THW Golf Headlines

Monday, May 27, 2013

Yeehaw! Tournament Goes the Distance

by MacTHW

It’s time for another THW tournament, the first ever Yeehaw Invitational at the Colonial CC. Players find its better to stick to the fairway as one can become quite lost in all those tall, ball-snaring trees and that those water lined par threes can be a bit deceiving. binkdog has started his march up the leaderboard. Can he reach number one? Yeehaw, howdy and welcome, these are your headlines for the inaugural Yeehaw Invitational tournament weekend.

EA techincal difficulties cause a delay of start of game for our trio of golfers partaking in the first ever Yeehaw Invitational. Once the golfers are allowed to take to the field, binkdog comes out swinging, but to his chagrin, so does MacTHW. It’s not a major tournament but points and rank are on the line. binkdog has just used enderdog as a rung in his ladder to the top and now looks to pull MacTHW down. MacTHW holds a small lead come the turn but MacTHW hands back all gains on the back nine. enderdog is too busy studying to become a dendrologist to cause much concern for the battling duo. binkdog and MacTHW would have to share a win for round one while enderdog falls back eleven strokes.

Round One:

Round two…fight! enderdog puts the dendrology studies aside and looks to get himself back in the tournament. This time binkdog reaches the turn with a decent lead, but like MacTHW in the round before, binkdog hands it all back. enderdog takes advantage of the situation and makes tracks for the clubhouse. enderdog wins the round but only manages to get back one stroke on the leaders. binkdog distances himself from MacTHW by two strokes and is now the sole leader of the tournament.

Round Two:

Round three…moving day. binkdog is motivated to put the moving truck in gear and further distance himself from the pack. He heads into the turn four strokes ahead and keeps the pedal to the metal. enderdog and MacTHW scramble to catch up but binkdog not only maintains but also extends his lead along the back nine. binkdog turns in an impressive 81 for round three putting five more strokes between him and MacTHW. enderdog is more enamored with the tress than the ShadeTree caddy and continues to fall back further.

Round Three:

Last round…go! binkdog holds a seven stroke lead going into round four. Unfortunately, he immediately runs into trouble and gives them all back by the turn, where MacTHW not only pulls even, but also shoots into the lead by five strokes. enderdog picks up a few strokes from the leader as well. The back nine sees fortunes turn around, as enderdog and MacTHW run into trouble as binkdog mounts a last ditch charge to regain the lead. binkdog nickel and dimes his way back throughout the back nine but still finds himself four strokes down come the 18th. In one of the biggest binkdog-chokes seen this year, MacTHW totally flubs his tee shot and finds himself very right of the fairway, in the thick of trees surrounding the green. His second shot is no better than the first and deflects off of an immovable leaf, which swats the ball directly down to the ground about 30 yards ahead. A mis-hit on shot three now sends the ball into the bunker. Luckily, MacTHW makes it out of the bunker…way out of the bunker…and over the green. So now its a pitch back to the green. Three putts later, MacTHW finds the cup and a snowman on the scorecard, making him tied for first place instead of winning outright.

Round Four:

A tie has only happened once before in a THW tournament. enderdog and MacTHW found themselves tied for first at the 2011 Griinbrier Classic. To resolve the situation, our golfers headed to the Augusta Par 3 where enderdog would eventualy prevail to win the Griinbrier championship. And so, MacTHW find himself in the same spot once again.

binkdog sets the tone early, throwing down a birdie on the first hole while MacTHW continues where he left off on the 18th at Colonial, mustering a triple. binkdog can’t seem to buy a par and MacTHW slowly makes gains, coming within two strokes of the lead. The gains stop on the 8th where MacTHW scores another triple. Running out of real estate to make gains, MacTHW would need birdie and binkdog would need bogie for another tie to happen. binkdog does not play along and finds the bottom of the cup at par while MacTHW goes on to bogey. binkdog wins the playoff by two strokes and therefore the Yeehaw Invitational.

Congratulations, binkdog. Yet another great tournament is in the books. Here are the final standings after four rounds.

