A Golfer's Dream - Book Three The Real Education Begins    Written by TheCaddy

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Chapter Eight - A Tough Decision - New Highs - New Lows

Dave had a very difficult decision to make and he thought about it all evening.  
He had promised Doug Ross that he would participate in the Open and keeping that 
promise weighed heavy on his mind.  He finally decided to call his father for 
advice.  He phoned home and his mother answered.  They talked about his first 
two days of classes then about his team.  Dave eventually asked to speak to his 
father.

Roger asked questions similar to those Dave had just answered for his mother.  
Dave had been chatting to his father for at least ten minutes before he finally 
broached the key issue and asked, "Dad, I need your advice.  You know I 
qualified for the Canadian Open.  On Monday, Coach Dawes gave me permission to 
go; so I called Doug Ross this week and accepted.  He called back yesterday and 
asked for my assurance that I was going because he had some important sponsors 
who wanted to play in the pro-am with me.  I gave him that assurance; but today 
Coach Dawes said our schedule has changed and we are now playing our first 
tournament the same weekend as the Open.  I'm really torn because I want to play 
the Open but I feel a commitment to the team.  What should I do?"

Roger listened intently and after a brief pause he asked, "Did Coach Dawes talk 
to you about the schedule change?"

Dave replied, "Yes, he told me he realized there was a conflict and he said I 
could chose where I wanted to play - but he hoped I would play with the team."

Roger sighed, "I see.  He hasn't forbidden you from going but he wants you to 
play with the team."  Roger made a few "hmm" sounds before he continued, "Dave, 
I can't tell you what to do.  You made a promise to Doug Ross but I am sure he 
would understand if you told him your college golf schedule changed.  You also 
have a commitment to a college which is paying your tuition and residence fees.  
It is a very difficult decision.  My only advice is: think it through thoroughly 
and then be prepared to deal with the consequences of whichever decision you 
make."

Dave had been hoping for more but his father left the decision to him.  He 
thanked his father before he said his goodbyes.

Dave thought a lot about what to do and his final decision was based on his 
previous year's experience.  He remembered that Coach Vigneault was not happy 
when he left the hockey team to play golf but Dave made it up by playing his 
heart out and having a very good year with the Missiles.  He decided he would go 
to the Open but he would promise Coach Dawes that he would not play any other 
PGA tournaments and that he would work extra hard when he returned.

Dave had Coach Dawes' home number so he called him to say he decided to keep his 
commitment to play the Canadian Open.  Coach Dawes did not sound very happy with 
Dave's decision but Dave assured him he would make it up to him and the team 
when he returned.  Dave hung up the phone, nervous about the coach's reaction, 
but he was happy that he was going to the Open.  He really wanted to prove to 
himself that he could compete.

On Saturday, Dave practiced with the team.  Word had quickly spread that he had 
chose the Canadian Open over the team event.  Keith gave Dave some nasty looks 
but he didn't actually say anything.  At supper that night, Darcy was very quiet 
and Dave suspected that Keith was giving him a hard time because of their 
friendship.  Alec however was his same old self and after Darcy left early, Dave 
asked Alec, "Did I make a mistake choosing the Open over the college 
tournament?"

Alec replied, "Keith's been looking for a reason to oppose you since you signed 
your letter of intent last year.  He played in the shadow of Jerry Dawes last 
year and he is frightened you will overshadow him this year.  Fuck him!  Coach 
Dawes didn't come out and say you had to play, so it was your decision.  We'll 
survive one tournament without you."

Dave sighed in relief, "Thanks, Alec.  I really needed to hear that."

Dave and Alec talked for another half hour before Dave said, "I have to hit the 
books.  I need to get ahead on my classes."  Alec said he would see him in the 
morning.

Dave studied hard all evening.  He had reviewed what little had been covered in 
his first classes and started on what was to be covered in his next classes.  He 
eventually crawled into bed and went to sleep.  He tossed and turned, thinking 
about the team's reaction but he eventually fell asleep.

He woke early to find Darcy waiting for him.  They ate some cereal before going 
to the golf center.  Alec arrived shortly after and they hit balls for two hours 
before the team started to show up.  Dave helped Darcy a little but Alec didn't 
need any help with his technique.  The team practiced together for two more 
hours before they went to Tanglewood for a round of golf.  Dave was paired up 
with Carl and Tony and one of the other sophomores on the team, Rob.

Dave played really well and shot sixty-five - he was focused because he thought 
he had something to prove.  While they played, Coach Dawes and Coach Toombs 
walked with them and talked about their games and their approaches to various 
situations.  Dave immediately noticed that Coach Dawes was staying clear of him 
and that Coach Toombs seemed to be the only one making comments to Dave.  When 
they all finished, Coach Dawes called them into a conference room in the 
clubhouse and reviewed their play.  He talked about situations and how he 
recommended players deal with each situation.  He read out all the scores from 
highest to lowest.  Dave was the lowest by three strokes with Keith second at 
sixty-eight.  Coach Dawes finished by saying they had a good opening week of 
training but a lot of work still needed to be done.  He then sent them on their 
way.

