Welcome folks to ESPN and the 22nd
annual Cape May PGA Golf Tour. Golfers from all over the island come
each year to participate in this 72-hole marathon of golf.
Getting ready to tee off on Number one of the Cape May Masters, the
first of the CMPGA majors, is Susan Tischler – a relative unknown, but
who has gone on record this week claiming she will be the first to win
four consecutive majors. On the scene is John E. Miller, commentator and
two-time winner of the Cape May Masters and winner of the 2000 Cape May
Open.Miller: Susan, how does it feel to be on your first Cape
May PGA Tour?”
Tischler: It feels great, John E. I’ve prepared for this, trained
for this, and now I look forward to winning.
Miller: It’s an ambitious goal to win four majors in a row. It’s
never been done before and let’s face it – you are a woman.
Tischler: Well John E., I think I can bring my A-game and why not
a woman? This putter will give me the edge I need.
Miller: Ok. You heard it here folks. She brought her A-game.
Susan has agreed to wear a microphone throughout the tournament so don’t
leave your seat for minute, we could be in for a bumpy ride.
The Cape May
Masters
Miller: Everyone covets the green sweatshirt and Susan has her
work cut out for her if she expects to earn this elusive title. Cape May
Golf Course on Jackson Street has a reputation for difficulty in the
face of adversity. The
waterfall alone on A-hem Corner at Number 8 is enough to separate the
golfer from the hack.
Tischler: As I approach Number One, John E., I note the wind is in my
favor. A par or even a birdie will be a cinch on this hole.
Miller: Oh! Bad way to start the day. The putt didn’t break to the
right as she thought it would and now she’s putting for a bogie. Hold
on. She’s jumping up and down as though she made it. Her caddy is
whispering something in her ear.
Tischler: What do you mean I didn’t make it? Three to the hole.
Look at what? The scorecard? Egads!
Miller: We think Susan misread her score card. This is a par 2 not a
par
three.
Oh, her caddy has just stepped up to inform her that she bogied the
hole. The look of disappointment folks is heartbreaking. What an
embarrassing moment for her on national television. Can she recover from
the humiliation, the degradation?
Tischler: I just want to say John E. that I am confident that a
birdie, in fact several birdies are in the cards.
Miller: A start like this would rattle the best of golfers, and
let's be frank folks, Tischler does not rank among the best, not yet
anyway. A start like this could crush her and ruin her chances of
success.
Tischler: John E.? Could you maybe lighten up just a bit?
Miller: Why I'm quite comfortable. Do I look heavy? Oh, that was
a blistering drive to Number Two. She putts it out for a birdie. Let's
pause for a commercial break (pause) O.K. we're back.
Tischler: I am one under par John. E. as I approach A-hem corner.
This is a dream
come true. When I found myself in the rough on Number 6, I thought I was
in trouble but I got lucky. This is where my skills, my training, my
A-game come to the... "fore!"
Miller: Uh-oh she lips out. She’s had several of these lip-outs today,
but has been pretty good at still saving par. Let’s see what she does
here. Amazing putt. A-hem corner may have turned the corner for Tischler. We
could be looking at the new Cape May Masters 2007 champ.
The Cape May Open
Miller: Sunset Beach Golf Course, located at the foot of
Sunset Boulevard is new on the tour this year. The sun is high in the
sky as we begin the one-round tournament. The big question, can she do
it? Can Susan Tischler win a second consecutive major in her attempt to
sweep the four key CMPGA tournaments? This is a wide open course, but beware, there are hazards everywhere. Sand, water and birdies. We mean
the feathered variety, of c ourse,
which frequent the adjacent Bird Migration Area. Tischler is in the
leader group and is teeing off now. Oh a perfect shot. An absolutely
perfect shot, for a woman and she now has a one shot lead.
Tischler: I’m feeling great, John E. I know I’ve been having
trouble with my sand shots, but I think I have my stroke down. We’ll
find out on Number 11. Right now I’m looking ahead to Number 13. It
looks like it dog legs to the left. And everyone has landed in that Tidy
Bowl-colored water hazard. Let’s see what happens. It’s a little bit
warm bit here don’t you think? Oh you’re “quite comfortable?” Hmmm.
Miller: A round which started off so splendidly has just turned
into a disaster for Tischler who missed her shot on Number Two and
bogied the next three holes. She is six behind, and we don’t how she can
come from behind to salvage it. She's doomed, dead in the water,
finito.
Tischler: Don’t count me out John E. To get this ball in the hole on
Number 11 will take a lot of skill and little bit of moxie. It’s do or
die. I've got to
birdie the next six holes to even come close to
winning. I know that. Man,
my palms are sweaty. Oh, you’re “quite comfortable?” Hmmmm.
