The Final Round

We had perfect playing conditions for our last round of the trip and Neal and DP took full advantage as we played the Old Course for a second time in two days.  Neal was steady as can be off the tee and with his irons.  He screwed up the par 3 11th the day prior and made amends his second time around by stuffing his tee ball to four feet before burying the putt for a birdie 2.  Knowing he was going to break 80 after a solid par at The Road Hole 17th, he needed to simply avoid barfing all over himself and he'd have a round that he would consider the best round of his life.  He understood the pressure that tour players feel as they are trying to close out a major when he stepped up to his ball in the middle of the fairway on 18.  A short iron and two putts was all he needed to do, but now the blood was rushing through his veins a little quicker, the hands gripped the club a little tighter and the beads of sweat on his brow were now a little larger.  He addressed the ball and proceeded to lay the sod over it.  He chunked it 50 yards up the fairway.  Now it was up to his faithful caddie, who he had requested after a great partnership developed the day before, to calm him down and talk him through the simple half wedge shot that was needed to give him a chance to save par or worst case a bogey.  Neal executed the shot, missed the par putt and tapped in for bogey to cap off a round of 77.  It was a hell of a round that just nipped DP by a stroke for low round of the day and low round of the trip.  Dave was solid all day long and you won't hear him complaining about that 78 any time soon.  Harrington was slightly off from the day before and we all blame his caddie whose second hand smoke caused Ryan to smoke a pack and a half.  I shot 84 with the crazy hole being #6.  It's a short par 4 and I hit a tee shot right down the middle leaving me 70 yard to the pin.  We walk up to my ball and my caddie pulls out the putter.  He said he saw Jack Nicklaus putt from 120 yards out in the British Open ten years ago and he made par.  I reminded my caddie that I'm no Jack Nicklaus and told him that he should be well aware of that by now since he's been carrying my bag for 5 holes.  I told him it would make for a great story regardless of what I scored so I grabbed the putter, stared down the line I was given and hammered a putt like never before.  It snaked up, over and around mounds of grass and fescue before eventually making its way onto the front of the green.  I was able to two putt from there and for a moment in time play golf like Jack Nicklaus.