A Golfer's Dream - Book Three The Real Education Begins Written by TheCaddy Disclaimer: This story is entirely fiction. It does not relate to any real person, living or dead. Any similarity to a real person, whether living or dead, is purely coincidental and completely unintended. While actual places are occasionally mentioned in this story, such mention is not to be a basis for conclusion that any part of this story is real, or ever happened. 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 children. The age of consent in Canada is currently fourteen. The story is written purely for entertainment purposes only. Those who are offended by such material are strongly encouraged not to read this. Those who are searching for material which they would proscribe for others should search elsewhere. If you are constrained by law or local authority from reading graphic descriptions of fictional sexual acts between adults and minors, you are required to not proceed further. Pursuant to the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works, this work is copyright with all rights reserved by its author unless explicitly indicated otherwise. This story is protected under U.S. and international copyright law and may not be reprinted, reposted, or otherwise reproduced without express written permission. This story may be posted to appropriate USENET newsgroups for non- commercial use only, as long as it remains entirely intact and unmodified, including all copyright messages and this disclaimer. Chapter Six - Dancing on the Devil's Pulpit Dave woke early and after showering, he went to the Tim Horton's. He was surprised how busy the street was for the early morning hour. He thought about both B.C. and Quebec and how both of those places had been much quieter. He briefly thought about the Asian triplets two years earlier and then about Jennifer the previous year. Finished reviewing the warm memories, he got his mind back on the Canadian Amateur and got focused on his upcoming round. After having a hot chocolate, he met his parents in the hotel restaurant. They ate a healthy breakfast before heading to the course. Dave had a nine o'clock tee- time, so they arrived at the course at eight. He hit balls for a half hour before putting for another thirty minutes. When the starter called his name to go to the first tee he was confident and ready. Dave was introduced to his two playing partners, one was from Quebec, and the other was from Manitoba. Dave was the first to tee off and he stood on the tee feeling nervous but still confident. The first hole was a long par-four with a split fairway separated by sand traps. The raised tee made for a spectacular view - lush green fairways separated by white sand traps bordered on the right side by the deep blue pond with the green countryside visible for miles. Dave stood high on the tee and looked at the areas of risk. He chose the safe side of the fairway on the left side of the sand traps. The fairway on the right side was narrow with water running along the right and the sand traps on the left. Dave first teed up his ball and then stood behind the ball and focused on his shot. He addressed his ball and aimed over the sand traps separating the two fairways. He hit a high solid draw safely down the left fairway. He felt good about his swing and he felt his nerves quickly float away after his good drive. He watched the other two players hit before he and his dad/caddy walked down the hill to the fairway. His mother followed close behind. Dave had hit the longest drive so he had to wait for the other two players to hit before he reached his ball. He watched the Manitoba player miss the green left while the Quebec player hit his second shot onto the green, thirty feet from the hole. Dave had one hundred and seventy-yards to the pin. He decided that his eight- iron would not be enough so he selected his seven iron as his father described the green. Dave listened carefully then stood over his ball ready to take a little off the seven-iron. He aimed just right of the pin and hit the ball perfectly. The ball sailed over the pin and stopped twelve feet past the hole. Dave happily handed his club to his father and strode towards the green. The Manitoba player chipped and two putted for bogey before the Quebec player rolled his first putt four feet past the hole. Dave and his father lined up his putt and talked about the slight right to left break. When they were both happy with the line, Dave stood over the putt and stoked the ball smoothly. The ball rolled towards the right side of the hole and held the line for a long time until it suddenly caught the top lip of the hole and dropped in. Dave mentally said, "Good start, Dave!" but on the outside he looked almost emotionless as he confidently walked to the hole and pulled his ball from the cup. He heard congratulations from the other two players and he thanked them. The Quebec player made his par putt before