1- binkdog 341 +53
2- MacTHW 341 +53
3- enderdog 357 +69

Sunday, May 19, 2013

More Courses Get Pros

by MacTHW

There are still vacancy signs hanging on the doors at many courses. Our golfers try and see how many of those positions can be filled. binkdog starts his march up the leaderboard while MacTHW tries to just maintain his ranking. Even dude turns in an application for Course Pro. These are your healines for the THW Golfing weekend.

Although Atlanta Athletic already has a Course Pro, binkdog and MacTHW try to evict enderdog from his position there. The current record sits at 100 and is pactically begging to be beaten. binkdog and MacTHW hit the course running but binkdog ends up swimming instead. MacTHW manages to stay dry and trounces the old record by thriteen strokes while the best binkdog can muster is a tie of the previous record.

Atlanta Athletic:

Next, binkdog and MacTHW to an old Canadian favorite—Banff Springs. Lack of water everywhere keeps binkdog out of the water but MacTHW manages to find more fairways. MacTHW fends off a binkdog charge and rolls into the clubhouse with another victory to his credit.

Banff:

enderdog joins the Course Pro record hunt and off to Crooked Stick they head. enderdog’s presence shakes MacTHW as he heads off into the woods while binkdog works to stay ahead of enderdog’s charge. binkdog manages to eke out a one stroke victory and obtains the Course Pro record at Crooked Stick.

Crooked Stick:

enderdog discovers he is no longer Course Pro at ATlanta Athletic and immediately calls for a match to get his record back. binkdog has something to prove and stays out of the water. It is MacTHW who spends his time in the drink this time around, riding in the caboose come the end of the round. binkdog takes Atlanta Athletic with authority, lowering his previous score from 87 to 79.

Atlanta Athletic:

Mission Hills is the next acquisition target as binkdog and MacTHW continue their Course Pro tour. binkdog tries out some new startegies that seem to pay off as he bestes MacTHW by three strokes to put the binkdog stamp on yet another Course Pro-less course.

Mission Hills:

dude makes a rare appearance and tries this chances at Valhalla. binkdog’s new tweaks are still in action and keep him ahead of enderdog and dude. Unfortunately, they are not enough to keep up with MacTHW who manges to carve out a two stroke lead that he rides all the way back to the clubhouse.

Valhalla:

Finally, last round of the evening is at Wolf Creek. binkdog reluctantly agrees to join in and soon comes to the conclusion he should have gone to bed. enderdog and MacTHW duke it out with MacTHW running into problems on the 13th and enderdog getting stung by the nemesis hole on the 16th. MacTHW completes the round four strokes ahead while binkdog proclaims he will be happy to never play this course again. Ever.

Wolf Creek:

This week’s average score was a 96, staying flat compared to last weekend.

binkdog is the week’s most improved player, playing an average round of 92, down from last week’s 98. enderdog bettered himself by three strokes, shooting an average of 98 down three from his previous 101. MacTHW’s average only improved by one, shooting 92 this week compared to 93 last week.

MacTHW manages to retain his number one ranking but binkdog is on the hunt, ascending to the number two spot, pushing enderdog down to thrird. The leaderboard could see another change depending how the tournament next week turns out.

Next weekend is the Yeehaw Invitational at Colonial. See everyone on the links!

 

Monday, May 13, 2013

It Takes Two To Tournament

by MacTHW

It’s time for the third annual THW Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass. First won by enderdog in 2011 and then by binkdog in 2012, who will be the next champion? The menacing 17th hole promises to send a few golf balls into the drink but it seems the real danger is lurking on the par three 13th. Happy Mother’s Day weekend…these are your headlines for the THW Players Championship.

It’s major tournament time around these parts and four golfer line up at the tee box to compete for the prize package. enderdog is eager to get a major under his belt while binkdog looks to make a successful defense of his 2012 championship. enderdog and ‘Marlin lead the pack along the front nine of round one with MacTHW and binkdog left to chase them down. The first challenge is posed by the 13th with it’s tough to attack pin position atop a crest and plenty of wet stuff along the left side of the green. Three players card a snowman while MacTHW manages to escape with a double-bogey. The next test is the infamous island 17th. Attacking the pin position is risky but pays big rewards if executed properly. The first victim is binkdog, racking up a +7 and then enderdog with a +5. The ‘Marlin manages a bogey while MacTHW hits it close and sinks a birdie putt. MacTHW wins round one while binkdog begins to feel that he may have played himself right out of the tournament already.

