PLYMOUTH – It is conceivable that the lowest nine-hole round in Canasawacta Country Club history may not have happened.

Bob Branham toured the back nine at C.C.C. in the Men’s Monday Night Scratch League in a course-record 27 strokes. Branham, though, is not a member of the league. “Monday, I subbed for Sal Testani,” Branham said, who agreed to play for Testani, but could have just as easily declined Testani’s request. “It was a best ball match against Tom Muserilli and Dave Cappadonia. They’re both excellent players, and I knew I had to be aggressive. Pars would not get the job done against those two.”

Branham was paired with Stu Hughes, himself a single-digit handicap, and on any typical day, Hughes would have contributed on several holes. However, when one player is making four birdies and two eagles over a nine-hole stretch, not much help is needed.

Branham’s round started innocuously enough with pars on the 10th and 11th holes. He hit his iron shot into the par-three 12th hole to within 20 feet, and made his first birdie. “The round started like any other day, and I was able to get the ball in the hole on number 12,” Branham said. “From there, it was just nuts.”

On the par-five 13th, Branham hit a three-wood on his second shot to within six feet, and made his eagle putt. He left his birdie putt on the par-three 14th about an inch short, but rectified that glitch making a five-footer for birdie on 15. Another birdie came from 12 feet out on 16 pushing his score to five-under-par.

“I knew I was five-under, and I’ve had three 29s on the back nine,” Branham said. “I was hoping to make a par on 17 and then birdie the 18th to shoot another 29.”

Branham, who normally plays a left-to-right fade, took aim at the right corner of the green on the 224-yard downhill par-three. With a back-left pin placement, getting the ball close to the hole was not in his mindset. “I just wanted to put the ball in the middle of the green,” Branham said.