Dave followed the Manitoba player to the next tee. Dave pulled out his three-wood and looked down the hole. He pushed his tee deep into the ground with the ball on it before he chose his line. He aimed down the right rough and took a smooth full swing. The ball started out just left of his line and drew nicely into the fairway; he ended up on the left side of the fairway with ninety yards to the hole. The other two players hit decent drives with the Quebec player in the middle of the fairway and the Manitoba player in the right rough. Again Dave was the longest off the tee and he had to wait for the other two players to hit. The Manitoba player missed the green again, while the Quebec player hit his shot fifteen feet from the hole. Dave selected his pitching wedge and he briefly thought about his time in England the previous year when he perfected the partial swing on his wedge. He knew he had to swing the club to ten o'clock on the swing dial. He confirmed the line with his father and he stood over the ball confidently. He put a perfectly smooth swing on the club. The ball flew right at the pin, landed ten feet long before sucking back six feet. He only had four feet for his second straight birdie. Dave passed his club to his father and, without emotion, nodded at him then advanced to the green. The Manitoba player made his up and down this time for par before the Quebec player lipped out for birdie and tapped in for par. Dave rolled his short birdie putt dead middle. Dave finished the front nine with one more birdie and six pars for a three under par thirty-two. He continued to strike the ball well on the back but he didn't make many putts. He two-putted the eighteenth hole for par and one under par thirty-five back nine for a total of sixty-seven. As he was walking up the last hole he noticed several camera crews taping the golfers as they finished play. He knew the first two days were mainly about qualifying for the match play and he was sure a sixty-seven was a very good start. He suspected that a few players would get hot and shoot the lights out, but his goal was to complete two solid rounds without taking huge risks. He expected that another round under seventy would give him a top-ten seed and that was his goal. He left the course with his parents and they went out for supper. Both his mother and father congratulated him on a good round and he thanked them. His father knew of his goal for two rounds under seventy so they never talked about that. His tee time the next day was later in the morning so he and his parents decided to go see a Toronto Blue Jays' baseball game. The game against Boston was an exciting two-one pitcher's duel; it was a fantastic distraction for Dave. He relaxed and briefly forgot about his golf but, as soon as he left the Sky Dome, his thoughts returned to golf. He arrived back at the motel late and Mike was sleeping due to his early tee-time the next day, so Dave quietly slipped into the room and went to sleep. He heard the phone ring early for Mike who quietly slipped out of bed. Dave fell back to sleep and woke an hour later. He had a relaxing shower before going to the Tim's down the street. He rolled each hole through his mind as he got ready for the day. He was relaxed and focused when he left the coffee shop. His parents were waiting in the hotel restaurant when he arrived. He ate a large meal before they all left for the course. Dave went straight to the leader board to see where he stood. He was happy to see there were only four players ahead of him. As he expected, an Ontario player had an incredible round of sixty-three. There were two players with sixty-five and one player with sixty-six. He looked to see how his teammates played and he was pleased to see Mike had shot seventy, Jeff seventy-one, and Dustin Carragher seventy-nine. Dave looked to see the team standings and was very happy to see the Island team was sitting in third. The Island team had never finished in the top five and Dave was hoping they could change that. He went to the practice range and prepared for his round. He was putting on the practice green when called to the first tee. He got to the tee and met his playing partners for the round. One was from Ontario and the other was from Newfoundland. Dave was hitting third so he watched the other two players tee off before he moved to the tee. Both players found the left fairway. Dave again chose the safe line and hit a good drive down the left side well past both of his playing partners. His approach shot to the green landed fifteen feet from the hole and he two-putted for par. The Ontario player made par as well and he hit first on the second hole. Dave hit second because the Newfoundlander made bogey. Dave birdied number two and continued consistent play for the rest of the round. He made three more birdies and one bogey for a very good round of sixty-eight. He was in one of the later groups of the day so he checked the leader