Round one scores:

The golfers eagerly head into round two hoping to catch up with MacTHW. It should be an easy task as MacTHW runs into trouble early. Meanwhile, binkdog is looking for redemption after his not so stellar first round and takes back eight strokes from the leader, MacTHW, by the turn. His charge would not last long, as he goes triple, double, double on the back nine…and that’s before getting to the dastardly 13th. During this round, the 13th lays waste to both enderdog and the ‘Marlin, each exceeding their stroke limit while binkdog and MacTHW each muster up a double-bogey. The 17th hands out more bad news to enderdog where he once again exceeds his shot limit. binkdog and the ‘Marlin both escape with a double while MacTHW somehow gets Par. binkdog and the ‘Marlin each benefit from a good front nine and finish the round tied at 92 each.

Round two scores:

It’s quite a surprise to binkdog and MacTHW as they are the only ones to arrive at the tee box on Saturday evening. Instead of duking it out for second and third, the contestants now find themselves in a race for first. MacTHW has visions of finally ending his major championship drought which started with the TW 2013 season. binkdog is looking to repeat, although he has more then twenty strokes to get back from the leader. MacTHW starts round three off all fired up. He gains six strokes on binkdog by the turn. He hopes to avoid the buzzsaw on the extreme-sloped 13th by playing it safe and hitting it to the right. binkdog takes a more agressive approach and pays the price. MacTHW cautiously runs it in for par while binkdog has to accept a triple. MacTHW has trouble with the 17th but so does binkdog who doesn’t pick up any strokes with both players carding a double-bogey on the hole. binkdog brings the scores closer by sinking his birdie putt on the 18th while MacTHW fumbles around for double-bogey.

Round three scores:

The other players still do not arrive and binkdog and MacTHW head off into the final round of the THW Players Championship. MacTHW keeps his composure cool and leads at the turn of round four. binkdog is not too far behind, only trailing by two strokes. The 13th manages to find another victim…and binkdog is none too pleased with his +6. Meanwhile, MacTHW rolls it in for par, avoiding the roll-back-to-your-feet madness that is the 13th. With his confidence shaken, the island 17th withdraws whatever hopes and dreams binkdog had in the savings account. Carding another +6 versus MacTHW’s par pretty much seals the deal for MacTHW’s victory and binkdog’s second place at the THW Players Championship.

Round four scores:

Final standings after four rounds:

TPC Sawgrass | Course PAR: 72 | Tournament PAR: 288
POS	Player	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Round 4	THRU	TOTAL	SCORE
1	MacTHW	91	95	92	89	72	367	+79
2	binkdog	113	92	99	95	72	399	+111
DNF	PointedMarlin	95	92	—	—	36	187	—
DNF	enderdog	94	108	—	—	36	202	—

binkdog and MacTHW also tackled a few other courses besides Sawgrass this weekend…in the name of course records!

They play a close game at Oak Hill and come out tied at the end, each scoring a 97 and having to share the Course Pro position. Tired of not getting a ‘W’, binkdog takes advantage of a tree-bound MacTHW at Muirfield and comes out the victor scoring a 97 versus MacTHW’s 101. And finally, a trip to Sheshan leads to another non-shared Course Pro record for MacTHW, shooting an 88 versus binkdog’s 91.

Club-wide, this weekend’s average score is a 96, up five strokes from last week’s 91. Every golfer fared worse this weekend. Perhaps the 13th and 17th at Sawgrass had something to do with that. binkdog is the most consistent, only going up one stroke from his previous average score of 97. Next, MacTHW added five strokes to last week’s average, going from 88 to 93. enderdog goes to triple digits this week, knocking the ball around 101 times on average each round compared to his 91 last week. ‘Marlin struggles a bit, taking his average round this weekend to 94 from a low of 81 last week.

