Small-Time Golf: A Brief Recap of the Second Round

by Craig Small

I wrote up a nice recap of the second round yesterday but somehow it all got deleted. I’m not sure what happened but my money’s on me hitting the wrong button. At any rate, I don’t feel like writing it again but here’s a very brief summary.

Before I begin I want to fill you in on a couple of changes I’ve made. First, I changed my mind on forcing all of the players you use the same clubs. In retrospect, it was a dumb decision to begin with. The long hitters were especially handcuffed by the limited club selection. I’m making club selection decisions based on each player’s individual skills, which is the obvious way to go about it. Second, I was watching the Ryder Cup when I started the second round and I heard that Phil Mickelson and Billy Casper had made more Ryder Cup appearances than any other American players ever. I decided to pair them up in honor of the achievement. The first round scoring also made this possible so the integrity of my tournament was not compromised in any way.

Second Round

Pairing One: Harry Vardon and Nick Faldo:
This was one of those dream matches for APBA Golf players where both competitors play up to their abilities and the game moves quickly without the need to constantly consult charts. Tee to fairway, fairway to green. Nice. Faldo played brilliantly with six birdies and only one bogey that was the result of missing a 5-foot putt. Vardon stole the show, though. Believe it or not, even with a bogey on 10 and a double-bogey after finding the water on 11, he still outplayed Faldo by two strokes. How? By making TEN birdies, that’s how. After the round, Vardon told the assembled media that it took him the first round to, “get used to these newfangled clubs,” and with a wink he concluded that, “I should be alright now.”

Shot of the round: Vardon’s 25-yard pitch from the fairway on 9 and Faldo’s 20-yarder from the fairway on 18 to close out the round.

Vardon: -7 (65)
Faldo: -5 (67)

Pairing Two: Walter Hagen and Young Tom Morris
Hagen’s round was up and down the whole way He pitched in an eagle from 35 yards on 3 but tripled-bogeyed the 12th after hitting the water. He still managed to get home under par, a testament to his greatness. Morris was just horrible. One birdie, 5 bogeys, and a double-bogey.

Shot of the round: Hagen’s 35-yard pitch from the fairway on 3.

Hagen: -1 (71)
Morris: +6 (78)

Pairing Three: Billy Caper and Phil Mickelson
Mickelson played a wonderful front-nine but gave it all back on a back-nine that featured a bogey, a double-bogey, and a quadruple-bogey on 12 after finding the water TWICE! Casper was nothing short of incredible. His only blemish came at 11 after hitting it in the water (I have a hard time with 11). Other than that it was eight birdies, and an eagle. Take that, kid!

Shot of the round: Casper somehow holed a 180-yard 6-iron from the fairway on 7. Even Mickelson tipped his visor from across the fairway.

Casper: -8 (64)
Mickelson: +2 (74)

Pairing Four: Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods
This match-up of the two greatest golfers that ever walked the planet was well-played if not spectacular. The fans were treated to a wonderful display at 13 as both titans of the game hit monstrous tee-shots, precise 3-irons, and solid putts to go eagle, eagle. Tiger shot 5-under over the final six holes.

Shot of the round: No spectacular shots. The incredibly well-played 13th was the highlight of the match.

Nicklaus: -3 (69)
Woods: -4 (68)

Here are the standings after two rounds as well as the third round pairings:

Casper: 68-64 (132)
Vardon: 70-65 (135)

Nicklaus: 66-69 (135)
Woods: 68-68 (136)

Faldo: 70-67 (137)
Hagen: 70-71 (141)

Mickelson: 68-74 (142)
Morris: 69-78 (147)

I’m sorry to my fans that I haven’t been playing or posting as frequently. I’ve had long,busy days at work and haven’t had the time or inclination to break out the game. My Patriots are playing in the afternoon today so I’m going to try to squeeze a match in this morning. I managed to get on in yesterday, as well.

Talk soon!