PLYMOUTH – It is conceivable that the lowest nine-hole round in Canasawacta Country Club history may not have happened.
Bob Branham toured the back nine at C.C.C. in the Men’s Monday Night Scratch League in a course-record 27 strokes. Branham, though, is not a member of the league. “Monday, I subbed for Sal Testani,” Branham said, who agreed to play for Testani, but could have just as easily declined Testani’s request. “It was a best ball match against Tom Muserilli and Dave Cappadonia. They’re both excellent players, and I knew I had to be aggressive. Pars would not get the job done against those two.”
Branham was paired with Stu Hughes, himself a single-digit handicap, and on any typical day, Hughes would have contributed on several holes. However, when one player is making four birdies and two eagles over a nine-hole stretch, not much help is needed.
Branham’s round started innocuously enough with pars on the 10th and 11th holes. He hit his iron shot into the par-three 12th hole to within 20 feet, and made his first birdie. “The round started like any other day, and I was able to get the ball in the hole on number 12,” Branham said. “From there, it was just nuts.”
On the par-five 13th, Branham hit a three-wood on his second shot to within six feet, and made his eagle putt. He left his birdie putt on the par-three 14th about an inch short, but rectified that glitch making a five-footer for birdie on 15. Another birdie came from 12 feet out on 16 pushing his score to five-under-par.
“I knew I was five-under, and I’ve had three 29s on the back nine,” Branham said. “I was hoping to make a par on 17 and then birdie the 18th to shoot another 29.”
Branham, who normally plays a left-to-right fade, took aim at the right corner of the green on the 224-yard downhill par-three. With a back-left pin placement, getting the ball close to the hole was not in his mindset. “I just wanted to put the ball in the middle of the green,” Branham said.
Branham executed his shot as intended, and the ball landed on the side bank six feet above the green and at approximately one-third the depth of the green. The ball rolled forward and down the sidehill toward the middle of the green, and it stopped at the flagstick for Branham’s second ace this season and fifth career hole-in-one.
Now at an amazing 7-under-par through eight holes with the short 18th ahead, Branham was in position to create some course history. “At the 18th hole, I was very relaxed and comfortable,” Branham said. “I had hit my shots on line and made my putts. I thought that if I made par on the last hole, it’s a 28. The expectations on 18, though, are to make birdie, and I initially had a hard time pulling the trigger with my driver. Somehow I hit a good tee shot, and it was right at the flag.”
Branham’s shot rested three feet shy of the green, and with a front-right pin placement, he was 18 feet away for an eagle to shoot a 26. “I was trying really hard to make it,” Branham said. “It ran by about three feet, but I was able to make the next one coming back.”
Branham finished his round at around 7:30 p.m., and many people who were on hand during a busy night of league action suggested that Branham play the front nine to complete his round in a bid to break the course record of 60 set by Branham’s younger brother, David.
“Mentally, I was just drained,” Branham said. “At that point, I had not given (playing the front nine) any thought at all.”
Branham, now 55, added more ink to the C.C.C. recordbook. He has won more individual men’s club championships than any other player, he has a record 10 member-guest titles, and now he owns one of the club’s scoring records.
“David’s 60 is something special,” Branham said. “We both have a little bit of history: David has the 18-hole record and I have the nine-hole record. That is kind of neat.”