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

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Chapter Thirty-One - The Canadian Open

Dave woke fairly early on Tuesday and went to the fitness room.  He worked out 
hard for an hour then got on the bike for thirty minutes.  He finished his 
workout with a hard forty-minute swim.  He returned to the room and showered.  
He peered in the mirror at his black eyes which looked to be finally starting to 
clear.  He knew it would be days before his face returned to normal.

Roger woke as Dave walked out of the bathroom.  After Roger showered and 
dressed, they went down for breakfast.  Dave's tee time was eleven-fifteen so 
after eating they went to the course where Dave could practice.  

As soon as Dave reached the practice range he noticed the golf manufacturers' 
tents were still up but there weren't any representatives or equipment there.  
Dave saw a lot of pros including Vijay Singh, Brad Faxon, Mike Weir, and Tom 
Lehman.  It felt really strange to be practicing next to them and he began 
getting butterflies thinking about competing against them.  Dave saw John Daly 
at the far end of the practice tee and he watched as the big man took furious 
swings at the ball.  Dave eventually started hitting balls but the truth was he 
was more interested in trying to enjoy the moment.  He eventually hit balls 
before going to the putting green.  After putting for forty-five minutes Dave 
heard his name called to the first tee.

He arrived at the first tee and met Chris Baryla, the other high-ranked Canadian 
amateur.  The third player in their group, Ian Leggett, showed up shortly after 
Dave.  Dave teed off first and hit a solid drive down the left side.  The other 
two players both hit good drives as well.

Roger and Dave spent most of the practice round getting more familiar with the 
course and in the end Dave was happy with his even par seventy.  Leggett shot 
seventy-one and Baryla was seventy-three.  Dave had five birdies, one double 
bogey, three bogeys and nine pars.  He noticed that there were a lot more fans 
watching then he was used to but most were following the big names like Mike 
Weir and John Daly.  He wished Baryla and Leggett luck before he and Roger went 
out for supper.  They found a nice steakhouse and ate a good meal.

When they returned to the hotel Roger called Carol and let her know everything 
was going well.  Roger then called one of his friends in Toronto and arranged to 
spend the next day with him.  Dave was playing in the ProAm with the RCGA team 
and Dave and Roger had agreed that Roger would not be needed to caddy.  They 
watched television for a while before going to sleep.  

The ProAm had a shotgun start at noon so Dave woke early and went to work out.  
He worked out hard and returned to the room.  Roger was already showered and 
ready to go so Dave showered quickly then dressed.  They ate breakfast in the 
hotel before Roger dropped Dave off at the course and headed for Toronto.

Dave practiced on the driving range and immediately noticed that the golf 
manufacturer representatives were back again after taking the previous day off.  
Dave was really happy with his ball striking and after he hit balls for ninety-
minutes he went to the putting green.  He found he wasn't as distracted by the 
PGA pros today.  The practice green seemed to be getting faster each day and 
today the speed was lightning fast.  Dave had never putted on greens this fast 
before and he spent over an hour trying to get a good feel for the speed.  He 
was finally confident he was ready shortly after eleven.

He went in the clubhouse and ordered a sandwich for lunch.  He had noticed more 
and more pros on the practice green but he hadn't talked to any.  He did see 
Chris Baryla and they talked briefly about the upcoming round.  They were 
playing with Mike Weir and Doug Ross.  Jeff Sluman was putting and he and Dave 
exchange friendly nods but didn't speak.

After Dave ate he went back to the practice green and Chris introduced him to 
Doug Ross.  They talked for a moment before Mike Weir walked onto the green.  
Mike walked over to Doug and shook his hand.  Mike was introduced to Chris and 
Dave.  When Mike shook Dave's hand he looked at Dave and asked, "What happened 
to your eyes?"

Dave smiled, "I got in a little tussle during a hockey game last Thursday."

Mike laughed, "Ahhh!  A hockey player, eh?  I loved playing hockey but 
unfortunately I was too small.  You definitely don't have that problem.  Who are 
you playing for?"