board when he finished and was very pleased to see he was in fourth position overall. The leader was the Ontario player who shot the same as Dave, sixty-eight in round two, and was leading by two strokes. Dave checked the team board. He was happy to see Mike shot seventy-one while Jeff shot seventy-four. Dustin shot eighty-two. There were still a few provincial team players on the course but the Island team was looking good for a third place finish. The Ontario team was dominating and the BC team was close behind with the QAI team fighting with the Quebec team for third. Mike joined Dave at the leader board. He congratulated, "Good round, Dave. We both qualified for the match play. Jeff is close but it doesn't look like he will make it." Dave thanked, "Thanks, Mike; great round yourself. How many groups left to come in?" Mike replied, "Eight more groups; the top seven players from yesterday are all in, so you should be safe for fourth place. I should be in the middle of the draw. I will likely have an early tee time while you will have a late one again. Did you get back to sleep this morning?" Dave nodded, "Yes, I did. Thanks for being quiet." "Just returning the favor; I hardly heard you, yesterday." Dave nodded, "Thanks, I'm going to supper with my parents again but I should be back to the room early. I'll see you later." Mike replied, "I'm staying until the draw for tomorrow is completed so I will let you know when you tee off." Dave thanked Mike again then found his parents and they went out for supper. Dave returned to his room early and Mike told him that his tee-time was eleven- forty while Mike had to tee off at eight-twenty. Mike further explained that Jeff finished sixty-third and teed off two groups behind Dave against the number two seed from B.C. Dave and Mike watched television for a couple hours before they went to sleep. Dave again heard the wakeup call for Mike very early and again he managed to go back to sleep. Dave woke at seven o'clock and spent a half hour at Tim's getting ready for his first round of match play. He reflected on his previous matches in the Tuesday group and he silently thanked the pro at Hornsby who gave up his place in the Tuesday group so Dave would play match play on a regular basis. The group included most of the top players at Hornsby and they played match play every week. Dave learned a lot about the totally different game of match play. Your score over eighteen holes was totally irrelevant in match play. Each hole was like a separate game and the player who won more holes than the other player won the match. If a player was leading by more holes than remained to be played, the match was immediately over. When a two number score is given in match play, the first number is the number of holes won and the second number is the number of holes still to be played. A player was either up - meaning he was leading, or down - meaning he was losing. So if a score were four and three, that meant the player was four holes ahead with only three holes remaining - the match was over. Dave returned to the restaurant and ate breakfast with his parents. They left for the course at eight o'clock but didn't arrive until just before nine o'clock. Traffic around Toronto was unlike anything Dave had ever seen - it was bumper to bumper on the in town lane but luckily they were going against the traffic. Dave could not imagine living in such a crazy environment. When they arrived at the course, Dave went straight to the practice range and hit balls for an hour. After putting for another hour, he went into the clubhouse and ate a quick sandwich before he met his father at the first tee. Dave hadn't talked strategy with his father because he didn't want to go with a set plan. He wanted to adjust his play based on his competition and the situation. Dave was introduced to his opponent, Kevin Much, an Ontario player who wasn't on the provincial team but qualified through a local tournament. Dave was the lower seed so he teed off first. He stood on the first tee and looked at the right fairway. He reconsidered it but chose the left fairway. He pushed his tee into the ground and focused on his shot. After his pre-shot routine, he stood over the ball and hammered a huge drive down the left fairway. Kevin hit his ball down the left side as well but far short of Dave's mammoth drive. Kevin then missed the green left. Dave's ball was inside the one hundred and fifty yard marker so he pulled out his nine-iron. He put a perfect swing on the ball and it sailed over the pin and sucked straight back. The ball finished one foot from the hole. Dave strode to the green confidently, he was about to mark the ball when Kevin said, "That's good." Dave nodded and picked up his ball. Kevin now had to make the chip to halve the hole. He hit a good chip but the ball rolled past the hole. He picked the ball up and followed Dave to the next hole. Dave was one up. The front nine went well for