Dave was driving back to campus with Alec and Darcy.  As they were walking out 
of the conference room Darcy said, "Great round, Dave."

Keith was just behind Darcy and he remarked, "Tournament play is much different 
than casual rounds at Tanglewood.  Just ask Alec.  But then again Dave won't 
know that because he's not going to our first event, is he?"

Both Dave and Alec gave Keith a dirty look but they kept going rather than cause 
a scene.

Dave studied hard all evening.  He woke early the next morning and after he 
practiced with Alec and Darcy, he went to class.  His classes went well as he 
had read the material being covered the night before and that really seemed to 
help.  He practiced with the team and Keith continued to be sarcastic towards 
Dave.  After practice Dave went back to his room and studied hard all evening.

That routine continued right through Thursday.  Dave worked hard on his studies 
and he was confident he had a good start in each course.  Friday and Saturday 
were filled with more practice and study.  Dave practiced with the team on 
Sunday morning but just before lunch, instead of going to Tanglewood, he took a 
taxi to the airport in Greensboro.

The flight to Toronto passed quickly and Dave arrived late in the afternoon.  
When he walked out the front door there was a man holding a sign with his name, 
so Dave introduced himself.  The driver took Dave's bags and put them in the 
back of the long black limo.  The drive to the hotel was shorter than the 
previous year because they were playing at Glen Abbey this year and it was only 
half as far as Hamilton.  The driver helped Dave with his bags while Dave went 
to the front desk.  He received a swipe card for his room and was told his 
parents had already checked in.  Dave asked what room they were in and the front 
desk clerk looked at him strangely and replied, "They are in the same suite as 
you, sir."

Dave nodded, surprised that he was in a suite; he then followed the bellhop who 
had taken his bags from the chauffeur.  Dave's suite was on the top floor and, 
when he walked into his room, his mouth dropped open in surprise.  The suite was 
huge with a large living area.  There were two doors that Dave assumed were 
bedrooms.  The room reminded Dave of the suite he stayed in with Roxanne and 
Sarah while they were in France.  His reverie was broken as his parents stood up 
from the couch, walked to him then hugged him lovingly.  He asked, "Like the 
room?"

His mother gushed, "It's spectacular.  The RCGA are really showing you how to 
live."

Dave simply nodded before he asked, "Have you eaten?"

His mother said they had been waiting for him, so they went down to the 
restaurant.  Dave couldn't believe the high prices and he was happy that the 
RCGA was paying for it.  After supper they went back to the room and talked 
about his first two weeks of college.  He explained that he had made a really 
good friend named Alec.  He said a few of his teammates were giving him a hard 
time about the Open but he could deal with it.  His mother surprised him when 
she produced a patch of a Canada flag.  She offered to sew it on his new Wake 
Forest golf bag and he gladly accepted.  He felt proud to have the flag on his 
golf bag.  They talked until ten o'clock when Dave said, "I'm going to bed."  He 
walked into the room where the bellboy had left his bags and went to bed.

Dave slept well and was awake early.  He ate breakfast before he called the 
front desk for a cab to take him to the golf course.  He was surprised when the 
hotel had another limo drive him but he didn't complain.  He practiced all 
morning and was just sitting down for lunch when his father arrived.  They ate 
together before Dave went to the registration tent.  An RCGA official, whom Dave 
didn't recognize, immediately shook Dave's hand and gave him a schedule for the 
week.  The official knew Dave immediately and told him that Doug Ross was in the 
clubhouse where Dave should go to find him.  Dave thanked him and left.

Dave found Doug and he took Dave to met his pro-am team for the day.  Dave's 
team was with Molson Canada who owns the Canadian rights to Coors Light, a major 
sponsor for the tournament.  The Coors Light team was made up of three men 
slightly younger than Dave's father.  The man who seemed to be in charge of the 
team was Jamie Lawless.  He shook Dave's hand before he introduced the other two 
players John Lawless, Jamie's brother, and Harold McClutchen.  Dave talked with 
them for a few minutes before they all went to the practice putting green.  Dave 
found out that Jamie and John grew up in Nova Scotia but had actually been born 
on QAI.  They had been very anxious to play with Dave.

Dave and the team teed off on the first hole at one o'clock.  Dave was surprised 
how tough Glen Abbey was and he and his Dad spent a lot of time taking notes.  
Dave had some really good holes and some bad ones but overall he shot one over 
par, seventy-two.  He had one eagle and four birdies but two double bogeys and 
three bogeys had pushed his score up.  Jamie and his team really enjoyed the day 
with Dave and they played well, shooting a team score of fifty-eight.  They were 
really impressed with how long Dave hit the ball but especially how consistent 
he was.  Dave was surprised how well the three men played, considering they 
drank a lot of beer.  Dave laughed as he thought it fitting that the Coors Light 
team was three beer-guzzling golfers.

