A couple of shots away from being a really good round, but it could have been worse than the 75 it turned out to be.
I played much more conservatively on the first few holes to avoid the +3 through 5 start I had in the first round. It worked on the first hole, but on the second a bad slice sent me into the bunker. I didn't really expect to keep the sand shot on the green, but somehow it held. But the par putt lipped out anyway.
Hit another good wedge into #3 for another birdie. On #4, into the wind, I attempted to punch the driver in hopes of landing on the downslope and running 220+ up the hill. It flew a little too far and only went 190. A 3w left me 130 out, and my 7 iron approach ran up quite nicely to inside 6 feet for a par.
On #5 I hit a decent wedge inside 15 feet, but the birdie putt burned the edge.
Then came disaster. I tried to play to the center of the sixth green, but sliced it into the bunker. My next shot barely got out of the sand before rolling back in, then I got at least a little way onto the green before it came back to my feet]. My third was markedly more successful and I made the 5-footer for double bogey.
Despite the friendly headwind on #7, there was no way I was going for that flag. Center of the green and two-putt for par.
#8 was a standard drive/3w/wedge hole. I underclubbed a little on the wedge and it rolled back to the front fringe, leaving me with a bogey to fall to +3. But on #9, with another headwind, I played an aggressive line and stuck it inside 4 feet for a birdie to get back to +2.
I knew I needed at least a 69 to win, so I perhaps played more aggressively on the back nine than I should have.
On #10 the wind was right to left, but I hit my layup too far left and couldn't go anywhere near the flag. Two-putt for par. #11 had a headwind and I went at the flag, but mishit it a bit and left it 17 feet short. My birdie try was also mishit and never had a chance.
#12 was either bad luck or bad course management. I hit a 3 wood approach with full backspin that nearly hit the pin, but ran 30 feet past and left a very difficult uphill/downhill double-breaker. I tried to hit it softly, but it still trickled 6 feet past. My par attempt showed a hard break but barely moved, and I tapped in for bogey to drop back to +3.
#13 featured yet another approach shot aimed at the center of the green and sliced into a bunker (that's the third so far, with more to come). I blasted out to 15 feet and couldn't make the putt for par. Now +4.
#14 I really thought was unreachable when the indicator showed 213 yards and the wind wasn't helping. But apparently the 3 wood gets a lot of roll on these greens and it ran up, on, and over the back. I think that was the first time I missed a reachable green without hitting in a bunker! I flopped it to 6 feet and made the par.
#15 was my fourth and last iron sliced into a bunker. This one came very close to being decent, but just caught the lip of the bunker short right. Out of a flashing red sidehill lie, I chose a full PW to go 14 yards. It went barely over 15, so I counted that as a success. Made the short par putt.
#16 is another driver/3w/wedge (or maybe 9i, I can't remember). Ran it up to 6 feet and made the par.
#17... grrr. I hit to the left side to take the short bunker of the play and had 36 feet for birdie. After lagging it inside three feet, I attempted to tap in but inadvertently clicked so early I was surprised that the meter actually stopped. A terrible bogey to drop to +5 with a difficult 18th coming up.
#18 I expected my approach to land in the upslope, so I played a little extra. But apparently there's some downslope near the front of the green, and that's what I landed on. My flop from behind the green never had a chance to stay up top... but holing a 30-footer for par on the last does wonders.
