A Golfer's Dream - Book Two Chilly Winter Hot Summer         Written by TheCaddy

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The following story is a work of fiction containing graphic descriptions of
sexual acts between adults and minors. All of the sex depicted is consensual;
the author does not intend to promote incest or sexual relations with underage
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Chapter Twenty-Six - Tactical Retreat

Dave woke at his usual time on Saturday morning.  He felt tired after a very 
fitful sleep.  He had tossed and turned all night thinking about Jennifer's 
concern over his meeting other girls while on the road.  He had asked himself if 
he had avoided talking about Sheri because he knew Jennifer would be upset.  Had 
he become too promiscuous?  He had slept with a lot of women over the last year.  

His mind was still churning when he exited the elevator and saw Jennifer smiling 
at him in the lobby.  He walked to her and kissed her tenderly.  He put on a 
false front and pretended not to be distracted by his concerns for her.  She 
just thought he was distracted by his final round of golf.

The morning routine did not go well as Dave could not seem to refocus on his 
golf.  As he sat staring out the window of the café he continued to think about 
Jennifer and his new problem.  

They walked back to the hotel and he kissed her goodbye as he entered the 
restaurant.  The team was going to the course earlier today because Bob had an 
earlier tee time.  Dave ate quietly while the team and coaches left him to his 
thoughts.  He tried to concentrate on his golf game but all the women he had 
been with over the last year kept taking over his thoughts.

When the team got to the golf course Dave went right to the practice range and 
hit balls for an hour.  He thought that hitting balls would take his mind off 
his sudden guilt but it didn't work.  Dave heard Bob's name called to the first 
tee and knew he still had an hour before his tee time.  

He putted for a while before he found a secluded place in the clubhouse.  He sat 
down and put his head in his hands.  He thought, "Okay now, Dave, time to think 
only about golf.  You have one more round to win the national title and show the 
American colleges that your golf in Carolina wasn't just a fluke."  He thought 
about the first hole and started to visualize his plan for that hole.  He worked 
his way through all eighteen holes and finally felt better about his 
concentration.

He went back to the driving range and pictured the specific holes on the course 
as he hit shots.  When he finally heard his name called to the first tee he 
thought he was ready.  He got to the tee and both Phil and Guy were already 
there.  Dave exchanged cards with them and waited for his turn to hit.  He hit 
last because he was the leader.  Both Guy and Phil hit good drives into the 
middle of the fairway.  

Dave pulled out his driver but made the mistake of glancing around at the crowd 
to find his parents.  He found them and Jennifer was standing beside them 
smiling at him.  The minute he looked into her eyes, the guilt consumed his 
thoughts again and he struggled to get focused on his shot.  It seemed as if the 
pressure of a major tournament had made him super-sensitive and provoked an 
expanding guilt-trip from meager facts.  After his pre-shot routine, he stood 
over the ball and hit a big hook down the left side.  Down the left side and 
into the waste bunker.  That was the first time he started his round by hitting 
into the waste bunker.

His ball had actually traveled as far as both Guy and Phil but he was farthest 
from the green because he was so off line; he had to hit his second shot before 
they hit.  He was confident he could hit his four-iron the two hundred and ten 
yards to the green.  He put a solid swing on the ball but the ball faded to the 
right and finished in a greenside sand trap.  Both Guy and Phil hit their second 
shots onto the green.

As Dave walked to the green he kept telling himself, "Focus, focus -fairways and 
greens".  His ball was sitting nicely up in the sand trap and he had lots of 
green to work so he was confident he could make a good shot.  He blasted the 
ball to six feet.  

Phil two-putted while Guy made his birdie putt.  Dave lined up his putt and made 
a solid firm putt.  The ball hit the back of the hole and dropped in.  Dave told 
himself, "Good par.  Keep grinding."

He again started telling himself, "Fairways and greens."  On the second hole 
Dave again hooked the ball into the waste bunker.  He was quickly losing 
confidence in his usually very dependable driver.  His second shot on the long 
par five was much better as he hit a five iron back into the middle of the 
fairway.  Guy and Phil were both in the fairway just past him in two shots.  
Dave had one hundred and thirty yards to the pin and he put a smooth ninety 
percent swing on his pitching wedge.  The ball landed just past the hole and 
spun back to finish just two feet from the cup.  Dave controlled his emotions 
and didn't do any hand pumps; he simply said to himself, "Good swing - you're 
back on track now."

