My First Match

On Tuesday, I played my first high school match against Waterville's number-one player. On the first tee, he had the honor and topped his tee shot 100 yards down the fairway. I then stepped up to the tee and smashed my drive 235 yards down the left side of the fairway, leaving me 110 yards from the green. I launched a nine-iron to 15 feet and two-putted for par, while my opponent topped a 3-wood, then hit a pitching wedge. Missing the green, he pitched on and two-putted for a six.

On the par-3 second, we matched pars. At the par-4 third, we both hit our drives in the fairway. I missed the green just long, and he knocked his on, 20 feet from the hole. I chipped on and missed the hole by an inch to the right, leaving myself an uphill 5-footer for par. My opponent 2- putted for par. I looked over the line and knocked it in the back of the cup.

Up two on the par-4 fourth, I pushed my drive into the right rough and hit a hybrid into a water hazard. We found the ball, and I tried to pitch it out, but drilled it into the ground. I went back and dropped and made 3 from there, taking a 7 on the hole, while my opponent made a par.

At the par-5 fith, I made a par to my opponent's bogey. Even through 5, we both nailed our drives into the fairway on six; then both of us were on the green in two. I 2-putted for par and watched my opponent 3-putt for bogey, leaving me one up, with three to play.

On the par-3 seventh, my tee shot ended up just short of the green. I 4-putted for double-bogey,while my opponent missed the green to the right with his tee shot, pitched up, and 2-putted for bogey.

On the 395-yard, uphill, par-4 eighth, we both topped our drives, with our coaches watching. I hit a hybrid out of the rough, and he hit an iron out of the rough, missing the green short. With my opponent short of the green, I hit a 7-iron from 132 yards out onto the green, pin high about 25 feet from the hole. He chipped up to six feet and missed the putt, but tapped in for a double-bogey. I lagged my first putt just inside his and drained it for five.

On the ninth, I killed my drive down the right side of the fairway 146 yards from the green, while my opponent hit his drive just inside mine. I played mine first, onto the green about 15 feet from the hole. He pulled his second shot into the left bunker and took three to get down from there. I got my first putt inside a foot and tapped in for the win, 41 to 44.

In my first high school match as a freshman, I beat a senior by three strokes, and our team went on to win by 6 points to 3.

Luke