The battle of the weekend warriors, as always, came down to who could go the furthest beneath their published handicaps as David Balmores, who must certainly hold the a record for the most A-Flight victories in Maui Open history, outlasted a formidable and equally determined opponent in Rick Colletto. After watching Balmores drain a 7-footer to save par on 14, and then can a 45-footer for birdie on 15, it must’ve been a deflating couple of golf holes for Colletto, who has won this event before.
DIt was hot and the course was dry, but these two veteran players knew the drill. The biggest obstacle for them was the camera lens trained on them by me—something most hackers never have to endure. But these two warriors have been in the clutches of battle under pressure many times, and while I heard Colletto’s signs of frustration as his putter failed him, he never gave me the stink eye. He was a man about it, and while Balmores may have prevailed with the flat stick today, rest-assured these two consistently befuddle all statistical realities in shooting well below their handicaps on a regular basis, when they need to most. We shall see them again.
