37th time is the charm

Thirty hours after finally winning an Illinois Series Event, the emotions kicked in. Similar to what happened in most of my wins, it wasn't close.

After a distant second at a B tier in July, what happened in round two last month at the previous IOS B tier event, and after a frustrating Labor Day event, dedicated time to learning Eagle Ridge for this B tier since my goal for the second half of 2024 was winning my first B tier event.

Last year at Eagle Ridge, I barely finished due to my right knee which gave out the previous month but for 2024, the course seemed shorter but it took a couple trips of practice rounds to realize how to take advantage of that.

Knowing there was a one round event the Friday before, decided to take a vacation day to get a competitive round there and was well matched in a group where we all finished within 2 shots of each other and star framed the 10 foot high basket on #9.

That round turned out by rating to be by two shots my best there, my 5th best for the year and among the top 15 lifetime played.

In the IOS event on Sunday, had a different plan for 8 tee shots because of what I learned on Friday and three of them produced birdies (and would have been 4 but a 22 foot putt hit cage). Along with repeating birdies on the three from Friday and my first ever birdie on #11, the score for the 18 was 4 shots better than my personal best at that course from Friday and because I made the birdie to finish the round on a temp hole, overall round rating was lifetime best and I had a 6 shot lead.

Had to eat lunch at car to avoid bees and when I got up, could barely put weight on right leg. Realizing sitting would just cause white cells to accumulate, had to try to walk it off. With another dose of arthritis cream, got ready for round two in winder conditions. 

As the round progressed, the person from third became the closest to me but after his tree problems on 8 and me birdieing 11 from the long tee on one of the best drives of my life was up 10 with 5 to go.

From the long tee, 15 for me is a drive that heads to the tree that is OB on the right then turns left into the fairway helped by the wind. I failed to realize it was more a headwind than right to left and hit the tree and was OB with 250+ to go. 

Third shot rode the OB line and disappeared over the crest unsure if OB so I threw a provisional that was even more right than the first one so threw a second provisional which could have been 7th while opponent had a doable shot for 3.

Fortunately, all the shots ended up in bounds but missed the 40 foot bogey putt and lost 2 shots and also my nerves.

After hitting an early tree on the par 4 16 still shook from almost doing a "Tin cup", played for bogey since the hole has a hazard rule adding a shot off the fairway while my opponent made a birdie which I never saw someone make before.

Number 17 has a mandatory from the long tee which I badly missed. I was fortunate my opponent hit a tree on his approach and I only lost one shot making the lead 5.

On the tee for the par 4 18th, was in panic mode and instead of doing one of the two things in my practice rounds that worked, did something else and was way right. After pitching to the fairway, my opponent tried two hero shots from a bad spot but hit trees both times. Though I got a bogey going +6 in four holes, my opponent's double bogey had me up 6 going into the last hole.

Though we both screwed up our drive on the final hole, I managed to save par while he didn't making the margin 7 shots.

The feeling was relief more than anything and was mentally and physically exhausted. One I got home, could barely walk and it took 30 hours to gather enough energy to post this.

When I got home today from a frustrating day at work, used the eraser on the whiteboard for the events over the next month realizing that after posting 8 of my best 15 lifetime rated rounds over the past 11 months and with leg pain and a right arm that pops including while setting up putts in round two, rest and recovery needs to happen.

Other than the "Freedom round" next week and maybe one round heading to Con On the Cob, have no specific plans to play for a month.

World championship summer

My sister and I competed in a world championship this summer and there were come coincidences:

Forgot to put on chart that the winner of my sister's division whose event was over 2 1/2 hours shorter crossed the Pacific Ocean and the winner of my division who played an extra 4 hours crossed the Atlantic and that both my sister's and my participation was just under 10 hours each.

Number 36

What was a one shot lead with 12 to play turned into missing a playoff by 7 shots. How?

Hole 5 on the Fairfield Gold course is a gettable par 4 as long as the drive clears a little rise and is not bad off line with for me an approach 200-225 feet uphill through a narrowing gap. My drive as with the previous three open ones left me shooting first in the 5 some. The shot was on line but hit the base of a tree 25 feet from the basket and rolled back down 50 feet into brush. I was able to pitch up for par but the two who were one behind barely missed that tree and tied me.

Hole 6 is a par 4 which was extended a few years ago from a par 3. My play is a midrange to the fairway, another to where it bends 90° degrees right, and a pitch for a par. After a wait to play the hole, my drive was a bit right clipping the edge of trees leaving me out of position to get down to the bend. Though a roller was considered, tried to turn over the disc hard right to the bend as opposed to a safe shot and missed bad left ending up in bushes. After the roller out and the attempted turnover after hit first available tree, pitched to 20 feet which was the about as good from where I was being completely blocked and missed the putt for a 7. One of those I was tied threw his drive where I wanted it to land, went over the top to 40 feet and made the putt for 3.

That began a humbling and painful eight hole stretch where I either hit a tree or missed the gap beyond a tree 15 times shooting 10 over while my opponent went even par.

As I dragged myself to the tee on 14, the focus changed to making sure weight shifted forward as I threw and the drive was ok followed by a 60 foot shot that unlike a couple others that missed a gap, went under the basket. 

On 15, threw the best drive I ever did on that par four followed by a 220 foot approach through a 6 foot gap to 15 feet. Though still pissed the birdie putt double doinked off the band, figured out what was wrong and after executing a solid drive on 16, clanged home a 35 foot birdie putt to finish 7 out.

