Fun at the Five and Dime

By Paul Mahoney
At Ridgewood County Club

Friday afternoon at The Barclays and everyone was heading to the five and dime. That’s nothing to do with Sam Walton’s Wal-Mart empire. Its name has nothing to do with Nanci Griffith’s Love at the Five and Dime song, either. Or Robert Altman’s 1982 movie staring Cher, ‘Come back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean’.

It’s the name of the 291-yard par four 5th at Ridgewood Country Club. Why? Because the club’s assistant pro and legend-in-waiting in the 1930s was Byron Nelson, and he said the smart way to play the hole with a 5-iron and a wedge.
 
Times change and now the pros have the technology and the muscle power to drive straight at the green. Not a spare seat was to be found in the two bleachers behind the green. Hundreds of fans had also gathered on the mound behind the ropes. They were all waiting for Tiger Woods. Three volunteers were discussing the highlights of the day. Phil Mickelson drove to the fringe, chipped up and missed. That summed up his day: 74, four over par, missed cut. Rory McIlroy (even par for the tournament) fired it to five feet. Eagle.
 
The anticipation was palpable as Woods’ group walked onto the tee. Cameron Beckman took out his driver. Wham! Left bunker. Next up: Troy Matteson. Bham! Left bunker, too. Now for the main attraction. “He’s got an iron,” yelled a voice from the bleachers. Yup. Tiger laid up. There was a groan for from the crowd that sounded like a collective dose of indigestion. Oh well. It was a sucker pin position just six yards from falling off the front of the green.
 
Tiger is no sucker. Deep bunkers shaped like New York ribeyes surround the green. Woods didn’t want to be undercooked and swallowed up. He was playing the percentages. Wedge from 78 yards to 10 feet. Missed birdie. Tap in par a formality. But no - disaster. He rushed his tap in from one foot – and missed.
 
“It’s like Tin Cup out there,” said a New Jersey wise guy. Concentration malfunction for Woods. Bogey – one of only five on the 5th all day, ranked the 18th and easiest hole on the course with an
average score of 3.678. There were 42 birdies in the second round and that sole eagle from McIlroy, plus 73 pars.
 
Woods was clearly rattled walking to the 6th tee (his 15th hole). He bogeyed that hole and the 9th, his last, for a two over par round of 73. Still, he is only four shots off the lead held by Australia’s Jason Day at eight under par.
 
The scene in the bleachers as Woods walked to the 6th became like a cinema when the credits begin to role at the end of the movie. Seats up, everybody out. Tiger had played the five and dime just like Byron Nelson said it should be. And got his pocket picked.