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Golf

Scot's 9-under 207 tames bedeviling El Diablo course

By DEREK LaRIVIERE
Published March 21, 2006

CITRUS SPRINGS - The morning dew glistened on the fairway grass before the men's final round of play at El Diablo on Sunday. Sun glimmered through the trees with a slight breeze coming from all directions, causing a suspicious beauty to overtake the course.

As with any other round of golf, frustration reared its head on more than one occasion, and a ball or two was lost in the various course hazards. After the dust settled, one competitor had risen above the rest.

Duncan Stewart, a Jacksonville University student hailing from Scotland, ran away with the men's individual trophy, shooting a nine-under-par 207. He was one of two players to finish under par for the tournament. While the women's tournament began Monday, the story became the course itself.

El Diablo, hosting its seventh annual Thundering Herd Invitational in conjunction with the program from Marshall University, tortured golfers. Known for its fast, narrow fairways and undulating greens, the course wreaked havoc with many entrants.

Where as long hitters usually enjoy the greatest success in these tournaments, the key to low scores at El Diablo is keeping your tee shot up the middle and in the short grass. The degree of difficulty improves greatly after that objective.

There were many holes that embodied the golfer's struggles, from the first lengthy par 4 to the three-hole stretch at the 9-10-11 turn. The hole that may best exemplify the frustration of navigating El Diablo is 18.

The 18th, a hole Golf Digest once dubbed "Hell's Half Acre," played especially difficult. Littered with hazards, this finisher distressed the visiting collegians.

The women labored through the hole's length, and even if they were in good position after their second shot, bunkers that surrounded the viciously rippling green made par a premium. The sign next to the tee box reads simply "Hallelujah" in regard to the joy competitors must feel in returning to the clubhouse after a well-fought round.

Stewart, who grew up playing in the sport's birthplace, characterized El Diablo as one of the toughest he had ever encountered. Other golfers, like Jacksonville teammate and nationally ranked amateur Russell Knox, echoed the sentiments.

"The courses in Scotland are similar to the ones here in Florida," said Knox, another native Scot, "but the greens and tight fairways make this one of the hardest we play."

Knox placed third with an even-par 216. After a final round of 75, he admitted that his long-driving style was not as much to his advantage as it normally would be.

These Division I athletes leave the North Suncoast course today. After that happens, it would not be surprising if they described their experience at El Diablo less as playing the course and more as just surviving it.

[Last modified March 21, 2006, 02:30:40]