Chapter 18: Sarah Works Her Magic

The week after the ACC Championship was filled with celebrations but Dave quickly settled back into his studies. He had fallen slightly behind in his coursework with all the golf and trying to deal with Alec's problems of the previous month; but he knew one good week would get him caught up again.

He was studying in his room after lunch on Tuesday when his cell phone rang; caller ID indicated it was an international call but no name appeared. He answered simply, "Hello?"

An authoritative British voice asked, "Is this Dave MacDonald?"

"Yes, it is." replied Dave with a slight hesitation.

"My name is Harry Cole and I am the chairman of the 2005 British Open. I have been reviewing the list of applications of players with full exemptions and I noticed that you have not yet submitted an application. Did you realize that you automatically qualified for our Open Championship when you won the Canadian Open?"

This was news and Dave was very surprised, "No, I didn't know I had qualified."

Harry explained, "There is still plenty of time to apply and I very much wanted to make sure you were aware that you had the full exemption. We would love to have you play in our tourney. I will give you my telephone number should you want to ring me for information."

Dave thanked him and marked down the number. He immediately went on the internet and checked the dates. The Open Championship was being hosted by the Royal and Ancient St Andrews Golf Club from July 10^th to 17^th. Dave got very excited and called his father at work. "Dad, you'll never guess who just called me?"

Roger laughed, "Harry Cole from the British Open."

Dave was stunned, "How did you know?"

Roger was still chuckling, "He called the house yesterday trying to find you. I gave him your cell number."

Dave snickered, "I never thought of that. What do you think? Should I go?"

Roger replied, "That is totally up to you. You will have to pay for the trip yourself this time - but I am sure we can work that out. It will be a great opportunity and I wish I could go with you but your mother and I already have unchangeable plans for that week so we won't be able to go."

Dave was very disappointed, "I was hoping you would caddie for me again."

Roger answered, "Sorry, Dave, I can't make it but I have a suggestion. Why don't you ask Alec to caddie for you?"

Dave agreed, "That's a great idea. I'll ask him if he wants to help me prepare for the tournament and see if he is interested in caddying. That's a fantastic idea, Dad. Thanks."

Dave said goodbye to his father and was filling out the online application when his cell phone rang again. He answered the phone and was surprised to hear another British voice, one which he recognized immediately. "Hello, Dave, how are you?"

"I'm great, Lord Thurlow, how are you?"

Lord Thurlow replied, "I am very well, thank you. It's good to hear your voice again. I understand that you have qualified for the Open Championship; our family would like to invite you to stay with us during the week before the tournament. Are you interested in visiting with us?"

Dave was surprised and happy as he realized this was what Sarah had meant when she said she would have to find a way to get him to England. He replied, "Yes, sir, I would love to visit."

Lord Thurlow answered, "Splendid, I will book your flight and accommodations at St Andrews. Will you be traveling alone?"

Dave replied, "You don't have to book my flight, sir; I will look after it."

"Don't be silly, my boy. I would feel privileged if you allow me to look after this for you. After all, you are very much the son I never had. Please allow me to do this for you. How many will be in your party?"

Dave thought about Alec and was about to say two when he also thought of Shauna and how great it would be for her to be along with Alec. He asked, "Would three be too many?"

Lord Thurlow chuckled, "Definitely not. Where do you plan to fly from - Greensboro or Edwardton?"

Dave thought for a moment and explained, "I'm not sure yet. If my friend Alec comes with me as my caddie, I may just fly from here - but if not I may fly from home. Can I call you back?"

Lord Thurlow replied, "Certainly, I'll wait for you to ring back. Take care of yourself, Dave."

Dave said goodbye and hung up. He looked at his exam schedule and realized he would be finishing exams the Thursday before going to London and would be ready to fly out on the weekend. There didn't seem like much point in driving to QAI just to fly to London but he would need his car on QAI when he returned. He thought about it for a while and decided the best plan would be a compromise: drive to Boston and then fly from there. When he returned to Boston he would only have a twelve hour drive home. As he thought more about the trip, he got very excited at the prospect of playing against the best golfers in the world including Tiger Woods. The British Open was one of the four tournaments often referred to as the Majors. The Masters, the first of the four majors, was starting in just two days. Tiger had been playing well again so there was a lot of hype on the tournament.

It was time for practice so Dave logged off WIN and went to the golf center. The whole team was there except Alec who was taking a couple weeks off for therapy - both physical and emotional. Dave didn't tell anyone about the invitation yet - he wanted Alec to be the first to know.

