Bru-103: Men win Golf Championship - Chappell wins individual

by LA Seitz on Jun 1, 2008 9:10 AM PDT Comment 15 comments

Bumped. Congrats to our boys for bringing home Bru-103. Click on the graphic for official recap. GO BRUINS. -N

Amazing finish. UCLA led Stanford by three with Erik Flores on 18 and Kevin Chappell on 17. Flores bogeyed 18. Chappell dunked it in the water on 17. He dropped, hit his next shot into the rough, which is about four inches deep where he hit it (more on that below). Chappell stepped up and holed his chip for bogey. They took a one shot lead to 18 where Chappell smoked his drive down the middle, knocked his second shot on the green, and two putted for the team and individual championship.

The 17th hole is a par three, and it looked like they were playing from the back tee, which puts it around 220. Water all down the right hand side, Pete Dye railroad ties and the whole bit. It's a really tough hole, but it looked downwind today. The wind usually blows the other direction. He need a par on 18 to win, and 18 is about a 470 yard par four. Again, it's manageable when it's downwind, and impossible when it's into the wind. Walking away with par there is quite a feat, especially with two championships on the line.

Full disclosure, I'm about a four handicap, and I play all over the Chicago area (my avatar is tee shot on #13 at Cog Hill). I get down to West Lafayette to play the Purdue course about twice every summer. I played there two weeks ago right before they closed the course to prepare it for the tournament, and they were promoting it as a chance to play it under the conditions they have at the NCAAs (in retrospect, it may have actually been a warning). The rough was practically unplayable. The first cut was over three inches, and a few yards in, it was about seven inches. Just brutal. It already has a course rating of over 76 from the tips (7,450 yards), and it was probably playing 2.5 strokes above that with this rough. On the first day, the second player of the day to tee off hit his ball five yards into the rough. Three players, and two spotters (who are out there to do nothing other than find balls in the rough) couldn't find his ball, and he had to re-tee with a two stroke penalty. I hit one in that rough two weeks ago, lost it, dropped, hit that ball about 30 feet, and almost lost that one too. It's that deep and thick. There are five par fours over 470. Under those conditions, it's probably the toughest course I've ever played. For Chappell to play it two under for the week is awesome.

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of BruinsNation's (BN) editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan though, which is as important as the views of BN's editors.

6 recs | Comment 15 comments

Story-email Email Printer Print

Comments

AMAZING

I already wrote in the open thread – that was one of the best open threads ever. To beat no. 1 ranked SC and then Stanford in the same day with that kind of excitement – simply AMAZING.

by Nestor on May 31, 2008 4:02 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

cool to see the new kids

lots of kids from the junior amateur in SD a few years back. congrats Bruins!!!

by jjreicher on May 31, 2008 4:43 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Fantastic post. Thanks.

Great sports drama, very well told, concisely. And, what a pleasant way to read such glorious news.

Terrific opening. You captured the drama, twists, and turns with minimal fuss, and delivered the conclusion with straight-on precision. Then, you went on to relate some particulars of the finish, spiced with personal experience. Very nicely done. I could almost smell the grass; could almost feel the rough around my shoes. Thanks.

It is apparent that you know the game. I have to admit, I had to read and parse some of your story slowly, like a foreign language text. As a golfer, I am 1543 yards south of mediocre. I have played, maybe, 24 rounds in my life, and I haven’t played in over 20 years. I guess my handicap is infinity. So, I wouldn’t know a first cut from a prime cut from a roster cut.

But, I love the game. And, I love reading about dramatic golf, ESPECIALLY when it involves my beloved Bruins. I read your post before I read the open thread, so the news was at its dramatic best for me.

Thanks again. Now, I’m off to read the open thread…

by Bruinut on May 31, 2008 6:42 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Congratulations to Men's Golf!

We’re starting to rack them up!