Guy made a great shot and finished four feet from the hole while Phil hit his 
ball to within twenty feet.  Phil two-putted for par before Guy ran in his 
second consecutive birdie.  Dave focused on his putt and made a solid, firm 
birdie putt.  Dave could feel his confidence returning.  On the long par-three 
third hole, Guy hit his approach shot onto the green twenty-five feet from the 
hole.  Dave hit smooth six-iron twelve feet from the hole.  Phil missed the 
green right.

Phil chipped on but missed his par putt.  Guy ran his put just past the hole and 
tapped in for par.  Dave made a good putt that grazed the lip but didn't fall 
in.  He tapped in for par; he was still three shots ahead of Guy.

The fourth hole was a shorter par-four - under four-hundred yards.  Guy hit a 
solid driver down the middle.  He continued to put the pressure on Dave.  Dave 
chose his three-wood and hit it smoothly down the left side but remained in the 
fairway.  Phil hit his shot left into the waste bunker.  Phil's second shot 
finished just short of the green.  Dave hit next and put a very good swing on 
his pitching wedge.  The ball finished eight feet from the hole.

Guy hit last and his ball finished fifteen feet from the hole.  Phil chipped his 
third shot close before Guy missed his birdie putt.  Dave settled over his ball 
and rolled the birdie putt into the right side of the hole.  The birdie gave 
Dave a four stroke lead again.  

Dave strode to the next tee confident and refocused but as he reached for his 
driver he looked up at the crowd following him and Jennifer's face jumped out of 
the crowd.  As he looked at her he heard the word 'Cheater!' echo in his mind.  
He looked closely at her but she simply smiled - he had imagined it.  Dave had 
become his own enemy and distracter.  He stood over his ball and tried to 
visualize a good swing but, as he actually hit the ball, he felt his right hand 
turn over too much and the ball rocketed off-line to the left, again.  His ball 
went into the woods left of the fairway.  He cursed himself as he pulled his 
wooden tee from the ground and returned to his bag to dig out a second golf ball 
to hit in case his first ball could not be found.

After both Guy and Phil hit solid drives, Dave changed to his three-wood and hit 
his provisional ball into the middle of the fairway.  The walk up the fairway 
was filled with Dave making nasty comments towards himself, "Stupid idiot - 
don't choke!"  Suddenly, Dave stopped walking and decided to take a moment to 
think.  After a brief reflection he changed his mind set, "Stop talking negative 
- think positive.  Let's find this ball and get it back in play.  Play one shot 
at a time."

After a short search they found his ball in the thinly wooded area.  Dave 
actually had a decent shot back to the fairway.  He chose his six-iron and hit 
it three-quarters because a tree behind him prevented a full swing.  Dave 
managed to hit the ball back into the fairway but he was still well over two-
hundred and twenty yards from the green on the long par-five.  

Phil hit a great three-wood for his second shot and was only fifty yards from 
the front of the green.  Guy hit a long iron shot near the one-hundred yard 
marker.  Dave had to hit his third shot next.  He determined he was two-hundred 
and twenty-two yards from the hole.  He took out his five-iron and made a solid 
swing; the ball finished on the green, twenty feet from the hole.  

Guy hit a nice wedge shot eight feet from the hole and Phil chipped his shot to 
four feet.  Dave made a good putt, but missed.  He tapped in a short par putt.  
He was happy he made a par but he was worried that he would lose some momentum 
to Guy who had a makeable birdie putt.

Dave watched as Guy rolled his birdie putt over the edge.  Dave was relieved - 
he didn't lose any of his lead and, more importantly, Guy had missed out on a 
good opportunity to gain the momentum.  Phil made his birdie putt which brought 
him to within four strokes again.

Over the next nine holes, Dave continued to scramble.  He hit his driver poorly 
but he managed to make several very good chip shots and a few good sand trap 
shots to save pars.  He had had one bogey, one birdie, and seven pars on those 
holes.  He was even par over the nine holes and had only lost one stroke to Guy 
and actually gained a stroke on Phil.  Dave was now three shots ahead of Guy and 
five ahead of Phil.  There were only four holes left so Dave tried to focus on 
making pars which would force Guy to go three under on the last four holes just 
to tie.  

The fifteenth was a long, downhill par-five.  Dave would normally hit his driver 
and have little or no trouble hitting an iron onto the green for his second 
shot; but today he didn't trust his driver.  Guy hit first and his long drive 
put him in reach of the green in two.  Dave had managed to put Jennifer out of 
his mind and hadn't once looked at the crowd since the fifth hole.  He pulled 
out his three-wood and hit it really well.  It was still short of Guy's solid 
drive; but it was well-positioned.  Phil hit his drive left into the rough.