When he returned to his room there was a long e-mail from Sarah thanking him for coming to London and teasingly suggesting she could always find ways to get her Knight to come to England. Dave had suspected she was behind the phone calls and now she confirmed it. He replied with an equally long e-mail.

The week passed quickly and practice went well. Dave got caught up on most of his courses; on Sunday he and Alec arranged to watch the final round of the Masters together. Dave still hadn't mentioned anything about the British Open. They were drinking beer and enjoying the golf in Alec's room while Chris DiMarco and Tiger were battling head-to-head for the Green Jacket awarded to the winner. As they watched, Dave asked, "How are you and Shauna getting along."

Alec looked at him very seriously, "I can't believe I almost chased her away. She is the most wonderful woman in the world and I nearly fucked it up. We are getting along great now, thanks to you. I really don't know how I would have handled losing her."

Dave agreed, "She is a fantastic woman and she truly loves you. You are meant for each other and I am pleased it is working out."

Alec nodded as he resumed watching the tournament. Tiger looked as if he were in trouble on the sixteenth hole. He missed the green left on the par three and had a difficult chip. Chris was fifteen feet from the hole and putting for birdie. Dave said, "DiMarco has him now."

Alec laughed, "Not yet!"

Tiger chipped his ball well left of the hole then watched as the ball rolled off the hill on the back of the green slowly towards the hole. The camera work was incredible. Everyone could see the ball slowly rolling down the hill directly at the hole. The ball slowed to a trickle just before reaching the hole then stopped on the edge. The ball seemed to waver briefly then dropped to the bottom of the cup. Both Dave and Alec were on their feet screaming. Alec liked Tiger so he was yelling "Drop!"

While Dave, who was less of a Tiger fan, was yelling, "Stop!"

When the ball dropped in Alec said, "I told you he wasn't out of it yet."

Dave simply shook his head as he knew that that birdie by Tiger would probably swing the round. DiMarco now had to make his birdie putt just to remain one stroke behind Tiger. DiMarco missed and fell two strokes behind the leader with only two holes to play. But DiMarco battled back and made par on seventeen and eighteen while Tiger made bogey on both leaving them tied. Extra holes would have to decide the winner.

Dave was cheering for DiMarco and Alec was cheering for Tiger. Tiger hit great golf shots and won the first extra hole to win his fourth Masters. The chip on sixteen was the highlight of the tournament and Dave and Alec watched replay after replay of the spectacular shot. Alec finally said, "God, it would be incredible to be there for things like that."

Dave saw his opening and asked, "How would you like to go to the British Open?"

Alec laughed, "Yeah, right, in my dreams."

Dave chuckled, "No, actually it's my dream, I got a call on Tuesday inviting me to play in the British Open at St Andrews, and I need a caddie. Will you caddie for me?"

Alec's face turned pale, "Really? Are you serious?" As Dave nodded, a huge smile covered Alec's face, "That would be unbelievable. Do you really want me to caddie for you?"

Dave smiled as he said, "I definitely want you to caddie for me. And if you want, I'd like Shauna to come with us, too. Do you two have plans for this summer?"

Alec was bouncing with excitement as he replied, "Nothing that can't be changed. I'm sure she'd love to go, but I will have to ask. How did this all happen?"

Dave shook his head. "I told you that Sarah called me from England when I was in Las Vegas. Well, she cooked this up; she said she wanted me to visit her this summer but I told her I would probably be too busy. She apparently went onto the British Open website and determined that I had qualified by winning the Canadian Open - then told her father about it. Her father called a friend with the Royal and Ancient and shortly afterward I got a call from the chairman of the tournament. When Lord Thurlow called shortly after the chairman, I suspected they had talked to each other because it was too much of a coincidence. Sarah confirmed my suspicions in an e-mail on Tuesday night. Lord Thurlow is paying for our flights and also our accommodations in St. Andrews. I tried to convince him I would pay for it but he refused. I told him there might be three of us."

Alec shook his head in wonder, "This will be an incredible trip. I can't wait to tell Shauna. Passports, we have to get passports; and clothes and luggage and..." He stopped and looked squarely at Dave, "You really mean this? I have to pinch myself."

Despite Alec's string of questions, Dave just reassured him that the three friends could indeed travel to the tournament. Dave then mentioned that he needed to get back to his room and study. He told Alec to let him know as soon as possible so they could finalize the travel plans. Alec shook his hand and thanked him again before he left.

