I stood behind the ball and looked at the situation. The pin was on the front part of the green on the left side. There is a big Sand trap in the front of the green on the left side. Also the green slopes to the left. So going right could be disaster if it comes in hot. My goal is to hit it right at the pin with a high shot and let float gently on the green. As I look at the shot I feel the pressure getting to me. Doubt starts to come into my mind. If I screw up, then we can have a one or two stroke change in a heartbeat. I line up over the ball. I cannot get set. I feel myself get tight and I cannot relax. I step back and take a deep breath. I feel like everyone in the world is watching me. I really starting to worry. And then, I hear that voice or two voices in my head like I have heard before. It seems to be Jerry Churchill 's voice and someone else. They are speaking in tandem. “Keep it Parallel Jim. Keep it Parallel." I take a deep breath. I do not understand why I hear this voice or voices sometimes. “So damn weird” I tell myself. But all of a sudden I am relaxed as can be. I look at Zack and he looks worried and I smile and wink at him. I address the ball. I think about tempo. And I make a good swing.
As a Golfer. Every once in awhile we will hit that perfect shot. And you will remember that shot for ever. And this was that perfect shot. It was so solid and so smooth. It as high, but not too high. It was going right at the pin just like I wanted. Just like I pictured in my mind before I hit it. And I knew that it was the correct club. I could taste victory as the ball was floating down to the green. And it was absolutely the Perfect shot! But too perfect. The ball floated down and hit the pin about two feet above the hole. And the ball bounced straight back. And it slowly rolled back down to the front of the green. It continued to roll slowly down the green. The TV Cameras was following the slow wind aided roll of the ball. It rolled off the green and down the steep slope on the left side of the green. It hugged the corner of the big Sand Trap and rolled and rolled. Finally it came to rest about 40 feet off the green behind the big Sand Trap. My heart sank. I could not believe I got punished for hitting such a good shot.
As we walked to the green the crowd gave both of us a nice ovation. However you could tell there was tension in the air and the gallery felt it. They were in the midst of seeing a dramatic finish. We get to my ball. I have a wet fluffy lie. I have this huge Sand bunker between me and the hole. And I do not have much green to work with. I do not see how I can stop it close to the hole. And if I am not able to stop it I am in danger of going over the green into the sand trap on the other side. And if of course if I hit it short I am dead. If I lose one stroke to him on this hole then we tie and it is an 18-hole playoff tomorrow. I do not want to even think about. If it is a two stroke turn around. If I bogey and he birdies then he is the winner. So any combination of loosing one or two strokes is not good for me.
As I look over the shot. The only option is a Lob Shot. Lob shots are great when they work. But they have to be hit perfect or they can turn into disaster. You have to take good swing at it. If you hit it thin then you can say bye bye. If you hit it fat, it goes nowhere. And with this wet grass, I have no idea how the ball will react. I take my Lob wedge out of the bag. “We will see if all this chipping practice that you recommend pays off," I told Zack. He just smiled. I felt relaxed. I have hit a ton of these shots the last few days on the practice green. I set up over the ball and I just went into Autopilot and made my swing. It was high, and it came down soft. I had pictured a spot on the green where I wanted to hit and that's where it landed. I had played it on the high side of the hole and it was perfect. It rolled past the hole and ended up about 11 feet past the pin. It was the perfect. There is no way I could have got closer from this position.
So now I have a chance. If Cory makes his birdie. My only hope is to sink my par for a tie. If he misses his birdie. I can sink my par for the win or two putt for a tie. As I mark the ball the gallery was getting anxious. The tension was so thick in the air you could cut it with a knife. Half the gallery was pulling for Cory and the other half for me. Cory looked over the putt thoroughly with his caddie from every angle. He stood over the putt and did not waste any time, he knew how he wanted to hit the putt. And he hit the perfect putt. It was one of those perfect putts that you have no doubt will go in. But somehow, the ball just hugged the lip of the cup and gently slid past the hole about a quarter of an inch past the hole. It was heart breaker type of putt. Seemed to be in all the way but just did not fall. You could hear the pain of the gallery as they let out a huge sigh. And Cory had Agony on his face. He could not believe that it did not drop.