Dave; he had two more birdies and six pars. Kevin felt the pressure and gave up five more holes on the front. He was very intimidated by Dave's huge drives so Dave focused on hitting fairways and greens - he let Kevin lose the match on his own. Dave made a par on number ten while Kevin bogeyed. Dave was now seven and eight. All he had to do was halve two holes or win one and the match was over. They both made par on eleven which left the match dormie which meant that Kevin had to win every remaining hole to tie the match. Extra holes would then be required to determine a winner. Dave again hit a solid drive on eleven and Kevin hit a good drive as well. Kevin thought he needed a birdie so he went right at the pin. He hit his best shot of the day and it finished two feet from the hole. Dave stood over his one hundred and thirty yard shot and hit a solid wedge to seven feet. As they neared the green Dave could see that Kevin's ball was very close. Kevin had putted fairly well all day so Dave simply nodded at him and said, "Pick it up, Kevin." Kevin nodded and picked up his ball. Dave and his father eyed up the putt and, when they had settled on the line, Dave stood over the ball. Dave was confident he could make the putt. He focused on his usual, "Straight back; straight through" then stroked a solid putt dead middle. The clunk of the ball hitting the back of the cup was truly sweet. Dave did a very simple hand clench as he nodded and whispered "yes" - he didn't do any hand pumps or any hoorays. He then simply walked to Kevin and put out his hand. Kevin congratulated, "Good round, Dave. You were too much for me today. Good luck in the next round." "Thanks, Kevin." Dave then turned and shook his father's hand. "Thanks, Dad." Dave, his father and mother and Kevin walked back to the clubhouse together. Mike was standing on the balcony waiting for Dave. Dave simply smiled at Mike and Mike put a thumbs-up to indicate he had advanced as well. When Dave reached the balcony he asked, "Any word on Jeff?" Mike nodded, "Jeff was one-up through ten holes. He's always tough in match play." Dave nodded as he knew full well how good Jeff was at match play. Both Jeff and Mike played in the Tuesday group and they had played some great matches against each other over the summer. Dave told his parents he wanted to wait and see how Jeff did before they left. They all went to the restaurant in the clubhouse and ate. It was well over an hour when Mike and Dave saw Jeff playing down the last hole. Word quickly spread that the match was all even. Jeff's opponent hit his second shot twenty feet from the hole. Jeff's drive was farther and he hit his approach shot second - his ball stopped twelve feet from the hole. Dave thought that Jeff was in the driver's seat because he had the shorter birdie putt but his opponent sank his twenty-foot putt first. Jeff's twelve-foot putt suddenly seemed like forty feet. He stroked it solidly but the ball rolled over the corner and past the hole. Jeff turned to his opponent and shook hands - he was out of the tournament. Dave and his parents went out for supper before returning to the hotel early. Dave had to play early in the morning and if he won the morning match he would have to play another match in the afternoon. Mike was already in the room and they talked about their matches and their opponents the next morning. They both went to sleep early. The two matches went well the next day for Dave. He led both matches early and never gave up the lead. The morning match ended four and three while the afternoon match appeared closer at three and two. Dave's opponent in the afternoon match knew all about Dave's golf the previous year at the Canadian Open and seemed distracted from his own game. Dave played conservatively after he was up two holes and matched his skilled but distracted opponent, easily. After shaking hands to concede the match, Dave's opponent asked him about playing with Vijay Singh and Mike Weir. As they walked back to the clubhouse, Dave told him all about the Open and described playing with the pros. They shook hands again at the clubhouse before Dave went looking for Mike. Mike had won his morning match and, like Dave, made it to the final sixteen - but his afternoon match was against the sixth seed and he struggled. He lost four and three. Dave found him and Mike described his round to Dave. Dave consoled Mike but Mike was pleased to make the top sixteen. He told Dave to keep grinding and win it all for the Island. Dave again left the course with his parents - they went to supper. They arrived back at the hotel at nine-thirty and Dave went right to bed. He woke the next morning early and went to Tim's. He decided to continue his conservative, consistent play in his morning match. He met his parents at the restaurant before going to the course. Dave practiced hard and was ready when his name was called to the first tee. He again had honors because he was the lower