The balance of April passed quickly. Shauna, when asked about a trip to the British Open, had immediately confirmed that she wanted to go and privately thanked Dave for giving Alec something to look forward. Alec returned to practice and was now more intent on studying Dave's swing as they worked together to get ready for the British Open. Dave told Darcy and the three women about the British Open trip and they all congratulated him. Alec's change of focus seemed to help with his own practicing as well and he slowly began getting more consistent with his own swing. By the end of April, Alec's golf scores had dropped into the mid-eighties and he was suddenly feeling more optimistic for his own recovery.

When Dave called Lord Thurlow back he asked, "Can you arrange a round of golf for me and Alec on the Old Course at St Andrews before the week of the tournament? I know Alec would love to play the most historic golf course in the world; and I think it will help both of us when the tournament starts."

Lord Thurlow said he would try to arrange a round for the Sunday before the tournament started and he would book the accommodations starting Saturday night. Dave thanked him for everything and asked again if he could pay for it himself - Lord Thurlow simply laughed at him, and then firmly refused. Lord Thurlow said he had already booked the flights out of Boston on July 2^nd and the return flights as well. Dave thanked him and said he would see him soon.

The last week of the winter session arrived full with the final exams. Dave was prepared and confident; he thought he did well in all six exams he wrote. Colby left for home on Friday afternoon and he and Dave wished each other well before he left. Dave spent a quiet loving evening and night with the twins on Friday. Just before they left on Saturday Kyra had a suggestion for Dave, "Danielle is taking some spring courses, right?" After Dave nodded she continued, "I think you should consider sleeping with Danielle - one special time - before you go home for the summer. She is still extremely in love with you and I think if you tell her that you will make love to her once - and only once, then she may be able to get over you during the summer."

Dave shook his head as he was still amazed that she was not jealous and asked, "Why aren't you jealous?"

Kyra kissed him, "I have made love to you all winter. I hope to make love to you all next winter - I have no reason to be jealous."

Dave still couldn't believe her attitude but he said he would think about her suggestion. He helped both twins load their belongings into their parents' van. He met their father, Victor, who thanked Dave for looking out for his girls during their first year of college. Dave, without smirking or leering, replied that it was easy to look out for such wonderful girls and that it had been his treat to get to know them. He watched the van drive down the road and he wondered if the following fall would be the same as the past winter. He hoped it would.

Dave moved his belongings to his new room. He initially questioned Alec's suggestion to share a Student Apartment; maybe it was not such a good idea because the Student Apartments were the farthest buildings from the golf center. After reflection, Dave decided that an early morning walk would do them both good and improve their overall fitness. The apartment gave Dave and Alec private rooms of their own with a living room-dining room-kitchen combination. Dave liked the large fridge and went shopping for food to fill it after he had moved all his belongings to their new digs. Darcy and Carl were sharing the apartment next to Dave and Alec; the rest of the men's and women's golf team were also staying in the apartments.

The women's NCAA Regional tournament was in Lubbock, Texas the same weekend that Dave finished exams. The team started slowly and were in eighth place after the first round but Leanne and Rachael then played really good rounds the second day and moved the team into third place. Danielle played two solid rounds and was sitting in twenty-fifth place. Leanne, with her strong second round, was in eighth place while Rachael was in twelfth. The other two team members were in fortieth and sixty-seventh.

While Dave had been moving his belongings into his new apartment, the women's team played their final round. Leanne played well again and moved to fourth place in the individual standings. Danielle also played well in the final round and moved up to sixteenth place while Rachael held on to her twelfth place standing. The other players finished thirty-sixth and seventy-second. The team was very pleased with their third place finish which also qualified them for the NCAA Championships in Sunriver, Oregon the same weekend as the men's team played their Regional in Nashville, Tennessee.

With the twins gone, Danielle became even friendlier with Dave and she eventually spent more time in his and Alec's apartment than in her own. Although she did not make any overt moves toward intimacy, Dave knew he eventually had to have a very serious sit down discussion with her - but he didn't want to do that until after the NCAA tournaments. The practice group worked hard and Alec's game continued to improve, albeit slowly. Dave found the four academic courses a very heavy load and he spent all his free time studying.

His marks from the winter session came out the second week of May and he was very pleased that he had maintained his 4.0 GPA. He had two A⁺s and four As. His parents were very proud of him when he called with his marks. Jana and Kyra had both received all As and A⁺s as well and maintained their 4.0 GPA's as well. Dave talked to them on the phone regularly and Jana surprised Dave by telling him that she and Kyra were going to QAI in August to visit Jennifer. She teased Dave by saying she might even have a little time for him. Dave was happy they were going to visit QAI.