Phil hit an iron back into the fairway around the one-hundred yard marker.  Dave 
stood over his ball and he had two-hundred and sixty yards to the hole.  A 
really good three-wood could get there and he debated going for it.  He finally 
decided that Guy could easily get home in two as he was thirty yards closer than 
Dave, so Dave went for it with his three-wood.  He hit it solidly and the ball 
rolled just onto the front of the green.  

Guy hit a good five-wood and ended up twelve feet from the hole.  Phil hit his 
wedge shot fifteen feet from the hole.  

Dave putted first and he rolled the fifty-foot putt to within four feet.  Phil 
missed his birdie but tapped in for par.  Guy looked at his putt from all angles 
and finally settled over his ball.  He hit a firm putt that hit dead centre of 
the hole and dropped in for an eagle.  He pumped his fist in excitement as he 
retrieved the ball from the hole.  Dave lined up his putt and stroked it towards 
the hole.  The ball lost speed as it neared the hole and moved from dead middle 
to the left side of the cup; Dave stopped breathing.  The ball curled around the 
hole in apparent slow-motion and hesitantly dropped in for a heart-stopping 
birdie.

Dave was relieved he had only lost one stroke to Guy.  He was now two up with 
three holes left.  Dave made par on both sixteen and seventeen - he made a good 
chip on sixteen and then a great sand shot on seventeen both of which helped 
save his par.  Guy meanwhile made par on sixteen and birdie on seventeen.  He 
was now only one stroke behind Dave as they stood on the tee of the last hole. 

Guy had honors and hit a large drive down the middle.  Dave didn't think Guy 
could get on the long par-five last hole in two with that drive.  He immediately 
pulled out his three-wood and hit it solidly down the middle.  Phil hit a good 
drive but he was now five strokes behind Dave so he wasn't on Dave's primary 
radar any longer.

After Phil hit his second shot to just inside the one-hundred yard marker, Dave 
stood over his ball.  He had almost three-hundred yards to the green and chose 
his six-iron.  After a smooth swing the ball flew straight, bounced a few times, 
and settled just past the one-hundred-yard marker.  Guy's drive was again twenty 
yards ahead of Dave's and he must have been feeling some pressure because Guy 
immediately pulled out his three-wood.  The camera crews from the previous day 
returned; but this time Guy totally ignored them.  He hit a huge three-wood 
which bounced short of the green and rolled just onto the front of the green, 
thirty-five feet from the hole.

Dave's ball was a little farther from the hole than Phil so he hit next.  He put 
a smooth swing on his sixty degree wedge; the ball hit eight feet from the hole 
and stopped dead.  Phil hit onto the green and eventually two-putted but Dave 
was totally focused on his putt as he walked to the green.

Dave looked at Guy's long putt and immediately told himself, "He will make his 
putt.  I have to make mine."  Dave lined his putt up and was confident it would 
only break about three inches.  He noticed Guy move to his ball so he stood back 
and was quietly waiting for Guy.  After a short study, Guy hit a solid putt and 
it was rolling right at the hole.  Dave had convinced himself before Guy putted 
that the putt would go in but, as the ball neared the hole, it rolled a little 
right and lipped out.  Guy was on his knees begging and praying for the ball to 
drop - but it didn't and stopped just inches behind the hole.  A disappointed 
Guy walked up and tapped in for birdie.  

Dave was relieved but he still needed to make his putt to avoid a playoff.  Guy 
had most of the momentum the last few holes and Dave didn't want to have to play 
any extra holes.  He watched Phil finish out before he stood over his ball and 
focused on his line.  He settled on the line then took two smooth practice 
swings.  He was confident of the weight.  He kept telling himself, "Straight 
back - straight through!"  He pulled the putter back and stoked the ball firmly.  
The ball rolled across the smooth green and curled the expected three inches 
before it hit dead in the middle of the back of the cup and dropped straight 
down.

Dave dropped to his knees.  He felt as if he had just gone ten rounds with Mike 
Tyson and was on his last legs.  He dropped his head to the green in relief - he 
didn't blow it!  He finally stood and walked to Guy and shook his hand before he 
shook Phil's hand.  Then he turned and faced his parents and Jennifer.  Both his 
mother and Jennifer were crying with happiness and Dave walked to them.  All 
four came together in a group hug.  Dave felt so happy that it was finally over.  
He had put so much pressure on himself to win that in the end it wasn't joy he 
felt - just total relief.

