45-year-old Jimmy Gunn had just birdied the 35th hole of the Colorado Open by making a slippery 30-footer that fell over the front edge with its last roll. The former Korn Ferry Tour player was 1 under for the tournament and headed to the 645 yard par-5 closing hole at Green Valley Ranch Golf Course.
“Have you looked at what the cut is?” Gunn asked me. I had also just made a birdie and at 5 under for the day, the cut was not on my mind. I hadn’t looked. “Do you want to know what it is?” he asked. I did not want to know. Gunn opened the leaderboard on his phone and realized he needed a birdie, perhaps an eagle, for a shot at the weekend.
He hit a perfect drive into the fairway and was left with about 300 yards into a gentle breeze. To reach the green he’d have to play over an intimidating marsh with overgrown cattails, making the landing area invisible. In any other situation Gunn would have laid up, but not today. Gunn pulled his driver and took an adrenaline-fueled lash. The ball launched high, easily covering the penalty area and landing safely on the green, some 50 feet away. It was a soaring, sensational shot; the kind that’s fun to watch for the other players in the group.
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