Chapter 19: Oh Danielle

Kyra picked Dave up outside his hotel and he kissed her as he climbed into the car. She was clearly happy to see him and they quickly talked about what she and Jana had done since finishing school. Their hotel was only ten minutes away and they were soon in the room with Jana. The trio immediately made soft tender love for an hour after which they took a shower together. Dave loved having Kyra's two soft breasts pushed into his back as he washed Jana's hair while she stood in front of him. Kyra kept whispering how much she had missed him and how much fun they would have on Queen Anne Island visiting Jennifer.

Kyra drove Dave back to the Embassy Suites and they sat in the car and talked for another twenty minutes. Kyra asked how his classes were going and he explained that the extra course load was very challenging. Kyra then asked about Danielle and Dave chuckled, "She practically lives in our apartment. She's a really nice girl and I have hinted that I would spend some intimate time with her. Do you really think that will work?"

Kyle giggled, "I hope so. It will be fun anyway."

They talked more about the QAI trip for a few minutes before Dave kissed Kyra and went to his room. As he strolled down the hallway to his room he looked down in the direction of his little head and said, "Now, little head, let the big head concentrate on golf for two more days and then you can have control for the next month."

Dave woke a little later then the previous two days due to Wake Forest University being in the final group tee time. The number of teams had been cut down to fifteen from thirty and then seeded based on standings. The WFU, University of Nevada-Las Vegas [UNLV], and Texas teams were in the final five groups. Dave got focused as he sipped his usual hot chocolate. When he finally met the team in the hotel restaurant, he was completely focused and ready. The team ate quietly as they all knew they needed to play better if they wanted to catch UNLV.

The drive to the golf course passed quickly and the team warmed up for ninety minutes before Keith headed to the first tee. Dave stood at the tee and wished each player 'good luck' as they teed off in turn. He was playing in the last group with Ricky Morrison and he was ready for the challenge. When his four teammates had all teed off, it was finally his turn and Coach Dawes wished him well. Dave hit a good drive on the first hole but pulled his wedge slightly and then missed the fifteen-foot birdie putt. Ricky made par as well so Dave didn't lose any ground.

Dave seemed to lose his feel for his irons and on his approach shots he struggled to get the ball even close to the hole - if on the green at all. His chipping saved a lot of pars and he managed to make four birdies to shoot sixty-seven. He was disappointed in his round but luckily Ricky had struggled as well shooting sixty-seven also. Dave was relieved not to lose any ground on Ricky and, as soon as he was finished with several interviews, he went straight to the practice range to practice with his irons.

Leanne, Rachael, and Danielle showed up at the course during the third round and they stayed for the day. They were staying at the same hotel as the twins and Dave talked to them briefly before he began practicing. They could see the frustration on his face and left him alone to practice.

Darcy had shot another good round of sixty-nine and Keith and Will both had good rounds of seventy. This helped WFU reduce UNLV's lead to just three strokes. Dave asked Coach Dawes if he could pass on the team transport and take a later taxi back to the hotel after he finished some extended practicing. Coach Dawes said he had no problem with that and would see him whenever he arrived. Dave practiced for three hours - he was determined to work out the bugs before the final round the next day. He still had a four stroke lead on the individual title but he knew that he could have gained several strokes on the UNLV team if he had been completely on his game. The third-place Texas team was fifteen strokes behind the WFU team so it was basically a two team eighteen holes sprint to the finish.

Dave arrived back at the hotel after the team had eaten dinner so he went to the restaurant and ate by himself. When he returned to his room, he called the twins and apologized for not having time to spend with them that night. They told him they understood that his golf took priority. He said he would see them the next day.

Darcy was watching television so Dave joined him. They talked about the round and Dave said he hoped to play better the next day. Darcy concluded that a three-stroke lead was not significant but would still require a strong team effort to overcome. Dave agreed.

Dave called home and talked to his father about his round. His dad told him not to put too much pressure on himself - that there were four other players on the team who needed to do their part to win. Dave thanked him before he spoke to his mother. She congratulated him on another good round then talked about their family plans for the summer. Beth and Julie were not moving to the trailer for the summer this year because of their new jobs so she and Roger would have the trailer to themselves most of the time. She was looking forward to the private time with her husband. Dave eventually said goodbye and promised to call the next night.