The relief stage passed quickly however and the victory suddenly settled in.  
Dave hugged Jennifer and his family again before he walked towards the scoring 
tent.  Several interviewers were lined up trying to talk to him but an RCGA 
representative told them Dave had to sign his card before he could do any 
interviews.

Dave carefully completed his card and signed it before he again congratulated 
both Guy and Phil.  Dave walked out of the tent and was immediately ushered off 
to do an interview with Michael Whelan.  Dave did three more interviews before 
the RCGA representative who had stopped the earlier interviews lead Dave to the 
eighteenth green for the formal presentation.  The RCGA president, Doug Ross 
announced, "We are very pleased to present the championship to Dave MacDonald 
from QAI.  Many of you will remember that Dave was prevented from finishing the 
tournament last year due to an accident; but he finished and won this year in 
one of the most exciting tournaments in many years.  Please come forward and 
receive your trophy, Dave."

Dave strolled through the crowd to a boisterous applause.  He thanked the 
President and the RCGA before he thanked the Le Diable golf course for providing 
a true test of golf.  He held the trophy high above his head as the crowd again 
cheered.  

The formal presentation ended and dozens of well-wishers, including his coaches 
and teammates, congratulated him.  Dave found Jennifer and his family and was 
showing them the trophy when a man approached them.  He was a recruiter who 
wanted to represent Dave.  Dave thanked the man but said he was already 
arranging his future on his own.  Two more men approached with similar offers 
but Dave gratefully declined those as well.  

As the crowd thinned out, Roger suggested, "We checked out of our room.  We 
should go get your stuff from the hotel before we go to supper.  We will drop 
Carol and Jennifer at the airport on the way to Hartford.  We won't get all the 
way to Hartford tonight but we should at least get into Vermont."  Dave agreed 
as he followed his parents to the car.  His team had already left for the hotel 
where they were staying one more night before driving home the next day.  
Jennifer and his parents talked excitedly about his golf game but Dave kept 
thinking about how distracted he had been and whether he should tell Jennifer 
everything now or wait until he got back from Hartford.  Then he thought, "Oh, 
my God, I'm going to see Sheri again.  I have to push her away and make it clear 
that I'm not interested in her."  He finally felt better as he decided he would 
just end anything with Sheri before it even started.  The pressure to win and 
the new plan with Sheri seemed to take a huge weight off his shoulders.

Back at the hotel, he packed quickly and told Bob to enjoy the room to himself.  
Bob wished Dave luck in Hartford as he left.  Coach Steve was waiting for Dave 
in the lobby and also congratulated him and wished him luck in the US.  Dave 
thanked him before he walked out the door.

Roger drove to a restaurant where the meal was filled with talk of Dave's golf.  
Dave felt as if he were being told a story he didn't know.  His perspective was 
much different - the first three days had felt like the first six rounds of a 
boxing match in which he jumped to an early lead before spending the final four 
boxing rounds being pummeled on the ropes.  Jennifer and his mom made it sound 
more as if he had been a warrior who fought off the evil intruder.  Dave was 
mostly just happy it was over.

After supper they drove to the airport in Montreal and escorted the women 
inside.  It was two hours before the women finally walked through the departure 
gate after lots of goodbye kisses and good luck wishes for Dave.  

Back on the road again, Roger and Dave worked their way through Montreal and 
Roger was happy he had gotten a detailed route instruction sheet off the 
internet from Map Quest because the local roads were very confusing.  After 
crossing a few bridges they drove away from Montreal towards Vermont.  An hour 
later they were in Vermont and cruising down Interstate 89 heading towards 
Burlington.  They reached Burlington before midnight and stopped for the night.  
The drive had been very hectic at first as they tried to follow the complicated 
directions through Montreal; but after that both Roger and Dave just listened to 
the radio playing as the drive unfolded. 

After finding a motel in Burlington, they went right to bed and slept soundly 
until nine o'clock.  They ate breakfast then checked out.  It was ten o'clock 
when they hit the road again and Dave was in a more talkative mood following his 
good sleep.  They talked about the Le Diable course and about the beautiful 
village.  Roger finally broke the casual conversation with a pointed question, 
"Dave, I could tell you were really distracted yesterday.  I saw you play the 
final round in North Carolina and I think I have an idea how you adapt to 
pressure.  Yesterday you seemed different.  Is there something you would like to 
talk about?"