And double thanks for your write up of the last holes and the difficulty. I don’t play much golf, but I watch it a lot, and those were just tough conditions and holes.

by freesia39 on May 31, 2008 6:59 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

To put it in context

As I said, usually the final holes play into the wind, and they’re all in the same direction. Now, I don’t hit it as long as most of these guys, but I’m not a short hitter. I play a lot of state amateur events in Illinois, so I play with some good players, and I’m generally one of the longer ones in my group. That said, #16 is a 610 yard par five, and if it’s into the wind, I struggle to reach the fairway. The first time I played #17, it was into the wind, and I hit driver. And Kampen punishes no matter which way the wind blows. If those last three holes were downwind today, as I suspect they were from what I could see on the video feed, they still had to play #3 and #11, which are about 470 and 480, dead into the wind. It’s not a typical links style course, but there are very few trees, so when the wind blows, there’s nothing to stop it.

There’s actually a longer course down in Indianapolis called Purgatory which plays about 200 yards longer from the back tees. But despite the yardage difference, Kampen is tougher. There’s a lot of water, and a lot of waste bunkers. And if you get a little wild, there’s fescue where you’re never going to find your ball.

And the rough two weeks ago was probably the longest I’ve ever seen anywhere. I’ve played Torrey Pines right after the Buick, and I’ve played Cog Hill under the conditions they’ve had for the Western Open, and Kampen’s rough was worse than both. I’ve played there probably 7 or 8 times now, and honestly, I had no idea what we were getting into two weeks ago.

All that said, what Chappell did on 17 (from what I could see on the feed) was amazing. You have a kid who probably thought he cost his team and himself a championship when he hit his tee shot in the water. He pulled his third shot (after the penalty) left to make sure he took the water out of play. Then he was hitting from four inch rough TOWARD the water. Most players from there are going to get it down in two or three. And with the water looming, it’s really easy to either chunk that shot and leave it in the rough, or hit it thin and roll it across the green into the water. He not only hit it close, but he hit it in. And that one shot was the difference. Mentally, that was huge. He walked right to the 18th tee from there, not even waiting for his playing partners to hole out, because he was so pumped up. Then he piped his drive on 18 and looked like he was on cruise control for the last three shots. If this had been a major championship televise on CBS or NBC, you’d be seeing that shot replayed for years and years.

by LA Seitz on May 31, 2008 8:44 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

To clarify

Most players from there are going to get it down in two or three.

I should say, most players would be thrilled to get it down in two, and would expect to get it down in three, which would have been a triple bogey, and would have cost the Bruins the championship.

by LA Seitz on May 31, 2008 8:52 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

That's all well and good, Seitz

but I think you should be banned anyway. A 4 handicap? No one is a 4 handicap.

by Fox 71 on May 31, 2008 8:34 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Are you kidding?

A 610 yard hole…thats something out of tiger woods golf video games

by lil eg not cs on May 31, 2008 9:07 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Bruins

Congrats to the Men’s Golf Team. You rock homies. Thanks for #103. I’m going to wait till after the athletic season to update my screen-name.

by Bruins102NCAA on May 31, 2008 11:27 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Future Looks Bright

Bruins lose two seniors, including enormous loss in Chappell. However, they had the 2nd best recruiting class per Golfweek based on their 1st 4 signees for next year’s class and just added a 5th recruit.

Sounds like a very solid program. Go Bruins.

by islandbruin on Jun 1, 2008 6:21 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Thanks for the post LAS

Did a very slight tweak in the title to keep our narrative going. :-)

GO BRUINS.

by Nestor on Jun 1, 2008 9:11 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

CONGRATULATONS To Our Newest NATIONAL CHAMPIONS!!

What a huge win—’SC and Stanford in “one stroke!” Great post, LAS, your excitement is truly contagious…I play a little bit and watch some of the biggies on TV, but I never would have guessed that reading a thread and then a post about golf could be that much of a kick. You really brought this one to life, in full color. Thanks!

Love My Bruins

by Bruingirl83 on Jun 1, 2008 3:34 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs