US Open debacle

It was like watching a car wreck Monday night (RP time) during the delayed final round of the US Open Golf Championships.

While I watched hoping to see Tiger Woods stage a late surge, I could not help but also see how the tournament’s 54-hole leader Ricky Barnes came crashing down to earth.

Like a car wreck, the final round of Barnes looked ugly, but then like a car wreck, you can’t also help but take a close look at what was happening. 

Barnes final round collapse allowed Lucas Glover to win his first Major as the big names, who were almost there – Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, and former number 1 David Duval – never made it.

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My game can relate to the troubles that Barnes faced on the Bethpage Black course. 

The course even has a warning posted before one tees off about it being a course for the highly-skilled players. Maybe where ever I go they should start posting those signs hehehe…

But then the challenge of the game is only one of the things that bring duffers back to the course. Others are also the occasional par or birdie, the fun of the company, and of course the raffles during tournaments.

I got two out of three from my list above as I went home with zilch from the raffles. 

That doesn’t however make participating in the just-concluded The View Invitational less fun. In fact, I had so much fun that I did not feel the burden of having lost so many strokes from my handicap as the event allowed us to only use three-fourths of our lowest handicap for a three-month period.

I guess my flightmates also did not win anything in the raffles, but then we had so much fun playing Saturday and Sunday that we didn’t even bother to sign as we picked up our ball with nary a point to show on some holes.

It was because I was with two of my closest friends and compadres – Ramon Sebastian and Michael Go, who were paired in the event, and my partner for the member-guest event B. Gen. Jessie Dellosa, the deputy commander of the Central Command.

General Dellosa, who only recently picked up the game, said that he learned a lot from taking part in the event. I guess the best lesson we shared with the fine officer and gentleman is that we can always laugh at our mistakes.

But then he likened golf to maneuvering troops most specially if your ball moves from left to right or right to left without passing the fairway but still finding your target, the green, in the end.

I’d like to play with the same group again or maybe more often.

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Milestones: This is one of the most special days in The Freeman as we celebrate the birthday of our publisher Juanito V. Jabat, who turns another page of his life today.

Mr. Jabat or Ninong Nito has never slowed down all these years churning one pun after another in his column that I have enjoyed reading since I was a young boy.

I would also like to send happy birthday greetings to Luzshan Alison and John Paul Chiongbian, who both turn a year older today.

Belated greetings go to my former classmate, Dr. Mary Louise Janet Tadlip-Alforque, who celebrated yesterday.

More power to all of you!