Great Falls Open 2017 - Round 1

It seemed as if fate was conspiring to keep me from attending the Great Falls Open this past weekend, my last serious warm-up before the Montana Open. First, there were no available hotel rooms -- not simply at the venue, but anywhere in the city. There was some silly basketball tournament going on that drew players and onlookers from around the state, oblivious to the fact that the game of kings will be here long after their novel pastime has gone the way of Mayan ball courts. Second, I got hit with a major work assignment on Thursday that (of course) had to be completed as soon as possible.

But I would not be denied. My fellow state co-champion, Jim Skovron, lives in Great Falls and was generous enough to invite a bunch of us to stay with him over the weekend. I also burned the midnight oil on Thursday and early Friday to get in front of my work, giving me just enough time to hit the road and do battle against some of Montana's toughest players.

When the smoke cleared, I had consumed large quantities of local beer and managed to tie for first place with Scott Caldwell, a fellow Missoulian of immense talent who competes in the Octopus's weekly club with me. There are still some serious wrinkles in my play, and I hope this experience helps iron them out.

In Round 1 I got off to a rocky start but managed to find a nice win early.