Dave felt as if a thousand pound rock was being lifted off his shoulders and he 
opened the floodgates of confession as he told his father all about Sheri, her 
impact on himself, how he had been thinking about her more and more since he got 
home, and how he had asked him to book at the Comfort Inn because he knew she 
would be there.  He also explained about Jennifer's confession of insecurity and 
how the guilt which uncontrollably welled up in Dave had really distracted him 
during the golf day.

Roger sat quietly and listened intently.  Even after Dave had finished his very 
long and detailed explanation, Roger continued to stare wordlessly at the 
unfolding highway scene in front of him.  Dave waited patiently for his father's 
thoughtful advice.  

After what seemed like forever to Dave, but was actually only several moments, 
Roger started, "Dave, first of all I must apologize.  I never imagined that 
Jennifer coming with us would ever be a distraction - but that obviously was the 
case.  I'm sorry I brought her without your prior knowledge."  

Dave nodded but that was not what he was looking for by way of advice.  Roger 
continued, "I have noticed that you have had a relatively open relationship with 
Jennifer.  She shared you with Ann last year and then she shared you with Sam 
just last week."  Dave looked at his father quizzically as he wondered just how 
much his father knew about the night with Sam.  Roger picked up on the look 
immediately and added, "I know all about it.  Your mother and I have a very 
strong, somewhat open, relationship as well and she tells me everything.  
Jennifer seems to be okay with you sharing other women with her - but she 
expects you to remain otherwise true to her.  I feel that whenever you open your 
relationship up to other people it becomes very, very important to discuss all 
the boundaries of the relationship."  

Dave thought about that for a second and then listened as his father continued, 
"What does Jennifer think of Sarah?  I suspect you did more than just visit in 
England..."

Dave blushed a little and explained, "I told Jennifer all about England as well 
- and we both agreed that, because we were not actually going together at the 
time, relationships that developed there were acceptable."


Roger nodded, "Okay, so, as you know, I was with you in North Carolina and, 
unless you snuck around on me, I know you didn't go out of your way to be with 
Sheri."

Dave immediately replied, "Hell no!  At first I didn't even like her!"

Roger smiled, "Exactly, so you didn't actually do anything wrong while you were 
there.  Your thoughts about her are just that - thoughts.  As long as you don't 
act on any of your thoughts then you have done nothing wrong.  However, that 
said, if your thoughts of another girl begin to consume all your time then you 
should seriously consider whether your existing girlfriend is really who you 
want.  That is a much tougher decision.  Let me give you this one piece of 
advice.  I have worked at the hospital for a long time.  I make good money and I 
work hard to earn it.  I was approached two years ago by a business man I knew 
who wanted me to work for him.  He was starting a very exciting new business and 
the pay and work would both have been very good.  I laboured over the decision 
for days.  Your mother and I talked about it extensively.  In the end I decided 
that I loved the job I had and I stayed with the hospital.  

"The businessman offered the job to another friend of mine and I met that friend 
six months after he took the job.  The friend told me how exciting the job was 
and how much he was enjoying it.  I was instantly jealous and even regretted 
turning the job down.  Two months ago the company went bankrupt and both the 
businessman and my friend are now looking for new work.  As the old saying goes 
- the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.  Life will be 
filled with very difficult decisions.  You have to get the most information you 
can and then make what you think is the best decision.  Just remember that new 
situations often have their own set of disadvantages that can surface later."

Dave thought about his father's words for a long time.  Miles seemed to 
disappear quickly and they were soon on Interstate 91 heading south for 
Hartford.  Dave thought about Jennifer and he knew he loved her deeply.  He 
didn't really know Sheri at all and what he did know was possibly a product of 
his imagination - very volatile and speculative.  He briefly thought about Ann 
going crazy on him in Charlestown and he immediately knew he didn't want 
anything similar to that to happen again.  In the end he decided he would treat 
Sheri with respect and he would go out of his way to make sure he did not lead 
her on.  He loved Jennifer and he didn't want a little fling with Sheri to end 
that.  On the other hand, Sheri had appeared, unbidden, in his dreams-he would 
definitely have to deal with the situation. 

After stopping briefly for gas, they arrived in Hartford around two o'clock.  
They checked into the Comfort Inn then went out to eat.  After a filling supper 
they returned to the hotel and rested for a while before Dave went down to the 
pool.  He swam laps for thirty minutes before joining his father beside the 
pool.  They talked about his summer and Roger actually teased Dave a bit about 
the bullets he had dodged the previous day during his golf game.  Roger said he 
could tell Dave's golf focus had come and gone and that Dave had really 
scrambled to save some critical pars. 