Dave replied, "I just signed with the QAI Missiles of the Q."  Dave knew Mike 
would know what the Q was.

Mike looked surprised, "A star golfer and major junior hockey player.  I'll make 
sure I don't piss you off."

Dave laughed, "No, I'm a lover, not a fighter."

Mike rolled his eyes jokingly, "Yeah, right! And your face proves that?  I don't 
think so."

An announcer asked the golfers to go to their assigned holes.  It was obvious 
the RCGA had a lot of influence on the draw because their team was teeing off on 
the first hole.  As they walked to the tee Dave immediately noticed the crowd 
was much bigger than the previous day.  Doug explained that the format today was 
different from Monday.  All the players were playing their own balls and the 
best two net scores counted for the team score.  The amateurs were allowed to 
reduce their score by their handicap but both Dave and Chris were scratch 
golfers which meant their handicap was a positive number and they wouldn't get 
any strokes.  Doug was a minus ten handicap which meant he would get one stroke 
on each of the ten hardest ranked holes.  One stroke would be subtracted from 
Doug's actual score on those holes to give his net score.

The round went well for Dave and he shot sixty-eight.  It took some adjustment 
to get used to the large but supportive crowd.  Dave was surprised how well he 
played and he was really pumped about the tournament.  Mike Weir had beat Dave 
by only one stroke and Chris was two strokes higher.  Doug shot eight-one.  
Their team score was twenty under par which placed them in tenth overall.  There 
was a formal meal and presentation after the round and Dave's team each received 
golf shirts for a prize.  Dave and Mike got along really well and Dave was happy 
he got to know Mike before playing with him the next two days.  They talked a 
lot about hockey and the AJGA golf tour which Mike had also played.

Roger showed up during the presentations and he and Dave left shortly after.  
Dave told his dad that Mike was a great guy and he was looking forward to 
playing with him.  Dave had an early tee time on Thursday and a late time on 
Friday.  The draw was in two flights where half teed off early the first day 
while half teed off late.  They switched the following day.  They teed off both 
the front and the back nine similar to how Dave had played in South Carolina.  
Dave's group were teeing off on number ten on Thursday.

Roger and Dave returned to the hotel and went right to bed.  Dave was going to 
call Jennifer and Katherine but decided to call them after his first round.  He 
was tired but he couldn't get to sleep.  He was too excited about playing the 
next day.  He tossed and turned for hours - he visualized every hole over and 
over.  The last time he remembered looking at the clock before he finally dozed 
off was at 2:03.

He woke at 3:23 and looked at the clock again.  He dozed off again but woke and 
looked at the clock at 3:55.  This continued all night as he woke at 4:40, 5:18 
and finally at 6:15.  When the phone rang at six thirty for the wakeup call, 
Dave jumped out of bed and rushed into the shower.  Roger entered the bathroom 
as Dave exited.  Dave pulled on his beige dress pants and his Blackheath Golf 
shirt.  Roger quickly showered and dressed and they ate a good breakfast before 
leaving for the course at seven-fifteen.

When Dave arrived at the course he was going to the practice tee when Randy 
Simpson, the RCGA official he had met the first day, called him into the 
registration tent.  Dave walked in and Randy handed him five dozen Titleist Pro 
V1 golf balls.  Dave asked what they were and Randy explained that all players 
without sponsors received them for the tournament.  Dave asked whether it would 
affect his amateur status or college eligibility and Randy said it wouldn't.

Dave went right to the practice tee and hit balls for forty minutes before going 
to the practice green.  The greens were smooth and Dave felt he adapted to them 
well.  It was eight forty-five when he heard his named called to report to the 
tee.  Roger carried Dave's clubs and they walked to the tenth tee.  Dave's 
stomach was churning and he actually thought he was going to throw up. 

He fought his nerves as he reached the tee and managed to smile at Mike and Bob 
Estes.  They shook hands, exchange scorecards and wished each other luck.  Dave 
looked at both Mike and Bob and both looked excited but not overly nervous.  
Dave walked over to his father; Roger could see the stress in his son's face and 
whispered, "Okay, Dave.  Just focus on your swing mechanics.  Visualize your 
shots and think about smooth swings."

