Page 112 of Putting Out
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Thursday – Day One
“Well,here we are, Dave, on the first day of this historic American event. Our coverage picks up with the favorites having already teed off. Roy Staddler has just made par on the opening hole and Sinjin Rye is currently at plus one through his first nine holes. Troy Delhome is the leader in the clubhouse at three under with a host of people bunched up behind him. One of the surprising rounds of the day was from returning champion, Luke Nolan.”
“A seventy-nine out of Luke isn’t something he’s going to be pleased with, Steve. I’ve played with him for many years and I know how competitive he is.”
Dave smiled as the camera focused on him. “But not playing competitively for so long had to leave him a little rusty. I wouldn’t be surprised if he shot lower tomorrow.”
“Okay, let’s talk about what is making this American event particularly memorable. Reilly Carr.”
“I have to say she is really holding her own out there. When I saw the rain I thought that might give her problems with the length of this course, but it seems to have helped her play around the greens. The greens are a little softer, a little slower and she’s making putts.”
“She’s plus two on the day and very much in the thick of things. Did you expect that from her?”
“I did. I’ve seen her play. I’ve watched her in competition. She’s deadly accurate and she’s added at least twenty yards of length to her driving distance. That puts her in the middle of the pack with the men and given all her other skills, I seriously believe she has a chance to compete.”
The producer gave the two commentators a little wave to let them know the action was back on the golfers. They focused on the monitor in front of them as Reilly stepped up to hit her second shot on the 13thhole.
“She seems to have a strategy on these par fives, Steve,” Dave noted. “She’s not taking any chances by going for it in two, no matter how far she’s put it out there in the fairway. That strategy is working because she’s birdied two of them today. She’s plus two after a nasty break on 10 when her ball hit the cart path and bounced out of bounds. But other than the double at 10 and a bogey at 4, she’s maneuvered herself around this course well. Putting the ball where she wants it and making the tough three-foot putts when she needs it.”
“You would say she’s done more than make a statement at this point.”
“Statement, heck, I think she’s playing for the weekend.”
Friday– Day Two
“Here we areon day two of our coverage of The American. I’m Steve Mercuro. With me again in the booth is Dave Samuleson, former American winner. Roy Staddler has jumped off to a fabulous start to this round. He’s now our leader at four under. Sinjin Rye is struggling a little bit at plus one, but has plenty of holes left to make up some ground. The projected cut line right now is looking like plus four but that could change throughout the afternoon. Of course, I have to mention Reilly Carr. She’s currently one below that cut line and would probably like to make a birdie coming down the stretch to give herself a bit of cushion. Did you imagine when all the hype began first about the ranking system, then about Reilly’s decision to play, she would be a viable contender for the weekend here?”
Dave turned to Steve and cocked his head. “Like I said yesterday, Steve, this girl… sorry, this woman… has got game. She’s moving her way around this course like a seasoned professional rather than a first-time player. She’s picking her shots, playing pretty conservatively. Basically doing everything she can to avoid mistakes. Today, it’s been all pars except for the one bogey on twelve when she overshot the green. She’s got sixteen, seventeen, and eighteen left. None of those are birdie holes, but I think she’s going to need to take a risk. It goes without saying, though, a bogey would be disastrous for her.”
“You’ve been in these high-pressure situations, for that matter, so has she on the ladies tour. Do you think this experience is any different for her?”
Dave laughed. “Oh, yes. She’s got a massive gallery following her. It seems to have doubled in size since yesterday. She’s never played with this kind of attention on her before. I doubt she would admit it, but I think she knows this event makes all those majors on the ladies tour pale in comparison. It’s that much bigger. Part of succeeding here is learning how to handle that pressure.”
“How do you think she’s doing?”
“Frankly, I think she’s doing amazingly well. She seems cool and poised out there. Very few miss-hits. I also have to say I think there are about sixty golfers who would prefer she not make the cut. Reilly loves moving day, Saturday, and if she believes she has a chance, I think she could make a go of this tournament.”
“Let’s talk about those golfers who would like to see her not make the cut. Some have been pretty vocal in their unwelcome.”
“They have and right now I think they all look a little ridiculous. Their assertion was she couldn’t compete and that isn’t the case.”
Steve nodded. “Right now, if you had to bet money… does she make the cut?”
“She makes the cut. Absolutely.”
* * *
“I’m not goingto make the cut,” Reilly spat. “Damn it.”
“It was a bogey, you can recover,” Kenny assured her.
“18? You want me to make a birdie on 18?”
“You can do it. You have to do it.”
Reilly took the bottle of water Kenny handed her. They were on the tee waiting for the group in front of them to play through. She’d been so close to birdie at 16 she could almost taste it, but the ball lipped out and 17 started with a bad shot off the tee. She was lucky to escape with a bogey. She was at plus four, which was rumored to be the cut line. A birdie here would guarantee the weekend. A par would give her a chance. A bogey would take her out of it.
