We were down in South Carolina playing one of the many courses on a fine afternoon. It was a skins game between Phil and I and Jack and Paul with all skins carrying over, and Phil and I were down by three. With an eight skin carry over on the fifteenth hole I knew I had to do something drastic. The fifteenth hole was a 605 yard par five with water all the way down the left side of the fairway and encircling 1/3 of the green on the left.

Phil hit his usual tee shot into the woods on the right with Jack and Paul in the right rough. I on the other hand to the chance and lay my drive out over the water playing for my normal left to right fade an it paid off by cutting the corner and about 75 yards. With everyone else down on the right about 85-90 yards behind my tee shot I grabbed my driver and told Phil to go find his ball and while they were looking I teed up my ball ever so slightly and laced another driver up onto the green five or six feet from the flag. Slowly walking across the fairway to help Phil find his ball I told him to give up and we’d just play my ball up on the green.

Jack and Paul hit their second shots and when they went to play their approach shots to the green they saw my ball nestled up tight to the pin and it was worth every penny it cost me for the trip to see the dejection and bewilderment on their faces. I let Phil make the eagle putt winng the nine skins and closing out the match 6 and three.

Half cheating but still two great shots closed it out for us, of course Phil helped too