Saturdays at a golf tournament have a smell. Not an actual smell, of course, but a smell all the same.
Perhaps it might be more accurately described as a feeling. It’s the sense of anticipation reserved only for those who have made the halfway cut.
Whether running first or last as the first tee shot is truck Saturday, every golfer in the field knows they hold their destiny in their hands.
The notion of a halfway cut is just one of golf’s unique contributions to the world of sport. No other game reduces the size of the field by over half, en masse, at the halfway point of the competition.
There is a brutal reality to the concept of the cut. For those who don’t make it, there is the freedom to begin preparations for next week.
For those who do, the work week is really only just beginning.
At the AVJennings NSW Open there were 13 shots between the first and last placed golfers as round three got underway.
For those at the bottom with nothing to lose and everything to gain aggressive golf – particularly in such a low scoring tournament – is the order of the day.
Spectators who make the effort to get out early will likely be treated to some spectacular golf.
When the leaders tee off later in the morning the goals will be somewhat different. Don’t go backwards while continuing to try to move forwards ahead of the final round and pay day.
It’s why Saturdays at golf tournaments are called – annoyingly – Moving Day.
There is much to play for at Twin Creeks Golf and Country Club today because today is about jockeying for position tomorrow.
And tomorrow they hand out the cheques, which is ultimately what professional golf is about.