Dave nodded agreement but he kept hearing his mind say, "You're playing the 
Canadian Open with Mike Weir.  This must be a dream."

The crowd was even larger today then it was the previous two days.  There were 
thousands of people standing around the tee.  Dave was happy he didn't have to 
hit first as he listened to Bob Estes get introduced.  Dave had his driver in 
his hand and he took several practice swings trying to focus on his golf instead 
of his stomach which was ready to explode.  

Dave watched Bob hit a solid drive down the left side of the fairway before Mike 
was introduced.  Mike's introduction included his victories and the last 
announcement was his Masters win that previous spring.  Mike strode to the tee 
to loud applause and took his position.  Mike took a couple practice swings then 
stood over his ball.  He focused on his target before looking down at his ball.  
He pulled the driver back half way and stopped in his patented practice swing 
style.  He then concentrated on his ball and took a long full swing.  The ball 
launched off the tee starting down the left side of the fairway and drawing back 
into the middle.  The crowd went crazy and Dave heard lots of yells, "You're the 
man, Mike."

Dave was temporarily distracted watching Mike but the second Mike's ball landed 
in the fairway Dave's mind switched back to him having to hit next.  The 
announcer introduced, "Next on the tee is Dave MacDonald from QAI, Canada.  Dave 
was the runner up in the Ping American Junior Golf Association Open in Hartford 
Connecticut, runner up in Royal Blackheath Junior Invitational in London 
England, winner of the Golf Pride American Junior Golf Association Open in 
Cornelius, North Carolina and winner of the Canadian National Junior Golf 
Tournament in Mont Tremblant, Quebec."

Dave was surprised by the long introduction but he didn't hear much of it as his 
stomach continued to flip-flop nervously.  He heard a loud applause before he 
walked onto the tee and found a nice level area to hit from.  He pushed his tee 
into the ground with a newly marked Pro V1 ball on top.  He stood up and took 
several practice swings.  As he looked down the fairway he was surprised to see 
both sides of the fairway lined with spectators.  He had noticed them when Mike 
and Bob hit but now as he stood over his ball they looked to be standing much 
closer to the fairway.  The spectators hadn't moved but Dave's perception 
changed when he was the one teeing off.

He tried to visualize his shot and he drew the club back smoothly but as he 
drove down through the ball his right hand turned over a little to fast and he 
knew immediately he hooked the ball.  The ball started down the left side of the 
fairway but the hook spin on the ball was turning the ball hard to the left and 
Dave suddenly heard the words he dreaded, "FORE on the left side."  Dave prayed 
his ball wouldn't hit anybody and he watched as a crowd of people on the left 
side of the fairway scramble out of the way.

Dave watched as the area finally cleared and there didn't appear to be a body 
lying on the ground.  Dave sighed as he thought, "At least I didn't kill 
anybody."  He turned to Roger who walked to him and took the driver from his 
hand.  

Roger spoke softly, "Okay, Dave, the first shot is always the hardest.  We're 
okay now.  Just relax."

Dave looked at him if to say, "That's easy for you to say.  You're not the one 
playing."  But he said nothing and simply nodded.

As Dave walked off the tee he noticed Mike looking at him and Mike seemed to be 
waiting for Dave to catch up.  Dave walked towards his ball and as he passed 
Mike, Mike walked beside him.  Mike encouraged Dave, "Dave, I watched you play 
yesterday.  You have a helluva good golf game.  Just relax and enjoy the day.  
Don't worry about the fans; they'll get out of the way.  You're probably not the 
first player to hit one into the crowd today and I guarantee you won't be the 
last.  Just try to make one shot at a time.  You'll find your rhythm.  I'd be 
willing to bet the hockey player you fought with last Thursday is more sore than 
any spectator will be out here today."