Now all the attention is on me. I looked over my putt with Zack. It is a right-to-left break. I knew what it all meant. If I make this I win. If I miss we tie, and 18-hole playoff tomorrow. I line up the putt. This is a speed put. I just need to hit it just to the right of the hole and let it break and drop in. My legs feel weak. I make a smooth stroke and the ball rolls towards the hole. Slow breaking to the left. And to my great thrill it drops! I am ecstatic! I do a big fist pump and the gallery yells. Zack gives me a big hug. I grabbed him by the head by both ears and I yelled at him smiling, “you did it again!” and we laugh. He knows what I am talking about. It was his idea for me to put in all that extra work on chipping and putting. And it paid off big time. I am amazed on how Zack always gets it right.
I shake Cory’s hand, and he gives me big hug. He told me that I earned this. and to be proud of it. I was touched by what he said. As we were walking off the green the gallery cheered and I acknowledged them. I was very happy. This was a lot different feeling than when I won the Masters a few weeks ago. I was stunned at the Masters. I could hardly comprehend what was going on. I remembered I had a lot of strange things going on in my head at that time. I was really confused. But now with this Victory here at the US Open my head was clear. I knew everything that was happening and I was savoring every moment. It was just so much fun.
We went into validate my scorecard in the trailer they have behind the 18th green by the clubhouse. After it is all said and done. I am the 2014 US Open championship. It felt good. Really good. Now, I have become recognized and a real contender on the tour now. Two majors in a row is remarkable.
After the scorecard validation they had me wait around for a few minutes. They were setting up the ceremony where I would be announced as the 2014 US Open Champion.They will award me with the US Open Trophy Silver Cup. A lot players and other people were coming up and congratulating me and shaking my hand. It was crazy for a few minutes. At times 4 or 5 people at a time were coming up to me congratulate to me. I hardly had time to thank them until someone else would come up. Some of my pro buddies congratulated me and joked with me giving me a hard time saying I look like I am a celebrity now.
At one point Dafford Hilton who I played the practice round with came up and smiled and shook my hand and congratulated me. I thanked him with a smile. As as he let go of my hand, he really gave me a strange angry look as he walked away. I was confused and thought that was strange. But then the next second, someone else came up and congratulate me so I never had time to think about it.
As things settle down before the ceremony Jerry Churchill came down. I gave him a big hug. “You are responsible for this” I told him. "If it was not for you making me realize that my game was not up to par and you setting me up with Gus, I would not be here," I said tearfully. “Ah shut up” he said laughing. “You did the hard work. You deserve this. We just laughed and chatted for a few minutes with the other players.
Finally they called me up to the 18th green where they had everything set up. There were so many people here in the gallery. And the officials were lined up around me. I know we had this at the Masters but I do not really remember much about that day. But today, I am taking it all in. I am enjoying the recognition of what I have done. As a professional golfer this is what you always dream will happen some day.
As the ceremony started they had a couple of officials come up and make their speech about the tournament. They would
thank the sponsors of the tournament and go through their little routine speeches you always hear at these ceremonies. Finally it was time to present the Trophy and interview me. The PGA President had me stand beside him and went through his speech. And finally it came to the part. “Ladies and Gentlemen I would like to present to you the 2014 US Open Champion Jim Galloway” and he handed me the Trophy which is a big silver cup with two big handles. The crowd cheered.
I just could not believe it. I was so happy. At first I was not sure what to do when everyone was looking at me and cheering and clapping. But then I realized what the player usually does at this point. With big smile I kissed the trophy and held it by the handles high above my head and faced the crowd and smiled. The crowed cheered, and it was a great feeling.
But suddenly. I felt this pain on my back. I felt my breath exploded out of my body. I see the green grass in front of me getting closer. My brain is not comprehending what is happening. I feel myself falling. Then, my body violently crashes to the ground. And to the horror of the crowd and the Live TV Audience. There is this man that has tackled me from behind. And he is just pounding me with his fist. I somehow managed to turnover on my back and he is sitting on me just swinging away hitting me in the face. It seemed like it was going on for ever. But within seconds several men pulled him off of me. I was in shock.