Dave tried to go to sleep but he tossed and turned as he thought about winning the NCAA Championship. He knew he had to play better the next day.

The morning routine was the same as the previous day and Dave was soon hitting balls at the golf course. His ball striking still didn't feel as good as it had the first two days but he was confident he could put a good round together. He putted for a half hour and he really seemed to have a good feel for his putting stroke.

He was teeing off last again so he once more wished each of his teammates luck before they teed off. He spoke to Darcy and said, "If you have a good feel for your irons then shoot right at the pins until you get a three stroke lead over your UNLV opponent. Once you have a three stroke lead, play safe to the big part of the green and maybe you'll make a long putt to extend the lead. If you don't have the feel for your irons then aim for the big part of the green until it gets better or you finish. We can do this - we both need to stay focused and play smart."

Darcy nodded with understanding before he went to tee off. Dave watched him hit a solid drive down the middle and wished him luck as he left to make his second shot. Dave teed off after Darcy; he was psyched and ready. He had to hit last; after Ricky and his other opponent hit good drives which ended in the middle of the fairway, Dave stood up and boomed a huge drive well inside the one hundred yard marker. He pulled the tee confidently from the ground and strode down the fairway. There was a sizable crowd following them but it was tiny compared to what he had seen at the Canadian Open the previous year - it wasn't a distraction for him. He did notice that Bob Duff was following him again, as were Danielle, Rachael, and his friendly twins.

After the other two players hit, Dave stood over his ball and hit a partial pitching wedge - but he pulled the shot left. The ball stopped eighteen feet from the hole. Dave was actually the farthest from the cup so he had to putt first. As he stood behind his ball, deciding on the line, he imagined he could see a faint white line leading from his ball to the hole. He smiled to himself - he had seen this in two previous rounds on QAI and he knew it usually meant he had found the perfect line for his putt. He moved over his ball and focused on the faint line. He pulled the putter back then straight through - the ball was exactly on the line he had imagined. It kept rolling end-over-end until it hit the middle of the cup and dropped in. Dave closed his fist in a very subtle celebration then strode to the hole confidently and plucked the ball from the bottom of the cup. He watched as Ricky missed his birdie and the Texas player made his birdie.

The balance of the front nine went much the way the first hole had. Dave somehow could see the perfect line for every putt and he only missed two putts on the first nine holes. His iron play was still not as good as it had been the first two days, so he missed several greens but his putter was deadly accurate. Dave sank a thirty-five foot birdie putt on the tenth hole to go to five under par and put him two stokes ahead of Ricky Morrison; he noticed Ricky began shaking his head when he made that difficult putt.

Dave went one under par over the next five holes, the same as Ricky. Dave now had a six stroke lead for the individual title but he wanted to gain a few more strokes on Ricky to help the team competition. On sixteen, Dave hit another huge drive then hit a solid sixty-degree wedge to within ten feet. Ricky missed the green right leaving a difficult chip.

Dave stood behind his ball and that magical line was again leading the way to the hole. Ricky made a great chip and his ball stopped just a foot from the hole. Dave waited for the Texas player to putt. The Texas player missed his birdie but tapped in for par. Dave stood over his putt and focused on a good stroke. The ball rolled off his putter smoothly, hit the middle of the hole, and dropped in for another birdie. His opponents congratulated him before Ricky tapped in for par.

Both Dave and Ricky birdied the long, difficult seventeenth hole. Ricky had seemed to sense that his team was slipping behind and made two great shots to leave a short six footer for birdie. Dave hit another huge drive; and after a fair iron shot he sank another twenty-five foot putt for birdie. Even Dave was shaking his head as he realized how much of a groove he was in with his putter. As they walked to the final hole, Dave was seven strokes ahead for the individual title - so he knew that was a lock; but he wanted another birdie for the team score.

