77

This weekend I accomplished something that has meaning only to me - I shot a 77 on a par 72 golf course (that's 5 over for the math challenged.) My previous best score was a 79 - and that was on a par 71 course (8 over). Some of the highlights included:

• Starting hole #1 with a double-bogey. I played the final 17 holes at +3.


• Finishing the front nine at +5. I was even par on the back nine.


• Petrified that I was going to Mickelson the last hole, I drove the ball 330 yards, chipped onto the green, and sank a 20-foot birdie putt to finish the round.

I was not especially sharp, but I was consistently solid. I hit one poor shot on the back nine - a short duck-hook drive on a par 4 that hit a tree and stopped 200+ yards from the green. I recovered beautifully, chasing a 4-iron down a slope and into the middle of the green. I three-putted once for bogey, but otherwise made every putt I needed on fast, undulating greens.

If this is anything like my last great round, I'll play very good golf for two weeks and then completely forget how to swing a club for about a year.