Dave finally laughed and replied, "I seem to learn a new lesson every 
tournament."

Roger agreed, "Dave, I have been doing my job or a variation of the same job for 
twenty years and I still learn something new at least once a week, sometimes 
several times a day - that's life."

Dave just nodded as he noticed a tall blonde figure walk onto the pool deck.  He 
noticed Sheri immediately and before she saw him he turned and made a point of 
looking in his father's direction.  Sheri strolled by and Dave noticed she 
seemed to be swinging her hips more than usual.  She smiled at him, "Hi, 
Sasquatch.  How is the great white North?"

Dave replied without any tone of malice, "Fine, Barbie; how's the sunny South?"

She replied, "Fine." as she kept walking to an available lounger.  Dave returned 
to talking to his father.  After spending a few hours at the pool Dave and Roger 
went back to the room and watched a movie.  They went to sleep early.

Dave woke early and called the course to confirm his practice round.  He didn't 
have to qualify so his tee time was late in the morning.  He was told his 
playing partners and he was surprised to hear Josh Skinner was in his group.  
Dave thought how Josh must have earned an exemption the previous week in 
Pittsburg.

Dave pulled on his bathing suit and went out for a swim.  After spending an hour 
in the pool, he returned to his room and showered.  His father woke shortly 
after and within thirty minutes they were eating their breakfast.  Dave asked to 
be dropped off at the course early to work on his driver.  Roger agreed and said 
he was going to go shopping for the day.

Dave spent ninety minutes on the driving range with a significant portion spent 
on his driver.  He remembered his lesson earlier in the spring where the pro 
told him to stop using a different swing on his driver but simply use his normal 
swing.  Dave thought about the tips the pro had given him and he tried to start 
again at the beginning.  He concentrated on his alignment first.  He took his 
stance then laid one of his irons on the ground in front of his toes.  He walked 
back to see if the shaft of the iron was pointed in the direction he had felt 
with his stance.  He was slightly right of his target.  He thought how lining up 
too far to the right might make him turn his hands over too much to adjust.

He took his stance again and adjusted his feet to correct the alignment.  After 
confirming the iron across his toes was pointed as expected, Dave hit a few 
balls.  He concentrated on make a long, full swing.  The first few swings felt a 
little awkward but the ball went straight with just a small draw.  Dave hit more 
and more shots with the driver and soon the awkwardness was gone.  His ball was 
starting correctly on his planned line and then drawing slightly to the left.  
After spending a full hour just working on his driver he finally felt 
comfortable enough to move to his other clubs.  He hit his long irons then 
finished with his short irons.

Dave walked from the tee with the confidence he had when he had won in North 
Carolina.  He was pumped up and ready to take on O'Mahoney, again.  He had been 
putting for twenty minutes when Josh walked up to him.  Dave had not seen him 
since North Carolina and immediately put out his hand to greet him.  Dave said, 
"I see we are playing together today.  You must have played well in Pittsburgh."

Josh nodded, "Yes, I finished third.  I played really well.  I asked to play 
with you today, by the way; I hope you don't mind."

Dave replied, "Mind?  No, I was pleased to hear your name in my group.  Did 
O'Mahoney win last week?"

Josh seemed to smile, "No, he didn't even play.  I heard he had been really 
pissed off when you beat him the week before and, when he found out you were 
coming to Hartford, he skipped Pittsburgh and came here to practice instead.  I 
told you he would be gunning for you."

Dave just smiled, "Well, this week should be fun than, shouldn't it?"

Josh just shook his head as he started practicing. After a while Josh asked, 
"How did you do in your tournaments?"

Dave didn't want to brag so, without a lot of emotion, he simply answered, "I 
won both my provincial tournament and the Canadian National Championship."

Josh could see Dave didn't seem to want to talk about those successes so he 
simply congratulated him with a "That's great, Dave."  Josh then went back to 
putting.  

Dave had a good feel for the tempo of the greens and he was looking forward to 
seeing the course without the pressure to qualify.  He eventually looked at his 
watch and asked Josh, "Ready to play?"

Josh nodded and picked up his balls.  Dave had just pulled his clubs onto his 
back and was ready to walk to the first tee when he heard that all-too-familiar 
voice, "Keep it in the short stuff, Sas."

Dave just nodded politely to Sheri as he walked to the first tee with Josh at 
his side.  

