Getting There Was Half The Fun

Afterward, both golfers stood outside the R&A building and chatted. O'Hair fessed up to some sightseeing during his round. While playing number 16 he had stared at a revetted bunker on number 3 (because "you don't see much of that back home"), and on number 18 he had allowed himself to soak up the scene, from the flags flapping above the 1st-hole grandstand to the dark shadows in the Valley of Sin. "I got goose bumps," he said. "It's pretty cool to play on Sunday afternoon at the British Open." O'Hair also admitted to some confusion about what his new goals should be, seeing as how he had achieved more in a fortnight than he had expected to accomplish all year. "I think my game has changed the last two weeks. I have a little more belief in myself, and that's been my problem--believing."

?re-vet-ted adj--1. retained with a layer of stone, sod, or other supporting material

Faxon's mind, by way of contrast, was still on his just-completed round. "I'm disappointed I didn't play better," he said, "but I was never upset. I stayed in the present; I never looked forward or back." The pin locations, he reported without rancor, were "unbelievable," certain fairway lies had been "dusty-dirty," and his botched wedge shot from a heavily divoted mound on the 12th hole--a foozle that led to a double bogey and ended his hopes of a top-10 finish (which carries with it an automatic exemption from next year's Open qualifying)--was "like chipping out of a sand trap."

?foo-zle n--1. in golf, a poorly managed stroke; 2. a stick or blade held between the toes for the purpose of stirring liquids

?ex-emp-tion n--1. the state of being exempt; immunity

"But I enjoyed myself here," Faxon said with a sharp nod. "I definitely was in contention." Asked what he had liked most about the week, Faxon said, "The last three holes yesterday"--meaning, I think, the thrill of seeing his name on a leader board again, and hearing fans call to him as he played his way in.

"If you have to," he was asked, "will you try to qualify again next year?"

"Absolutely," Faxon said.

?ab-so-lute-ly adv--1. definitely; unquestionably