Masterclass
Excitement. Anxiety. Fear. Hope. Welcome to the annual drama that is the Masters at Saddle Creek.
In 2013, Andy Weyer stumbled out the gates in the final round, only to shoot 1-under Par through the final 16 holes to fend off a furious charge by the Clayton Crew and claim the green jacket. Twelve months later, many of the same actors were in the spotlight, but one was intent on rewriting the ending to this year's script.
To help kick-off the drama, tournament host Andy Weyer decided to implement a side bet whereby the last man to lose his "A-Dub ball" would receive one-dollar per hole from every other player he outlasted. Our cast (as eloquently memorialized on each A-Dub Ball):
Chris Bjuhr starring as "Veejina"
Andy Barbano starring as "Andy GARBano"
Jesse Merl starring as "Merl Frank"
Bryan Segale starring as "Bryan Gay"
Joe Rainero starring as "Glass Joe"
Brian Leffler starring as "Brian Fluffer"
Jeb Boss starring as "Die-ler"
Chris Zepponi starring as "My Little ZepPony"
Tim Netherton starring as "Tim Neverton"
Todd Stock starring as "Lock, Stock, & Darrell"
Andy Weyer starring as "Fear the Weyer"
It took Masters rookie Jesse Merl one swing to lose his A-Dub ball and Weyer beamed with pride as his diabolical plan to demoralize the competition began to take shape; however, Weyer proceeded to hook his own tee shot into the Savannah off the first box and add another $18 donation on top of the box of Pro V1x's he'd just handed out. Nice strategy, fuck face. It did pay-off for someone though.
With Sadegh Ghorban missing in action this year, the "Sadster bounce" had to land into someone else's lap and Joe Rainero was the gracious beneficiary. From slapping a topspin volley 250 yards off the third tee box (literally, off the ground of the tee box) in a manner that would have made Roger Federer shit himself, to chiseling another tee shot off a tree with the grace of Michelangelo's "Statue of David," Rainero doesn't look at cart paths as something you drive a cart on to get to the ball...He looks at cart paths as something you drive a ball on to get to the hole a la David Simms in Tin Cup. While we had to check dimple records to identify his A-Dub ball at the end of the round, Rainero had in fact outlasted all the others and won enough money to cover his first few buy-ins at poker later that evening. He also shot 36 on the front nine to single-handedly take a 9-Up lead against his team play competition and sizeable lead in the early going of the tournament.
However, the leader in the clubhouse after Day 1 would ultimately be Todd Stock, who parlayed a recent Taylor Made club fitting at Bridges into an opening round 79. Hungry for more, he joined the "big boys" skins game after the round and drained an 8-footer on the final hole to tie-off Brian Leffler and cancel out the $2,400 skin that was on the line -- much to the relief of playing companions Bryan Segale and Andy Barbano.
After a disappointing start to the Masters, rookie Jesse Merl unleashed his fury at the poker table and knocked out the competition. Although his name will be etched on the trophy forever, his payout was short-lived. In the cash game afterwards, Rainero decided to play Russian roulette with Merl's winnings -- only to find out that the revolver was fully-loaded after going all-in blind at least six times in a row and losing the money that Merl had staked him each time he pulled the trigger. Despite his antics and a few uncharacteristic numbers on the scorecard, Rainero eventually managed to backdoor fourth place in the golf tournament and maintain a solid run at Saddle Creek (where he's won twice and placed in 3 of the past 4 years).
As the sun rose the following morning, the stage was set for another exciting finish in the final group. Stock and Leffler quickly separated themselves from the rest of the pack with solid play on the front nine, but Weyer managed to avoid any major damage throughout the day and was looking for an opportunity to strike. It came on the 14th Hole -- a challenging 243 yard Par 3 where more than one Masters has been won or lost. After cruising for 13 holes and extending his lead over the first few holes of the back nine, Stock hooked his tee shot into the Savannah short of the green. Several hacks later, he carded a 9 en route to a third place finish.
With two men left standing, Leffler stepped onto the intimidating 18th tee box with a 4 shot lead over Weyer and adrenaline coursing through his veins. Recognizing that these are the moments by which champions are defined, Leffler unleashed a drive down the middle of the fairway and let out a mighty whoop. An hour later, 2nd place finisher Weyer was placing the green jacket over Leffler's shoulders.
Relief. Frustration. Heartbreak. Joy. A fond farewell to the annual drama that was the Masters at Saddle Creek.
