The Eighth At Colonial

From my trip to play in the Crowne Plaza Invitational Pro-Am in 2011:

The par 3 eighth at Colonial measures 194 yards. I think the tees were more like 170 at the Pro Am. I hit a five wood and fell short into the bunker on the right. There’s a little peninsula of grass that extends from the left into the bunker’s center (you can barely make it out in this photo). My ball was nestled right up against that tuft. I hit at the ball as hard as I could with my wedge and it popped up to the far left side of the green. The flag was front right, about forty feet away. When I got behind the ball, however, I saw the line perfectly. It was almost like it was drawn in the grass. I made a smooth stroke and it tracked right into the center of the hole.

My compatriots all cheered and I did a little fist pump.

“I don’t know what you’re cheering about,” Appleby said in a deadpan. “It wasn’t THAT great.” He laughed.

I think Stuart Appleby and I would get along if we had more time together. He’s got the same dry sense of humor that gets me into trouble with people who can’t tell if I’m serious or not.