Out of Bounds
Buzz’ drive last week had cleared the trees and bunkers, rolling to within 20 yards of the green. Buzz failed to get up and down for his birdie and had settled for par. The wind was directly behind the players and Bradford knew Buzz would be going all out, particularly being two down. However, Bradford had no choice but to lay up. There was no way he could carry 260 yards to clear the bunker. He needed more than a 20 MPH wind; he needed a tornado. Dave’s 3-wood stopped 20 yards short of the bunker in perfect position.
Buzz’ drive was a carbon copy of last week’s. This time the tail wind was a little bit stronger. His drive carried the bunker and jumped off the down slope towards the green. It came to rest on the front edge of the green approximately 25 feet short of the pin. Buzz would be putting for eagle.
Bradford was still 155 yards from the pin. Normally this would be a 7-iron, but with the wind at his back, he opted to hit a high 8-iron and let the wind carry the ball to the green. He was shocked when the ball landed pin high, took one giant bounce and rolled off the back of the green. He didn’t hit 8-irons that far. The wind was gusting and the greens were getting firm. “A mental mistake,” Bradford thought.
“Just learn your lesson and then forget about it,” Ken would say. “It’s over. You can’t do anything about it now.”
Dave was 10 yards over the green and used pitching wedge to get within 15 feet. He marked his ball and watched Buzz line up his eagle putt. Club golfers don’t get that many eagle opportunities, particularly on par 4s. Dave could tell Buzz wanted this putt badly even though a two putt would give him a birdie and a win. Buzz’ putt looked good until the last moment when it curled left and caught the edge of the cup. The putt ended up two feet behind the hole, and Bradford conceded for selfish reasons. He didn’t want Buzz to mark and force him to make his15-foot par putt. He wanted Buzz to think he needed birdies to win holes.
That’s one reason why match play scores are typically lower than normal. Once Bradford conceded Buzz’ putt, his putt also was good. His scorecard showed a four even though there was a strong likelihood that he would have missed the par putt.
Bradford was still one up as they headed for the 6th tee. Buzz had the honors and momentum. He was hitting the ball well and playing smart golf. Dave knew that he had his work cut out for him today.
The marksman had been waiting three nights to get a clean shot. Patience was his strong suit. It was like sitting in a deer blind waiting for a buck or doe to appear. At 300 yards, he couldn’t miss. He had killed from much further during the war. When the target finally appeared at the window he was ready, and the case Joe Martinez had carefully crafted over the past six months went up in a puff of smoke. The key prosecution witness was dead.
Martinez was devastated. He knew he could not get a conviction without an eyewitness, someone to look the jury in the eye and point an accusing finger at the defendant. His boss, the District Attorney, told him he had no choice but to drop the charges and accept defeat. They would make the announcement next week. Martinez pleaded for more time, but to no avail.
Martinez closed his office door and brooded for several hours privately. He finally called his friend, Bill, and asked to meet in an hour at a local restaurant. Martinez had an idea and would need Bill’s assistance.
“Marty, how are you doing? I heard about the shooting and the loss of your star witness. Do you still have a case?”
“I’m not sure, but I have an idea I want to bounce off you. “
“Shoot,” he replied with a half smile. Martinez ignored his friend’s attempt at levity.
“Remember that kid, Frankie, that we grew up with; the little guy that lived a couple houses down from Bennie? Remember him?”
“The name sounds familiar. If it’s the kid I’m thinking of, I didn’t know him well at all. He was sort of a con man wasn’t he; always trying to sell you something or put a deal together. Gee, I haven’t seen him since high school.”
“That’s the guy. My brother says that he is now in Fulton serving 10-20 years for selling drugs.”
“That doesn’t surprise me.”
“Bill, here’s my idea. Tell me if you think it might work.”
The next day Bill flew to Atlanta with a proposition for Martinez’ brother. Two days later, the District Attorney’s office received a telephone call from an inmate in Fulton County Jail in Atlanta. They had a witness that would testify he had personally witnessed several killings done by the drug lord who was on trial. The witness would testify in exchange for commutation of the remainder of his sentence.
At trial, the defense counsel tried to claim Frankie was not even part of the drug ring and couldn’t have any personal knowledge about his client. Frankie was steadfast. He seemed to have all the inside knowledge of someone who had worked within the cartel. He knew names, places and methods of shipment. Most importantly, the jury believed him. He had looked them straight in the eye when testifying and appeared sincere. The verdict came in quickly. Guilty as charged.
Martinez’ career was on its way. Within two years he won several more high profile convictions and was being mentioned as a candidate for State Attorney General.
Chapter 6
Par 5 - 525 Yards
Political Ambitions