On Friday, Sept. 20th the two real powerhouses of this year's Waterfield competition, Chuck/Bobby and Mac/McD met in perfect conditions to battle it out for Waterfield supremacy. McD announced, as he usually does this time of year, that it would be his final round of the season.
    First, the headlines:
       CHUCK SHOOTS HIS AGE!!
       CHUCK MAKES BIRDIE OR NET BIRDIE ON FOUR OF THE MIDDLE SIX HOLES (AND PARS THE OTHER TWO)
       BOBBY ONLY FOUR OVER PAR AFTER FOURTEEN HOLES
       CHUCK AND BOBBY MAKE A LOT OF BIRDIES AND FINISH FOUR UNDER
       MAC FIVE OVER ON THE PAR FIVES ON THE BACK
       MCD NEEDS EIGHT MORE PUTTS THAN IN PREVIOUS MATCH
    It was always going to be a rout.
    Or was it?
    Here are the details (back nine played first):

#10 Chuck chunks his second and third shots and is still 80 yards out. McD is on the fringe and takes two to move the ball 80 feet. Unfortunately the hole is 81 feet away and he takes bogey. Chuck (Mr. Never-Say-Die) makes a great chip to 8 feet and drains it for the net par and a push.
#11 Everyone on or close to it. McD takes two putts to move the ball 75 feet. Unfortunately... You guessed it -three putts and a bogey. Chuck makes a great chip and gimme par, matched by Bobby. Mac makes a great two putt par. All Square.
#12 Bobby is inside 100 (sigh). Chuck goes for a crap. Mac and Gord beside the green in two. Mac makes a fine chip and solid putt for NET BIRDIE. Bobby's tap in par not good enough. Mac/McD 1 up.
#13 Mac uses the only stroke he gets on a par three to lose it left. Bobby short but Chuck and McD on and inside 25 feet. Chuck gets it to gimme distance. McD does not. But with a little help from Mac he drains the three footer for the push. Mac/McD 1 up.
#14 Bobby makes par with a good up and down. everyone else makes bogey but Mac is stroking. Still Mac/McD 1up, but Chuck is about to go on an incredible tear.
#15 Chuck three solid shots a good putt and a gimme par/NET BIRDIE. Bobby also a solid par. Mac out of it. McD two good shots to 112 yards out. Hits his shot of the day to five feet above the hole and has to make it to match Chuck. It catches the side of the cup and drops for BIRDIE and the push. Incredibly, Mac/McD still 1 up. but that was all about to change.
#16 Chuck makes a good third shot to 20 feet above the hole. He drains it for NET BIRDIE! Bobby rolls in his from the fringe for BIRDIE. McD has a chance with an 18 foot side hillier that misses high. All Square.
#17 Bobby on in two. Mac short but makes a good chip. uncharacteristically Bobby three putts while Mac drains his for par/NET BIRDIE. Mac/McD back to 1 up
#18 Bobby hammers his drive up the middle and his second just right of the green. Then, shockingly, dumps it in the trap and ends up with bogey. But Chuck is on fire - he's on the fringe in three, and gets down in two for par/NET BIRDIE. McD hits his approach from 105 yards, covers the flag and leaves it five feet below the hole. The birdie putt does a 360 and stays out. ouch! Still, a NET BIRDIE to match Chuck. Mac/McD 1 up.
    Incredibly, Chuck has netted to 34, Bobby is only three over and they're down one, But all that was about to change.
#1 Chuck continues his tear. Two great shots to the front fringe, a good putt and a gimme par which matches Bobby. Mac has hit one of his duck hooks left and short and gets the next one to the 100. He's still not on after three shots. But he makes a fine chip and drains the pressure putt for 5 net 4 and the push. Mac/McD still 1 up.
#2 Chuck hits a beauty second to 12 feet. McD is on at the back and makes par. Mac has hit his drive long and straight. He hits his second really long and not so straight, but gets a good look at the pin placement on #7. He then makes a great chip to 10 feet. Chuck drains his for real BIRDIE! Mac then drops his putt for a come-from-nowhere par/NET BIRDIE and the push. Mac/McD still 1 up.
#3 It all starts going south for Mac/McD on this hole. Bobby pars. Every one else bogies and it's all square with the momentum clearly with Chuck/Bobby.
#4 McD makes a terrible third shot and is out of it. Chuck is long with his fourth and long and off the green with his fifth. Bobby has hit two monstrous shots and is on the fringe right chipping for eagle. Then the bizarre happens. Bobby's fine chip hits an unrepaired ball mark and skitters down hill. He can only make par. Mac has hit three solid shots. Two putts later he has a par/NET BIRDIE and it's Mac/McD back to 1 up.
#5 Bobby hits two monstrous shots (yet again) and has a makable birdie putt. Chuck is nicely below the hole in three with a shot at net birdie. McD makes a lousy chip and ends up with six. Mac has sprayed his third left but makes a masterful chip and drops the putt for a net par. After Bobby and Chuck both come close but no cigar it's a push and Mac/McD still 1 up. 
#6 Maybe the pressure is getting to them but Mac goes into the front left hazard and McD, trying to play safe, pulls his hybrid tee shot and it drops into the pond. Bobby goes long but left and may be in trouble (he is and ends up with double) but Chuck plays it perfectly - up the right, into the middle then onto the green. McD is about to take a drop behind the hazard when he sees his ball in a shallow muddy spot with half the ball showing. He rolls up his pants and gingerly steps in. Looking back, the other guys see that he has pulled out a hybrid rather than an iron. WTF?? But he makes great contact and leaves his ball only 85 yards short. He makes a mediocre chip but a good lag gets him a bogey and a tie with Chuck. Mac/McD still 1 up with three to play.
#7 Mac is short. Chuck is short. Bobby is short. But McD has hit a fine shot to 15 feet below the hole. Mac and Bobby go way long with their seconds but Chuck (did I say he never says die?) makes an excellent chip to three inches and par. Feeling the pressure, McD knocks his birdie effort 2.5 feet by. Mac gives him the read and it drops. Mac/McD hang on by the skin of their teeth still 1up.
#8 Mac is stroking and promptly puts his ball deep OB. Everyone else is safe and on the fairway. Chuck leaves his second well short. McD hits an excellent shot from 180 to the fringe about 20 feet from the cup. Then Bobby uncharacteristically chunks one way short. He eventually makes six. But Mr. Never-Say-Die drops a good putt for five. McD, perhaps feeling the pressure, leaves his putt from the fringe four feet short. He looks to Mac who says "That putt's not going anywhere." Indeed it rolls straight and in for par and the win and that's all she wrote. Mac/McD win 2 and 1.

Over beverages we learn that this is Chuck's birthday. He is 67 and, incredibly, he has just netted to 67. It was a joy to see him play so well. It was a joy to see how long and straight Bobby can hit the ball. It was a joy to see Mac make clutch shot after clutch shot as we tofued and bean sprouted a very good team for a very satisfying victory. This is why we play The Waterfield. This is why we play golf.

Chuck 83 net 67
Bobby 81 net 76
Mac 94 net 70
GMcD 83 net 70