The practice round at the private Hop Meadow Country Club was very enjoyable.  
They were playing the back tees which made the course just under seven thousand 
yards long.  The longest tees at this course were blue tees.  It was very 
challenging, but fair, and Dave was happy with his two-over-par seventy-four.  
Josh had shot seventy-three while their two other playing partners shot seventy-
six and seventy-eight.

Dave's father was waiting for him at the clubhouse when he finished and, after 
Dave introduced Josh to his father, Dave and Roger left.  Dave suggested they go 
to supper and then maybe to a movie.  Roger thought that would be fun so they 
spent the evening out.  Dave was actually trying to avoid Sheri and avoid having 
to deal with either the real Sheri or the one from his dreams.

They returned to the hotel at nine-thirty and went right to bed.  Dave had an 
early tee time the next day - eight-fifteen.

He woke when the phone rang at six-fifteen.  He showered quickly then waited for 
his father to shower.  They ate breakfast and arrived at the course shortly 
after seven.  Dave practiced and was ready when he was called to the first tee.  
He hit a huge drive right down the middle then turned and smiled at his father 
as if to say "I'm baaaaack" 

Dave played at a very high level all day and by the end of the round he carded a 
sixty-five.  He thought, "Beat that, O'Mahoney!"

Dave was low score when he finished but most of the field had teed off after 
him.  He asked his father if they could go back to the hotel instead of waiting 
to see what other players shot.  They ate a late diner then spent the day beside 
the pool.  Dave was glad to have the time to wind down as he had really been 
juiced for his round that day.  

Late in the afternoon Roger went back to his room and Dave was sitting in a 
lounger relaxing when he heard, "Great round today, Sas"

Dave opened his eyes to see the shapely Sheri standing beside him.  The first 
thing he noticed was that the conservative one-piece suit was gone and a very 
sexy pink bikini barely covered Sheri's curves.  He knew this new image would be 
hard to forget but he only smiled politely at her and replied, "Thanks Barbie.  
How did you do?"

She smiled with a grin that exposed a lot of teeth, "I knew you would post a low 
number so I had to play my best.  I shot seventy."

Dave nodded, "That's great.  Are you leading?"

She replied, "Yes, by five strokes.  Did you know O'Mahoney shot sixty-three and 
tied the course record?  I heard he played the course for practice four times 
over the last week.  Rumor is he doesn't want to lose to you again because he 
thinks you might take the national championship from him.  Are you going for the 
US championship as well?  I heard today that you won the Canadian championship."

Dave simply shrugged, "The US championship isn't on my schedule.  Actually, the 
last tournament I have planned is this tournament.  After that I'm going home to 
relax and enjoy the rest of my summer."

Sheri smiled her high-wattage smile again, "I guess one National Title is 
enough.  Did you get many scholarship offers after you left North Carolina?"

He smiled, "Actually I did, but the recruiters seem to be waiting to make sure 
that one weekend victory wasn't just a fluke.  Hopefully the Canadian title will 
get some more serious offers on the table.  Have you gotten many offers?"

Sheri looked very serious as she lay down on the lounger beside him, "I have you 
to thank for a lot more offers for me as well.  After I came from behind to win 
in North Carolina, I got ten really good offers - full scholarships.  They liked 
the way I fought back to win.  I didn't dare tell them I was just trying to 
catch a dumb Sasquatch."

She was smiling at Dave as she called him a dumb Sasquatch.  He just laughed as 
he realized she was only teasing him.  But the new, resolute Dave made sure he 
didn't let his eyes wander, even though he was dying to get a better look at her 
luscious body.  They continued to talk casually for fifteen minutes before Dave 
politely said, "I have to go eat supper.  Good luck tomorrow."

Sheri replied, "You too."

Dave found his father in their room.  He was talking on the phone and as Dave 
entered Dave heard his father say, "He just walked in, I'll put him on."

Dave walked to his father's bed and took the phone.  He heard his mother say, 
"Congratulations on a great round, Dave.  I'm glad to hear you're hitting your 
driver better."

Dave replied, "Thanks, Mom.  The driver felt really good today."

She added, "Good luck tomorrow and Thursday.  Jennifer would like to say hello."

Dave again answered, "Thanks, Mom."

Jennifer's excited voice came over the phone, "Great round today, Dave.  I was 
worried about you."

Dave smiled as he knew Jennifer really didn't know much about golf but even she 
could see he had been struggling the final day at Le Diable.  He spoke softly to 
her, "Thanks.  I miss you and I love you."

She also spoke softly, "I miss and love you too.  Have a good week and we'll see 
you Friday."

