Even par after twelve holes, and all of it from the back tees. It's a rare pleasure shooting a thirty-six on the front nine way back from the championship tees. I was going strong, but the further I got the more nervous and insecure I became.

Okay, so what if I shot a bogie on the thirteenth par three. Sure it was a lousy chip rolling past the hole and I missed the putt coming back by leaving it short. I should have just shaken it off and continued. Actually, that's what I thought I did, but I guess subconsciously this hiccup was eating me up inside.

After that I choked the rest of the way, starting even par after twelve holes it went like this: bogie, bogie (sliced into the trees and lucky it didn't go out of bounds), bogie (nice six iron ten feet from the flag but just off the back of the green, chip two feet from the hole, jabbed putt right for the miss), double-bogie (shanked a 4-iron of the tee), double-bogie (flubbed an easy chip from just off the green and three putted) and a bogie to end it all.

This has happened to me before a a couple of other occasions. Going along strong, worried to make a mistake, collapsing like a fool. It's all mental and I have no one else to blame but myself.

My final score was: 36 + 43 = 79 (at least I broke 80).

Golf is the cruelest of sports. It keeps taunting you to come back and to keep trying again and again until you somehow achieve that once in a lifetime perfect round.

I'm still hoping to achieve some day in the near future.