During the awards ceremony, the team was awarded the second place and each of 
the three players got very nice prizes although Dave had to turn his prize down 
due to eligibility concerns.  Dave later found out that the prize a pro would 
have gotten for a second place finish was twenty-five thousand dollars.  Dave 
thanked Jamie, John, and Harold for the round and they wished him luck in the 
Open.

Dave and Roger went back to the hotel and relaxed.  Dave spent several hours on 
his studies before he went to sleep.

The practice round went well the next day and Dave was happy with his score of 
seventy.  He again spent the evening studying.

For the second pro-am, Dave was teamed with three executives from Bell Canada, 
the title sponsor.  They too had been anxious to play with what they called 
Canada's up-and-coming superstar of golf.  Dave thanked them for the comment and 
said he hoped he wouldn't disappoint them.  He played well again and the 
executives were very impressed.  They weren't nearly as strong golfers as the 
Coors team but they enjoyed the day just the same.

They wished Dave luck and thanked him for a wonderful day before Dave and his 
father returned to the hotel.  Dave studied for a couple hours then went to bed.  
His tee-time the next day was at nine o'clock, so he and his father were leaving 
for the course early.  His mother was pretty well shopped-out after three 
straight days and she was anxious to watch Dave play; she was going to go to the 
course later in the morning.

Dave tossed and turned thinking about his first round but he eventually dozed 
off.  He woke early the next day and after a big breakfast he and his father 
went to Glen Abbey.  It was a windy day and Dave hit balls for an hour before 
putting for thirty minutes.  When he heard his name called to the tenth tee, he 
thought he was ready.  He met Phil Mickelson and Billy Mayfair on the tee.  He 
shook their hands and wished them luck.

Phil and Billy both hit solid drives before Dave was called to the tee.  Dave 
was still feeling nervous and he pushed his drive right, into the rough.  
Luckily not far enough right to hit any spectators but Dave did notice that the 
crowds were very large following his group.  He thought the nerves would leave 
but as he stood over his second shot he was still very shaky.  He missed the 
green right but made a good up-and-down to save par.  He followed Billy and Phil 
to number eleven which was the first of the "Valley Holes".  It was ranked the 
second hardest hole on the course and Dave missed his drive right again and made 
a bogey.

Dave's nervousness continued for the entire back nine but he managed to scramble 
and remain at one-over par.  He seemed to finally settle down on the front and 
shot a two-under par for an overall one-under par seventy.  Dave was very 
satisfied with his score and, after signing his card, he was invited to the 
media tent - he was familiar with the process from the previous year.  He 
followed the RCGA official while his father followed him.  When asked how he 
felt about his round, he explained that he had trouble getting over his 
nervousness but that he thought he played much better on the front.  A reporter 
asked if he felt more pressure this year.  Dave answered that the previous year 
he was just happy to be at the Canadian Open and didn't really expect much but 
this year he had put a little more pressure on himself.

Dave answered a lot of questions before one reporter asked how his college golf 
was going.  He explained that he had only spent two and half weeks at Wake 
Forest but it was going really well.  He lied a little and said that he liked 
his team and hoped it would be a very successful year.

Eventually the questions ended and Dave went back to the hotel with his parents.  
They went out for an early supper before Dave spent the evening studying - he 
had a whole week of work to cover and he wanted to make sure he didn't fall 
behind.  He also found the studying a good distraction.

The next day he didn't tee-off until noon so he slept a little later before 
going to breakfast with his parents.  His mother said how much she enjoyed 
following him the previous day and he nodded, but the truth was he had been so 
focused that he hardly noticed her.  He knew she would understand.  She again 
stayed at the hotel while Dave and Roger went to the course early.

When Dave was called to the tee, he was ready.  He hit first and he drove a huge 
drive down the first hole.  His nervousness evaporated quickly and he shot a 
great round of sixty-six.  He looked at the leader board several times during 
the day and he noticed that Mike Weir was leading most of the time but Dave was 
only a few strokes behind.  His six-under for the first two rounds was three 
strokes behind Weir's leading nine-under par.  Vijay Singh was one stroke behind 
Weir while Dave was in a group of players two and three strokes behind.

The Canadian reporters were excited to see two Canadians in the top ten.  Dave 
was asked about his nervousness and he explained that he felt more comfortable 
earlier in his round and was really pleased how well he played.  One reporter 
asked how it felt playing with Michelson, the Master's champion and how a 
seventeen-year-old felt beating the Master's champion.  Dave replied that 
Michelson was a fantastic player and a real gentleman.  He further explained 
that Mickelson teased him about Arizona, his former college, beating Wake 
Forest.  Dave then said the tournament was four rounds long, anything could 
happen, but that he was ecstatic with his great start and he hoped he could make 
Canada and QAI proud.

