When I 3 putted for par on the final green of North Hills Country Club, I knew that the moment was upon me. It was time for the final round of my WSGA internship. After 75 golf courses in 49 days, I headed over to Blue Mound Golf & Country Club to add one more golf course to the official roster. With 50 courses in 50 days being the original goal, I was clearly an overachieving intern.
The lineup for the final round was loaded with WSGA staff talent. We had Mr. Tom Fazio, Sophia Mazurek, and WSGA internship mastermind himself, Rob Jansen. The weather was threatening, but it knew better than to mess with the final round festivities.
Tom Fazio, not Tom Fazio, but Tom Fazio.
Sophia is all smiles about being a part of the final foursome
Rob Jansen fires laser beam golf missiles
Blue Mound Golf & Country Club is a classic Seth Raynor design that hosted the PGA Championship in 1933. The sad news is that It would have to wait 88 long years to host it’s next major championship. Yes that is correct, for the purposes of this golf blog, the WSGA internship finale is considered a major championship. The excitement in the air was palpable. Our crew teed it up and fired away as we began to enjoy Raynor’s template hits. Double Plateau, Redan, The Biarritz, Blue Mound has it all.
Despite the great golf, our attention was distracted by the vending machines. Blue Mound has several vending machines in the middle of the property that are free of charge. You just hit the button and your selection comes tumbling out. It’s pretty much like Christmas morning. Rob and I quickly checked our watches and declared that it was “Dew Thirty” and got our hands on a couple of ice cold Mountain Dews. The drive distances immediately increased by 35%.
The double plateau green at Blue Mound Golf & CC
Since my last visit, surrounding trees have been removed from the redan showcasing the dramatic “kicker” slope.
As the golf wore on and the end drew near, the birdie putts continued to slide by the hole for me. Was I going to end up birdie less during my final internship round? Forget making birdies, I wanted to make major championship history with a 1 on the scorecard.
The 17th is not only an excellent Eden template hole but it is also a par 3 and my final chance at making an official internship ace. When my 6 iron came to rest 15 feet left of the hole, I relented to the fact that it was just another well struck golf shot. Moments later, I would pour my putt in for a birdie 2.
Another view of the splendid “redan” hole at Blue Mound
After approximately 1300 golf holes in the past 49 days, we had arrived on the very final golf hole of the internship. The 18th hole at Blue Mound is a lengthy but reachable par 5. I hit two good golf shots and found myself on the front edge of the green in 2. If you know anything about golf, you should understand the importance of this situation.
“I have a putt for eagle on the final hole of the final course of my WSGA internship. ”
Since it was about 70 feet away, nobody really expected much but I handed the phone to Tom Fazio and said “Here, we better film this one.”
What happened next was nothing short of a golf miracle. The deities of golf had clearly been watching my behavior over the past 49 days and had decided that it was time to dispense some golf justice. In truth, there was no electromagnetic pulse that hit the state of Wisconsin, Tom Fazio just freaked out and rushed to join the outrageous post putt celebration. Since there is no video evidence I have compiled an important list below.
Top 4 things that happened when the camera stopped rolling
A bald eagle soared down from the heavens and I gave him a high five.
I accidentally roundhouse kicked a fan storming the green.
A double rainbow appeared and It began raining Skittles.
Tiger Woods showed up and shook my hand.
The final scorecard signed by Mr Rob Jansen.
“The golf gods are real”
The moment was immediately memorialized into golf logo history by photoLoKo.
Even as I write this a week later, I am still in shock that this putt went in. It is easy to become accustomed to the ball sliding quietly by the hole without incident. After time, this result almost becomes the expected one. So when a golf ball decides to dive into the back of the hole from 70 feet during a crucial moment in WSGA golf history, it almost feels as if divine intervention is involved.
This putt goes out to everyone that joined my summer WSGA internship. Thank you for your generosity, your good vibes, and your overwhelming hospitality. The great state of Wisconsin will always hold a special place in my golf heart. Not because of the great golf that was played but because of the people that made this great sport of ours come to life.