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Going into the Middle Atlantic Section Senior-Junior Two Man Team championship I had no particular reason to believe anything good was going to happen. I had been practicing more at my new job since the weather had been spotty and my schedule was not full, and I had seen some good things in practice, but my driving was still inconsistent and I was sporting two new Taylormade TP wedges and a new counter-balanced Spider Si putter which had not been tested in competition. I would not have played at all had it not been for my good friend Pat Coyner calling me and asking me to play. Pat worked with me at my old club in Baltimore for 3 years and actually took lessons from me as well before going to Orlando to work at Orange County National with Sean Foley. Pat was back in the section after accepting the job of Director of Instruction at Baltimore Country Club in January, and it was good to get back together with him.
The round started uneventfully as I missed a 20 foot birdie putt on the first hole, then on #2 I got a good break off the tee when my ball rolled through a fairway trap on the short par 5 and I was able to hit the green in 2, missing another 20 footer, although this time for eagle. Then a funny thing happened and I made 3 consecutive putts between 12 and 20 feet to make it 4 straight birdies. Pat was playing well but couldn’t buy a putt, and we cooled off a bit with 3 pars, one of which was Pat covering me as I missed the green and had 20 feet for par. I thinned a 5 iron on the next, an uphill par 3, but it was straight and it hit the front of the green and rolled up to 3 feet for another birdie. I hit a great shot out of a hazard on the next to about 10 feet but missed that one, then made another nice 20 footer for birdie on our 13th hole. Pat covered me again when I yanked a drive into a hazard, but I came back with a 10- footer for birdie on next par 5. We were 7 under going into the par- 3 16th when I came out of a 5 iron and ended up 40 feet right of the cup, facing a putt with at least 2 feet of break. We all laughed and shook our heads when I poured that one in as well. Pat was determined not to get skunked for the day and made a gutsy 25 footer for birdie with me in there 10 feet. I dropped mine and rolled it in for my 9th birdie, and a safe par on the last got us in with a 9 under 62. With 2 bogies on my card I had shot a nice 64, my best round in years. I didn’t feel like I hit the ball very well off the tee, but the course was pretty easy (everyone played from the senior tees, about 6350 yards) and I was good with my short irons.
I still understand that I have to continue to get my pivot working better with my tee shots. I had a day last week where I felt the engagement of my lower back and I was absolutely killing it, but under pressure things tighten up a little bit and my transition timing gets thrown off as I don’t feel the same wind up each time. All in all, though, it was fun to get it going again the way I used to. Hopefully I can continue to progress my ball striking and keep making putts as I go into qualifying for the State Open next week. My immediate goal is to be competitive at the National Club Pro in June, so I will have an eye on that as I practice and work on my game.
From the Middle Atlantic PGA Section newsletter:
DeFrancesco and Coyner Win MAPGA Senior-Junior Supported by Sun Mountain and Golf Max
Congratulations to Wayne DeFrancesco of Lakewood Country Club, and Pat Coyner of Baltimore Country Club on winning the MAPGA Senior Pro – Junior Pro, supported by Sun Mountain and Golf Max on Monday, April 28, 2014 at Westwood Country Club in Vienna, Virginia. Coyner, who recently re-joined the Section, and DeFrancesco shot an impressive 9- under, 62. The team completed an 11 hole stretch with eight birdies and three pars, much of that contributed to the putting clinic they put on throughout the round.
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