Match A is beginning now!
Hole 1: halved with short birdie putts.
Hole 2: my approach shot bounds off the right side of the green. KonradOse knocks it to 11 feet but narrowly misses the putt. I get up and down to halve the hole.
Hole 3: halved with tap-in birdies.
Hole 4: KonradOse outdrives me by a good 25 yards and is able to reach the green, hitting it inside 7 feet. My layup finds the bunker on the right. I blast out and roll it up and to the back edge of the green. I miss the putt and concede the hole.
Hole 5: My layup is better this time, and Konrad's approach comes up short left and in the bunker. I pitch up to about 6 feet; he blasts out over the green and fails to keep his next pitch on the green. He misses his pitch up and concedes the hole.
Hole 6: I hit what I think is a brilliant tee shot. It lands just short but runs over the back and into the bunker. Konrad, seeing this, plays it to the middle of the green. I take too long to line up my bunker shot and have to rush it; it runs well past the hole and leaves me nearly as far away as Konrad. He lags it and I run my par attempt well past. Konrad again leads 1up.
Hole 7: I hit it to 12 feet, and Konrad takes an aggressive line which unfortunately rolls off into the right bunker. He blasts out to 9 feet. My putt played a little too much break and I thought it would stop on the side of the hole, but somehow it dropped in. All square again.
Hole 8: I'm not sure I've ever hit it inside 30 feet on this hole. This time I hit it to the front fringe. Konrad goes 20 feet long instead. I elect to pitch instead of putting, since I've been going well long on almost every putt; my pitch goes... 6.5 feet long. So much for that. Konrad misses his birdie and I miss my par by a hair. One down again.
Hole 9: Two good approaches, mine to 8 feet and Konrad's inside 2. Hole is halved with birdies.
KonradOse leads 1up at the turn.
Hole 10: Against a slight wind, neither of us can reach this one. After decent layups we both find ourselves with poor lies, mine sidehill and Konrad's uphill. He hits it to 25 feet and misses the putt; I hit it to 12 and hole it. All square again.
Hole 11: I am center of the green. Konrad strokes it inside 10 and holes it to go 1 up again.
Hole 12: Both of us are 10 yards short, I on the fairway left and he on the fringe straight away. I pitch it to just under 6 feet and somehow my straight putt breaks outside the hole. Konrad just misses his birdie but taps in to win the hole and take a 2up lead.
Hole 13: I carelessly leak my drive into the brush on the right. My punchout leaves 50 yards to the hole. Konrad's approach from 70 leaves him 5.6 feet above the hole. I hit what I think is a good shot, only to watch it spin 20 feet back down the slope; I miss the putt and Konrad two-putts. He is now 3 up with 5 to play.
Hole 14: I hit it to the center of the green, 25 feet away. Konrad again knocks it inside 10. My putt seemingly stops on the edge, but drops in. Konrad holes his and leads by 3 with 4 to play.
Hole 15: Konrad plays to the center of the green but comes up short and rolls off the front. I try to play center but mishit it right... and stick it to 4 feet. I tap it in and the lead is down to 2.
Hole 16: Like on hole 4, Konrad's length allows him to reach the green into a moderate wind. I'm 18 yards short after driver-3w. However, his approach leaves him a lengthy putt across the slope. I pitch to 5.8 feet and Konrad's putt to win the match misses a little high. But then I miss the ding on the low side and fail to save par.
KonradOse wins the match 3&2