seed, so he stood on the tee and hit a solid drive down the left side of the fairway. His ball stopped one hundred and sixty yards from the hole. Dave's opponent was Ben Carson from B.C. Ben stood on the first tee and hammered a solid drive down the right fairway and his ball stopped one hundred and thirty yards from the pin. Ben's aggressiveness surprised Dave and Dave immediately felt as if he had been thrown back on his heels. He only hit a fair approach shot thirty feet from the hole while Ben stuck his shot at six feet. Dave two- putted for par before Ben knocked his birdie putt in for a one-up lead. Dave was trailing a match for the first time at the Amateur. Ben hit a good drive on number two before Dave hit a poor three wood. He ended up in the rough on the left side then missed his approach shot to the right of the green. Ben hit another great second shot to eight feet. After Dave chipped to six feet, Ben rolled in another birdie - Dave was two down through two holes. Dave was totally off balance and he continued to struggle on the front. His Dad tried to get Dave to relax and focus but it didn't work. Dave was four down at the turn before he halved ten and eleven but Ben won twelve making the match five and six. Dave knew he was in big trouble - he had to regroup. He walked away from the par-five thirteenth tee and put his head in his hands. He dug deep into his mind and focused on his swing. He then strode up onto the raised thirteenth tee and, after Ben had hit a solid drive down the middle, Dave hammered a huge drive down the left side. Ben had a long carry to the green so with a five-up lead he chose to lay-up and try to make birdie with a good approach shot. He hit a high iron to the one-hundred yard marker. Dave only had one hundred and ninety yards to the hole so he pulled out his six-iron and went through his pre-shot routine. He stood over his ball and put a smooth swing on the club. The ball landed just short of the hole and rolled six feet past. Ben hit a good approach shot then knocked in his eight-foot putt for birdie. Dave stood over his six footer knowing that if he missed the putt, the match would be dormie and he would have to win the remaining five holes just to tie. Dave and his father talked about the line; then Dave stood over the ball and rolled it dead centre. Dave subtly clinched his fist - he was now only four down with five left and he felt his confidence return. Ben seemed to sense a swing in the momentum - his earlier consistent play became more erratic and Dave won both the fourteenth and fifteenth holes to reduce the lead to two and three. After Dave made a good shot ten feet from the hole on the par-three sixteenth, Ben hit his shot to fifteen feet. Ben missed his birdie and Dave gave him the remaining one footer. Dave rolled his putt over the corner of the hole but it wouldn't drop. Ben gave Dave the remaining putt and they walked to seventeen dormie. Dave knew he had to win the last two holes then try to win in extra holes. Dave hit another huge drive down seventeen before Ben hit a decent drive into the fairway well short of Dave. Ben hit his second shot onto the green twenty feet from the hole while Dave hit a wedge to six feet. Ben missed his putt before Dave rolled his birdie putt in. He was now one down with one to play. Eighteen was a very long par four and Dave hit a good drive up the middle while Ben pushed his drive in the rough to the right. From the rough, Ben hit his second shot in the sand-trap left of the green. Dave hit a good five-iron fourteen feet from the hole. Dave walked to the green and marked his ball before he moved to the edge of the green and watched Ben hit his third shot from the sand. Ben's shot finished six feet from the hole; the pressure was on Dave. If Dave missed and Ben made, the match was over. Dave and his father spent a lot of time reading the putt and when they were happy with the line Dave went into his routine. He stood over his ball and stroked the ball smoothly. The ball hung on the line a long time before catching the lip of the hole and rolling around the hole and out the lower side. The ball stopped an inch from the hole. Dave stared at his ball in disbelief. He heard Ben say, "Pick it up." Dave walked over and picked up his ball. He then moved to the side of the green with his father to watch Ben. Dave was convinced his tournament was over. Ben had putted solidly all day and Dave thought Ben would make it. Silently, Dave was wishing for a miss. Ben and his caddie circled the putt a couple of times before Ben settled over his ball. He hit the putt firm and it never took the break and rolled over the top corner of the hole. Dave quietly sighed relief but remained emotionless. It was playoff time. They walked straight to hole number one and Dave was now full of confidence. He chose his line along the waterline to the right of the right-hand fairway. Dave hit another huge drive and his ball rolled