We recently attended the Sea Best Invitational in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL, a Division 1 Collegiate Golf Tournament (“Sea Best Invitational at TPC at Sawgrass”), which hosted fourteen teams and eighty-four participants. We had a great day watching some of the finest amateurs in the world, with (more or less) full access to an absolute iconic property.
In addition to watching some outstanding golf on the Dye’s Valley Course, there were three individual occurrences that warrant special mention:
The Flame Thrower: As we walked from the Clubhouse to the Dye’s Valley Course, we came across a Sawgrass Grounds Crew Member (Scott) who was holding what appeared to be a torch, attached to a long black hose, which was attached to a propane tank on a small portable cart. As I approached the Grounds Crew Member, on a 45 degree morning, I rubbed my hands together, hoping for a little shot of warmth, full well knowing his gadget could have burned down the Clubhouse in very short order! Curious, I questioned Scott regarding the functionality of the apparatus. Scott was kind and patient, discussing his role on the Grounds Crew and his immediate responsibilities. Scott explained that the torch and related accoutrements were used to incinerate weeds between the pavers on their extensive walking paths.
He suggested his task was not taken lightly by management, requiring a more experienced/mature/seasoned employee. As we bid ado, Scott left us with the following comment; “It makes really good sense to avoid the pine straw with this thing!” His flame thrower was simply remarkable!
Michael Ryunosuke Sakanev (Junior) Jacksonville University from Setegaya, Japan: Michael, playing in the same threesome with Ricky Castillo, found himself in a bit of a bind at the tail end of a par five, hitting his third shot into a patch of tall mule grass, on a knoll approximately 50-yards to the right side of the green. In addition to the mule grass, a bushy tree appeared to impede his approach shot to the putting surface.
Michael, a righty, attempted to settle into his shot however the mule grass was directly in front of his body, with his ball tucked closely to the base of plant on the far side of the plant. So, in the event this is making absolutely no sense, he had absolutely no shot, unable to physically get to his ball.
Without hesitation, Michael went to his bag, pulled out a wedge of some kind, took a lefty stance, inverted his club and confidently proceeded to lob his ball onto the green, fifteen feet from the pin, somehow avoiding the menacing bushy tree! His shot was simply remarkable!
The Best Bogey I Have Ever Seen: Ricky Castillo was five under par after seven holes on his second round of the day. Moments before his tee ball on the 505 yard par-four eighth hole, I texted his father Mark in Yorba Linda, CA with the following message; “Playing beautifully! No stress.”
Ricky proceeded to hit his tee ball to the left side of the left tree line, in a bit of a valley, between the tree line and a substantial power line that runs parallel with the hole. To have a shot to the green, he would need to fly the tree line, some 225 yards from the putting surface. Feeling as if I jinxed the poor fellow, we followed along on the opposite side of the fairway, only able to see Ricky’s head as he was sorting out his options. Distracted by another player, I didn’t see his swing however I heard the distinctive sound of a ball striking a metal object. As I turned my attention to Ricky, I watched him walk backwards some 20-25 yards as his ball ricocheted off what appeared to be a power line support cable. Unfazed, he went about his business, managing the intricacies of a free drop with one of his playing partners then striking his third shot without incident. Feeling some angst over my text and subsequent events, we anxiously scurried towards the green to check on the situation. Amazingly, Ricky’s ball flew the green by ten yards, just shy of a patch of mule grass, forty yards from the flagstick. Ricky deftly navigated his downhill pitch, landing his ball twelve feet from the pin. He proceeded to roll his bogey putt into the cup for an absolute world-class bogey! His bogey was simply remarkable!
Fun stuff, at an amazing event!
Ricky Castillo Update: The University of Florida hosted the Vystar Gators Invitational on February 15th and 16th at the Mark Bostic Golf Course in Gainesville, FL. Fifteen teams and eighty-four players participated in the event.
The University of Florida won the Team Event, beating second-place Vanderbilt University by 18 strokes, while Ricky Castillo (13 under par for three-rounds) won the Individual Event by 8 strokes for back to back individual tournament wins. He is the first University of Florida player to win back to back individual tournaments since 2011. Ricky Castillo is currently the second ranked Amateur in the world!
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The back nine can only get better!
Sounds like a great day of golf-watching, Jim!
That’s awesome. Some talented young men.