On Tuesday evening, July 13th,  the two teams that many of Waterfield Cup cognoscenti are saying are most likely to meet in the finals, Richard Saxe/John McDonald (who wish to be known as "Jicky") (editor's note - this report was drafted before Jicky decided to change their team name to The Eskimos. No - The Redskins. No. At press time we're not sure.) and Tom Thayer/Gord McDiarmid, (well-known from their earlier championship days as "Tom T./GMcD") met at Garrison to determine which team would likely go 5-0 in round robin play and which would likely end at 4-1.

  First, the headlines:
JOHN CHANNELS HIS BROTHER-IN-LAW - IS MASTERFUL IN THE SAND
RICHARD WINS TWO HOLES BEFORE MATCH IS 30 MINUTES OLD
JICKY USE ONLY 33 PUTTS BETWEEN THEM IN THE FIRST 11 HOLES, TOM T./GMcD NEED 40 (INCLUDING THREE THREE-PUTTS)
RICHARD CHIPS VERY WELL AND SINKS A KILLER BOMB ON 16 FOR NET BIRDIE
JOHN MAKES LONG PAR PUTT ON 7 AND PHENOMENAL WINNING CHIP ON 8
  Jicky were clearly on their game. Tom T./GMcD never really had a chance. Or did they ...?

  And now the details:
#1 Richard gets it up and down from in front to a front pin for net par. No one can match him. Jicky 1 up and the rout is on.
#2 Richard gets up and down from 80 feet to a back pin in what would become a theme of the match. John also pars. Tom T. and GMcD stumble in with bogeys. Jicky 2 up and the rout is very well underway.
#3 Tom T. And GMcD again stumble in with bogeys. John has a six footer for par but it just slides by. But Richard has a five-footer and hasn't missed all day. Until now. The putt inexplicable slips by. Tom T./GMcD get an undeserved respite from the onslaught.
#4 Both Jickys encounter a bit of trouble and finish with bogeys. So does GMcD. But Tom plays it well, gets a read from his partner and cans the par putt. After one of the few bright spots for Tom T./ GMcD all afternoon, its Jicky 1 up.
#5 Everyone stroking off Tom. No one plays it very well but GMcD's chip from 70 feet ends up 8 feet left. Tom tells him it's straight. He hits it straight. Tom is right. The putt drops for net par and a win. All of a sudden it's All Square. But not for long.
#6 Tom bombs it over. The rest go right. Eventually it's all about chipping and putting. Tom gives GMcD the read from left of the hole and the putt is good for par. Tom makes a routine two-putt par. The Jickys don't. Incredibly Jicky is 1 down for the first time in the whole 2020 Waterfield Championship season. But it would be some time before their opponents would win another hole. The John Show was about to begin.
#7 GMcD pin high and with some help from Tom, makes par leaving Tom with a chance to go for birdie. RIchard takes three more from the fringe, and John has left a chip way short. Tom's  putt just kisses the top edge but fails to fall. Then John calmly rolls in his 16-footer. Ouch!! No blood.
#8 GMcD the only one on in reg but 65 feet away. John is hitting his third from 45 yards and sticks the ball a foot away from the hole!! Gimme. GMcD is disturbed. He leaves his first putt 8 feet short and his second left. A big turning point in the match. It's All Square and Jicky has the MO.
#9 Okay, so much for the MO. Both Jickys take five to get on, Tom takes five to find the cup and it's TomT./GMcD 1 up at the turn.
#10 GMcD can't capitalize on his stroke. His net par matches real up-and-down pars by John and Tom. No blood.
#11. Tom goes way left, Richard way right, John just short and GMcD 15 feet away. Incredibly Tom gets his chip to gimme distance, Richard gets up and down from 90 feet and four pars mean no blood.
#12 John, Richard and Tom have par putts - both Jickys below the hole and Tom above. Tom slides his  slippery downhiller in the side door! Then, shockingly, both Jickys miss just left!! A possible turning point? Tom T/GMcD 2 up.
#13 Three balls in the trap right, TT on the fringe. John makes the best sand shot to 7 feet below the hole. GMcD leaves his just behind Tom so is able to give him the read. Tom makes his par. John pulls his putt ever-so-slightly left and all of a sudden it's Tom T./GMcD  3 up.
#14 John is in the back trap with a tricky downhill lie. No problem! He blasts to six feet and calmly makes the ... bogey. That matches three other bogeys and now Jicky is 3 down with 4 to go. But there is still time (especially because we know that Richard will pull off a heroic net bird on #16).
#15 Tom hits his 6-iron fat on his second and the ball disappears into the hazard. John has some trouble but Richard and GMcD are at the 100 in two. Richard puts it safely on but well below the hole. GMcD gets it to pin high but off the green right. His tentative downhill putt leaves him 5 feet above the hole. Richard goes 5.5 feet by. GMcD offers good/good which would have meant dormie. Richard declines. He misses right. GMcD, following instructions from TT, rolls it in and that was the match - 4 and 3.
#16 Then Richard makes the impressive net bird on #16, but it is too little too late.

   It was a beautiful summer evening for a round of golf with friends. And Tom lived up to his handle - Tom Terrific.

Richard  45-44 89 net 75
John       43-45 88 net 77
Tom T.    41-39 80 net 70
GMcD.    45-43 88 net 73