A Shot of Redemption in Kingwood

471 days after the heartbreak of a lifetime I returned to Kingwood, TX.

The last time I was in Kingwood was for the first stage of PGA Tour Q School. I was struggling with my game, but doing what pros do, putting it together. Including my final round 71, three of my four rounds were under par despite not having my best stuff. Unfortunately a third round 77 had put me in a position where I had to put up a number in order to advance to the next stage.

The top 22 players and ties advanced, and as it would turn out, I finished Tied for 23rd place, by a single shot. One swing, one chip, one judgement of the wind or slope, one subtle break of a green, one club-selection...It would be so easy to go back and find one wasted shot of the 289 that I hit over four days.

My return was on the opposite side of the bag, caddying for my friend Mark in an Adams Pro Tour Series Event. Out of boredom in the practice round I asked Mark if he would mind if I hit the occasional shot, and he obliged. I had found a Dunlop golf ball literally submerged in mud on the 12th hole, and decided that was good enough to hit a few times.

We arrived at the 15th hole, a par three measuring 162 yards. Mark hit a beautiful shot, drawing towards the front hole location, coming to rest about 5 feet away. I got up there and swiftly kicked the gobs of mud from the face of his 8-iron and dropped my Dunlop onto the brilliant green rye grass. It came to rest on a nice piece of turf so I just decided to play it as it was...I sent the ball flying high and to the right of the hole and as it started to draw back Mark said "Do me one better..." My ball landed and started rolling, and we assumed it was near Mark's, about 5 feet away.

Upon arrival to the green, we realized there was only one ball below the hole, Mark's Titleist. He immediately asked "Did you jar it?!" I replied "I don't know. Where else could it be?"

Mark ran up to the hole, peeking downward and saw my muddy Dunlop lying there in just one shot, and immediately burst out laughing. I was quick to join him. We both spent the next ten minutes discussing all of the ways that I was NOT properly prepared to hit a perfect golf shot. I was wearing layers that I wouldn't wear if I were playing. I was using Mark's golf club, which has a different lie angle, and is a different brand than mine are. I was using a Dunlop golf ball covered in mud. The club was covered in mud from Mark's previous shot. I just goes to show that sometimes things are going to happen whether you're prepared or not.

I had to find a new ball to hit occasionally, as the Dunlop will now be filed away with my other three hole-in-one balls. I proceeded to hit poor golf shots the rest of the day as well as laugh whenever it returned to my mind that I had made an ace in the fashion that I did...It may not have been worth as much as an advancement at Q School would have been, but it's one shot of redemption that will leave me with a fond golf memory of Kingwood, TX.