He was still hitting first and he hammered a huge drive squarely down the middle of the fairway. He only had a hundred and twenty yards left to the four hundred and fifty-five yard hole. Ricky hit a big drive but was thirty yards behind Dave. Ricky hit a good eight iron that finished twenty feet from the hole. Dave's wedge shot finished just a foot inside Ricky's ball. The Texas player missed the green then chipped on six inches from the hole. He tapped in before Dave and Ricky putted.

As Dave walked to the green, he had noticed that his teammates looked very nervous and by their expressions he could tell that they were not yet confident of the win. Dave knew that the crowd would pass the scores along to the coaches and other players and they would know exactly what Dave and Ricky's putts meant for the tournament. Dave might have been made nervous by the expressions of his teammates except when he looked at the UNLV players' faces - he saw the same uncertain looks on them. Dave concluded it had to be very close and these final putts could decide the winner.

He looked at his putt and was relieved to see that special line leading his ball to the promised-land. He stood back and waited for Ricky to putt. Ricky took his time and read the putt from every angle before he settled on his line and stood over his putt. He hit the ball solidly but it broke off line just before the hole and rolled a foot past. There was a huge sigh from the UNLV players and Ricky stared at his missed putt for a moment before he walked to it and tapped in for par.

Dave looked at his line again - he was full of confidence. He stood over his ball and took his usual two practice strokes before he settled his putter behind the ball. He kept telling himself, 'Straight Back, Straight Through.' He stroked the ball firmly and it rolled right along the imaginary line. Dave watched as the ball closed in on the hole then fell into the bottom without touching any side. Dave clenched his fist as he looked over at his teammates who were jumping in the air and running towards him. Dave then knew they must have won the team title; he threw his hands in the air as Darcy hugged him followed by Keith, Will, Carl, Coach Dawes, and Coach Toombs. Darcy cheered, "We won by one stroke. That killer putt of yours won the Championship for us."

Dave had suspected that was the case by surveying all the nervous faces around the green. He cheered and celebrated with his team for a few moments before he broke away from them and walked to Ricky and the Texas player to congratulate them on good rounds. They both congratulated him on his victory before Dave followed them to the scorer's tent to sign their cards. As they walked to the tent Ricky said, "Jesus, you putted unbelievable today, didn't you?"

Dave chuckled, "Yeah, it surprised the hell out of me too." Dave took extra care to double check all his scores then he signed his card and returned to his celebrating team.

When Coach Dawes hugged him, Dave said, "I'll enjoy that apartment you promised me and Alec next year." Then he smiled at his coach.

Coach Dawes laughed, "Consider it done."

Dave and all the WFU players were interviewed before the formal banquet and presentation. Dave found out that Darcy had a great round of sixty-eight but Keith, Will, and Carl had all struggled and not one of them had broken par. Dave and Darcy had carried the team to victory and Dave thought that was absolutely fitting after the way the season had started. He only wished that Alec had been able to contribute to the victory. The media asked Dave if he was playing in the upcoming US Open. He said he wasn't but he was registered for both the British Open and the Canadian Open.

The NCAA banquet followed the final round and Wake Forest was presented with the NCAA Championship Trophy. Dave was also presented with the individual trophy. During the banquet Dave and Darcy both received All-American Awards. Dave made first team while Darcy was very surprised and incredibly pleased with a second team honor. He hugged Dave and thanked him for all his help. The final award was the Ben Hogan Award, which was also presented to Dave.

After the banquet, Dave spent another twenty minutes speaking to the media about the Hogan Award. When he and Darcy got back to their room, Dave called his parents and told them his great news. They were very proud and congratulated him. As Dave hung up he had to make one more call. He thought about that fateful day in October as he dialed Jennifer's number. Her father Ron answered the phone and, after talking to Dave for five minutes, he passed the phone to a waiting and impatient Jennifer. Dave said, "Hello, beautiful. I did it - thanks to you. I won the NCAA Championship and the Ben Hogan Award for the top male collegiate golfer." Tears rolled down his cheeks as he added, "I could never have done it without you. Thank you for saving me last fall. I will never forget what you did for me and I will always love you."

Dave could hear Jennifer's voice crack with emotion as she replied, "I love you, too. I was happy I could help you. Congratulations on the award - you deserve it. You are not only the best golfer but also the best person I know."

