Read Match Play for Free Online Page B

include going to Texas and he hopes a stop in Chicago. He wants to add the trophies from the first three holes to his other prizes in the safe deposit box. He will have to leave his options open; there may only be time enough to prepare for the fourth hole.
    Dr. Jensen had not encouraged him to take time off due to his enormous business responsibilities. Multiple sessions with her had been exhausting and provocative. She knew enough about him to surmise anything. He played a successful game with her. Her brutal death was the highlight of his sessions and the trigger for match play.
    The day he left Chicago, he stopped taking the medications prescribed by the referred psychiatrist.
    “Are you sure you don’t want some more coffee?” The waitress startles him back to the present.
    It is a moment before he answers. “No, just the check.” She points to it on the counter and walks away. He leaves an appropriate tip, pays at the register and walks out into the sunshine.
    It is a typical California coastal day. The ocean breeze tempers the warmth from the sun and caresses the palm trees. It is perfect. He actually feels happy. He removes a sterile wipe from his pocket and cleans his face and hands. He puts on his sunglasses and heads to his vehicle to retrieve his clubs. It is a day made to play the south course at Torrey Pines Public Golf Course; soon course management is his only thought.
    He discovers it is Ladies’ Day and will be a couple of hours before the men can tee off. He decides to go to the driving range and hit some balls. After a rather long walk he arrives at the driving range. He notices several women hitting balls and realizes he could have played the second hole of the match here if only there had been time.
    He purchases a large bucket of practice balls and surveys the open spaces of the driving area. Two women are hitting balls at the far end and he decides to position himself adjacent to them. They are both right-handers, so they are facing him as he approaches. He greets them and selects a short iron. His swing feels comfortable and balanced as he begins working the ball. His concentration is complete and he methodically continues to work through the bucket of balls. When he finally glances around, he realizes that mostly men are occupying the range. When the bucket is empty he rinses his clubs clean and heads back toward the clubhouse and the putting green.
    He tees off at ten fifty-six a.m. on the first hole of the south course. His playing companions are men in their sixties. He expects a slow round and decides it is a good opportunity to work on his game and patience. His drive off the first tee is straight and long and elicits compliments from his playing companions. He decides to simply enjoy the day.
    It is almost five p.m. when they finish the round; he is disappointed with his 1-over-par 73 and regrets the triple bogey on the 16th hole. He thanks his playing companions for allowing him to join their threesome, and after polishing his clubs, walks back to his car to stow them. He passes an attractive young woman in the parking lot who smiles and greets him, and again he wonders if he should have played the second hole.
    He will travel to Carlsbad in the morning. There is a great deal of preparation between the second hole in Carlsbad and the third hole at Rancho Mirage. He is anticipating the challenge and pleasure of the second hole. He puts his clubs in the car and walks around to the back of the vehicle, opens the tailgate and starts to rearrange things to get access to the spare tire compartment. The cooler is still covered but empty. He has a small refrigerator in his room and earlier transferred the cold items, including the baby food jar, which he submerged in a jar of mayonnaise in case a stranger happened to get curious.
    He removes the cooler from the back of the car and sets it in the bushes in front of the car next to him. He no longer needs it. He pushes everything forward and