After the interview finished, the final groups had completed play and Dave was 
very surprised to see he was going to be playing with Jay Dawes, his golf 
coach's brother.  Their tee time was one-ten.

It was late in the evening so he and his parents went out to a restaurant for 
supper before they returned to their room.  Dave received several requests for 
autographs at the restaurant and he happily obliged.  He studied for a couple of 
hours before going to bed.  He tossed and turned thinking about his position in 
the tournament.

He woke late again on Saturday and went to breakfast with his parents.  He was 
scheduled to tee off three groups ahead of Mike Weir who was in the final group 
for the day - he didn't have to rush to the course.  He and his dad went to the 
course around ten o'clock and practiced for a couple hours before going into the 
clubhouse to eat.  In the restaurant, Jay Dawes introduced himself then asked 
Dave if he could join him and his father.  Dave looked at his father then 
nodded.  Jay sat down and they had an enjoyable lunch.  Jay talked about Wake 
Forest but he never brought up Dave leaving for this tournament.  Dave wondered 
if Jay knew about the tournament he was missing.

After lunch Dave and Jay went to the practice green and putted until they were 
called to the first tee.  Jay had honors so he hit first.  He hit a solid drive 
down the middle.  Dave then stood up and boomed a long drive down the right 
side.  Jay smiled and said, "Great drive, Dave.  Let's chase those guys off the 
top of the leader board."  Dave nodded and followed Jay down the fairway.

Dave played another solid, consistent round.  He shot two under sixty-nine and 
he knew from watching the leader board that he was sitting in second place 
behind Mike Weir.  Jay Dawes shot even par and was sitting in eighth place.  
After signing their cards, Jay said, "Dave, you are a helluva golfer.  I'm going 
to call my little brother and tell him to be good to you.  You have a very 
bright future, Dave.  Good luck tomorrow."

Dave was relieved by what Jay said and he quickly replied, "Thanks, Jay.  Good 
luck, yourself."

As Dave walked out of the scorer's tent, an RCGA official was waiting for him, 
so Dave followed him to the media tent.  The interview lasted almost half an 
hour as every reporter wanted a detailed account of his round.  When the 
interview was finally called to an end, Dave was relieved.  He thought, "I know 
I'm only seventeen.  I know someone as young as me should not be beating golfers 
like Phil Mickelson and Vijay Singh.  I know I'm still just a freshman in 
college.  I know they think I'm a phenomenon.  But the truth is I just love to 
play - and I had a good day."  The interviews were getting very repetitive and 
Dave now understood why star athletes get easily tired of the same questions, 
over and over again.

Dave walked from the media tent to the clubhouse and reviewed the draw.  He was 
in the final group with Mike Weir.  Mike was ten under par, Dave was eight under 
par, and Vijay Singh was seven under par.  Behind Vijay was a host of six and 
five under pars.  Dave confirmed his one-forty tee time before he left.

Dave was quiet during the drive back to the hotel.  His mother asked if he was 
all right and he simply said, "I'm getting tired of the same questions."  She 
knowingly understood.  When they reached the hotel, they decided to order room 
service so Dave could get a break from the publicity.  After they ate a relaxing 
meal his father said, "Dave, you have received a lot of publicity over last year 
or so, but if you continue to play incredible golf like you are now - the 
publicity will only get much worse.  Right now you are very well known on QAI 
but that is much different than being well known in Canada and again that's 
different than being well known in the US.  You will have to learn to adjust to 
a lack of privacy and be more careful what you say and who you say it to."

Dave nodded as he understood what his father was saying and he was slowly 
realizing how much work there was to good public relations.  Dave got his books 
out and studied for a couple hours before he went to bed.  As he lay in bed, he 
thought about Jay and he hoped his troubles at school would disappear.  He then 
thought about the reporters and he thought how he would have to adjust to the 
new life that was quickly developing around him.  He eventually fell asleep.

His routine on Sunday was the same as Saturday and he was soon at the golf 
course hitting balls.  His swing felt good and he was confident he would have a 
good day.  He and his father went to the restaurant for lunch and even though 
Dave was nervous, he ate a good meal.  He went to the putting green after eating 
and he had just started putting when Jay was called to the tee.  Jay walked past 
Dave and whispered, "Go Demon Deacons!"

Dave smiled and repeated, "Go Demon Deacons!"

Mike Weir was on the putting green and for the first time all week they had a 
chance to talk.  He strolled over to Dave and said, "I see you got over that 
nervousness from last year.  It's great to be playing with you today, Dave."

Dave agreed, "Yes, it's great to be playing with you too.  I'm even more happy 
that we are playing together in the final group, on the final day."

Mike nodded, "We have to break this fifty year streak - one of us has to win."