Dave smiled at the hockey comment and that seemed to relax him slightly.  He 
thanked Mike as they parted ways and walked towards their respective balls.  
Dave had actually hit his ball very long even though it was off line and when he 
reached his ball he was farther then either Bob or Mike.  Bob was the shortest 
and had to hit first.  The first thing Dave noticed when he reached his ball was 
that the spectators had formed a small tunnel like opening between his ball and 
the green with people standing on both sides of his line to the pin.

After Bob hit, Roger stepped Dave's distance to the pin off and told Dave he had 
one hundred and twenty-five yards left.  Dave was happy that he had a decent lie 
in the heavy rough - the ball was sitting down a little in the long grass but it 
wasn't completely buried.  Dave watched Mike hit a good shot close to the hole.  
The pin was in the middle of the green and Dave knew he had to land the ball on 
the front of the green or even a little short because he could not put any spin 
on the ball out of the rough so it would roll a lot once it landed.

Dave had his pitching wedge in hand because he knew that with the heavy rough he 
would have to hit it full to get it to the green.  The front of the green was 
protected by two sand traps; one on each side.  As Dave stood over his ball he 
realized that the tunnel created by the fans was not very wide - only about 
twenty feet.  He suddenly thought that if he hit a really bad shot he could 
easily hit the fans on either side.  

His thoughts as he stood over his shot were not, "smooth full swing on target" 
but instead "don't hit a bad shot and kill somebody".  Dave finally swung 
nervously at his ball and made solid contact but his lack of focus on his swing 
pushed the ball short and right; his ball landed in the sand trap with a splash 
of sand.  Dave was actually relieved that he didn't hit anyone and was not upset 
at being in the sand trap.  

Dave handed Roger his wedge and they strode up the fairway together.  Roger 
whispered to Dave, "That was a pretty good shot out of the gallery.  Let's get 
our sand shot close and save par."  Dave nodded agreement.

Both Bob and Mike were on the green in two so it was still Dave's turn to hit.  
The ball had buried in the sand and looked like a fried egg with only half the 
ball above the sand.  Dave took his fifty-six degree wedge and waded into the 
sand.  He had landed in several traps over the previous three days and really 
liked the consistent texture.  He lined up his shot with a nice open stance and 
buried his feet deep into the sand.  He took a half practice swing making sure 
he didn't touch the sand with his club - the last thing he needed was a two 
stroke penalty for grounding his club.

He chose his landing spot on the green then looked down at his ball.  He pulled 
the club back and swung hard driving the blade of his wedge deep into the sand 
behind the ball.  He made sure to swing hard though the ball and sand sprayed in 
all directions as the ball popped out of the sand and landed just on the green 
and rolled a short distance before stopping fifteen feet short of the hole.  
Dave knew he had taken too much sand but he was happy the ball was on the green.

Bob was a little farther from the hole than Dave so he was first to putt.  Dave 
handed Roger his wedge as Roger passed him the putter.  Dave walked onto the 
green and marked his ball.  He lined up his putt as he waited for Bob to settle 
on his line.  Dave briefly looked over his shoulder and watched Roger rake the 
trap.

Bob rolled his putt just past the hole then tapped in for par.  Dave circled his 
putt several times before he stood behind his ball and talked the putt over with 
Roger.  They agreed that the break was six inches to the left.  Dave stood over 
his ball and took two practice strokes concentrating on the weight.  He lined up 
to the hole and stroked the ball smoothly.  The ball held its line until the 
last second then darted hard left and rolled just past the left lip of the hole.  
The ball rolled three feet past the hole and Dave chose to mark it.

Mike Weir had a nice eight foot birdie putt and after looking at it from all 
directions he rolled the ball dead centre for an opening birdie.

Dave lined up his putt and was happy that he was now directly below the hole 
with a straight in three-footer.  He settled over the ball and rolled it firm to 
the centre of the hole.  He was relieved to hear it hit the bottom of the cup.  
His first hole was finished and the butterflies had pretty much disappeared.  As 
he walked to the next tee he thought that the best way to avoid hitting through 
another tunnel of fans was to hit the damn fairway off the tee in the first 
place.