So how did it happen? Focus shifted especially after the bad break on #5 knowing the situation and with tired legs that the wait on the tee of 6 did not help, failed to finish throws with the body which causes shots to be higher, curve more left at the end and most importantly start off line both ways. Most shots in that stretch even the drive getting a birdie on #9 had one or more of those things happen.

So what next time? The next potential situation for winning, the focus needs to be on executing throws and not the results. Hoping this post will remind me what to do and prevent a bad break from snowballing like it did yesterday and during round one of the World's in June.

I - Zero - S continued

This upcoming Sunday will be my first Illinois Open Series event of 2024. Due to playing Worlds and timing, was unable to make the other events so far in 2024. The plan is to play the final three of the year.

I confirmed that I have played 35 of them since 2012 without a win.

Different event locations: 9

Lcations played: Fairfield - 8, Eagle Ridge - 7, Rockford- 6, Marengo - 4, Channahon & Sinssippi - 3, Northwood Pk - 2, Bevier & Lemon Lake -1

Division breakdown:

MA3: 3

MA4: 2

MA40: 1

MP50: 1

MA50: 28 (All but one since 2017)

Meaningful times finishing 3rd: 3

Meaningful times finishing 2nd: 3

Players in my division: Ranging from 4 to 35

Total mathematical odds (based on number of players faced in each event) of me not winning at least once: 89-1 

Triggered

The following was posted to Facebook from the back aisle at Woodmans on 7/18/24 and shortly removed after since it is best posted here:

After a second straight frustrating day at work late trying to get enough done so tomorrow, I have half a chance of getting everything done in time so I could go to Oswego after work for a flex start, stopped for the 6 at Springfield Park with carry bag since unsure is cart will work on ski slopes Sunday... *breathe*

Starting at 3, final drive on 2 skidded next to basket and woman walking her dogs commented on the shot.

My mind which was feeling better as it marked third straight pink Buzzz SS bullseye to finish started trying to figure out what to say since multiple cousins on both sides of the family asked me or my mom this month about me remarrying and the only encounter I've had the past 12 years was an awkward one after a financial transaction in York, PA 5 years ago and appatently playing the best disc golf of my life doesnt ****ing matter because I will likely be found dead alone in my apartment after not showing up for work...

After babbling, "thanks", realizing don't even try, waddled to car. Ooh, 22oz Tapoica pudding. That will help.

Eligibility again

After expensive legal action in 2023, an agreement allowing a transgender female to play female open pro on the gisc golf pro tour for all events has been reached and the first half she was competing against a very pregnant player. Many believe as opposed to a blood test that having or have had components to birth a child should be the deciding factor for female eligibility similar to what USA swimming chose.

Since she was second going into Sunday in Iowa, hearing the start of the round was delayed made some think there was a death threat made since it happened in Tennessee earlier this year.

Other restrictions in disc golf divisions have a simpler to determine factor be it the year someone was born or their rating based on how well they have played.

Due to good play and a couple tree breaks, was one shot out of first at a one round event in April and got aggressive going for a tying birdie only to hit an early tree taking a double bogey. After the round, discovered the player I was one shot behind had a rating too high for the division I was in and though he was reassigned, I still lost by one. I could have easily hit the same tree with a conservative drive and still taken double bogey but the mindset would have been different up one.

The club challenge which I usually play separates players by a different rating maximum per pool of players and with my significantly improved play, am no longer eligible for the lowest pool and with the higher pool overloaded with better players, I won't be able to participate. Though disappointed, had you told me in July 2019 or July 2023 what my new lifetime high rating at "MA59" would be, I would be happy.

For some reason, get the feeling of negative reinforcement for what I do in disc golf to be better.

Taking the fun out of things part two

During round one of the 2023 IL State Championship at Dellwood, things were meh until I made a long birdie putt followed by a parked drive, and 4 in a row full shots that flew 10 feet plus each farther than normal leading to two more bonus birdies. (Figuring out why and being able to duplicate that often is part of the reason my rating hit a lifetime high in July, 2024; 20 points or two shots better per round on an average course in one year.)

My round rating was 5th lifetime best (at that time) and I was leading the MA55 division and had a better score than the MA50 leader. On my way home, had to fight the urge to stop at a coworker's house, show him the leaderboard, and tell him that is why I put my body through disc golf and for telling me to quit he should go fuck himself.

Highland Park where round two was is a course I can't figure out and after a failed hero shot on the last hole to try to tie for second ended up way out of bounds ended up 5th.

I was not satisfied with how poorly I played or handled the pressure of the situation but now am more pissed off at the TD of the event.

As with most events, players for round two are paired by standings with those farthest out of the lead for a division first and the lead card going last. Though on the lead card, I teed off second even though I had a one shot lead. When I mentioned it to the TD, he stated it was no big deal and at the time was trying to focus on my game.

Since order of play changes every hole depending on what players score, it technically isn't a big deal but going first on a lead card to start a round is an honor and for someone who had never had a solo lead in over 50 B tier or higher events, it would have been a positive memory as opposed to what it is.

Since there were over 400 players to assign for round two in almost 20 divisions, there was a lot to do but confirmed with multiple tournament directors including the head of the Illinois PDGA that for me to not go first required someone to manually change the order that was initially assigned by the PDGA program.

There are events where the top player throws last on the lead card but have never seen someone in my situation listed as second. To be honest, had a mistake been admitted would be understandable but to be told it is no big deal is an insult to the money, time, energy, and physical pain and discomfort I experience from playing tournament disc golf.

When it was time to register for 2024 IL states, nope. Maybe if I end up a solo first on one of the hopefully 4 more B tiers to play this year and throw first on the lead card, I'll consider 2025 especially being MA60. As of now, there are many other events to play.