Dave knew he was referring to the fifty years since a Canadian had won the 
Canadian Open.  Dave replied, "Let's do it."

They putted until their names were called to the tee.  They walked to the tee 
together and the huge crowd around the tee went crazy as they strode onto the 
first tee.  The crowd was definitely behind them and they each wanted to win the 
title for Canada.

Mike was introduced first, his list of accomplishments were very long.  Mike hit 
a solid drive down the left side of the fairway that drew back to the right 
side.  The crowd cheered appreciably.  Dave was introduced next but he shut out 
the most of noise as he focused on his game.  When the cheering calmed down, he 
pushed his tee in the ground and went through his pre-shot routine.  He hit a 
huge drive down the right side and the crowd went nuts again.  He and Mike 
strode down the first fairway confidently.

The front nine went well for both Mike and Dave.  Mike was two under for the day 
and twelve under for the tournament while Dave was also two under for the day 
and ten under for the tournament.  Mike had three birdies and one bogey.  Dave 
had seven pars and two birdies.  Vijay Singh was lurking close behind at nine 
under par.

Mike birdied number ten while Dave made par and with a three-stroke lead, Mike 
seemed to be in control.  Dave's thoughts drifted from his game to the media 
frenzy that was developing around him and he was suddenly cautious.  He had 
wanted to prove himself that he could compete at this high level and he had now 
done that - no one should question his talent.  But he was suddenly afraid that 
if he won the Open, the media would hound him even worse and his chances of a 
somewhat normal college life would vanish.

He was very distracted as he played the eleventh hole and that was a mistake 
because he made a double bogey before he even had time to realize it.  Mike also 
made a bogey that left him three strokes ahead of Singh and four strokes ahead 
of Dave.  Dave got refocused and made par on number twelve as did Mike.  On 
number thirteen Mike drove the ball into a sand trap while Dave hit a solid 
drive in the middle of the fairway.  Dave made par but Mike missed his par putt 
and made bogey.  Dave could see Mike's lead crumbling and he suddenly realized 
that even if he didn't want to win this tournament - the only person he wanted 
to lose to was Mike.

They both made par on fourteen and fifteen.  Dave looked at the leader board 
after fifteen; he was tied with Vijay at eight under while Mike was three ahead 
at eleven under.  Dave felt a little better for Mike and he questioned whether 
he himself, had been influenced by the huge crowd following them - part of Dave 
seemed to be cheering for Mike as well.

The sixteenth hole proved to be a nightmare for Mike as he drove the ball into 
the rough on the left; then, when he tried to get out of the rough, he was too 
aggressive and barely got the ball into the fairway.  He was left with a long 
approach shot to the tough par five green.  He missed the green left and landed 
in a sand trap. The ball buried under the lip of the bunker and Mike took two 
shots to get it out.  He missed a ten foot bogey putt before tapping in for 
double bogey, seven.  Dave meanwhile hit a great second shot onto the green and 
easily two putted for birdie.

The three-stroke swing left Mike and Dave tied at nine under par, one stroke 
ahead of Vijay Singh.  Dave and Mike both made par on seventeen before advancing 
to the final hole tied for the lead.  Mike hit a good drive on eighteen but Dave 
pushed his ball into the sand trap on the right side of the hole.  They were 
standing in the fairway watching Vijay on the green and when he rolled his putt 
in for birdie, they knew it was now a three-way tie for the lead.  Dave played 
the hole conservatively with the mindset that if Mike could make birdie, he 
would earn the victory but Dave wanted to at least tie with Vijay.  Dave hit his 
shot from the trap to a safe area one hundred yards from the green.  Mike went 
for the green and hit his ball over the green into fairly deep rough.

Dave hit a smooth sixty-degree wedge fifteen feet from the hole before Mike 
chipped his ball to twelve feet.  Dave and his father talked about the line and 
Dave made a good putt but he missed right.  He tapped in for par and a nine-
under score - the same as Vijay.  Mike took his time with the putt but it was a 
tough, hard breaking putt.  Mike just missed and had to make a three-foot come-
backer to tie Dave and Vijay.

Dave and Mike still had to submit their scores but the moment Mike missed his 
first putt, a huge portion of the crowd rushed back to the eighteenth tee to get 
ready for the playoff.  After Mike made his three foot par putt, he shook Dave's 
hand and said, "We're not done yet."  Dave simply nodded then followed him to 
the scorer's tent.

After carefully completing their cards, the two Canadians left the tent and were 
escorted by RCGA officials to the eighteenth tee.  Vijay was there waiting and 
they all shook hands and wished each other luck.  The first playoff hole didn't 
resolve anything as all three made very nice birdies.

