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“Oh, yeah. Probably all week. And they’re going to shoot some more footage as well. In fact, we’re talking about me doing my own show for ESPN. Not just a special, but a regular weekly program. Kind of a golf instruction thing.”
“Sounds great,” Co
“Course, it’ll be hard to squeeze in with my usual color commentary gigs, but I think I can make it work. Especially now that I have a new plane.”
Co
“Sure. Don’t you? I thought everyone did.”
“Uh, no.”
“You really should, Co
“No doubt.” Co
“Did I tell you about the chain stores?”
“Uh, no.” Co
“Oh, yeah. We’re going to go national. Ace’s Place, that’s what we’ll call them. We’ll specialize in custom-made golf equipment.”
Co
“I’d like to start my own tournament.”
Co
“I’ve got sponsors lined up. All I need is a weekend.”
“Excuse me?”
“You know how jam-packed the tournament schedule is. There’s no opening for another tournament, unless one of the current tournaments disappears.”
“Well, that’s something to hope for, anyway. Whaddaya say we play some golf?”
Co
He felt a tugging at his sleeve. It was Fitz.
“You’re not really going to use that, are you?”
“Who are you-my safe sex counselor?”
“I’m reminding you that your nine-iron play was disastrous yesterday. And we never had a chance to figure out what was causing it.”
“Well, I’ve slept since then. I think it’ll be all right.”
“Don’t be nuts. Use the three-wood.”
“The nine-iron’s my best club.”
“Not yesterday, it wasn’t.”
Co
The first nine holes went reasonably well for Co
Unfortunately, at the Masters it’s the back nine that make all the difference. The eleventh, twelfth, and thirteenth holes are traditionally referred to as “Amen Corner”-the famous holes where water can turn the tournament upside-down. Co
The twelfth hole was a par three with a tiny green. Co
“For someone else maybe,” Fitz replied. “Not for you.” He held out a club. “Here. Use this.”
Co
Fitz’s face fell. “Oh, damn.”
“What?”
“I can tell by the expression on your face. You’re about to do something stupid.”
Co
“You will. I know it.” Fitz shook his head back and forth. “You’re not going to use the wood, are you?”
Co
“Not when your ball slices every time you use it!”
Co
Fitz slapped his forehead in despair. “No, no, no! Co
“I can’t avoid the nine-iron forever.” He snatched the club from his bag. “Besides, when a man falls off his horse, he’s got to get right back on again.”
“Spare me the cowboy philosophizing.”
“Stand back, Fitz. I’m going to make this one count.” Co
The ball soared beautifully up into the air… and then, as predictably as a heart attack, took a severe turn to the right. The slice cut sideways across the fairway, just short of the green, and rolled into a water trap.
Co
“That’s it,” Barry said, chuckling. “Blame the club.” Barry seemed to be a good deal merrier than he had been when they started the round. Come to notice, Co
The thirteenth was not much of an improvement. It was a dogleg left, with dogwood, a creek ru
Co
As he took his stance, he felt Fitz lay a hand on his shoulder. “Envision the water trap. Locate it in your mind.”
“How can I locate it in my mind? I can’t even see it.”
“That’s the point, Co
“Thanks, Yoda.” Co
“May the frigging Force be with you,” Co
The rest of the course went uneventfully, but after the debacle of Amen Corner, Co
Before they reached the locker room, Co
“What can you tell us about John McCree’s murder?”
“Is it true the eighteenth green is still smeared with blood?”
“Do you think the killer might strike again?”
Before Co
What Co
Co
The man holding the microphone smirked. “But not so hard you couldn’t play the tournament, right?”
Co