Bloody Weather!

I've spent the week sweating profusley in an office in Wembley with no air conditioning. It's not been sunny, but it has been hot, with the odd rain shower to break the heat.

But all week I've been thinking about getting out on the golf course and especially my 3rd round knockout match against John Charlton.

Get down to the club at 4pm and feel quite relaxed, practice a fw putts on the practice green and it feels good, but after the debacle that was the club championship, not particulary confident.

Skies are starting to get a bit grey and as we head for the first tee, it starts to spit with rain.

I am getting 8 shots off John, not sure whether this is enough as he can destroy the course on his day! I need to forget about his game, he hits a long ball, and just concentrate on hitting fairways, notmaking mistakes and relying on my short game.

So, first drive into a slight breeze! Block it right and it ends up inthedeep stuff!

John's drive is solid and is well placed over the hill and on a fairly flat area.
I find my ball in deep rough and take a big slog with a wedge to make the fairway. Decent 3rd and then a lay up in front of the bunkers. John then plays his second and is just short and right for 2!

I play a good wedge, but leave it a long way from the pin.

John chips up to within about 5 foot.

I hot a great putt and sink it from 35 ft, but, it's for a 6 and no good to beat John's birdie.

The second and I pull it left for about the 5th time in a row and my 4 is not good enough as John gets an easy Par.

2 down.....not the start I needed. And it's now starting to rain quite heavily now.

3rd and I hit the fairway, but have along way to go. John is abot 75 yards ahead. I hit a good second and leave myself about a 30ft putt across the green.

John hit's his to within 10 ft! I hit a good putt which has a chance but ends up just past for a gimmee!!!

John races his birdie putt about 5 foot past, so I see it in and he misses!  A bonus!

The 4th and my first "shot" hole. I hit a reasonable drive and see John Boom one over the bunkers.

Drag my second left, but in reasonable position. Connect too well with my 9 iron 3rd shot and it runs into the back bunker. A good bunker shot left me with an 8 footer and John's second was about 15ft away. He lagged it for an easy 4 and I just lipped out, so back to 2 down.

Still pretty positive as I was hitting the ball fairly well now and as long as I kept it in play, I could pull this back. I'd got 3 shot holes to come berfore the end of the front 9!

I try to hit a draw, but the hands are too fast and I drag the drive into the hazard.

So, easy for John again. Manage to get a good 5, but John has a simple par to go 3 up!

Shot hole on the 6th and John is a bit short and right and I just manage to reach the fringe. Par, nett Birdie to get straight back to 2 down with the 7th and a shot to come.

I hit it down the left and just catch the plantation. John's now hitting 3 wood off the deck and hits one that just ends up in the right hand rough.

I manage to work the 2nd out of the plantation and into the fairway just past John. He lays up a bit short and I am just past him, but down the left. John puts his 3rd to about 15ft and my fourth is pushed a bit right and ends on on the green 30ft from the pin. Just miss Par and watch as John just misses his putt for a win.

The tees are fairly forward tonight, so we are off the lower level on 8th, John hits a monster over the left hand bunkers, I sky one and don't make the carry. Play 3 off the tee and smash it into the Bunkers!!!

Get out but even with John messing it a bit for a bogey easily beats my 7!

John, with 3 wood hits a solid tee shot on 9 and I get away with one up the right. Line up for long approach, but block it into lake. 4th just catches the lip of the bunker and I end up 4 down for the front 9!

It's raining heavily now and I'm not expecting to get much further. Just hold on to 10 and 11 with no shots and then I've got 12 and 13 with shots to hopefully pull a couple back!

Bad drive off 10, blocked right, and it's a provisional off the tee. Luckily find the first, but can only hack it onto the fairway and just catch the greenside bunker, up and down for a 5, but lost to a par again! 5 down.

Perhaos I sohould shake hands now and then we can get back to the bar, but, remember playing a medal with John a few weeks ago and John would have been 5up against me after 10, but started to lose his irons after shanking on 11, and I would have lost on 18, so let's see what happens!

John misses the green left and I am on the green, but on the lower right with pin top left. I hit a good first putt, just past and get a par. John gets up and down, so it's a half.

It's tipping it down now and I can hardly grip the club at the moment. Still got a shot here.

John's 3 wood is into the fairway and my Drive ends up short down the right, but way back. As I hit my second, I feel my grip slip and it slices high and right into the gorse bushes, unplayable, drop and hit 4, into the rough, fifth just gets out, so it's six from 220yards. Have to go for it, but straight into ditch.

John is on in 3 and so it's time to shake hands...............

Still, on reflection, not a bad campaign this year, just not good enough to come close.....in fact, I don't even think I was 2nd today!