The Honda Classic

The Bear Trap

Date Written: March 3, 2008

The Bear Trap comprises holes fifteen thru seventeen at The PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens and is more than just a reference to its re-designer, Jack Nicklaus and some well- placed bunkers. There's some serious-ass water in play that would bring any mortal hacker to his knees. If you think the seventeenth at TPC Sawgrass (The Players Championship) is deadly, the Bear Trap's finishing holes are worse. As a matter of fact there's water on sixteen of the eighteen holes. Might as well throw a snorkle or an aqua lung in your bag in exchange for one of your wedges if you plan to play there.

The last man standing above water Sunday was Big Ernie who garnered his first victory in nearly four years on tour. He survived "The Trap" by going only one over. Ernie burned a number of edges on the back nine with his flat stick, and he avoided the water, otherwise it would have been a runaway. Maybe now he can play back to his form of being number three in the world.

In our funky pool, Denny from Iowa gets off the deck with a nice second place pick of Luke Donald. Master Art, Jim Brady and Scott Winegar helped themselves with a T-4 from Robert Allenby and Monte Train scored with Calc. Seven of us, thinking that Camo-wearing, Boo Boo Weakly would play back to last year, were dead wrong. Boo Boo fires a nifty 8-0 on the last round. "Boo has the flu," should have been his headline. Another young Nationwide grad, Matt Jones, made his sixth straight cut of the year. You gotta give the kid credit for chutzpah. He was one down going into the dreaded par three 17th and took a line straight at a sucker pin that ballooned into the water. An easy double bogie ensued. Johnny Miller (who sees things I can't see) thinks his swing is to drool over. Matt hisself thinks he can compete at this level. We'll see.

Onward to Florida's other coast for the PODS Championship. I remember hearing somewhere that the PODS folks were ending their sponsorship next year. Maybe Public Storage or Waste Management can sign on. Nine "no shows" this week. Six of us picked KJ who is not in the field. I'm calling his agent, his wife, his caddy and his banker! Three think Calc will repeat.