After five weeks of sitting atop the leaderboard as THW Golf’s number one player this season, enderdog is knocked from his perch by MacTHW who happily assumes the top spot. enderdog falls to second place with binkdog in third, only 1.5 points away from enderdog as the battle for second heats up. The ‘Marlin gets bumped to fourth place and will need to gain eight points on binkdog in order to snag back his third place spot.

A great tournament with a surprising twist. MacTHW ends his tournament dry spell while binkdog makes great gains in rank courtesy of enderdog and the ‘Marlin taking a DNF.

Hope to see everyone next weekend as record hunting continues.

Happy Belated THW Players Championship Poster

by MacTHW

The poster invite for the 2013 THW Players Championship was a bit delayed but is finally finished.

Enderdog won it in 2011 and then binkdog won it in 2012. Will binkdog successfully defend his championship or will we see another new champion?

Thursday, May 09, 2013

Colonial Is Tested, Team Leviathan Arrives

by MacTHW

Much of the weekend is spent tromping around Colonial CC. A new team is formed between MacTHW and PointedMarlin as the hunt for course records continues. These are your headlines for the weekend activities at THW Golf.

Friday night was Colonial CC night. All Colonial, all night. It seems that players aren’t happy when MacTHW wins. What that reason may be baffles the People’s Champ as he believes everyone should want him to win.

binkdog suggests a trip to Colonial CC so off to Texas the golfing trio of binkdog, enderdog and MacTHW go. binkdog can’t take the Texas heat and falters quickly. enderdog leads at the turn but soon takes a turn for the worse as MacTHW charges ahead. MacTHW wins the round, which doesn’t sit well with the other players, so a re-match is demanded.

Colonial:

Of course the People’s Champ grants the re-match once once again the trio tees of at Colonial. binkdog can’t seem to tighten those lugnuts and the wheels come flying off again. enderdog leads at the turn but once again but is no match for the charge led by MacTHW who would go on to only turn in one bogey along the back nine, setting a new course record of 84 along the way.

Colonial:

Again, the results do not compute for binkdog and enderdog so a reboot of Colonial is underway. enderdog surges ahead by the turn but we’ve all seen this movie before. MacTHW starts his charge and the ‘dogs fall by the wayside. MacTHW repeats his performance from the previous round, bests enderdog by one stroke for victory.

Colonial:

Fourth time is the charm or so the doggies say. This time, binkdog races to the lead at the turn. MacTHW starts his charge but runs out of gas halfway through. Even though he’s firing on only five cylinders, he manages to sputter along and tie binkdog for victory.

Colonial:

It’s a new day and a new course. Today, the trio head to Muirfield Village. MacTHW takes the early lead and watches the other two stumble along in the rear-view mirror. MacTHW considers calling a cab for binkdog but he picks up his game along the back nine. MacTHW does some stumbling of his own but manages to maintain his lead. MacTHW for the win and course record at Muirfield.

Muirfield:

PointedMarlin decides to join the fray and sets the stage for a team competition. Team binkerton is eager to hand out a beatdown so Marlin and MacTHW join forces as Team Leviathan to take on the lossless Team binkerton.

In singles competition at PGA National, enderdog has a stellar front nine, only two over PAR at the turn. Marlin is not too far behind and turns up the heat along the back nine. As enderdog stops to wipe some sweat from his brow, Marlin makes a break for it and sneaks by enderdog for a one stroke victory at the end of the round. This is also good enough for a course record at PGA National.

PGA National:

In team competition, it’s a stalemate along the front nine. Team binkerton manages to go 2UP by the 7th but come the 9th, its back to All Square. Team Leviathan goes 1UP on the 11th and then 2UP on the 14th, which they ride out until the 17th for a 2UP win over Team binkerton!

Marlin made the biggest improvement score-wise, dropping to an average of 81 down from the previous week’s 86. Next, MacTHW shaves three strokes off of his average, averaging 88 this weekend, down three strokes from last week’s 91. The other golfers increased their averages this week…both binkdog and enderdog shot six strokes worse than the previous week. binkdog’s average this week was 97 and enderdog’s was 92.

Great games this weekend. The next THW Golf major is at Sawgrass next weekend so start practicing the menacing 17th island hole.

FORE!