The next playoff hole was number seventeen.  Both Dave and Vijay were on the par 
four in two but Mike had missed his approach shot right and was in the sand 
trap.  Vijay had a twenty-foot putt for birdie while Dave's was only fifteen.  
Mike blasted his shot to six feet before Vijay missed his birdie putt leaving a 
four-footer for par.  Dave rolled his birdie putt right of the hole and tapped 
in for par.  Mike took his time with his putt but he missed and was eliminated 
from the playoff.  The entire crowd groaned in disappointment and Dave felt the 
same way.  Vijay rolled his par putt in so the playoff was down to two golfers.  
Mike shook Vijay's hand before he walked to Dave and shook his hand as well.  
Mike whispered, "End the streak!"

Dave simply nodded before he walked to the eighteenth tee with his father.  
Vijay was still hitting first and he hit a good drive in the middle of the 
fairway.  Dave was focused and he hammered a huge drive twenty-five yards past 
Vijay's.  The crowd went wild as Dave strode up the fairway confidently.  Vijay 
then hit his approach shot on the long par five over the green and into the 
rough.  Dave only had one hundred and ninety yards to the green.  He hit his 
six-iron smoothly and the ball landed and stopped twenty feet from the hole.  
The crowd went absolutely crazy again and Dave could barely hear himself think 
as he walked to the green.

Dave remained focus on his putt as he watched Vijay chip his ball five feet from 
the hole.  Dave then surveyed his putt with his father before he settled over 
his ball and whispered to himself, "Straight back, straight through, straight 
back, straight through!"  Dave stroked the putt smoothly and he could tell the 
second he hit the ball that it had a chance to go in.  The ball hung high on the 
line before slowly breaking down to the hole and dropping right in the middle.

Dave dropped his putter as he jumped in the air in celebration.  The crowd 
roared support.  He looked joyfully at his father who was also jumping in the 
air.  Dave then looked at the water beside the eighteenth green and smiled at 
his father.  They had watched winners of various PGA tournaments jump in the 
water in celebration after an exciting victory.  Roger simply returned the smile 
and nodded.  The father and son team ran towards the water and jumped in 
together.  The crowd went crazy again and before Dave knew it dozens of fans ran 
across the green and jumped in the water as well.  They were all cheering and 
high-fiving each other.  Dave high-fived every single one of them.  He was 
surprised to see two of the wet fans were Jamie and John Lawless.  They 
congratulated Dave and he thanked them.

He and his father eventually crawled out of the water and Dave immediately went 
to his mother and gave her a huge wet hug.  He got her soaked but she didn't 
care - tears were running down her cheeks and Dave felt himself misting over as 
well.  After a moment an RCGA official walked to Dave and explained they would 
be ready to present the trophy in five minutes.  Dave nodded to him before he 
went to Vijay and his caddy and shook their hands.  Vijay congratulated him 
before they left.  Mike Weir walked to Dave and hugged him.  When they separated 
Dave took Mike's hand and lifted it to the roaring approval of the crowd.  Dave 
whispered, "We ended the streak."

Mike replied, "You ended the streak.  Great work!"

Dave thanked him then walked to the ropes where the crowd was being restrained 
and started shaking hands with the fans.  He eventually heard his name called 
and walked to the middle of the green.  Waiting for him was a television 
commentator, the President of the RCGA and the President of Bell Canada whom he 
had played with on Wednesday.  The commentator first introduced the RCGA 
President.  As the RCGA President did the official announcement, the Bell Canada 
president whispered, "Unbelievable, Dave.  I knew you were going to be a future 
star but I never imagined you would win this soon.  Congratulations."

Dave thanked him before he heard the RCGA President call on the Bell President.  
The Bell President thanked the RCGA and the Glen Abbey staff.  He then said, "I 
played with this young man on Wednesday.  After I played with him, people asked 
me if he was as good as the papers suggested and I told them he was better.  He 
is the real deal and he is all-Canadian.  Canada is proud to call Dave MacDonald 
her son - he is definitely a Tiger Tamer."

The crowd went crazy when he said "Tiger Tamer" and everyone knew he was talking 
about Tiger Woods.  The crowd started chanting, "Bring on Tiger!  Bring on 
Tiger!"

As the crowd continued to chant, the Bell President finished with, "I am very 
proud to present the Bell Canadian Open Trophy to Dave MacDonald!"

The crowd was screaming support as Dave walked forward and shook both 
Presidents' hands before he accepted the trophy and held it high above his head.  
The crowd somehow cheered even louder.  Dave hugged the trophy as he took the 
microphone from the Bell President and spoke to the crowd.  He said, "I'd like 
to thank the RCGA and Bell Canada for making this possible.  I'd like to thank 
the staff of Glen Abbey for providing a fantastic golf course.  I'd like to 
thank my parents and sisters for all their support and in particular my father 
for keeping me focused on the course.  I would especially like to thank you, the 
fans - this one is for you."  Dave held the trophy high in the air and the fans 
went crazy again.

Dave shook both presidents' hands before the commentator asked, "So how does it 
feel to break the streak?"