I stood up and looked at this guy and they were struggling to hold him back he was still trying to come after me. And to my surprise, it was Dafford Hilton. The professional golfer I had the practice round with Tuesday. I just stood there bent over confused. I was looking at him as he was yelling at me. “You're dead! You're dead!," he yelled out. “I will Kill you! You cannot do this! I will Kill You! You cannot do this!," he screamed out and struggling to come at me. I just could not understand. The guys were struggling to hold him back. He is a big man well over 6 feet tall and about 230 pounds. He had a bowl cut haircut and his long brown hair was messed up and in his eyes. His chubby face was beat red as he was screaming at me. I was so confused.
Within a couple of minutes three policemen that were working at the tournament came down and got him under control and handcuffed him. As they were dragging him off he was still trying to get to me and continued to yell “You can't’ do this!” “You can’t do this, I want let you do this, I will Kill you!” They were finally able to take him away. I was stunned. The crowd was stunned. Everyone was in shock. Someone picked up the Trophy that flew out of my hands. It was dented and had a broken handle. “Don’t worry we will fix this," one of the PGA officials told me.
They took me in the Club house. I was bleeding from some cuts on my face and I had a bloody nose and busted lip. They medical staff were treating me. I was basically ok with my head and face but my ribs were killing me. He hit me hard when he tackled me. The Parametric recommend I go to the hospital to have my ribs X Rayed. We had several people in the room with me including the police. “What happened?” I said out loud in frustration. Everyone was at a loss. One of policemen was in plain clothes in a suit and tie. His name was Detective Harrison. He told me that they are taking him to jail now and they will sort this out. He asked if he could ask me some questions and I agreed.
“Jim, what can you tell me. Do you know this guy?," he asked. “Well," I replied. “I met him for the first time Tuesday. I played a practice round with him and a couple of other guys," I told him. “Anything happen then? Anything unusual?," he asked. “No, just a normal practice round. I remember he did not talk much," I explained. “Have you seen him since, he asked. "No, I haven't," I replied. Then I put my finger to my head, as I was thinking. "I just now remembered something that was really odd," I told him as I was shaking my head. “What” he asked. “Just a few minutes ago just before the ceremony. People were coming up to me congratulate me and people were shaking my hand."
“Yeah, go ahead” he nodded. I remember he came up to me smiling and shook my hand and congratulated me. But as he was walking away, he gave me a real dirty look," I explained. “Really, what dirty look?," he said in an attentive tone. “It was like.” I paused trying to think. “It was the type of look like “I am going to get you” type of look. And I guess he did." I said laughing nervously. At that point I threw my hands down. “Why would he do this?," I asked in a frustrated tone. Everyone shook their heads not knowing what to say. “Well that's what we will try to find out," replied Detective Harrison.
Then from the back of the room, a voice rang out. “I think I know why." Everyone spun around to look. And there stood Jerry Churchill . Standing there with a look on his face that he knows what this is all about. “You know something sir?” asked Detective Harrison. Jerry walked up to us. Also the president of the PGA was with him. Detective Harrison knew who Jerry was. He is a big golf fan, and that's why he volunteered to work this tournament.
“What can you tell us Mr. Churchill?," asked the detective. “I think that he is trying to protect a piece of golf history. You see, Dafford Hilton is the grandson of the one and only Ben Armstrong" explained Jerry. “What?!” a few people blurted out, including me. “Yep” Jerry replied shaking his head. “Ben Armstrong is the only person in modern golf to come close to winning the Grand Slam of Golf. He still holds the record of winning three majors in a year. And it looks like Dafford Hilton does not want that record to be broken.
