Behind the Scenes - What a View

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Today's first challenge was certainly a sight to see. We started the morning at the famed Spectacle Bunker. If you've ever seen this golfing landmark on TV, you can imagine just how imposing it is. But if you've ever seen it in person, you know how much bigger it really is.

We started the day with five contestants remaining. But once again, only the final three Europeans would compete. This morning, that meant that Guy, Thomas and Marty would hit from three bunkers on the 14th hole. Lowest point total after the last location would be immune.

As the challenge progressed, Marty's frustration grew. And after the first three spots, Guy and Thomas wound up tied for the lead. That tie score forced a playoff and Guy and Thomas would face off in the Spectacle Bunker. Thomas and Guy both hit eerily similar first shots. However, in the end Thomas beat Guy 4 to 3 to win immunity.

That meant Guy or Marty would be going home later today.

Their challenge would be three holes - No. 5, No. 6 (Hogan's Alley) and No. 7. After one hole, they were all square. However, at the second hole things started to fall apart for Marty. He missed the putt to tie Guy’s 4 and finally carded a bogey six. If there's one thing I can say about Marty, it's that he likes to bang his club on the ground - a lot! On the next hole, things started to go awry for Marty on the very first shot when he ended up out of bounds. He came back to tie Guy with a bogey five, but it wasn't quite enough. Marty was eliminated.

For me, it was a tough elimination. My eyes were rarely dry on elimination days anymore, but Marty and I had certainly bonded during the time together and my tears were flowing freely. While I knew in my heart, and I think it was obvious from the show, that Marty was still learning and may not be 100% ready for the European Tour, it gets increasingly difficult to see the big prize slip through the fingers of these men. Especially considering how badly they want it. The fact that I had grown to know and genuinely adore them just made it harder to watch from the front row.

But on The Big Break, life moves on quickly and that night I found myself treating the guys to a classic dinner once again – Domino’s pizza. T.J., a man after my own heart, opted for pepperoni, Guy wanted a farmhouse (I have yet to figure out exactly what that is), Thomas ordered Hawaiian and Paul ordered the unique combination of Pepperoni, sausage and pineapple. Of course I couldn't resist ordering a few for the crew too. Even I was craving a taste of home at this point and I think it was probably the most delicious pizza I have ever had.

The rest of the night was fairly low key. No one knew what tomorrow would hold, but as we were now down to the "final four" things were sure to change. The guys all made it a point to turn in early, but not before they grabbed their pizza and hunkered down for the nightly interviews. For now, they would relax and enjoy their view from the top. Because tomorrow they all knew they could fall in the wink of an eye.
 
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