Dave quietly asked, "How did you do in your courses?"

She chuckled, "I had an eighty-four average. I was very pleased but I know I can do better. I loved the design course I took and look forward to more architectural classes next year. How did you do?"

Dave replied, "I did really well. I had a 4.0 GPA, which would be equivalent to over ninety in Canada. The courses I am taking now are very condensed with a lot of work in a short period of time but I think I can maintain my average. Do you have plans for the summer?"

"I'm working again this summer but I will be taking a week off in August when Jana and Kyra come to visit. I plan on spending some of that time on QAI so I will definitely see you then. What do you have planned for the summer?"

Dave answered, "I've been invited to the British Open so I will be spending a week with Sarah then going up to Scotland for the second week. I will be back on QAI for the final week of July and the first two weeks of August before I go to the Canadian Amateur on August 14^th. It's going to be a busy summer but I'm really looking forward to relaxing at home for a few weeks."

Jennifer began to end their conversation, "Good luck in England. I'm sure Sarah will take good care of you. I have a date with Mark - so I have to go; I'll talk to you soon."

Dave whispered, "I will always love you, Jennifer. Goodbye."

As Dave hung up the phone he stared at the receiver - a sudden urge overtook him - he wanted to fly home and try to convince Jennifer to break off with Mark and be with him. He again wondered if he had made a mistake. Was his golf career worth losing Jennifer? He was at the dream moment of his collegiate golf career but he felt empty because the most important person in his life wasn't there to share it with him. Just then, Jana and Kyra strode into the room and without a word practically dragged him to a party in Carl's room. Kyra noticed he was upset but didn't say anything as her sister pulled Dave out of the room.

The NCAA Champions celebrated their victory with a huge party. Dave got steadily drunker and drunker. Jana and Kyra noticed that he had seemed distracted all evening but when they asked what was bothering him, he explained that he had hoped Alec could be there with them to celebrate. Jana accepted that explanation but Kyra could tell he was probably not telling the entire truth. She knew something else was bothering him but she didn't know what it was.

Later in the evening, Jana was talking about her trip to QAI and Dave drunkenly said he had called Jennifer before the party. Jana never thought much of it but Kyra immediately saw the pained expression on his face and she knew that phone call was what was distracting him. She eventually managed to get Dave aside and asked him about it. He was very drunk and emotional. She could see his face filled with anguish so she told Darcy to tell Jana that she and Dave went for a walk to get some fresh air and they would be back soon. She then led Dave to his room where they locked the door and sat on the bed for a serious discussion.

She asked, "Did Jennifer say something to upset you?"

He shook his head, "No, I don't really want to talk about it - especially with you."

Kyra sat back, "Why can't you talk to me?"

Dave was very drunk and his head wasn't really analyzing what he said, "Because you're my girlfriend and I care for you very much - I shouldn't be talking to you about old girlfriends."

Kyra was relieved that he wasn't mad at her, "Dave, you know we're just friends who enjoy having sex together. We don't have any permanent girlfriend-type ties - so tell me what's wrong."

Tears began running down his face, "I think I fucked up. All I dreamed of was to play college golf and become the best collegiate golfer in the US. Now, I've done what I set out to do - but I think the price was too high. I've lost Jennifer - I really wish I sucked at golf and was still on QAI with Jennifer."

Kyra was shocked by his words. She had always known that he cared deeply for Jennifer but until that moment she never knew just how much. She briefly wondered what it would be like to be so in love with someone that you would give up all your dreams for them. She was broken from her reverie when Dave placed his face on her shoulder weeping. She knew that the alcohol was amplifying his emotions but she also knew that his sad mood had begun before he started drinking.

She asked, "Why don't you fly home and convince her to be with you?"

He sobbed, "I want to but if I do that and she rejects me... I truly don't think I could handle that. Plus, I gave her my blessing to be with Mark. If I broke them up, I would always wonder if she really wanted to be with him and not me." After a pregnant pause he added, "I might tell her how I feel the next time we are together. I'm sorry for acting like such a baby - I'm not much of a man, am I? I'm crying like a kid that dropped his ice-cream cone."