Hubbellpalooza is finally over.
And this was a week for the record books; more food, booze and cake consumed than ever before, a wedding, several thunderstorms, bald eagles, a playoff, a new champ and two golfers breaking 80 for the first time.
Tyler didn't play in the tourney last year. He had quit the game forever in '05. Gave his clubs away. Then he moved to Texas and got a job at a five star resort and suddenly had access to all the best courses in the country. He plays everyday with players who know what they're doing and he's improving by leaps and bounds. His score was unremarkable in the first round of this year's open but the general consensus among the old hacks was that if he continues on the path he's on now, next year the tourney could be his for the taking.
One new player, JeffB, stunned the crowd in the first round by posting a 78 after racking up a nine on one. We decided that if he actually won, he would have to host the after party. He came in third.
Dad shot a 79 in the opening round, finishing third overall and the only player to shoot under his age.
Andy finished the first round with a 72 and a six stroke lead going into Wednesday. We were all taking bets on which hole he would crumble on. We all lost. He kept his cool, only cracked enough to let Woody (a multiple champion and perennial favorite in both the Hubbell and the Indian Opens) catch him on the eighteenth green to force a first time ever playoff. Andy cowboyed up and won the playoff.
A brand new name on the trophy and a history making playoff were not the best part of the day as far as I'm concerned;
Jay, Ron, Mike H. and Tyler were a foursome. Ty couldn't finish the round due to a flight back home too early in the day, which left Mike H. and Ron the lone witnesses to what happened next.
Mike said he was glad to play with Jay and Ron, both old enough to be his Dad and neither exceptional players.
"I figured there was no pressure on me, I'm a better golfer than those guys!" Mike said later. "Then Jay started Tiger Woodsing all over the course!"
Jay has been playing for twelve years and has broken 90 a handful of times. He's posted a few 84's and
maaybe an 83 once. Yesterday he got deep into a zone he's never been in before and shot a 78. He hit nine putts on the back nine. That's right, folks! He
one putted nine holes in a row!! My Dad said he's never seen anything like it and he's been around the game long enough to have met Bobby Jones.
At one point, Jay turned to Mike H. (the only Hubbell left in the foursome) and said "I'm so glad you're here. No one would believe this otherwise."
While the guys were making all kinds of Open history, a few of us Moms and kids went down to the Minnehaha Falls. A week ago, there were no falls, just a trickle of water over a cliff. The creek up here in my neck of the woods wasn't just low, it was dry. Dry, dirty rocks where the water was supposed to be. That was a week ago. Since Friday we've had three or four enormous thunderstorms that dumped enough water on the city to fill the creek and turn the falls back into the torrent it's supposed to be. We walked down the creek to the Mississippi. From there, you can see the first lock and dam, which was dry. The engineers did whatever they do to lower the water levels to make cleaning up the 35W bridge easier.
The water in the river was lower than I've seen it but it was as beautiful as ever. We watched a pair of bald eagles pulling fish out of the water. Pretty cool.
We got the kids ice cream and then headed back towards Grandma's, spending the afternoon at the Shady Oak beach, where BJ did some crazy dives off the high board.
It's been a really fun week, but today the out of towners are leaving. Margy's boys start school next week. Jeff, JP and Bill have to get back to work. Tyler left yesterday.
Hubbellpalooza is over.
Pivecfest continues through the weekend.
We are testing the theory that you can't have too much fun.
