THE pressure of having a five foot putt to halve a match is not something I would ever say I thrive on – but I took a small step towards exorcising some of my putting demons by doing just that at the end of a recent round.

The match in question was against my friend Paul. It has to be said that there is not much history of rivalry between the two of us, mainly because he has always been a far superior player.

However, as I have begun playing on a more regular basis, Paul has spent the last six months saving in earnest as he looks to buy a house and the gap between us has come down.

However, Paul still infuriates me with his prodigious distance. He left his driver in the bag for the whole of our most recent outing, using nothing more than a six-iron, which he effortlessly pumps around 220 yards – about as far as I can manage with a three-wood.

The good news for me is that because he hits it so far, any errant shot is harshly punished, mainly because it’s flown out of sight. I think he lost six balls during the round, something I have to admit played a large role in my success.

Three balls were lost on the opening three holes but he still managed to win two of them thanks to some dreadful chipping and bunker play from yours truly.

When he got to two up after four holes, with me having amassed just two points, it seemed that the writing was on the wall – but my game suddenly, and unexpectedly, shifted into a gear I didn’t know it had.

I made pars at two of the next three holes to level the match, while the back nine began with three pars in a row, taking my total to a remarkable six for the round, a new personal best.

This run put me two up with six to play but Paul won two of the next three to level things again – and the match all came down to a testy five-footer at the last.

With Paul already down for a bogey five, the pressure was on. I decided to go for it, taking some of the break out of the putt with extra speed, and was mightily relieved to see the ball find the cup.

Not only did it ensure we ended all square – but it also meant I had taken one stroke less. I don’t think either of us had seen that coming.

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