Ray Sizer's blog
Granstand finish, no Paris and Sally cried
I woke up very excited this morning, no not because Paris was in the room with me. It was Sunday of the first full USPGA tournament of the year and Jarrod was playing. It was a different type of excitement that it would have been for Paris. I still have hope.
It was another early start. Jarrod was teeing off at 8.50am and playing with former major winner Davis Love the Third. After the 6am wakeup call we met the courtesy car at 7am for the ride to the course. When we headed out reception gave us all choc chip cookies. Another fine breakfast. I followed this up later with 5 danishes from the media centre.
Before we left the room I checked on Bud and Early Times in their locked cupboard. They were not happy with me but I didn't care.
While Jarrod was warming up I went for a walk around the resort eating my cookies. The sun was just coming up on a beautiful sunny day. This was paradise, I had nearly everything I wanted golf, beer and still a chance of meeting Paris.
The weather this week has been fantastic. High temps of around 27 deg getting down to the low 20's overnight. There was a little bit of rain early in the week and at some points in the surrounding hills it looked like it was raining all the time. The temp feels cooler than it is, due to the trade winds they have most of the time.
After the walk I had a talk to another new friend, Bill Bachran the media
director. I was keen to find out why there were so many people with Japanese heritage on the Island. He told me that the Japanese came here in the 1800,s to work on the pineapple plantations. It was tough for the Japanese during the war with most being interned in camps as were the Italians and Germans in the Goulburn Valley.
After talking to Bill I decided to see who I could meet in the bathroom this morning. To my surprise there was no one in there. I guess that word had got around about my efforts to put some of the players off with the sounds of sweet dixie coming out of my bottom. It is lucky that there was no one in there. Bud and Early Times have a lot to answer for. The smell brought tears to my eyes and ran down my face as I walked to the first tee. I hope none of the players had to go soon after. Imagine having to tell the media why they had to retire hurt.
It was a very emotional day on the golf course. Jarrod had a very up and
down day. He started at even par tied for 54th place. He started a bit
scratchy. He had a long birdie putt on the first and knocked it way past the hole but made a great save for par.
The second he put his drive in the water on the left hand side. Took a drop and hit his third short right. A brilliant up and down to a pin cut just over the bunker. A bogey and out to one over par.
The third which had caused him trouble earlier in the week he hit a great shot from in the rough next to a tree. Solid par with two putts.
Birdied the par three fourth with a 15 ft putt and back to even.
The next 5 holes saw it starting to slip away. Jarrod bogied three of the
next 5 holes to go to three over par.
Back nine started with a birdie on the shorter par 4 10th, two putt par on 11 and then a great birdie out of the fairway bunker on the 12th. Back to one under and thing were starting to look up again.
Three consecutive pars on the next three. Birdie on the 16th and back to even par.
On the 17th he hit a great shot right of the flag. The wind was up on this part of the course which is next to the Pacific Ocean.
Standing on the 18th he new he had to make birdie to go under the card for his first USPGA tournament. Jarrod said later it was a pet hate to be over the card at the end of a tournament. He nailed his drive down the right hand side of the fairway into the first cut of rough. The ball was sitting OK unlike some of the other lies off the fairway this week.
He was 210 meters out and hit four iron that landed in front of the green, rolled just past the flag to the left hand side of the green 30 ft from the flag. He had a downhill left to right putt. He took his time over the ball. Went through his usual pre putting routine and gave the ball a decent strike. The ball went straight in the hole for his second eagle of the week. He pumped the air as the crowd went wild.
A second Tsunami alert has been made when a small earthquake was recorded after John Lyle came back to earth when jumped a foot in the air as the final putt went in. John later said that he hoped the damage would be minimal and apologized to the Hawaiian people for any damage caused to the island by his excitement.
Jarrod had just shot himself up the leaderboard and earned another US$6000 with his eagle putt. He finished 42nd out of 144 of the worlds best golfers and earned himself US$19760 of which Leighton gets 5% . He now had birdied his first ever USPGA hole and eagled the last of his first tournament.
After the game Davis Love praised Jarrod for his putting and said he will go far if keeps putting like he did on the back nine.
The Lyle family celebrated behind the 18th green after Jarrod signed his
card.
Jarrod was excited by his finish. It was a round that nearly got away from him but he was determined to make a good finish. On the 10th fairway he turned to Leighton and said lets finish this even par. He did that and better. He still knows that he has ground to make up and determined to workout how he can do it. He did well but knows he can do better. During the whole week he signed every autograph he was asked and did it in a pleasant manner, unlike some of the others on the tour.
After the game I asked Jarrod what number balls he uses and he said anything but the number 3. I just don't like 3's. He also does not use a glove like most other players. He uses sticky grips on his clubs.
We headed back to the hotel after buying some souvenirs. Earlier I had asked Bill Bachran where I could buy one of the volunteers shirts. Bill pointed to a caravan near the 9th green where a lady named Patti greeted and showed her wares. I wanted to see Paris's wares but what Patti had to offer was OK. I purchased 6 shirts that would sell in the pro shop for $290 for $60. Some were last years and they were all of Hawaiian design with florals, something that I would have not liked before getting here but they really grow on you.
At the hotel we all watched the finish of the golf and saw the new Hawaiian icon and dwarf Tadd Fujikawa fall away over the last round but what a remarkable effort by the 16 year old lad. The eventual winner was Paul Goydos of the United States on 14 under par, 12 shots in front of Jarrod.
After the golf finished on TV we headed out to dinner at the cheeseburger place down the road. I thought it time to start being healthy and decided to have pineapple in my burger and four pieces of lettuce tonight.
While I was out for dinner My ex friends Bud Weiser and Early Times had been conspiring to get me back for locking them away. When I returned they held
me down for an hour and forced me to talk to them. I knew better but knew it was useless to fight them. I made a promise to myself that if I talked to them tonight I would not see them for the next month. I wanted to get back hame and meet some friends that I had not seen for a while, Mr Mineral Water, Mr Vegetable, my sweet friend Mrs Strawberry Fruit and most of all my beautiful girlfriend Dianne
Back at the room the Lyles waited for their 8.30 pm taxi to the airport, on their way to LA. We talked about what a fantastic week it had been and how well Jarrod had done.
Its 9-30 pm, the Lyles have left for LA and I here a knock at the door. I
knew Paris would come tonight. It was going to be more comfortable if we were by ourselves. With excitement I rushed to the door only to find the maintenance man with a plunger asking whether the toilet was OK after Leighton blocked it up last night. I told him where to stick his plunger.
Sad and lonely I went back to bed and thought about all the new friends I had made this week.
It will be with a tear in my eye that I say good bye to these friends Bud
and Early Times included. I went and bought some more t shirts earlier and found one with my new friend Bud Weiser's face on it. I will treasure this forever.
It has been a great week and I would like to say maholo (thank you) to the Lyles for treating me as one of the family. It has again been a pleasure and an honour to be in Hawaii for Jarrod USPGA debut. It was also fantastic to watch Leighton caddie for his brother and know that the next 12 month will prepare him for his big future in golf.
I say goodbye and maholo for reading.
Maybe Paris will greet me at the door at 5.30am when I leave for my flight back home. That should be the time she is leaving the nightclub. See I never give up. Just like Jarrod.
Go Jarrod !!
Cheers
Ray
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