Turnberry

Turnberry was our last stop of the trip and for some only one final round awaited as the opportunity to either pad the already impressive winnings or hope to make some kind of comeback. We won't get into details here, but let's suffice it to say the Scotty and Sammy finished the trip looking pretty good while DG and Freddy were licking their wounds.

Surprisingly Turnberry proved to be our only round out of 12 played in the rain (Freddy and Davy had some rain at Dornoch that the rest of us missed due to the donkey show by AA). We happily battled the conditions...feeling as if we wouldn't have experienced the full Scotland treatment without it.

Turnberry, which is hosting the 2009 Open Championship, is truly a special place....magnificient golf, views, and accomodations. The only question to ask was "When are we coming back?".

Check out the Lighthouse and Ailsa Craig in the photo...simply unbelievable.

More From North Berwick

Hard to do this green justice in a photo, but this is one of the craziest I've seen. Mickelson made 7 on this hole in British Open qualifying when he couldn't get the ball up and over the crest and keep it on the green.

Individual Title Secured at Royal Troon?

What a phenomenal day yesterday! 36 holes at Royal Troon...we started the day on the Portland course, which turned out to be a lot of fun. Although we haven't done all the calculati0ns the general consensus was someone needed to go low to catch me on the individual title. Musgrove made a strong statement throwing down a 77 in great scoring conditions. Sam made strong effort with an 82, but probably has too much ground to make up. After a front side 37, I did my best to come back to the field with a 44 on the back, but an overall 81 turned out to be pretty solid on the day.

We had a great lunch in the clubhouse with several pints of our new favorite lager, Tennants, and settled up the morning bets. It's a full hour exercise to get through all the math at the end of each round. At this point, Huggy Bear is bleeding all his early winnings while Freddy is still scrambling to scratch and claw his way back into it.

The Old Course was simply a great golf course. Although this an exercise is splitting hairs, my current rankings are:

1. Muirfield

2. Kingsbarns

3. Royal Troon Old Course

4. Carnoustie

5. North Berwick

6. Castle Course @ St Andrews

7. Gullane Golf Club

8. Royal Troon Portland Course

The afternoon round was marvelous...once again we had great weather. Jack and the Haxxxter took on Freddy and Scotty and went toe to toe for 18 holes. It was a grudge match which Jack and the Haxxxter took home on 18, eventually going on to take the Team title for the day. I missed a 15 ft birdie putt on 18 to end up at 80, while the Haxxxter shot 83, Scottie 83, and Fred 94. More later...

Chopping Out of the Goarse at North Berwick

The Haxxxter finds himself in a familiar spot...

Davy Jones Protecting His Treasure Chest

Early rounds proved 'ol Huggy Bear was going to be tough to beat, but things are starting to take a turn. He built a massive treasure chest against Freddy and the Haxxxter, but the comeback is underway! 36 today at Turnberry Ailsa may decide who brings home cash!

Au contraire Johnny........and on to North Berwick

Yes, I did whiff a chip on 17, but we still had a shot at the title until John blew his drive left in the Goarse and we had to take a penalty on 18. Very costly. Enough of that though. Today at North Berwick was a treat and the first 8 holes go directly into a 40mph wind. Super hard course. Sammy and Freddy vs. Dave and Everett made for a serious gambling afternoon. Let's just say HUGGY BEAR had a rough day and is already rubbing his forehead. He is trying to convince everyone to play another 18 at a local course in Gullane.....considering how generous he was the 1st round, we might oblige. Oh yeah, the below shot is of my tee shot on 18 where I hit it right nailing a car and bouncing it back on to the course. Unfortunately, it was the club champions car and our caddie........he was very cool about it and said insurance will cover, but all the boys got a good chuckle out of it.

Sam

Muirfield

After 36 holes at Muirfield in 30 mph winds, the Haxxxter is beat down. especially since Sam whiffed his chip shot on 17 to blow the match with Jack and Lassie in alternate shot. Oh yeah, this photo was taken afte Lassie hit a 5-wood to 10 feet on 18. Great shot for a 12 handicap. ;)

Muirfield is so pure though. A very exclusice private club and it is ranked#8 in the world. The rough is about 3 feet high so everyone is guaranteed to lose 6 balls (and they did).