Well, we served up a bit of a nail-biter for the last match...
... at least, it was a nail-biter for me, lol!
For anyone who doesn't want to know the result... don't read on. Instead watch the archived stream here.
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Story of the round:
#1 I had perfect drive to flatter right side, but pushed badly off green to right. Ben, from much worse sidehiller, went even further but struck a beauty recovery to 5ft. I pitched to 4ft, and we both saved.
#2 I got a little lucky flirting with right rough off the tee, but bounced into decent lie, and knocked 2nd to 10ft below. Ben went short right, and missed his curler. Mine was dead straight, in for birdie. ROW 1 UP
#3 Fractional push left me pin-high on the fringe, and I didn't give enough power to curler from there. Ben came up inexplicably way short and had a very good 2-putt from nasty spot.
#4 We both hit awful 2nds, coming up short and left in the deep stuff. I overdid my easier pitch out, while Ben had no way to stop his from going 7 yds down the hill. He missed the return par attempt, and I missed too, a much easier 6.5ft downhill curler. Halved in ugly bogeys.
#5 Tailwind. I hung on to fairway off tee, Ben found rough. We both went long left with 23-24ft putts, and both nearly made them. I was certain mine was in, but it somehow stayed out. Ben's near birdie ran 5ft (?) by, and he then somehow lipped out. ROW 2UP.
#6 I got the gallery's tongues wagging with some course management on this hole, lol. Into a headwind, I hit a choked Dr short of the fairway bunker to leave a full BB 3W 2nd, which I slightly overdid and pushed, ending up 6.5ft long and high. Ben took the conventional route, but ended up long left 35ft and his fine try just slid by on the high side. I ruined all the good work so far on the hole and made a mess of my birdie try... aaarrggh.
#7 Nice 10mph@1:30 wind: perfect drive from me ended up 9ft pin-high left while Ben went long to the back of the green. His lag was way short, but it didn't matter when I sunk the eagle putt. ROW 3UP
#8 We both went 4yds long here, me with the easier putt from straight past, Ben long left. He missed his curler, I got my trickler. ROW 4UP.
#9 Both on but well away and below. My effort from 30ft looked good all the way (but somehow I'd given it much more than it needed), and it did a lovely horseshoe around the hole. Ben's missed left. Halved in pars.
#10 I went with Driver with helping L-R wind, Ben with 3W for safety. His 2nd left him with a straight but long putt from middle left of green, which he left short again (another scale problem, as on #7). My 2nd was 5ft past, and I sunk the gentle curler. ROW 5UP
#11 IIRC I was on nicely left of hole and shaved the hole again with a downhill curler (my nemesis kind of putt tonight). Ben missed his mid-range try.
#12 the tide turned... ! Ben stiffed his in to 1yd, while I came up bizarrely short, and missed my chip. Ben made birdie to win the hole. ROW 4UP
#13 nasty R-L wind. Ben hit beauty to 10ft below, while C pulled his and got interesting bounces into whole new area of the course, lol. Played super recovery to 3ft, but when Ben sunk his birdie it was back to 3UP.
#14 Ben drove long but found downslope, while C choked drive for flattest spot further back. C's 2nd left him 10ft under the hole, while Ben couldn't stop his easily and was left with nasty 18 footer that slid by. C made his... just! ROW 4UP and dormie
#15 after knocking tee shot to 1yd, it looked to be all over, even though Ben followed to 1yd as well. But C was high left, and had downhill curler, which he made total mess of, opening door for Ben to birdie, and cut deficit to 3UP, 3 to play.
#16 with tailwind, both were within 100yards for 3rd, but C had horrible twitchy pull (the pressure, the pressure...) on what was an easy shot to secure the win... and found left fringe. Ben hit solid shot to 4ft past, and sunk his birdie after C missed. Down to 2UP, 2 to play.
#17 Another tailwind, and Ben duly found the green in 2 below the hole, piling on the pressure. C got the distance right to bounce on but slightly misjudged the line with his 2nd, finding rough short right. His pitch was a good one to 2.5ft short left. Ben was left with a 27ft (?) chance, but a tricky one, and he just misread the curling putt. C then had to hole pressure-filled 2.5ft curler for matching birdie and the win, which he duly did... to enormous relief (both personal and no doubt for the ROW teammates who'd been screaming at him for the past half hour to close the darn match out, lol!).
An ROW win, 2&1.
Until the wobblies took over that was some of the best tee to green play I've had at Oly... but my putting was at times woeful. Ben wasn't anywhere on song either with the flat-blade, but at least we offered up an exciting, if bizarre, contest.
Thank you Ben for an enjoyable match, and to everyone who watched along on Twitch. And huge thanks to Ben for streaming. It's such a wonderful addition to events here on WGT.
