Farmlinks GC - A Photo Essay

Pursell Farms, Farmlinks GC -Fayetteville, Alabama

Perhaps the most beloved of all venues frequented by members of the Kiva Cup, Farmlinks once again lived up it to its legendary status, as @JordanHartsell, @MarkJSkiba, @ZMWard and USA Captain J. Hartsell visited for an all-inclusive day of golf. It was Jordan's 1st trip to The Farm. Special thanks goes to their secret benefactor who helped make the trip possible.

Front 18

The match was set as The Hartsell's vs Ward/Skiba. Jordan, in his first trip to Coach Pursell's Farm, started off fast with a near eagle on 1, giving his team the early 1UP lead. The father/son duo raced out to an early 4 up lead, before the mood got serious. Skiba, out in 39, added birdies at 10 and 13, to cut the lead to 1UP. A pair of pars by the Hartsell's on 16, made the match dormie. It went to 18 at 1UP, when once again 2 clutch pars gave the Hartsell team a hard fought 2UP victory.

Back 18

After a delicious lunch of beef tips, with Jordan selecting the turkey sandwich, the group headed back out for another try. Skiba and Ward seemed determined to blast the Hartsell's back to North Alabama in the rematch. Playing near flawless golf as a team, with Skiba adding birdies on 1, 6 and 10, the duo raced out to a 4UP lead thru 10. However, the momentum could not be sustained, as Jordan managed the only pars on 11 and 12, the Amen Corner of Farmlinks, to cut the lead to 2. In a furious rally, the Hartsell's won 16, after an uncharacteristic short miss by Skiba. It must be noted that very few short putts were conceded on this day.

The match went to the famous 17th, with Ward and Skiba now holding a tenuous 1Up lead. USA Captain Hartsell, with the honor, hit an 8 iron to 5 feet. The birdie was eventually conceded and the foursome headed to 18 at ALL SQUARE. With darkness rapidly approaching and vision limited, Ward and Jordan hit excellent drives. Both laid up to approximately 125 yards. With Skiba and Capt. Hartsell effectively out of the hole, it came down to the 2 cousins, both receiving a stroke.

Jordan, playing first, hit a perfectly struck 9 iron, that in the near darkness appeared to be stone dead to the hole. Ward, a few feet closer, played a stinger that trickled over the back edge. At the green, it was revealed that Jordan's ball had released 40 feet past. Then it was up to Ward, who after discussing the shot with his partner, hit a good running chip to 12 feet. Jordan's putt was well struck, but ran a dangerous 10 feet past the hole.

Ward, in his now familiar crouch, lined up the tricky putt to secure the halve, if not the match. A mere 4 inches from the hole, his putt hit a ball mark and veered right. Bogey for Ward. Jordan, wasting no time, calmly stroked in his par putt to give Team Hartsell a 1UP victory. It was a hard fought battle of wills until the very last putt, which is what the Kiva Cup is all about.

Indvidual Scores, as time allows:

@MarkJSkiba - 74-80

@ZMWard - 85-87

@JordanHartsell - 88-85

J. Hartsell - 82-91