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Martha v Hootie: 3rd hole | ||||||
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May 21, 2003; Source: AnyoneForTee.com "Showdown" reaches hole that ended Tiger and Maggert Masters challenges Hootie could barely believe his good fortune. It was time to play some serious golf, before Lady Luck (he winced at the irony) abandoned him. Martha, far from looking downcast, appeared more determined than ever. Hootie pulled out the driver and teed up, while Fluff did his best to calm the buzz in the gallery around the tee.  But looking down the fairway, Hootie suddenly had a change of heart. He could see the beautiful azalea bushes down the right of the fairway, where Tiger's drive, and with it his most recent Masters challenge, had come to grief only a few weeks before, as he ran up a 6 from which he never recovered.
He could see the bunker where Jeff Maggert, leading the tournament, had driven his ball, and brought a two shot penalty on himself when his next shot hit the lip and rebounded into him, ending up with a 7. Hootie decided to play for position, not length. "I'll take the 3-iron Fluff," he said. The crowd began to buzz again - had Hootie lost his nerve? - but he knew it was the right move.Slowly and deliberately, he hit an easy iron down the fairway into position A. He puffed out his cheeks and managed a smile as he handed the iron back to Fluff. "Pretty little hole Martha, and two shots again," he said, cheerfully. Martha ignored what she suspected was another attempt at gamesmanship, and took the 5-wood. Straining every sinew trying to keep her head still, she hit a pretty good shot, some way short of Hootie's iron, but very much in play. Peter Alliss: "Looks as though they've put those nervy first two holes behind them. Nice couple of drives. Sensible shots. What do you think, young Ken, will Martha go for the green?" Ken Brown: "I doubt it Peter. She just wants to keep it on the short stuff and try and make five with a short pitch and two putts. That way, a par won't be good enough for Hootie." Fanny had the same idea, as she handed Martha the 7-wood. "Forget the green Martha, just keep on up the fairway short of the green and away from that bunker." Martha nodded, and with great care hit more or less a replica of her tee-shot, which came up some forty yards short, further away than she would have wanted, but safe once again. "Way to go Martha!", shouted a female voice from behind the ropes.  Hootie knew he had to get his approach on the green, and in two-putt territory. He took plenty of club and swung very easily. Perhaps too easily. It was a fat, banana-shaped, ugly little shot, finishing short and right, but at least in no trouble. Two played net zero.Peter Alliss: "This is the big one. If Martha can get this somewhere on the green, she'll have stopped the rot. Might even win her first hole. What's she got left Ken?" Ken Brown: "About 40 yards to the front Peter, and 55 yards to the pin. Just a nice easy wedge for her." Alex Hay: "You know Ken, down at Woburn, I always recommend to high handicap amateurs that they play the old Scottish run-up in these circumstances. She's got nothing between her ball and the hole and there's a lot less can go wrong, so it's the percentage shot, especially when you're feeling a wee bit nervous." Peter Alliss: "I agree Alex, but I think Martha has other plans. She's got the wedge out."  Martha took a deep breath, and the wedge flashed in the sunlight as she reached the top of her rather too long backswing. She caught the ball a little thin, and it flew flat and hard, bouncing short of the green and skidding forwards, rolling almost to the back of the green, about twenty feet beyond the hole. Martha exchanged a rather self-conscious hi-five with Fanny.Peter Alliss: "Well, I'm not sure that was what she had in mind, but in the end she played your shot, Alex! And quite nicely too, thank you very much. Three net one, for Martha, and Hootie lying two still off the green..." "That's a very quick putt she's got there, Mr Johnson, Sir," said Fluff, "she can three putt from there, no trouble. You just ease this one in there nice and close, Sir."  Hootie had never known pressure like it. He would rather have faced a room full of angry shareholders when he was Chairman of the Executive Committee of Bank of America than this little pitch. There was plenty of green to work with, but he needed to get it close. The bunker behind the hole was just waiting for the over-aggressive shot.Fluff handed him the pitching-wedge. "No Fluff, I want to roll it," he said, pulling out the 7-iron. He took three flowing, smooth practice swings. Then a short, quick lunge at the ball, hitting an inch behind it, so the ball just dribbled a few yards, not even reaching the green. The crowd were so silent you could have heard a putt drop. Peter Alliss: "Oh dear, that's a horrid one..., we've all done that in our time. Steady on, Sir, relax, take your time, and get the next one up close." Alex Hay: Peter, at Woburn, I always recommend to high handicap amateurs that they take the putter in those circumstances.  He had nothing between his ball and the hole and there's a lot less can go wrong with a putt, so it's the percentage shot, especially when you're feeling a wee bit nervous. At least you're sure to be on the green."Peter Alliss: "A truer word was never spoken... Pity you're not carrying his bag Alex, instead of old Fluff." Alex Hay: Well Peter, he might not have fluffed it if I'd been there..." (audible groans in the background from the entire commentary team). Hootie looked up at Fluff. "OK Fluff, we'll do it your way now," he said, taking the pitching-wedge out of the bag. Peter Alliss: "Uh-oh, dearie me, I don't like the look of this..." Hootie went for the full pitch shot, looking to toss the ball almost all the way to the flag. He tried to focus on a good, clean contact. He caught the ball right off the bottom, and it sped across the green, narrowly missing the pin and then diving into the waiting bunker.  "Don't give up Mr Johnson, Sir," said Fluff. "She hasn't holed out yet. Phil Mickelson five-putted from that distance last year on tour, she ain't done yet."Hootie took the offered sand-iron, his mind spinning, and entered the bunker. At the top of his backswing he had a sudden vision of the ball hitting the face of the bunker and rolling back, almost to his feet. He put extra force into the downswing, his head came up, and the ball flew out like a bullet, still rising as it disappeared behind Martha and Fanny into the trees beyond the green. He hung his head in shame. "That's good enough, Maam," he called over to Martha, who picked up her ball-marker and strode purposefully off to the next tee. "Mr Johnson concedes the hole. Mr Johnson is one-up." Alex Hay: "He should never have lost that one, Peter. That's all down to a bad choice of shot. I always recommend to high handicap amateurs at Woburn that they take.." Steve Rider: "So, after three holes, Martha has clawed one back. It's just one up to Hootie as they make their way to the fourth tee. We'll be back with more coverage from Augusta on BBC2 right after the news headlines, so join us in a few minutes. For the moment, from Augusta, goodbye." | ||||||
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You can follow the match score on the official scorecard by clicking here. To read the earlier match reports, please click on the hole number: 1 2 | ||||||
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All the beautiful images of Augusta National used in this story can be seen on the official Masters website www.masters.org This page © Copyright 2003 by DuffersGolf | ||||||
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