inside the one-hundred yard marker. Having lost his advantage in regular play, Ben now seemed shaky as he stood over his ball; he hooked his drive into a sand trap separating the two fairways. Dave strode down the hill beside his father and they walked towards his ball. His mother was trailing close behind. They stopped to watch Ben hit his second shot. Ben's ball was sitting awkwardly in the trap, one-hundred and fifty yards from the hole. Ben and his caddie debated laying up or hitting safely to the left of the green but Ben thought he needed a birdie to halve Dave. He aimed an eight-iron right at the pin but he pushed the shot and the ball hit the bank beside the green before it bounced into the water. Ben banged his club on the ground before he walked towards the green. He knew he could drop his ball where it had bounced into the lateral hazard. Dave walked with his father to his own ball. He pulled out his sixty degree wedge and prepared to hit the ball. He knew he was now in the driver's seat as Ben would be chipping his fourth shot. If Dave could hit his ball close he would force Ben to make his chip. Dave put a smooth swing on the ball and it stopped five feet from the hole. Mentally he celebrated but outwardly he appeared emotionless. His father said, "Great shot, Dave." Ben dropped a new ball and knew full well he had to make the chip just to have a chance to tie. He read the line of the putt then settled over his shot. He hit a good chip but the ball missed the pin and rolled past the hole. Sudden death was over. Ben walked to Dave and shook his hand as he conceded the match, "Good match, Dave." Dave sighed in relief and simply replied, "Thanks, Ben. You too." Dave shook Ben's caddie's hand then turned to his father and shook his hand as well. Roger picked Dave's ball up and they walked back to the clubhouse. Mike had been following Dave most of the day and he strode up to Dave and said, "Great job battling back, Dave. A match is never over until it's over - you fought back hard. You're in the final four." Dave nodded as he knew he had dodged a bullet. He would definitely have to rethink his play-it-safe strategy. Dave went in the clubhouse and ate a good dinner with his parents. He was mentally tired but he knew he had to get ready for his afternoon semi-final match. He relaxed for an hour before he went to hit balls to warm up again. Dave now had to play the fifth seed and he decided to play very aggressively. He hit his drive on the first hole down the narrow right fairway and started with a birdie to go one up. He continued his strong aggressive play and was four up through nine holes. He finished off the match when he won the thirteenth hole going six up. Dave shook his opponents hand and thanked him for the match. Dave's confidence had returned and he was ready for the final thirty-six hole match. Dave and his parents left the course as soon as Dave finished and they went for supper. Dave was happy to make the final two because he fully qualified to play in the Canadian Open again. He talked excitedly to his parents about qualifying for the Open and he was very content just to have qualified. He even said, "I don't care what happens tomorrow. I'm going back to the Open." His father quickly retorted, "Yes, Dave, you are fortunate to be going back to the Open; but you are in the final of the Canadian Amateur. Stay focused on winning the title - you worked hard to get this opportunity; don't lose your focus." Dave nodded agreement as he thought about the Amateur. He knew his father was right; he had to remain focused on this tournament. Dave went back to his room and got a good night sleep. Dave woke in the morning refreshed and ready for the big day. He went to Tim's and got ready. He was psyched and focused when he left the coffee shop. After a large breakfast he and his parents went right to the course. The traffic was light on Sunday morning; they arrived at the course early and Dave warmed up for the final day. He was still putting when he was called to the first tee. He had noticed the camera crews off and on all week but there were more crews and more reporters around the first tee than Dave had seen all week. The cameras crews taped him and Darren Walters teeing off on the first hole. Darren was the number-three seed, so he had honors. He took the safe line down the left fairway before Dave stood up and hammered a huge drive down the right fairway. Darren hit his approach shot onto the green fifteen feet from the hole. Dave hit a great sixty-degree wedge to three feet. Darren missed his birdie putt and Dave gave him the remaining two-footer. Dave and his father talked about the line briefly but Dave basically planned to hit the short putt firm to the middle. He focused on "straight back, straight through." He pulled the putter back and the ball hit the back of the hole firmly and dropped straight down. Dave celebrated the first hole mentally before he advanced to