The next hole was the long par-four signature hole for the course.  A large 
portion of the crowd was following Mike's group from hole to hole; so as they 
stood on the tee, the crowd was just as large as it had been on the previous 
tee.

Mike had honors with his birdie and he hit a solid drive but the dogleg shaped 
hole curved to the left away from Mike's normal draw and Mike's ball bounced 
into the rough right of the fairway.  Bob was up next and he hit a solid drive 
but his ball also bounced in the rough, this time left of the fairway.

Dave pushed his tee into the ground and looked over the marsh.  He aimed the 
ball just right of the rough line planning to draw the ball around the corner 
and into the middle of the fairway.  He only thought briefly about the fans as 
his focus was on his swing and he visualized his shot.  He pulled the club back 
and drove hard through the ball.  He hit the shot perfectly and the ball 
rocketed off the tee right on line and sailed over the corner of the rough and 
bounced into the middle of the fairway.  

The crowd around the tee went crazy and Dave heard several fans say, "That kid 
hits the ball as far as Tiger."  Dave felt good as he strode off the tee and 
Roger patted him on the back as they walked up the fairway.  Both Mike and Bob 
were deep in the rough and neither player could reach the green in two.  Both 
had to hit irons into fairway to a comfortable distance for their approach 
shots.  

Dave meanwhile was in perfect position as he looked up the fairway to the raised 
green.  The light wind was blowing in his face and Roger stepped off the 
distance.  Dave had one hundred and seventy-eight yards to the pin.  He and 
Roger talked about the small wind and the uphill shot and agreed on hitting a 
full seven iron.  Dave settled over the ball and took a smooth full swing.  The 
ball was right at the pin and Dave thought it had to be close but he couldn't 
tell how close because of the uphill view.

Dave patiently waited for Mike and Bob to hit their third shots.  Both hit good 
shots onto the green.  As Dave walked up the hill to the green he was surprised 
to see that none of the balls were within ten feet of the hole but all were 
within fifteen feet.  Dave already had his putter in his hand and he strolled 
onto the green to determine which ball was his.  The farthest was Mike at 
fourteen feet.  Dave's ball was slightly closer at thirteen feet and Bob's was 
closest at eleven feet.

Mike putted first and missed but tapped in for a bogey.  Dave rolled a good putt 
but the ball rolled over the corner of the hole and wouldn't drop.  He also 
tapped in for par.  Bob missed his par but made his bogey.

Dave was happy to get his first par under his belt and walked to the next tee 
with growing confidence.  The twelfth hole was a shorter par four and Dave chose 
to hit three-wood off the tee.  He pushed the three wood shot and it landed in a 
deep bunker right of the fairway.  Both Mike and Bob hit solid shots up the 
middle.

When Dave got to his ball he couldn't believe his lie.  The ball was right under 
the forward lip of the trap and he could not hit the ball towards the green; he 
was forced to chip the ball at a ninety degree angle, just get the ball back 
into fairway.  He hit his fifty-six degree wedge back into the short grass of 
the fairway.  He was still shaking his head in disbelief of his bad luck when he 
stood over his third shot.  Because of the lack of focus he flew his third shot 
over the green into the rough.

Roger talked calmly to him as they waited for Bob to hit, "Dave, play one shot 
at a time.  You can't change a shot you have already made - so put it behind 
you.  Focus on current shot and make good swings - your score will look after 
itself."  Dave nodded agreement as he watched both Mike and Bob hit onto green.  

When Dave reached his ball, it was buried down in the rough and the pin was only 
ten feet from the back of the green which meant with Dave's long shot, he didn't 
have much room to work with.  He took out his sixty-degree wedge and put a 
smooth full lob shot swing on the ball but the ball came out hot and rolled well 
past the hole.  Bob was away first and missed his long birdie putt and marked 
the remaining four-footer.  Dave missed his twenty-foot bogey put and tapped in 
for a double-bogey six.  Mike missed his twelve-foot birdie putt and settled for 
par.  Bob sank his short par putt.

