2008 SHELL'S WONDERFUL WORLD OF GOLF
JEFE VERSUS JIMBO
ARCADIA BLUFFS GOLF CLUB
6th Hole: Par 3, 170 yards
YouTube version:
Let's face it. My golf blog is mostly about Jefe. I'm far too uninteresting to write about myself. Jefe never fails to provide good blog fodder.
We've pretty much covered everything the man, the myth and the legend, ad naseum. But one thing I don't think we've ever talked about are the 'Jefe Bounces.' Over the years, I've seen this guy get a lifetime's share of lucky bounces of breaks. He's definitely playing with the house money. You know how Tiger uses the massive hysteria of fans and media around him to his advantage? Well, I think it's gotten to the point where Jefe's uses his good fortune as part of his playing strategy.
Here on the 6th hole, Jefe hits a very weak fade out to the right. Yet, his ball bounces of a mound and onto the green, 30 feet below the hole. On the video, you can even hear Jimbo say 'Oh Boy', as in 'Oh Boy, I've seen this one too many times.'
When timed right, the Jefe Bounce can be used as effective tool to demoralize your opponent. Is Jefe just really lucky to the extent that he's gotten so many good bounces over the years? Or maybe his swing is so loose and his shots so wild that over time, he's bound to get his share of good bounces? Or maybe the guy is so good that he times his misses and plans his bounces for just the moment? The fact that I honestly couldn't tell you the answer tells you everything you need to know. He might not look like much, but you don't want any part of this guy in a head-to-head match.
If there's one guy on the planet that might stand a chance, it's the guy who's seen these antics for his entire golfing life. Jimbo calmy hit his hybrid to 20 feet below the hole, then rolled in the birdie putt for his second deuce of the day. Who cares if he had to hit hybrid from 170 yards, when I'd hit 7-iron...the results speak for themselves. Jimbo takes a two-stroke lead.
Jefe: A lucky break after I was fuming after my 8 on 5. I pushed another shot right but the slopes again caught the shot and shot the ball left. I had a lengthy birdie putt but after the triple on 5 and a not so good tee shot I was happy to walk off with a par. At this point in the match I hadn't really hit the ball too well and I remember thinking that +3 thru 6 wasn't bad, if I could par the tough par 4 seventh I should be in good shape to shoot less than 40 on the front.
Jimbo: I was ticked off becasue I had made 6 at each of the three par 5's. This hole always plays longer so I took one extra club and finally hit my hybrid well. I knew it would be close when I saw it go over the slope on the green. The 20 foot birdie putt worked a bit left to right and I nailed it, right in the heart. My second 2 on the card momentarily soothed my frustrations.
After 6 Holes: Jimbo +1; Jefe +3
