time Guy totally ignored them. He hit a huge three-wood which bounced short of the green and rolled just onto the front of the green, thirty-five feet from the hole.

Dave's ball was a little farther from the hole than Phil so he hit next. He put a smooth swing on his sixty degree wedge; the ball hit eight feet from the hole and stopped dead. Phil hit onto the green and eventually two-putted but Dave was totally focused on his putt as he walked to the green.

Dave looked at Guy's long putt and immediately told himself, "He will make his putt. I have to make mine." Dave lined his putt up and was confident it would only break about three inches. He noticed Guy move to his ball so he stood back and was quietly waiting for Guy. After a short study, Guy hit a solid putt and it was rolling right at the hole. Dave had convinced himself before Guy putted that the putt would go in but, as the ball neared the hole, it rolled a little right and lipped out. Guy was on his knees begging and praying for the ball to drop - but it didn't and stopped just inches behind the hole. A disappointed Guy walked up and tapped in for birdie.

Dave was relieved but he still needed to make his putt to avoid a playoff. Guy had most of the momentum the last few holes and Dave didn't want to have to play any extra holes. He watched Phil finish out before he stood over his ball and focused on his line. He settled on the line then took two smooth practice swings. He was confident of the weight. He kept telling himself, "Straight back - straight through!" He pulled the putter back and stoked the ball firmly. The ball rolled across the smooth green and curled the expected three inches before it hit dead in the middle of the back of the cup and dropped straight down.

Dave dropped to his knees. He felt as if he had just gone ten rounds with Mike Tyson and was on his last legs. He dropped his head to the green in relief - he didn't blow it! He finally stood and walked to Guy and shook his hand before he shook Phil's hand. Then he turned and faced his parents and Jennifer. Both his mother and Jennifer were crying with happiness and Dave walked to them. All four came together in a group hug. Dave felt so happy that it was finally over. He had put so much pressure on himself to win that in the end it wasn't joy he felt - just total relief.

The relief stage passed quickly however and the victory suddenly settled in. Dave hugged Jennifer and his family again before he walked towards the scoring tent. Several interviewers were lined up trying to talk to him but an RCGA representative told them Dave had to sign his card before he could do any interviews.

Dave carefully completed his card and signed it before he again congratulated both Guy and Phil. Dave walked out of the tent and was immediately ushered off to do an interview with Michael Whelan. Dave did three more interviews before the RCGA representative who had stopped the earlier interviews lead Dave to the eighteenth green for the formal presentation. The RCGA president, Doug Ross announced, "We are very pleased to present the championship to Dave MacDonald from QAI. Many of you will remember that Dave was prevented from finishing the tournament last year due to an accident; but he finished and won this year in one of the most exciting tournaments in many years. Please come forward and receive your trophy, Dave."

Dave strolled through the crowd to a boisterous applause. He thanked the President and the RCGA before he thanked the Le Diable golf course for providing a true test of golf. He held the trophy high above his head as the crowd again cheered.

The formal presentation ended and dozens of well-wishers, including his coaches and teammates, congratulated him. Dave found Jennifer and his family and was showing them the trophy when a man approached them. He was a recruiter who wanted to represent Dave. Dave thanked the man but said he was already arranging his future on his own. Two more men approached with similar offers but Dave gratefully declined those as well.

As the crowd thinned out, Roger suggested, "We checked out of our room. We should go get your stuff from the hotel before we go to supper. We will drop Carol and Jennifer at the airport on the way to Hartford. We won't get all the way to Hartford tonight but we should at least get into Vermont." Dave agreed as he followed his parents to the car. His team had already left for the hotel where they were staying one more night before driving home the next day. Jennifer and his parents talked excitedly about his golf game but Dave kept thinking about how distracted he had been and whether he should tell Jennifer everything now or wait until he got back from Hartford. Then he thought, "Oh, my God, I'm going to see Sheri again. I have to push her away and make it clear that I'm not interested in her." He finally felt better as he decided he would just end anything with Sheri before it even started. The pressure to win and the new plan with Sheri seemed to take a huge weight off his shoulders.

Back at the hotel, he packed quickly and told Bob to enjoy the room to himself. Bob wished Dave luck in Hartford as he left. Coach Steve was waiting for Dave in the lobby and also congratulated him and wished him luck in the US. Dave thanked him before he walked out the door.

Roger drove to a restaurant where the meal was filled with talk of Dave's golf. Dave felt as if he were being told a story he didn't know. His perspective was much different - the first three days had felt like the first six rounds of a boxing match in which he jumped to an early lead before spending the final four boxing rounds being pummeled on the ropes. Jennifer and his mom made it sound more as if he had been a warrior who fought off the evil intruder. Dave was mostly just happy it was over.

After supper they drove to the airport in Montreal and escorted the women inside. It was two hours before the women finally walked through the departure gate after lots of goodbye kisses and good luck wishes for Dave.

Back on the road again, Roger and Dave worked their way through Montreal and Roger was happy he had gotten a detailed route instruction sheet off the internet from Map Quest because the local roads were very confusing. After crossing a few bridges they drove away from Montreal towards Vermont. An hour later they were in Vermont and cruising down Interstate 89 heading towards Burlington. They reached Burlington before midnight and stopped for the night. The drive had been very hectic at first as they tried to follow the complicated directions through Montreal; but after that both Roger and Dave just listened to the radio playing as the drive unfolded.

After finding a motel in Burlington, they went right to bed and slept soundly until nine o'clock. They ate breakfast then checked out. It was ten o'clock when they hit the road again and Dave was in a more talkative mood following his good sleep. They talked about the Le Diable course and about the beautiful village. Roger finally broke the casual conversation with a pointed question, "Dave, I could tell you were really distracted yesterday. I saw you play the final round in North Carolina and I think I have an idea how you adapt to pressure. Yesterday you seemed different. Is there something you would like to talk about?"

Dave felt as if a thousand pound rock was being lifted off his shoulders and he opened the floodgates of confession as he told his father all about Sheri, her impact on himself, how he had been thinking about her more and more since he got home, and how he had asked him to book at the Comfort Inn because he knew she would be there. He also explained about Jennifer's confession of insecurity and how the guilt which uncontrollably welled up in Dave had really distracted him during the golf day.

Roger sat quietly and listened intently. Even after Dave had finished his very long and detailed explanation, Roger continued to stare wordlessly at the unfolding highway scene in front of him. Dave waited patiently for his father's thoughtful advice.