It was warm and the recent heat wave had burned fairways and created hard surfaces. Balls were rolling and bouncing to greater distances and for some it was problematic. At  the Polish American Tavern Stanislaw and Grzegorz watched The Doctor hitting beautiful drives through the fairways into trouble,  adding strokes all through the round. After a practice round of 85 two days earlier, the Tavern had high expectations that he would repeat the victory he logged one season ago. The Investigative Reporter interviewed him immediately after the tournament.  LZ stopped him and said I just hit the ball further and did not adjust for the hard pan and unfortunately there were a couple of shots I under clubbed. That’s golf. Some days you get the bounces and some days you don’t. Grzegorz told Stanislaw that Czach never would manage a course so poorly. At the Bistro after the stunning victory last tournament, expectations were equally high, as was the disappointment. Dave Kissinger  found a way to miss virtually every club. At St Brigid Chapel, Sister Mary Pat comforted the praying Fiadh. The Irish Pub was shocked when OB had to withdraw in pain after 3 holes.  William Tiberius spent some time on the Myrtle Beach Tour. Before he left he had one of his best days with an 87, winning the Pinelands Member Guest Tournament. When the Hammer is on he is formidable.

A new Larson’s Cash Saver opened on the Promenade featuring Larson’s Hot Stone Massage Therapy.  The Larson Empire has expanded significantly during the past two years, now rivaling Swanson’s Health Foods, home of the Green Lipped Mussel. Both stocks skyrocketed during the Greentree Tournament. It is about health and senior strength. Both John and Andy are showing their stuff, driving with power fades and shaping fairway woods with distance. Andy opened with 3 pars and a birdie in the first five holes. John’s start was slower, but by the 9th hole his gross scores was lower. He had erased the strokes he was giving.

At Le Petit Café the crowd was anxious. Marc’s form was beautiful but two double bogies followed his four par start. After another par, two more bogies finished the front with a frustrating 43. He could hear the cheers  Swanson and Larson were eliciting from the gallery and Joe Champion and Wayne Flemming with higher handicaps were playing hard to catch. Wayne opened the back with three pars in the first four holes and Joe birdied #12. Keith MacGregor, Eddie Borillo and Phil Stocker were also keeping way too close. Marc was playing bogie golf when he knew he needed birdies. John and Andy were pulling away from everyone. Both Champion and Flemming delivered impressive skill, finishing 3rd and 4th. Ed could only tie Marc suffering through a snowman on 18, one more than Marc’s double. With the lower handicap Bohan was 5th. Keith and Phil also put eights on the last hole, two strokes off the pace, edging out LZ who finished 9th. 

At the Hofbräuhaus Adelheid was complaining about John giving up too many strokes. Anneliese the actuary,  who knows numbers, interjected telling her to look at the Scorecard at the end. She explained that the majority of the players will be around par. Those more than a few strokes over had a really bad game. The winners are those that can play better than their handicap in the tournament and when they do their handicap will drop. Adelheid thought John was just the sweetest ever and Swanson was just a big brute. With handicap, John and Andy were tied at the turn. The girl scouts were watching the newly installed giant screen in front of Swanson’s Health Foods. A few were busy trying to locate Richie Antzcak who was rumored to be Out West. Gradually a crowd formed around them. This was special, a titanic battle, precision shot after precision shot by two of the best on the tour. When John opened the back with par,par, birdie, Adelheid led the celebration of a quick two stroke lead. They knew John had lost in the finals last season to OB,  as one of the favorites and despite his overall fine play, was a proverbial virgin without an OCAGA tournament win.  They knew Andy Swanson was a former Champion. When he dropped Birdie on #13 and again the pair entered a tie, hearts sank. The next two holes were even. The tension escalated. Fans could feel the pressure dripping off the players. John took a breath and focused. While Lazarchick and MacGregor dropped putts for par on 16, John with adrenaline flowing, whizzed past the hole. But Andy had pulled his drive slightly left and it kept bouncing into the trees. He dropped a stroke. John was magnificent on #17 with three beautiful shots to the green and a long one putt. Andy struggled and missed his putt, dropping two more back. On the final hole when Larson missed his drive, Swanson cut the center of the fairway with considerable distance.  It was a Slugfest, punch and counter punch, the unfolding of a tournament that would be discussed for ages.  Adelheid looked at  Anneliese and asked, “It’s Over Right?”  She did not like the analysis that on this day, quite a few finished with an Eight and Andy already has one Birdie. Naysayer thoughts emerged as Andy nearly drove the green in two. When John flew the green, hit the cart path, and then bounced again on the concrete patio, losing the ball, fear swept through the “Haus!” John’s next swing took him over the green again. He did reach Eight. Andy was on the green looking at a very makeable birdie. It seemed forever watching LZ and Keith miss their longer puts giving Andy more information. They tapped in a seven and eight. Adelheid was near tears and looked away. She could not help but think that John would be denied again. She peeked as Andy sent a beauty towards the center of the cup.  It was so very smooth. It looked perfect . She could not stop the flow of tears. The ball stopped on the lip. Not a sound, not a breath,  all waiting for the drop, until Anneliese finally screamed “HE WON!” A shower of Kostritzer filled the air as everybody jumped up together with raised mugs.  Both players finished with net 64, two magical performances. John had the tiebreaker.   

SCATS
Andy Swanson took the Big Bucks with 7 SCATS. All but one had at least one and several had two. Marc had three. With the highest number of the season, payoffs were lower.

POINTS AFTER FOUR

Vegas has Larson and Swanson as heavy favorites to make the Final Four. While still early in the season they have been just to impressive thus far. Lazarchick dropped down while MacGregor moved up in the standings. Kissinger dropped with both Bohan and Champion expected to keep moving up the ladder.

92 Larson, John
80 Swanson, Andy
71 Lazarchick, Michael
70 MacGregor, Keith

69 Kissinger, Dave

63 Finger, Bill
62 Bohan, Marc
58 Champion, Joe
48 Flemming, Wayne
41 Stocker, Phil
24 Borillo, Ed
24 Mike O’Brien

NEXT    Atlantis     Wednesday    July   10th     First tee time   11:40