June 9, 2009

VIRGINIA BEACH, VA — Captains Club member Kevin Long, a.k.a. Winger, was found in his swimming pool lounging in a very hot Virginia Beach this week. The winner of nothing to date was confronted as one participant with Poplar Grove experience. The topic was simple. What is the key to the Golden Jacket?

"That is a great question," said Long. "Give me a moment to get out of the pool and grab some notes. I will get us some beers so we can discuss."

[Long exits the pool, enters the house, and returns with 12 beers.]

The surprising conversation started with 'Jason Ridgeway' and concluded with 'positioning'.

"There was an extreme focus on water hazards last year and some focus on the bunkers," says Kevin Long while enjoying dumping 1/2 container of baby powder down his swim trunks. "This year's jacket has everything to do with positioning, but only if we collectively can rattle Jason Ridgeway."

Long added, "Ridgeway should eagle-putt daily on Holes 6, 11, 14, and 16. It is up to us as players to get him drunk, talk too much, apply pressure, and remind him of the disasterous consequences of par."

Jason is expected to receive 1 point for bogey, 2 points for par, 7 points for birdie, and 12 points for eagle in Amherst. The tournament winner is expected to score 180 points, which averages 60 points per round with long putts.

"Let's just suggest that Jason putts for eagle on four greens per day," says Long. "Let's assume he conservatively makes 1 eagle and cards 3 birdies on those four holes. That is 33 points plus a long putt for his eagle. 35 points.

Our members and the media should be aware that Ridgeway has birdied 18 holes ranging from 136 yards to 440 yards in the past three Carl Spackler Open's. He also scored long-putt points 12 times, which is 66 percent or two-thirds of the time. So we need to add 2 additional birdies per round to his scorecard and 3 long putt points. Another 17 points.

Ridgeway does suck 4.8 holes per round, but gets 1 point for bogey this year. Our running total includes 5 bad holes, 1 eagle, and 5 birdies per round. That leaves 7 pars worth 14 points. He scores long-putt points during 29 percent of his pars, which converts to 2 long-putts made on those 7 pars. Another 18 points.

We have 35 points from gimme birdies, plus 17 points from earned birdies, plus 18 points for pars. That totals 60 points. This is 180 points through 54 holes and we forgot the bogeys. Let's assume one per round and 183 points through 54 holes.

I have left out the clubhouse signature hole (Hole 3), which is a par 5. The 3rd hole is tricky, but two pars and one birdie is probable. I will rule out eagle, but the 183 points could easily go higher."

Jason Ridgeway scored 172 points in Indiana and 184 points in Michigan.

"This year's jacket boils down to us," says Long. "We need to rattle him collectively at the bar, in his hotel room, at the breakfast bar, on the bus, on the range, in the golf cart, practice green, and especially on the golf course. We need to work together as a group to make him throw his clubs down up the fairway with helicopter sound and rotation.

I have already asked the hotel for 2 daily wake up calls to Room 410. Mine are set for 4:00AM and 5:30AM. I have paid the hotel $40 per call so they are not changed. You guys can add some calls or alcohol.

This is our tournament, us hackers, and we cannot let Ridgeway take glory away from us.

If we can rattle Ridgeway and remove him from contention by Thursday night, this year's jacket comes down to position off the tee.

The decisions we make on the tee boxes will certaintly help or hurt everyone. Player position in the fairway at 3, 5, 6, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, and 18 will directly cause lots of success and lots of failure.

The club choices off the tee at the 5th, 6th, 11th, 12th, 14th, 15th, and 16th holes will set the field apart. The second shots at the 3rd hole, 5th hole, 11th hole, and 18th hole will also set the field apart. The inability to select the right club off the tee at Holes 4 and 7 will return zero points.

The size of greens, tiered levels of those greens, creeks, and bunkering are strategically placed. Sneed, Fazio, and Carton did a wonderful job.

This tournament is about rattling Jason Ridgeway. Then it is about positioning your ball in the fairway and on the greens. Participants with the hit the driver and hybrid approaches will be disappointed come Saturday."

The 2009 Carl Spackler Open Championship begins tommorrow with the annual practice round. There are 88 participants expected to arrive as early as tommorrow night. There are 12 participants with a tee time late this afternoon.