shootout at the PGA

Rick came home last week with two complimentary tickets to the Boeing Classic at Snoqualmie Ridge. One of the local Senior PGA Champions golf tournaments held here in Washington. I've seen some of the PGA golf tourneys on tv, but we rarely watch the senior games, so I was surprised to find that I actually recognized a few names.

Rick was beyond ecstatic to attend his first-ever PGA tournament. We had plans in Gig Harbor on Saturday night, but decided that we could spend a few hours checking out the course and watching some of the game in the afternoon. What an amazing course. We walked in and immediately gravitated to the 10th hole, where Mark O'Meara would be teeing off at in the next few moments, and struck up a conversation with someone working the tournament who gave all sorts of insightful strategies on how to walk the course. We headed back over to the First tee box and watched a couple of the "big dogs" pull up in the golf carts, smoke their stogies, and tee off. Then it was down to the 18th, 17th, 16th and 14th holes. We were right there next to these golf pros -- the same guys Rick grew up watching on tv. Because we had to get down to Gig Harbor that evening, we left after a few hours to head home and get ready. But we would be back the next day.

Saturday night was fun. We visited with our friends Shannen and Kelli -- who recently got married on July 4th, and only a few weeks ago, were in a terrible rollover accident in their truck, Fortunately they both walked away from the accident without serious injury, though their necks and back are still paying the price. Rick and I crashed their next door neighbor's birthday party and by the time 2 am rolled around, I was ready for bed. Rick ended up staying up until 5 am. Uggh. The dogs were in the guest room with us and started whining around 9 am. I was ready to get going so that we could get back to the tournament in Snoqualmie. Rick was a little slower to return to the land of the living. After a late morning breakfast, we were back on the road in the afternoon, not giving us a whole lot of time to get the dogs back home and head up to the TPC course.

The weather was a little sketch and for some reason I let Rick convince me to put on a pair of capris instead of sticking to the jeans I had on. Big mistake. I was so cold out there. We were there by 4 pm and the final groups were coming through on the 18th hole. Watching the leaderboard, we could see that this was a close game, with the top leaders coming through in the last groups--making it anybody's game by the loss or gain of a stroke. In the end, there was excitement in the air as everyone realized that for the first time in PGA history, there was a seven way tie for 1st place -- resulting in a sudden death shootout on the 18th hole.

Fox Sports and Golf Channel cameras and gaffers were up and down the course and the fairway was teeming with the seven first place-tied golf pros, their caddies and their carts. Round one of sudden death left three players standing. And with just one more chance at the 18th hole, it was a spectacular Eagle (two under par) by Watson that closed out the tournament. Rick and I ran as hard as we could back to the shuttle buses so we could beat the rest of the crowd home.

Fun weekend, but boy, I was e-x-h-a-u-s-t-e-d.