After three holes Dave was three over par, Mike was even par and Bob was one 
over par.  Dave went to the thirteenth hole with mixed emotions.  He was angry 
at himself for hitting his third shot over the green but he knew he had to put 
that behind him.  He focused on the long par three.  The hole was playing two 
hundred and thirty-two yards and Dave selected his three-iron.  Mike hit his 
shot onto the green while Bob missed the green to the right.  Dave hit a good 
shot that landed fifteen feet from the hole and rolled to twenty feet past the 
hole.

Bob made a good chip and saved par while both Mike and Dave two putted for pars.  
Dave went to the next hole feeling confident again.

After both Mike and Bob hit good drives in fairway, Dave stood up and hammered a 
huge drive down the middle.  The crowd went crazy over his long drive and he 
walked up the fairway pumped with emotion.  Dave made par on the long par four 
as did Mike.  Bob had a bogey.

The next nine holes went well for Dave and he managed to go one under par over 
the nine holes.  After his fourteenth hole he began to feel some fatigue and he 
realized the fitful sleep was starting to catch up with him.  He made bogey on 
the long par three sixth before making par on seven and eight.  He felt really 
tired on the last hole and made a bogey to finish at four over par seventy-four.  
Bob finished with an even par seventy and Mike was one under par sixty-nine.

When the round was completed Mike congratulated Dave on a solid first round.  He 
said, "Dave, you played really well under the circumstances.  This isn't junior 
golf - you are playing against the best golfers in the world.  Four over par is 
a good score."  Dave nodded and followed Mike into the scorer's tent.  They 
reviewed their cards and then signed them.  Dave walked out of the tent and 
talked to his father.  Roger congratulated Dave on a good round but Dave was 
feeling tired and a little frustrated that he finished two over par on the last 
four holes.

He asked his father about leaving and they were walking towards the parking lot 
when Randy, the RCGA official walked up to Dave.  He requested, "Dave, will you 
go to the media tent for some questions before you leave?"  Dave was tired and 
not really in a mood for interviews but he slowly nodded agreement and followed 
Randy.  Roger walked with Dave and told him to try and smile - seventy-four 
wasn't the end of the world.  Dave just nodded dejectedly.

Roger dropped back as Randy and Dave entered the media tent.  Roger moved to the 
side and watched as dozens of reporters and camera people perked up when Dave 
entered.  Dave was shocked to see so many reporters and Randy had to nudge him 
to move him towards the head table.  There was a large Bell Canadian Open sign 
behind the head table and Dave sat down in front of a pool of microphones.

Dave was suddenly excited as another RCGA official announced his arrival, "Dave 
MacDonald from QAI has just joined us.  Dave is the Canadian National Junior 
Champion and he shot seventy-four today.  The first question will go to John 
Thompson from CBS."

Dave noticed a man stand up in the middle of the crowd and he asked, "Dave, you 
had a good round today.  Are you happy with your score?"

Dave smiled at the cameras and replied, "No, actually I'm not happy at all.  I 
can play much better than that.  I don't want to make excuses but I was really 
nervous about the large crowds at first and I took a while to get used to that.  
I was very happy with the middle part of my round but the start and finish were 
awful.  I think I can do better tomorrow."

The RCGA official pointed at another reporter, "Tony Carson, NBC."

Another man stood and asked, "You said you were nervous about the crowds.  How 
large a crowd have you played in front of before today and what were you most 
nervous about?"

Dave looked serious, "I've only played in front of several hundred fans before 
and what I was most afraid of was that I would kill somebody."  Dave was serious 
but the room full of people began laughing and Dave chuckled to make it look 
like it was an intentional joke.

Dave answered questions about his round for another ten minutes and he made 
several jokes as he described his shots.  He noticed that he felt much more 
relaxed as the interview drew to a close.  The RCGA official announced, "And the 
last question goes to Paula Deone from Fox,"

A pretty woman stood and asked, "Dave, how did you get two black eyes?"