“It's like he has mental issue” someone blurted out. “His family does have mental issues” Jerry replied. “Ben Armstrong was a great man. A true gentleman. And he was an ambassador to the game of golf. But his wife was nuts. She caused him more problems than you can imagine. She had real psychiatric issues. But back in those days, everything was kept under wraps. There was no internet, no paparazzi type reporters around every corner like today. It was all kept quiet. They had a son. His name was Dave Armstrong. He became a professional golfer also. He was playing on the tour when I was playing. And he was very very strange. He just seemed like he had some loose screws in his head. Everyone pretty much kept their distance from him because he had a high temper. He did not last very long on the tour. But I remember him telling people that his father's record would never be broken. In fact he had said that he would never let that happen. No one really knew what he meant by that. He got married and had Son later in his life. It looks like he passed the torch to his son Dafford. His son is this guy today, Dafford Hilton. I believe genetic mutation of mental issues went right up the family tree.
Everyone was just silent trying to process this information. “Mr Churchill. Can anyone else confirm this information you just gave us?," asked the detective. “I can," a voice rang out. Everyone turned around, and it was David Hicks, the PGA President. “Jerry is right. There are very few people around old enough to know about all of this. And I am one of them. All that about Ben Armstrong's wife is true. And the same for their Son Dave Armstrong. We had Dafford Hilton on our radar for a while. He changed his last name from Armstrong to Hilton. He did not want anyone to know that he was the grandson of the great Ben Armstrong.”
“That was not the case for his dad, he wanted everyone to know," said Jerry. “You're right” Mr. Hicks replied. “Like I was saying. We had him on our radar when he started the tour three years ago. But he never showed any signs of anything unusual until today, he said shaking his head in disbelief. "Thanks for the info Mr. Churchill and Mr. Hicks," said Detective Harrison as he started to go over things. “I need to contact the DA and make sure this guy does not get out on bail anytime soon. I think he is in danger to the public and most certainly to Mr. Galloway. Also, Mr. Galloway, I recommend to put in a restraining order on Dafford Hilton. That's something that he may or may not honor, but it is the first step. ” My agent Bobby Williams was also in the room. “I will take care of that” he said. “But now we need to get Jim to the hospital to take a look at those Ribs. Detective Harrison got my our numbers. “I will keep in touch with you on this. “My goal right now is make sure he does not get out on bail," said the detective.
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p; Bobby and Zack walked me to the car. As we were walking people were looking at me and did not know what to say. Some of the players came up to check on me. I tried to joke about it. “Looks like I stepped in the ring with the world champ," I said laughing. Some people laughed a little. But most of the players and everyone were pretty upset. As we were walking. Zack was really upset. “Damn It! If I would have been there with you I may have seen him coming and I could have stopped him," he said in a frustrated tone. I slapped him on the back. “Hey don’t worry about it. That was just one of those weird things. There is no way anyone would have seen that coming," I told him smiling.
They took me to the hospital. I did not feel so good. I was coughing and my ribs hurt. Turns out I had two cracked ribs and a bruised lung. They wanted to keep me in overnight for observation because a bruised lung can lead to complications. If all looks good, I will be out tomorrow the doctors told me. I reluctantly agreed. Eventually they got me in a room. Zack and my agent were with me. “Bummer” I said laughing. “Not my idea of celebrating my victory winning the US Open." We all laughed. Then Bobby got a little serious. “I am so sorry Jim, you deserve better than this," he said sadly.
I smiled. “Ah don’t worry about it, shit happens. Besides, I think if this would not have happened I probably would have been partying too hard tonight and would have done something stupid and hurt myself more than this. We just laughed, and we were all feeling a little better. “How do you want me to handle this Jim? As far as letting people know your condition," asked Bobby. “I know there a lot of people concerned," he told me. I thought for a few seconds. “Just let everyone know that I am OK. I am just a little banged up. I have no problems with letting everyone know my condition. Let everyone know that I am in good spirits and I will be ready to get back on the course as soon as possible," I told him in a positive tone. “OK, Jim, sounds good, I will put the word out. I also need to call our lawyer Devin and find out what we need to do as far as the legal end of things with a restraining order. Take care buddy, I got to run," he said as he walked out. He was upset, but determined to do whatever we need to do to handle this situation.
Golf In A Parallel Universe Page 21
