Another amazing day. The event was delayed this am due to rain. So our 10:12 tee time became a 1:15pm tee time. I met my partner, Will Wilcox only 10 minutes before we teed it up. What a nice young kid, as is the other pro that is in our group (rod perry). Rod is a two time defending PGA club pro of the year working out of a country club in Florida. Due to winning the club pro championship he gets to play 7 events on the tour this year. So they make the introduction of the pros who are first to tee off (from the back tees) as the 2 amateurs (yours truly and a guy named jack who works for Morgan Stanley in nyc) nervously await their turn. As the pros line up their tee shots I tell jack that I want him to go before me as I am hyperventilating so badly I'm about to pass out. Well the pros stripe their drives 290 down broadway as jack and I move towards the "white tees". As we approach the tee the announcer says, "next on the tee is Greg buonocore"! I look at him as to say "that wasn't the plan, I'm not ready" and he looks back at me as to say "too damn bad, put the tee in the ground". I swallow hard, put the tee in the ground, grip it and proceed to rip it 250 right down the middle (into the wind) Man, what a relief.  The big drive down the middle was the standard for the day for me. In fact, I may never have driven the ball in my life as good as I did today....just bombed it.

So Will makes par on the first hole (#10 on pebble), but bogies #11(when I double) so we go +1. Not good. He dead pulls his iron on the par 3 #12 and I finally decide to help the team by launching a 5 iron onto the green from 185, about 20 feet for birdie. I lag for a 2 putt par (team birdie). So we get back to even. Will goes par-par on 13 and 14 as my drives consistantly equal or pass the pros (note: we have about a 30 yard advantage per hole) but I cannot put together effective irons to compliment the drives.

On 15, I bomb a drive down the left side and have a gap wedge in from 110 into the wind. I nut the wedge and it flies over the pin and into the back trap. I knock the sand shot out and it just won't stop on this green, rolling it 35 feet by. I line up the 35 footer, thinking its right to left, I erroneously hit it left and it actually breaks right and into the center of the cup for par #2 (net birdie)! We go to back to -1.

On 16 I bomb a drive 290 down the middle (did I mention I drove the all insanely today?). Fred and I get to the ball. Its 135 into the wind. He likes 9 iron, I like 8 iron. The player wins the argument. I absolutely crush the 8 and it's headed right at it. The ball disappears and I say "where the hell did it go". Fred responds "in the back bunker, I told you it was a 9 iron". Nice. I bogie for a team par. On 17 Will is comfortably on the green while I lay 2 off the back. I decide to "blade" a 9 iron. I hit it perfect and it's headed right at it. I think "should I do that Tom Watson U.S. open dance he did when he chipped in on 17?". The ball just slides by and we get a net par. On 18, I absolutely drill a drive past the famous big tree in the fairway, lay up with a beautiful 7 iron. I have 110 in and go gap wedge again. It's hit perfect, a dart right at it and....over the top again, one bounce off the green and into a dead lie. I mean impossible, won't be able to stop it if I got it on the green. I need to now hit one of those cute little pro sand wedge chips and just tap it....yeah right. I try that and I "double hit" the ball with the wedge as I decel through it. Into the pocket. Will makes an amazing up and down for par.  Will pars #1 (our 11th) and misses an eagle putt on 2. We are now -2.

 I BOMB a drive over the top of the trees on #3 and have only 90 yards in. I hit the green, two putt and we get net birdie....-3. I absolutely kill my drive on 4 and wind up in the fairway bunker with a dead lie. We make net bogie and drop to -2. 

On 5, Will makes a wonderful 20 footer for birdie and we get to -3. The horn blows due to darkness and we call it a day. I understand that Johnson/Gretzky lead at -10 so we are 7 back with 4 still to play. Tomorrow will be nuts with 4 holes at 7:45am and a full round at spy glass immediately afterwards.....can't wait,