the second tee. Dave hit a solid three wood then another great approach shot. He birdied the second hole to win it as well. He cruised through the front nine easily and was three up at the turn. Number ten, however, changed the tone of the match when Darren made a great birdie while Dave made par. Darren then proceeded to win three more holes on the back and finished the first eighteen holes one up. Dave had a bite to eat during the short break but his stomach was churning and he soon wished he hadn't eaten. When he reached the first tee, he watched as Darren hit a solid drive down the right fairway. Dave followed his lead but his drive drew too much and he ended up in the sand trap on the left side. Dave was still farther so he watched as Darren hit a good approach shot to six feet. Dave had a full sand wedge to the green and he hit it well. It landed beside the pin but sucked back fifteen feet. Dave stood over his fifteen-footer thinking he was in trouble. He didn't want to give Darren the momentum on the first hole. Dave and his dad had talked about the line before Dave stood over the ball and rolled a perfect putt into the hole. Dave was very pleased and he felt the momentum swing back to his side. Darren rolled his putt to the lip and the ball just fell in but a lack of confidence in the putt showed on Darren's face. Both hit good drives on number two before good approach shots left Dave with an eight-footer and Darren with a five-footer. Dave again rolled his putt in but Darren missed. The match was back to even and Dave had honors on number three. With the camera crews following every shot, Dave won the fourth, seventh, eight and tenth holes to go four up. He held his four up lead through eleven and twelve before he hit a huge drive down thirteen. Darren hit a good drive as well and then hit a great five iron to fifteen feet. Dave only had an eight iron to the long par five and he hit it perfectly to six feet. Darren missed his eagle putt and Dave gave him the short birdie putt. Dave talked his line over with his father and then rolled the putt in smoothly for eagle three. Dave subtly clenched his fist before he moved to the fourteenth hole. Dave now had Darren dormie and the last thing he wanted to do was let him back in the match, so Dave hit an aggressive but solid tee shot on the par-four fourteenth. The ball settled beside the one-hundred yard marker. Darren was evidently feeling the pressure as he stood up and pushed his tee shot to the right and into the rough; but he hit a very good recovery shot that finished fifteen feet from the hole. Dave hit his sixty-degree wedge smoothly to within eight feet. Dave strode to the green confident he could make the birdie if he had to - but Darren would have to make his putt first. Dave watched as Darren circled his line several times before settling over his ball. He stroked it smoothly and the ball was headed straight at the hole but at the last moment it fell off line and lipped out. Dave said, "Pick it up." as he now knew all he had to do was two- putt, so he concentrated hard on the weight. He and his father talked about the putt and Dave lined up his ball before he stroked it gently at the hole. He was putting dead weight and the ball rolled to within six inches of the hole and stopped. He knew Darren would make him putt for the win, so he walked to his ball, lined it up, and tapped it in for the victory. He dropped his putter, put his hands straight in the air, and celebrated his winning the tournament. He turned to his father and they hugged. Dave then turned to Darren and shook his hand. He said, "I'll see you at the Open next month." Darren simply nodded before he turned and walked away dejectedly. One of the camera crews pulled Dave aside and he did an interview right on the green. Dave did two more television interviews before he hugged his mother then started walking back to the clubhouse. Two more newspaper reporters peppered him with questions as he walked with them. He was very happy to win and Mike, Jeff, and Dustin all congratulated him. When he reached the clubhouse the formal presentation of the Canadian Amateur trophy followed and Dave posed for a lot of pictures. The victory ceremony lasted for over thirty minutes and Dave was actually tired of doing interviews when he finally left the course with his parent. He had complimented the Devil's Pulpit Golf Course so many times that he started to wonder if the reporters would think he had been paid an advertising fee. The simple truth was Dave considered the Pulpit to be the nicest course he had ever played. Dave had noted that Farhan Lalji who had interviewed him for TSN many times was not one of the interviewers. He and his parents went for supper before returning to the hotel and getting ready for their flight in the morning. When Dave got back to his room Mike was watching the news and Dave saw the coverage of his victory. Mike said, "You're a great golfer, Dave. You