Miller: No doubt about it, Tischler has been struggling with her
game today but here we are on Number 18 and she is about to clinch The
Cape May Open with what is…yes her sixth consecutive birdie. Here it is. She's rolled
a chip right up to the side of the hole. An amazing triumph in one of
the most sensational comebacks in Open golf history. Unbelievable! Who
would have thought it? Now on to the Cape May-British Open. Can she keep
it going?
The Cape May-British Open
Miller: The Stockton Golf Course on Beach Avenue and
Howard Street is the oldest and most revered of Cape May’s courses.
Established in 1939,
the
course reminds me of St. Andrew's. Steeped in tradition and
impossibly unpredictable, this is the major of all majors. Unlike Sunset
Beach Golf Course, it is tight. Noted for its hydrangea bushes, natural
foliage and the fragrance of beautiful flowers along the 18-hole course,
the Stockton is an oasis for the observer and a challenge
for the golfer, especially one poised to win her third CMPGA major.
Tischler: John E. I feel relaxed and confident. I’m having a little
trouble with my wrist but nothing which will deter me from my goal. As
always, though my biggest fear is the ever present water hazard. If I
slice it, I end up in the water. If I hook it, I end up bouncing off the
Italianate columns and end up on the next hole.
Miller: Well Susan, you know, it’s best not to worry about things
which are not in your control. That’s where most golfers go wrong.
Tischler: Thank you John E. for those words of encouragement.
Miller: Tischler approaches Number 1 like a golfer who knows her
stick. Look at that shot. It’s headed straight for the pin. Ahh, it
comes up just a bit short, but she’ll par the hole and it’s a good way
to start, what looks to be, a blistering hot day.
Tischler: I have to admit John E., the heat is getting to me and I
don’t seem to able to drink enough water. Oh? You’re “quite comfortable"
despite the 85° temperatures and high humidity? Hmmm. Well, onward and
upward.
Miller:
Oh! She shanked Number 5 after ending up in the deep rough. This will
definitely be a bogie putt and put her one stroke back from the lead. She
pauses at the Par Aide to wipe of her ball. She’s starting to sweat – no
doubt about it. We'll be right back.. (pause)
Tischler: John E. I know I was lucky at Number 9. My opponent
blinked and I hit a lucky shot to sink the birdie putt. I feel grateful
to be sharing the lead going into the final nine.
Miller: Tischler’s been struggling with her game today, but she’s
taken the lead and there’s no turning back. As she approaches Number 18,
she could choke. One errant shot, one missed opportunity and the major is
lost and so is her quest. She would leave the Cape May-British Open
disgraced and humiliated – the first woman to try and compete and the
first to fail and fail miserably.
Tischler: Thanks John E. for that vote of confidence. The air is
a little tight, don’t you think? Oh you’re “quite comfortable?” Hmmm.
Miller: She takes her time sizing up this final putt, knowing that
everything hinges on it. It’s a strong, firm putt. This looks good.
Perfect. A birdie for the win! Three consecutive majors and one to
go.
The Cape May PGA
Championship
Miller: The Ocean Putt Golf Course on Beach Avenue is what
golf is all about – hazards, obstacles and challenges on every hole –
all done the old fashioned way, the way it’s been played for well over a
hundred years when it first started in, of course, St. Andrew's, Scotland
(Carlson) in 1867 at the Ladies Putting Club.
Tischler:
John E. this was the course I was meant to play. I can’t wait to take a
crack at that seal with the twirling ball on his nose.
Miller: But what about the fact that you may be the first golfer and
certainly the first woman golfer to take a crack at winning four
straight consecutive majors?
Tischler: You know John E., there’s just been too much made of
that. If I win, I win, but it’s
being in the hunt that’s really been
exciting. And I can’t wait to put that 7-foot rabbit in his place.
Miller: Well, you heard it folks. She’s ready
for the challenge.
Tischler: John E. that birdie on Number 2 was sweet. That seal
didn’t know what hit him. But the twirly thing on Number 4? A double
bogie has put me 2 strokes off the lead. A setback yes, but not a fatal
error.
Miller: Folks, she steps up to the seven-foot rabbit on Number 7
like she owns it. She sinks the putt for a birdie and her opponent,
falls back to plus-two. The back nine will tell the tale.
Tischler:
I knew I had that canon on Number 13 nailed John E. What a thrill. Look
at Humpty Dumpty. He's taunting me. Bring it on Egghead!
Miller: Well, folks it looks like Tischler is going to do it.
Look at that gallery at 18. She tips her hat and knocks one into the
lighthouse.
And that's the way it is. Four majors in a row. Oh wait? A call from the
judges. It seems there's a little discrepancy with the scorecard Susan.
Can you comment?
Tischler: It's a little warm out here isn't John E.?
Miller: No, I'm quite comfortable. |