Borderland Spring Fling 6/19-20/2010

A new experience for me this last weekend, I played a two day disc golf event at Borderland State Park in Easton MA. I decided to play Am1 the highest Am division to chase points in the PDGA and hopefully qualify for the Amateur World Championship next year. Coming in I was hoping to be able to finish in the top half of the twenty players. Day 1 we played the white tees to white basket layout with two added holes, Pebble Beach, a throw 258 feet across a pond to land on a eight foot wide peninsula. A very difficult shot by itself but to add to the difficulty the tee was way to short so you could not get a run up. It was one step and throw. The second added ho;e went across the field on the walk from hole 4 to 5. To the right of the road you walk down but behind the large pines with everything from the road left and the parking lot behind the basket "Out of Bounds". So twenty holes but on one of my favorite layouts in New England. I played very well on this only running into trouble on holes 8 and 9 getting a bogey on each. I had seven birdies and after the first round 55 I was in second 2 behind Eric Kevorkian. The new holes were key, I got a two on Pebble Beach with my disc literally hang from a twig above the water and me rushing over to mark it and pick it up before it fell.
The other new one was a solid three.
The second round was a bit more difficult with a layout of the longer Blue Tees to the White baskets, playing in the lead group we all muddled through and I shot a 63 picking up one on Eric, but Greg Aucoin playing from the second card shot 58 to tie for the lead. The first round was done and I had thrown two of the best rated round ever, in the 960 range. I was in second and hoping that the second day I played the long 8585 foot blue course well.
I was a bit stiff in the morning and stretched a long time before heading to the park. Unfortunately my game was not really where it needed to be the second day. I shot horribly from beginning to end. I spent way too much time in the bushes trying to find my discs only to make another bad shot. My legs were all scratched up from briers and I had poison ivy bumps on my ankles. I was hot and uncomfortable. It was a real challenge to keep a zen attitude and I did talk to myself quite a bit. That negativity probably hurt my game more. It was a very humbling experience. Eric on the other hand ran away with the tournament shooting a blistering 66 and making my 77 look all the worse. Still I only fell from second to seventh and made the cut to play the final nine holes and won a bit of funny money. In the final 9 I again struggled but luckily so did others and so I finished in seventh. I did accomplish my goal of finishing in the top half. I did have a very good time. Congratulations to Eric who beside playing so well was very encouraging to everyone around him and a gracious winner.

Eventually the results will be found here: Spring Fling Results