2008 SHELL'S WONDERFUL WORLD OF GOLF
JEFE VERSUS JIMBO
ARCADIA BLUFFS GOLF CLUB
1st Hole: Par 5, 498 yards
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The first hole at Arcadia is a relatively simple, short par 5. A very good chance to make birdie and get off to a good start.
Right off the bat, we see just how different Jefe and Jimbo are with respect to their golf games. Jimbo is a self-confessed dinker, but makes up for it with consistent ball-striking, keeping it in-play and a superb wedge game from 100 yards and in. Jefe is much longer off the tee, but much more erratic. His game is very volatile. He'll follow up an extremely poor shot with an amazing one, and he's a tremendous clutch putter, despite a very unconventional putting stroke.
Jimbo is in the middle of undergoing dramatic swing changes to get his swing more on-plane, with mixed results. His swing guru is none other than his brother and adversary, Jefe. That creates an interesting little twist to the match. Brother vs Brother. Student vs Teacher. Personally, I much rather have a flawed swing than let Jefe have anything to do with it. The only two things that could come out of that are a.) he sabotages my game completely, or b) he fixes it, in which case he takes the credit for my success. Neither one is a desirable outcome in my opinion.
Local rules for the Shell's Wonderful World of Golf allow for unlimited mulligans on the first tee. Both Jimbo and Jefe take advantage of the rules with a Breakfast Ball, but no one abuses the privelege by sticking around for Lunch and Dinner. The second drives provide a preview of what we'll probably see the rest of the match...Jimbo short but in the fairway; Jefe closer to the green but in the rough.
Jefe has about 250 yards into the green to reach it in two, and gets it close to the front of the green. Jimbo is forced to lay-up, and then puts his approach shot pin high put well left of the green. Jefe has a lot of green to work with for a good chance at getting up and down for birdie, but leaves his chip about 15 feet right of the pin and misses the birdie putt. Jimbo falls victim to the quick, sloping greens at Arcadia, misjudging the line and three-putting for bogey. Jefe with a one-shot advantage.
Jefe: During the speed round I had put my second shot just to the right of the green so I knew I could get it up there again if I could cut the corner a bit with my drive. I was in a good spot to get it close to the green but that large bunker in front was right in my way so I couldn't take a direct route at the flag. I left it in a good spot but it was a tricky chip, I managed to hit a decent shot and was happy to start out with a solid par.
Jimbo: I love Arcadia so I had good vibes on the first tee. I hit a pretty decent drive leaving me something like 280 yards in. I decided on my trusty hybrid but caught it skinny. I had about 140 yards left for the 3rd shot but caught that one thin too. The three wack on the first green did nothing for my temperment.
After One Hole: Jefe Even; Jimbo +1