Dave said goodbye before he hung up.  He smiled at his father, "So what's the 
plan for supper?"

Roger replied, "I ordered a pizza."

Dave nodded and sat on his bed.  He turned on the television and started 
watching a movie.  The pizza arrived shortly and, after Dave and Roger ate their 
fill, they rented an in-room action movie from the hotel and relaxed for the 
evening.

Dave knew his tee time was not until ten o'clock so he stayed up a little later.  
Eventually he went to sleep and slept soundly thinking about Jennifer's soft 
voice.  He was determined to take his father's advice to heart and decided that 
Jennifer's hairless muff was better than any possible muff on the other side of 
the fence.

He woke up refreshed and ready for another big day.  After their morning routine 
Roger and Dave arrived at the course at eight-thirty.  Dave perused the 
scoreboard and was pleased to see Josh had shot a sixty-nine.  He was sitting in 
fourth place.

Dave practiced and, when his name was called to the tee, he was ready.  He 
wished Sheri luck as he walked past her - she was putting on the practice green.  
She calmly smiled and returned the sentiment.  So far, Dave's plan of polite 
distance seemed to be working.

Dave had another good day.  He didn't play quite as well as the first day but he 
was very happy with his sixty-seven.  As he walked up to the leaderboard he was 
surprised to see that O'Mahoney had posted another great round of sixty-six.  
Dave just shook his head as the thought how even a sixty-seven had lost more 
ground.  He scanned the scores and was pleased to see Josh shot another sixty-
nine and was actually in third place.  As long as one of the players still on 
the course didn't take over third place alone, Dave would be playing with Josh 
and O'Mahoney the next day.

Dave and Roger left for the hotel.  They ate a mid afternoon meal before Dave 
went out to rest by the pool.  He relaxed for an hour before he climbed in the 
pool and swam laps for thirty minutes.  He had just finished his laps and was 
relaxing in the shallow end of the pool when a pink bikini-clad body cut in 
front of him.  He looked up, smiled at Sheri, and asked, "How'd you do today, 
Sheri?"

Sheri looked at him quizzically and he realized that that was the first time he 
had ever called her by her real name.  She smiled and replied, "Excellent; I 
shot seventy-one and have an eight stroke lead.  I see you played well - but 
O'Mahoney is really hot."

Dave just shrugged, "I was really pleased with how I struck the ball.  The score 
was good too.  I can only do my best; I can't control what O'Mahoney does."

They continued to talk about the golf while standing in the pool; but, as they 
did, Dave noticed that Sheri kept moving closer and closer to him.  It might 
have been unconscious on her part, but it alarmed him.  He casually moved 
backward but for every step backward he took it seemed she took one and half 
forward.  Dave suddenly felt his back against the wall of the pool and he could 
not move back any farther.  Sheri kept moving closer.

She was still talking casually to Dave but he could see in her widened eyes that 
she had much more planned.  He was about to tell her he had a girlfriend when he 
felt her round breasts press into his chest and her lips connect with his lips.  
Sheri's hands went right to the back of his head and her tongue darted into his 
mouth even as he tried to tell her to stop.

The kiss was very hot and passionate and Dave fought off, with every ounce of 
will he had, the urge to return the embrace of the gorgeous blonde.  After a 
steamy thirty-second kiss during which Dave's emotions went on a ride on the 
steel roller coaster of approach-avoidance, Dave finally found the required 
fortitude to place his hands on her shoulders and gently push her back so he 
could focus on her face.  He controlled his breathing, stared directly into her 
eyes, and softly said, "Sheri, you are truly beautiful and very attractive.  I 
would love to have a relationship with you, get to know you better - but I have 
a girlfriend at home that I love dearly and I cannot and will not betray her 
trust.  I'm sorry.  I better go to my room now."

Sheri looked as if he had slapped her in the face.  At first she looked confused 
and embarrassed but then her expression turned to what seemed to be total anger.  
Dave climbed out of the pool, glanced at her over his shoulder, and he knew by 
that look that she wanted to rip him to pieces.  Dave first thought, he should 
stay and talk this through; but then he realized that the path of additional 
interaction was filled with even more traps.  He felt as if he were a kind of 
coward as he grabbed his towel and walked quickly to his room; but he knew this 
was a potential fight that no one would win - only hurtful and very bad things 
would be said.  As he walked back to his room he thought, "What do war 
strategists call what I did?  A tactical retreat - that's it."  Dave felt as if 
he had ducked an arrow aimed at his heart.