Dave smiled, "I'm playing hockey for a major junior team and I got in a fight on 
Thursday with a really big tough player.  We each landed some big punches and I 
ended up with two black eyes."  He chuckled and added, "Next time I'm going to 
try and duck the big punches, they really hurt."  The whole room laughed again 
and the RCGA announcer thanked Dave for his time.  Dave stood and walked out of 
the tent.

Mike Weir was waiting to go in next.  He smiled at Dave, "You sound like a tough 
act to follow.  I never get laughs like that."

Dave chuckled, "That's because you have real talent and they have high 
expectations from you."

Mike looked at Dave seriously, "Dave, you have tremendous talent.  Remember, 
you're only sixteen years old."

Dave shrugged then thanked Mike before he left with his father.  They went to a 
restaurant and had a large meal.  Between the meal and the interview Dave felt a 
little regenerated and when they arrived at the hotel Dave went to work out.  He 
worked out until almost suppertime then he returned to the room to join his 
father.  Roger was watching the Open on television and he explained, "The low 
round so far is sixty-six by Hidemichi Tanaka.  That means you are eight strokes 
back.  Pretty good for a kid from QAI."

Dave smiled, "Not bad at all - but I know I can do better."  Roger agreed and 
they watched the open for another two hours before going for supper.  The late 
supper was relaxing and Dave returned to the room to call Jennifer and 
Katherine.  He spoke to Jennifer first and she said she saw his interview on the 
television.  She told him she was proud of him and loved him.  He thanked her 
and told her he loved her as well.

He then called Katherine and she too had seen his interview.  She explained that 
the Missiles had played two more exhibition games and won one game while losing 
the other.  John was still playing well.  She wished Dave luck and said John 
wanted to wish him luck as well.  Dave told her he loved her and would see her 
soon.  He hung up the phone and lay on the bed thinking how good his life was.

Roger called home and the call was similar to Dave's.  Carol, Beth and Julie had 
all seen the interview and highlights and were all proud of Dave.  Dave talked 
to each briefly before Roger talked with Carol for a while.  Dave watched the 
television for an hour before going to sleep.  He thought about the night he had 
slept with both Katherine and Jennifer and he fell asleep trying to hide his 
hard-on.

He slept really well and woke up at eight o'clock rested and ready to face the 
day.  His tee time was not until twelve-fifteen so he went to the fitness room 
and had a light workout.  He cycled for fifteen minutes before he got in the 
pool and swam fairly hard for twenty minutes.  He returned to the room energized 
and ready for a big day.  Roger had already woken and showered so Dave got right 
in the shower.  When he exited, he pulled on his navy dress pants and his white 
Hawk's Hollow golf shirt.  With his Blackheath golf hat on his head, he was 
ready.  They ate a healthy breakfast before heading to the golf course.

Dave hit balls on the range for over an hour then putted for an hour.  He 
thought he was ready when he heard his name called to the first tee.  Roger 
followed him to the starter's hut.  Dave shook Bob's hand and wished him luck.  
Mike arrived a moment after Dave and after a good luck handshake they exchanged 
cards.

Dave was up first today and he was ready when he was introduced at the first 
tee.  After a generous applause from the crowd Dave pushed his tee in the ground 
and prepared to tee off.  He tagged his first drive right down the middle and 
long.  The crowd went crazy as his ball rolled just inside the one hundred yard 
marker.  Dave waved thanks and walked back to his father grinning.

Mike and Bob both hit good drives but well short of Dave's mammoth shot.  After 
Mike and Bob placed their approach shots on the green, Dave stood over his ball 
with his pitching wedge.  He knew this was not a full swing shot and after Roger 
told him it was ninety-two yards to the pin Dave decided a ten o'clock swing 
would be right.  He focused on his shot and drew the club back to ten o'clock 
then drove through his shot.  The ball flew right at the pin and landed just 
short of the hole - then bounced and rolled two feet past the hole.  The crowd 
roared support and Dave waved and thanked them like an old pro.