Dave smiled, "Before we started, Mike said to me that one of us had to win.  I 
wish it could have been Mike but I am really happy that one of us did it."

The commentator asked, "Did you think you could win before you arrived this 
week?"

Dave replied, "I really didn't know.  I guess I was like a lot of my critics - I 
wondered if last year was just a fluke.  I guess it wasn't"

The commentator chuckled, "No, it obviously wasn't.  Do you think this will 
quiet your critics?"

Dave simply shrugged, "I can't worry about them.  I came here to prove to myself 
that I could play at this level.  I am definitely going home happy."

The commentator asked, "So are you ready to play Tiger."

Dave simply smiled, "I'm just a college freshman.  I don't know if I'm ready for 
that yet, but I definitely look forward to competing with him someday."

The commentator replied, "I think everyone wants to see that."

He asked Dave several more questions before Dave left for the media tent.  While 
he was in the media tent his parents had returned to the hotel and gotten his 
bags.  His return flight to Greensboro would leave at ten o'clock and his 
parents knew he would be late if he went to get his stuff after all the 
interviews.  The interviews lasted over forty-five minutes and Dave was totally 
exhausted when he left the media tent.  His parents were waiting for him; they 
had also stopped at Subway for a snack for him.  He got in the back of the limo 
with his parents and ate as they drove to the airport.  He could see his parents 
were very proud of him and he said, "I could never have done this without you.  
I love you and thank you."

They all hugged then talked about the exciting day.  At the airport, Dave 
checked in and his parents waited until his flight left before they returned to 
the hotel.  Dave was very tired when he got on the plane and actually slept for 
a couple hours during the flight.  His plane eventually landed in Greensboro and 
he took a taxi back to campus.  It was almost two o'clock when he got to his 
room and he quickly crawled in bed and went to sleep.

He slept soundly and didn't hear a thing until he was startled by knocking on 
the door.  He looked at his clock and realized he only had fifteen minutes to 
get to class.  He answered the door and Darcy was staring at him excitedly.  
Darcy said, "You fucking won.  I can't believe you won."  Darcy handed Dave a 
Winston-Salem paper, the cover story was Wake Forest Golfer Wins Canadian Open 
with a picture of Dave holding the trophy.

After looking at the paper Dave smiled and thanked Darcy.  Then he asked, "How 
did you guys do?"

Darcy shrugged, "Not too good.  We finished eleventh out of twelve teams.  Only 
Will and Keith played decent.  I didn't even qualify to go.  Alec played 
poorly."  After Dave heard about the bad weekend for the team, he was suddenly 
nervous about the cover story.

He thanked Darcy for waking him up then he freshened up and went to class.  
Classes went well for Dave and he was pleased that he hadn't fallen behind.  He 
was confident that a good week of studying would have him in a very good 
position again.  He had noticed that a lot of students were pointing at him and 
staring.  After his last class for the day was finished, he went to his room and 
got his clubs then went to the golf center.

He wasn't sure what to expect at the golf center but he was happy when most of 
his teammates congratulated him on his win.  Keith and Will were both giving him 
dirty looks but neither said anything.  Coach Dawes addressed the team and told 
them he was very disappointed with their performance on the weekend and that 
they all needed a lot of work.  He never mentioned Dave's weekend and that was 
fine with Dave.

After a long hard practice, Dave went to supper with Alec and Darcy.  Alec was 
really happy for Dave.  Dave talked about playing against Weir, and Singh.  
Darcy eventually said he had to go study and he left Dave and Alec alone at the 
table.  Dave told Alec about playing with Jay Dawes and what he had said to him.  
Alec said that Jerry, the star player on the team the previous year, was just 
like his dad, Jay and that he was a true leader on the team.  Dave asked what 
happened on the weekend and Alec explained that he had totally panicked.  He 
always seemed to have a bad shot early then he'd spend the whole round thinking 
about it.  Dave said he understood.

Eventually Dave went back to his room.  He looked at his cell phone and there 
were a lot of messages.  Most were from friends and family congratulating him on 
the victory.  Three of the messages were from Katherine, Jennifer, and Rebecca - 
it was nice to hear their voices.  The last message was from a reporter who said 
he was with Sports Illustrated and wanted to do an interview with Dave.  Dave 
marked down the number and called the reporter back.  Dave agreed to meet with 
him the following week.

Dave then studied hard all evening.  He hardly left his room.  Colby 
congratulated him when he returned from supper but then went to the library to 
study.  Dave eventually went to sleep.

He woke early and went to hit balls with Darcy and Alec.  Tuesday and Wednesday 
were similar to Monday: practice; eat; classes; eat; practice; eat; study.  
Keith continued to be sarcastic but generally kept his distance.  The one major 
event was a photographer had snuck onto the practice range and took some 
pictures of Dave.  Dave was surprised to find out the man was a paparazzi.  Dave 
wondered how bad it would get - he had heard a lot of bad stories about 
celebrities being harassed.