played tough against very good competition. You will do really well at Wake Forest." Dave thanked Mike and they talked about his round for a while before they went to sleep. The next day the flight passed quickly and Dave was happy to be walking into the Edwardton Airport. His sisters and friends were waiting for him and there were also several reporters from the local newspaper and television station. He hugged his family and shook hands with his friends. John was there and Dave arranged to go out that evening because it was his last night on QAI. Dave did several interviews before he and his family went home. Dave was well- rested, so he spent a couple of hours packing the family van for the trip the next day. He packed a television and lots of supplies for his room. His mother was cleaning all his clothes from the week in Toronto so he couldn't pack his clothes. He had received his residence appointment two weeks earlier and it seemed fitting that he was in the Palmer residence - named after the famous golfer Arnold Palmer. His roommate was Colby Henderson. Dave knew nothing else about his new roomie. After supper Dave had a shower and got cleaned up for the night out. John picked him up and they headed to the hockey rink. John was proud of his friend for winning. Dave asked how the Missiles training camp was going. Dave knew that camp had started that morning and that NHL training camps started after Major Junior trainings camps. Most drafted players attended the junior camps before going to the NHL camps. John explained that practices that day were very tiring but he was happy not to have to play in the rookie games. When they walked into the rink to watch the first of the rookie games, Dave was approached by all the returning Missile players. They asked him if he had changed his mind but he said no that he was leaving the next day for North Carolina. They knew about his Amateur victory and congratulated him. He and John then sat down and watched the game. John explained that there were a couple of good Islanders trying out and they had a good shot at making the team. The puck had only been dropped thirty seconds before the first fight broke out. The two combatants squared off and fought hard. The game lasted ninety minutes and there were fifteen fights in total. The games were not regulation length because it was only training camp and there were three teams meaning one team had to play twice in a day. John said, "I remember last year, I fought four times the first night. These games are about proving you're tough enough to handle the rough going. That is unless you are incredibly talented. The fighters only fight with willing opponents." Dave nodded as he quickly realized there were two types of players trying out for the team. The really talented players didn't fight but they couldn't show that they were afraid. The borderline players literally fought for a position. Dave and John stayed for the whole game before they left for McDonalds. Most of Dave's friends knew he was going to be at McDonalds and he was happy to say goodbye to them. Katherine was there and she kissed him goodbye. Dave and John were just leaving when Rebecca walked in. Dave asked John if he had a few more minutes and his friend simply nodded. Rebecca and Dave found an empty booth before Rebecca explained, "Dad said to say congratulations. He was really pleased when you won the Amateur. Congratulations from me, as well. The brats still think you should be playing with the Missiles but they said goodbye too." Dave nodded as she continued, "Have a great winter. I will miss you and I'll be thinking about you." Dave replied, "I will be thinking of you too. I already miss you." She stood and walked around the table as he stood to hug her. She kissed him tenderly then said, "Take care of yourself, Dave. I love you, goodbye." He whispered, "I love you too, goodbye. Say goodbye to Riley and Robbie, too." She nodded as her eyes misted over and she went to find her friends. Dave found John and they took off. John drove Dave home and when he stopped in the driveway he turned the car off. He turned to his friend and said, "Dave, you have been my best friend for a long time. It's going to be strange not to have you around to talk to. I'll really miss you." Dave nodded as John continued, "Have a great time down there and show them how Islanders play golf." Dave thanked, "Thanks, John, I'll miss you too. Good luck in Anaheim and show them how Islanders play hockey." They shook hands then Dave got out of the car and said, "Goodbye, John." "Goodbye, Dave." Dave went into the house and finished packing. He finished packing his clothes and various other supplies so he would be ready to load them into the van in the morning. He went to bed. He tossed and turned thinking about Wake Forest and what his roommate would be like before he finally dozed off thinking sensual thoughts driven by the memory of Rebecca's fiery red bush.