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Ready For A Touch Of Class - Hilton Head 16.04.04            

Two years ago I might well have been signing for a 74 instead of my first round 71 in the MCI Heritage Classic at Hilton Head.
When I put it in the water on the short par three 14th to go two over par for the tournament, it may have made irreparable damage on my scorecard.  But I’m a lot calmer these days and instead of losing my head, I kept hold of my senses and made two successive birdies to finish level par.
My luck over the last few months was typified by what happened on the par four 11th.   Unbeknown to me a lump of mud collected on my ball when my tee shot landed and was immediately beneath it when I made my approach.   The ball went straight left on landing and I ended up making double bogey.
Fortunately I managed to cancel out the two back-nine doubles with four birdies so I was relatively pleased to finish level par.
My luck will change some time because I can’t continue like I did on 16 and 18 - flushing drives down the middle and then finding the ball in a divot.
It’s difficult to get too down here because the place is such a great place to visit.  There are no high-rise buildings, neon lights or even street lights and no advertising hoardings are allowed over eight feet.   It’s definitely a classy place with a golf course to match.   Hopefully my scores over the next three days will reflect how comfortable I feel here.

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