On Thursday afternoon, Dave was hitting balls and Keith approached him.  Keith 
seemed to be in a nasty mood so Dave tried to stay clear of him but eventually 
Keith got in Dave's face.  Keith started giving Dave a hard time about not 
playing with the team.  Will and Darcy were the only team members in the area.  
Dave didn't want to get in a fight with Keith so he started to walk away when 
Keith said, "You're a fucking pussy, MacDonald.  You're daddy isn't here to 
protect you now."

Dave got very angry and he turned, "Fuck you, Keith.  You better get a good 
education because you'll never make any money off your golf."

That hit Keith where it hurt and Keith got back in Dave's face, "That fucking 
Canadian flag doesn't belong on a Wake Forest bag.  Who do you think you are?"

Dave just smiled, "I'm the Canadian Open Champion.  What tournament have you 
ever won besides a local junior tournament?"

Keith was red with anger and Dave was confident he was winning the war of words 
until Keith hit a soft spot, "Did your mommy sew that pretty flag on your bag?"  
Keith immediately saw Dave's expression change and he knew he had hit a sore 
point.  He added, "Maybe you went because you missed your mommy."

Dave was getting furious that Keith would say anything about his mother.  Keith 
crossed the line when he growled, "Maybe you're fucking your mommy and you 
needed a little piece of tail!"

Dave lost it.  Before he realized it, he pulled his hand back and hit Keith in 
the face as hard as he could.  Keith hadn't even reacted as Dave pounded him in 
the face; he dropped like a rock.  Blood started running from a cut under his 
eye.  Coach Dawes had heard them arguing and was on the way over to the group of 
four golfers when he saw Dave hit Keith.  He immediately ran to the fracas.  
Keith was slowly and groggily getting to his feet.  Keith was shocked that Dave 
hit him and he actually felt a little fear.  His girlfriend ran over to them and 
started looking at his cut.

Coach Dawes asked, "What the hell's going on?"  Dave's face was still red with 
anger but he tried to relax.  

Dave simply shrugged and said, "Keith said something he shouldn't have and I 
lost my temper.  Sorry, Coach."

Coach Dawes asked, "What did he say?"

Dave replied, "I won't repeat it."

Coach Dawes looked at the blood running from Keith's cut and said, "Keith, go 
get that looked after."  After Keith left, with Tiffany still at his side, Coach 
looked at Will and asked, "What did Keith say?"

Will replied, "He called Dave a pussy for deserting the team."

Coach Dawes pushed further, "Is that all he said, Darcy?"

Darcy was about to speak but Dave noticed Will subtly nudge him before Darcy 
replied, "Pretty much!"

Dave again became angry, "He said a lot more than that."

Coach Dawes asked, "Well, what did he say?"

Dave looked angrily at his coach, "I admit I shouldn't have hit him but, I was 
provoked.  I'm not repeating what he said.  Go talk to him and see if he is man 
enough to admit his mistake."

Coach Dawes said, "If that's the only information I have to go on, then you 
better go to your dorm, Dave.  You are suspended until further notice."

Dave looked at him in surprise.  He glared at his coach and growled, "Fine!"

Dave put his clubs in the Golf Center and went to his room.  He was fuming mad 
and struggled to think about anything but what had happened.  The more he 
thought about it, the madder he got.  Colby came into the room and could see 
Dave was in a very bad mood, so he grabbed some books and left for the library.

Eventually, Dave heard a knock on the door.  He opened the door and let Alec in 
the room.  Alec immediately said, "Dave, Darcy told me everything that happened.  
Keith is a fucking asshole and he deserved a punch in the face."

Dave growled, "Why the fuck didn't Darcy say something to Coach Dawes?"

Alec explained, "Will and Keith have been all over Darcy for hanging with you.  
They have threatened to chase him off the team if he sides with you.  Darcy is 
only a freshman and he's scared to make waves.  I told him to tell Coach Toombs 
what really happened and I think he will."

Dave just shook his head, "What's going to happen to me?"

Alec replied, "All depends whether Coach Dawes pushes the issue.  Both the 
university and the athletic department have set discipline requirements for 
violence against another student - I checked before I came over.  The university 
requires at least a one week academic suspension while the athletic department 
requires at least a two week suspension from all athletic facilities and 
events."

Dave shook his head, "That better not fucking happen - I'll fucking kill Keith 
if I get suspended."

Alec tried to console Dave but Dave was not in the mood.  Eventually Alec talked 
Dave into going to supper.  They decided to drive off campus so Dave wouldn't 
have to risk facing any of his teammates in the dining halls.

Dave felt better after getting a bite to eat and after Alec dropped him off at 
the residence, he studied for a while before he went to bed.  He lay in bed 
thinking what he would do if he got suspended; but in the end, he just prayed 
that wouldn't happen.