World Of XXVI - Day 4

Monday, I woke up and surprise, it was raining again in Biloxi! From Friday through Monday we had almost 5 inches of rain! Undaunted, the remaining 8 World Of scuba divers headed to Shell Landing, a Davis Love III-designed course. It is a links style, par 72 championship course. We played Hawksbill, which is only 6,010 yards because the course was soaking wet and it was the fourth day of the "World Of". This was the replacement course for Fallen Oaks, the Tom Fazio course that was supposed to be the marquee course for this "World Of" trip, but was closed for overseeding.

The fact that this group would even consider playing a Davis Love III course is a testament to how soft we have become. DLIII is the most ridiculed golfer at the "World Of" (even more than the Natural). The group (lead by Turtle) believes that DLIII has more natural talent and less heart than any other golfer on the tour. Davis is a great show or place horse, except at Harbour Town, his home course, which he has won 5 times! However, he has become irrelevant on the PGA tour in recent years so that may have affected our willingness to play his course. DLIII's most famous meltdown was in the third round of the 1999 Masters. The par-5 15th hole is a potential eagle hole for someone that hits the ball as long as Davis. Instead, he hit a poor drive so that he had to lay up instead of going for the green with his second shot and then things got worse! He hit his third shot in the water and made a double bogey 7 on a hole where he should have scored no worse than a birdie.

By the third hole the rain was coming down fairly hard and we saw lightning in the distance. I was putting for birdie when we marked our balls and headed back to the clubhouse, assuming World Of XXVI had mercifully come to a wet end. But the gods were smiling on the "World Of" and the sun came shining through 20 minutes later and we headed back to the course. I missed the birdie putt but I was just happy to be on the golf course among friends. We had intermittent rain, clouds and sunshine the remainder of the morning. I hit some really good shots and some really tired shots. On No. 18, a par 4, I hit my best shot of the round, a 4 hybrid from about 175 yards to 6' from the hole for a possible birdie, which would have been a perfect ending to my World Of XXVI ...

As we were leaving the hotel to drive to the airport, Smooth was talking about World Of XXVII in Ireland. I will have to talk him into a detour to St. Andrews. I don't think it will be too hard!!