After two weeks of living in the apartment, Dave loved the privacy of his own room and he began working on Coach Dawes to make sure he and Alec had an apartment in the fall. Coach Dawes teased Dave that if he helped WF win the NCAA title, he would get him the apartment. Dave simply smiled and replied, "I'll hold you to that."

The regional tournament went well. Dave was really pumped up and he shot the low round of the tournament the first day, a sixty-three. Darcy had a solid first round of sixty-eight. Keith was second lowest overall with sixty-five and Carl had a really strong round of sixty-seven. Will was the highest with seventy-one.

Dave went for a swim then relaxed in his room. Darcy was very nervous about the regional tournament but Dave settled his nerves by reminding him to remain focused and simply play the best he could. Dave was two strokes ahead of Keith who was tied with two other players for the individual title. WFU had opened a twelve stroke lead after just one day of the team event. Dave convinced Darcy to call Leanne to see how she was doing.

The women's team had a good first day and finished in seventh place. Leanne said she played fairly well and was in twenty-first place. Danielle had the best round and was in twelfth place. Rachael was in fifty-first place. Leanne told Darcy that Sheri was tied for first place and that her Georgia team was in second. Darcy wished her and the remaining women luck from both him and Dave before he said goodbye.

Dave and Darcy went to sleep shortly after the call to Leanne. Dave woke early and showered before going to the restaurant for an early breakfast. He sat and focused on his upcoming round. Eventually the remainder of the team arrived and after everyone ate, they went to the course to warm up.

Dave had another solid round the second day and shot sixty-five. He was really putting well and his two stroke lead doubled to four strokes. Carl and Keith both had good second rounds shooting sixty-eight and sixty-nine respectively. Keith slipped to a tie for third place while Carl moved up to fifth place. Darcy's nerves carried over from the previous night and he shot seventy-three, the same as Will.

Dave went for a long swim and he mapped out his summer schedule in his head. The first three weeks of July would be needed to finish school, travel to England, and then travel home. He would miss the provincial trials for the Canadian Amateur but he had already qualified by being the defending champion. The Canadian Amateur started August 14^th in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia; Dave already had reservations at the Telegraph House where he had stayed previously with his father and uncle. He had his practice round booked in the afternoon so he was going to drive over that morning. He remembered Bell Bay Golf Course well from the Atlantic junior tournament held there two years earlier. He would have to leave for North Carolina immediately after the Amateur to get back in time for the beginning of classes on August 24^th. That meant he only had a little more than three weeks on QAI. He remembered his earlier plan to take two courses in the second summer session and immediately decided he wouldn't actually have the time to do that now. He would have to revise his overall plan.

When he returned to the room, Darcy told him he had already called Leanne who reported that the team had moved up to fourth place. She played well and had moved up to twelfth place while Danielle had moved up to sixth place with another very strong round. Rachael improved to twenty-fifth place and the other two women also moved up several positions. He mentioned that Danielle was totally excited and was going to call Dave later. Darcy also said that Sheri was all alone in first place and her Georgia team had moved into first place after two rounds.

Danielle indeed called a half hour later and Dave congratulated her on another superb round. She thanked him and promised to remain focused on her third round. She congratulated Dave on leading the Regional tournament and he thanked her before they said goodbye.

The final round for the men's team went well and they won by twenty-six strokes. Dave finished first overall after shooting another strong sixty-six to win by four strokes. Carl was the biggest surprise of the tournament as he finished with another sixty-eight, fourth overall. Will shot sixty-eight and finished twenty-sixth. Keith shot seventy-three to finish eleventh. Darcy's final round seventy-three gave him a thirty-fourth place. Coach Dawes was openly ecstatic with the victory but he remained focused on winning the NCAA Championship.

The team celebrated in the hotel that evening. Dave was really pleased that they were all getting along well and he was confident they would have a strong Championship Tournament in Baltimore, Maryland. Danielle called to congratulate the men on their victory. She told Dave that she had another good round and had moved up to fifth place while the team improved to third place. Leanne played well and maintained her twelfth place position and Rachael improved to eighteenth while both the other women moved up several more positions. Dave congratulated her and wished her luck in the final round the next day. She thanked him and said she would see him Saturday when they arrived back at campus.