By An Anonymous Member of the Communications Department

You’re standing on the 18th tee, the final hole of a tournament, in search of your first win, and you’re nursing a one-shot lead with all the pressure in the world firmly cast on your shoulders.

Tung Lee attempts to become one with the course as he searched for his first title.

It’s a tight landing area, bunkers seemingly as big as the ocean to the right. Out of Bounds to the left. Hit it down the middle, and you're cruising to victory. Barely miss it, and you’re struggling to make a playoff.

How could it get more dramatic than this?

Then it hits you. There’s no way this is more exciting than the third annual AJGA Communications Department Putt-Putt Championship. Really, how could it be?

Initiated in 2004 as part of the communications department “summer of fun," the putt-putt championship has withstood the test of time. Mind you, the summer of fun came about after the department flooded due to a malfunction in the third-floor sprinkler system. (Every tradition has a weird start…when you think about it, why is there a hot dog eating championship on the Fourth of July?)

For the third straight year, eight of competitive putt-putt’s most talented individuals took to The Oaks in Oakwood, Ga., for an afternoon of thrilling bank shots, rock-bed dodging and competitive banter. And, as could be expected, it took extra holes to determine a champion.

The cast of characters for the tournament consisted of past champions, veterans seeking an elusive title and a number of rookies looking to make a name for themselves.

Leading the way was defending champion John Egnot, competing in his final Communications Department Putt-Putt Championship, as he will move to tournament operations in 2007. Egnot pulled out a thrilling victory in 2005, overcoming a late deficit to defeat a demoralized Dave Buer. Now a broken man, Buer declined to compete in the 2006 event.

Jordan Frye, sporting the shades, was a force to be reckoned with during stroke play qualifying.

Not to be overshadowed was 2004 champion Steve Ethun. The Rockford, Ill., native, a longtime putt-putt enthusiast, was anxious to conjure up the wizardry he exhibited two years ago.

Three seasoned veterans, Tung Lee, Patty Thomason and Tournament Chairman and Founding Father Rob Coleman took to The Oaks seeking their first title, while rookies Jordan Frye, Drea Braxmeier and Roseanna Smith looked to shock the world with a win.

Competition started with nine holes of stroke play qualifying. After the initial nine, all eight players were seeded accorded to their finish, with three rounds of nine-hole match play determining the eventual winner.

Stroke play qualifying went as many thought it would, with 2004 champ Ethun and Lee tying for medalist honors. The surprise of the round came from Frye, who rode a hot streak to finish fourth. Unfortunately for Frye, defending champion Egnot, who struggled terribly in qualifying, finished fifth, setting up a first-round match between the champ and the rookie.

The bracket held up in the first round of match play with all but one of the top four seeds advancing to the second round. Egnot, after falling behind on the first hole, came back to shellac Frye to advance to a semifinal-round dream matchup with Ethun. The two past champions would face off in one thriller, while Lee and Coleman would also meet with a berth in the championship match on the line.

The pair of semifinal matches were exhilarating to say the least, with both taking the full nine holes to determine a winner. Coleman went into the final hole with a 1-up lead on Lee and slammed the door shut, winning the hole and leaving no doubt that he belonged in the final match.

Even after suffering a heartwrenching defeat, Rob Coleman (left) congratulates two-time champion John Egnot.

But which former champ would face Coleman for all the glory? Ethun took a quick 1-up lead on the first hole after Egnot recalled why he once shot 72 and 99 in competitive college matches in the same month, missing a two-foot putt to fall behind. However, Egnot grinded his way through the match and eventually overcame a disgruntled Ethun for a 1-up victory.

As a late afternoon Georgia thunderstorm threatened to halt play, Coleman and Egnot waged an epic battle in the championship match. Again, Egnot fell behind early but battled back, coming to the final hole all square. Coleman blew his first putt by the hole, while Egnot played it safe, leaving a virtual tap-in for a 2. Coleman faced a downhill, speedy breaker to extend the match to sudden death. With the elusive championship on the line, Coleman confidently sank the putt to the delight of the gallery of six that had formed.

How else to determine a champion than through sudden death? With the way the match had played out, it seemed as if Coleman and Egnot would go on forever. However, the gallery watched with shock and bewilderment as Coleman missed a short putt on the first sudden-death playoff hole, virtually handing Egnot his second straight title.

“You know I really gave Buer a hard time after he blew it last year,” Coleman said. “But now, I see why he couldn’t come back this time. This is the worst I’ve felt in a long, long time.”

“It means so much to win a second time,” Egnot said, fighting tears. “All the hard work and practice I put in a couple minutes before the round really put me over the top.”

So who will it be in 2007? With Egnot out of the picture, will Coleman finally win his own tournament? Will Ethun regain his championship form? Or will one of this year’s rookies build upon their experience to claim one of golf’s most prestigious titles?

Oh, the agony of waiting another year to find out.