Once he reached the green he marked his ball and walked over to his dad.  Roger 
cleaned the ball while they waited for Mike and Bob to finish.  Both two putted 
for par.  Dave placed his ball in front of his marker and lined up his putt.  He 
knocked it dead centre before striding to the next tee full of confidence.  

The rest of the round went really well and when Dave was finished he had shot 
three under par sixty-seven.  He had five birdies, two bogeys and eleven pars.  
He had hit some huge drives all day and quickly became a fan favorite.  He was 
really pleased with his score and was confident that he would make the cut.  
After two rounds the field is usually cut to the top eighty and ties.  Dave was 
confident his two day total score of one over par would probably be enough.  

Both Mike and Bob shot sixty-nine and were in the middle of the pack.  Mike 
congratulated Dave, "I can see why you were mad at that seventy-four - sixty-
seven on this course is a great round for anybody but especially so for a 
junior.  I'll be watching out for you on the weekend."  Mike then smiled at Dave 
and shook his hand.

Dave thanked him as they walked into the scorer's tent to sign their cards.  Bob 
congratulated Dave as well and wished him luck on the weekend as he left the 
scorer's tent.

As soon as Dave walked out of the tent, Randy was waiting for him and asked, 
"Are you ready for the media?  They're waiting for you."

Dave smiled and followed him to the media tent.  Roger walked with Dave and as 
he did the previous day, he dropped back at the entrance then strolled to the 
side.  Dave strode up to the head table full of confidence.  He was surprised 
that there were even more reporters than the previous day.  The RCGA official 
introduced him and selected the first reporter.  The first reporter asked, "You 
played much better today, Dave.  Were you more relaxed?"

Dave answered, "I was definitely more relaxed today.  I had a great sleep last 
night and I wasn't scared I would kill anyone today."  The room laughed and Dave 
continued, "I was confident when I walked to the first tee and after I hit a 
good drive there I just carried that confidence to the rest of my round."

The RCGA official selected another reporter who asked, "Do you think your 
playing partners helped in any way?"

Dave said, "Mike was a fantastic help.  He was really supportive yesterday when 
I was struggling.  But, on the other hand, he has such a huge following here in 
Canada that the big crowd yesterday was a bit of a distraction.  So I guess it 
evens out."

The questions continued for ten minutes before the RCGA official announced, "The 
last question will be from Farhan Lalji, TSN."

Dave was very familiar with Farhan who had interviewed him the previous summer 
in BC and during the spring in Calgary.  Farhan smiled at Dave and said, "Hello, 
Dave, I know from previous interviews that you were hoping to get a golf 
scholarship to a US college.  How is that going and have you selected a college 
yet?  Or have you decided to play hockey instead?"

Dave smiled, "I have a number of golf offers right now but I haven't decided 
where I want to go yet.  I guess I'm still a free agent so to speak.  As far as 
hockey goes, I love to play but I don't think my face could make a career out of 
hockey.  As you can tell I bruise too easy.  Besides, except if I hit a 
spectator with a ball, golf is a much safer sport."

The reporters saw the smile on Dave's face as he said this and laughed at his 
small joke.  Dave thought how the interview today was much more serious with a 
lot fewer jokes and he realized that they were now taking him more seriously.

Dave left the tent with his father and they immediately went out to eat.  After 
a good supper they returned to the hotel to check the scores.  Dave found out 
the cut was three over par making his one over par more than enough.  He saw 
that Chris had shot seventy-one and sixty-eight and also easily made the cut.  
The leader after two rounds was Charles Howell III at five under par.  

Dave went for a short swim to relax.  When he returned to the room he called the 
golf course and found out his tee time was nine-fifteen and he was playing with 
Vijay Singh.  Dave was surprised he was playing with such a big name player and 
checked the scores on the television.  Dave was even more surprised when he 
learned he was actually one stroke ahead of Singh.  He shook his head in 
bewilderment.  

After watching the broadcast of his interview he called both Katherine and 
Jennifer who enthusiastically wished him well.  Katherine said his friends at 
school also wished him well.  Dave fell asleep thinking about his two beautiful 
girlfriends and their warm, soft bodies.