Ford Hill - 6/5

After nine holes on Saturday at Ford Hill in Whitney Point, our first sub-100 round seemed well within reach.

Just not for me.

Standing in the clubhouse at the turn, I had lost 12 strokes in nine holes -- a potentially devastating deficit, especially if the trend continued on the back.

Alex went out in 47 -- the best nine holes either of us had played yet. My game, on the other hand, had been atrocious. I carded a 9, and 8 and 4 7's en route to an ugly 59 at Ford Hill's 'White' course.

There were a few highlights on my part, most notably a par on the 575-yard par 5 5th hole. I had hit my new TaylorMade hybrid club fairly well, despite what the scorecard said.

But Alex was tearing it up. He carded only one 7 -- on No. 5 -- and was eyeing his first sub-100 round. I knew, at the turn, I need to turn things around.

And I did.

We played the 'Red' as the back 9, and I'm glad we did: I came right back with a 47 of my own to finish the day with an unusual 59-47-106. A terrible second shot on No. 9 -- the course consists of four 9-hole courses, so it was our No. 18 -- left me a country mile from the hole, leading to a double-bogey 6 that left me wondering what could've been (par would've meant 45).

Alex fell apart a bit right after the turn, but closed strong to still win the day, coming back in with a 56. He picked up three strokes, extending his seasonal lead, but after an abysmal front 9, I'll live with that.

Also worth noting is that Jay Boulia joined us for this 18 holes. Despite a long night of teetotaling with his girlfriend on Friday, Jay managed to drink 13 beers by the 14th hole, which really enhanced his compliments of my outfit and occasionally unorthodox swings as the day went on. I wouldn't let it bother me, though; if we were dragging him around the course, I might feel differently, but Jay actually shot 53-47-100 and beat both of us, so there's not much I can say.