2016 Begins

I opted to avoid touching the early season tournaments, waiting until the New Year to start punting again. Early suggestions that Jason Day would take the cake at the Tournament of Champions after a couple of months off went completely wrong. But a late surge by the 2012 Fed Ex Cup Champion Brandt Snedeker left me knowing who I was going to back the following week already.

Early bets were so full of confidence as to be win only, and the new love of my life lead from the start. On the last hole of regulation play he astounded commentators and love interests (me) alike by taking a driver and trying to play a tight draw round a cosy corner with no real run off earlier. Playing from the rough with a good lie, he must have heard Fabian Gomez step up to the plate and nail his birdie to make a superb 62 and take a one shot lead over my man. However, SuperSnedeker got up and down from his laying up to make birdie and force the play off.

To say that my heart was beating was an understatement. I was up at 3AM, knackered and sweating and falling apart. Once again, Snedeker took out the driver. Why, when on the 16th hole of his final regulation round, he had crushed a 3 wood with a massive draw 315 yards, was he opting for the driver! I despaired. I had over £100 invested in SuperSned and I wanted to die. Once again, he was in the rough. Fabian Gomez, saved my bacon by making the same choice. They were both in the right rough, and Gomez had an awful lie on the lip of the bunker. Both elected to lay up, and both made par, I had survived Snedeker's shocking choice to take driver and would live to see the 18th played again.

Snedeker was first to tee off again. Unbearably, he opted for the driver again. My heart sunk. Birdie was his best option. Then, my heart stopped for real. SubSuperSned tried to over-draw his driver and sliced it. He had over 250 to the green and a scandalous lie. Gomez, the brilliant Argentine took a 3 wood, and played the right shot. Middle of the fairway and I could almost feel the bank manager calling and asking for the keys to the house.

Sned practically contributed to global warming so was the amount of greenery he took out with his humming hybrid. An unlucky touch from a branch worsened woes, but SuperSned knocked it to 8 feet and hope sprang eternal. Gomez had a 25 footer for an eagle and the win, almost the same putt as his birdie attempt at the last hole of regulation play. Merciful Gods, he missed it and tapped in for birdie. Sned had the kind of putt that his rhythmic speedy stroke had been knocking in all week. But no, it was not to be, and fortunes were not for me, he missed, handing Fabian Gomez the win. Unable to bear the crushed emotional (and financial) investment, I opted to hide in my tshirt for a while. Going to bed I curled up silently and tried to sleep. I was unsuccessful.