Sunday, July 19, 2009
Pepsi Tour-Napa GC @ Kennedy Park
I wrapped up this weekends tournament today at Napa GC at Kennedy Park. I fired rounds of 71, 72 (-1) to take 2nd place once again! I had a rough start the first day 3 putting the first hole and hitting it out of bounds off the tee on the 2nd hole. +3 thru 2 was not the ideal start. I continued hitting it sloppy for the rest of the front 9 but made some key putts and some good up and downs to make the turn at +1. After making a 10 foot curling putt for bogey on 11, I settled down a little to make an eagle on 14 and a birdie on 15 to get the round in the red. I missed birdie putts of 15, 10, and 7 feet on the last 3 holes but was still happy to shoot a round under par after struggling for much of the round from tee to green. I was in 2nd place, 4 behind the leader, and 1 ahead of 3rd place, going into the 2nd and final round. After a good practice session Saturday afternoon with good friend Rick Reinsberg, I came out today swinging much better. On the first hole, I had 6 feet for birdie. I was definitely confident I could get the job done today. Unfortunately I missed that putt and struggled to make putts and save those same type of shots I had saved the day before. I swung so much better on today's front 9, yet I still made the turn at +1 again. I stayed patient as I was 3 off the lead. I made routine pars on 10 and 11 and finally made my first birdie of the day on 12 when I ripped a drive and hit a sand wedge to 13 feet. Unfortunately the next hole my 5 iron got taken by the wind and missed just right of the green and nestled down in the rough. I failed to get it up and down and was once again over par. It was frustrating because I felt like I was swinging well enough to be 4 or 5 under but it just wasn't happening. The next hole, a par 5, I missed a 4 footer for birdie. After 3 routine pars, I finished with a nice up and down on the par 5 18th for a birdie. Although not the score or finish I wanted, I feel better about my game today going into this weeks event in San Diego, than I did 2 days ago. I look forward to improving off this finish and having a solid upcoming week. Thanks for the support and come back soon.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Alta Sierra & Morgan Creek
This past weekend I played at Alta Sierra Country Club and Morgan Creek Country Club. I fired 70 (-2) at Alta Sierra and 74 (+2) at Morgan Creek. I hit 16 greens in regulation at Alta Sierra which resulted in a bogey free round. Although I hit a lot of fairways and a lot of greens, I didn't hit many close shots. I played solid but nothing that had me too excited. I made a poor par on the par 5 18th hole to lose by 1 to Stan Matthews who finished birdie, birdie. It was a very tough 2nd place finish to swallow as I walked away with $400 while Stan walked away with $1250 (my entry, skins, and low gross entry added up to $325). The course was short in yardage on the scorecard but lined with out of bounds throughout much of the course and many of the holes took driver out of your hands. I hit 2 drivers the entire round! Ironically the 74 the next day left me much happier. Although I finished 4th and lost money on the day, I hit a lot of good shots, and made a lot of good birdies on a very challenging golf course. I had not played this course before and my playing partners said the direction of the wind made it play as hard as they had seen it play. I made 2 quick double bogeys with some bonehead chipping and putting and had a hazard ball on a par 5. I made another bogey on my 10th hole from 77 yards out in the fairway on a par 5. I was 5 over par thru 10 holes and just disgusted at the lack of focus and the number of shots I had thrown away. I buckled down and made 4 birdies coming in but still had a sloppy 3 putt from 20 feet on my 16th hole. I look back and realize I need to get focused from the get-go and stop throwing away shots. The level of competition is too high to be throwing away strokes. Overall, I look back and see a lot of good things in my game and some easy-to-fix weaknesses. I feel very confident and prepared for my upcoming events.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Colorado, New Mexico, San Diego
I returned home Friday the 3rd after being on the road for almost 3 weeks playing events in Durango, Colorado, Farmington, New Mexico, and San Diego, California. The trip was filled with many highs and lows and my golf account is higher than it was before I left!
First off, I want to say thank you to Randy Kahn and his family for their incredible hospitality and additional support throughout my stay. It made it very easy to be away from home staying with the Kahns and I continue to be in debt to them. Thank you Randy, Terri, Cory, and Carrie. Second, I would like to say thank you to San Juan Country Club's staff and membership. The San Juan Open was an incredibly run event put on by the staff and membership, and I think I speak on behalf of the entire field when I say thank you to all efforts put in to making it such a fantastic event. Thank you to my amateur partner, Gary Moffitt. It was a pleasure playing with Gary and I look forward to bringing home some hardwear next year with him. Also, thank you to Gary's wife Fran. She was a life saver taking care of my finger and keeping me in the competition. I should probably send her part of my winnings! Thank you to Dr. Crider and Dr. Breeden for helping me with my cut finger. The stitches are out and golf is a lot easier once again having all 10 fingers.
As for a recap of the San Juan Open, I finished t23/80 by firing rounds of 74, 64, 71, 69 (-6). I definitely came in with higher expectations, but after severely cutting my finger and having a bulky putter, I am lucky to have made the cut and cashed a check.
It was such a fun event starting that Monday when participating amateurs got to pick their professional partners. I was fortunate enough to land a great partner in Gary Moffitt when he selected me first overall. It was a fun event to watch and a great opportunity to meet many of the clubs members, the tournament staff, and participating amateurs. That wednesday was the night of the Calcutta. This is a big event where players are bet on. I was the biggest purchase of the night at $3650. Flattering indeed, but I had a tough time not thinking about this throughout the week. I don't think I hit one shot that first round without thinking about the Calcutta and wanting to come through for the people who bet on me. After that first round of 74, I was able to realize that the best chance of coming through for those people was by focusing on golf, 1 shot at a time, and firing as low a score as possible. It still bugs me I didn't perform better for those who bet on me, but am greatful I was able to experience such a pressure. To spice up the week even more, I cut open my left index finger 20 minutes before my tee time prior to the 2nd round. I was changing old spikes and using a knife to loosen up the thread before unscrewing them. The knife slipped and went straight into the base of my left index finger, facing my thumb. I caught a small artery and struggled to get the cut to stop bleeding enough to even attempt swinging a golf club. After cleaning and taping the finger over and over, I hit 7 balls with a 9 iron as my group was waiting on the first tee. So not warmed up, in the rain, with a cut finger, I proceeded to go out and shoot 64 (-7). I went through many band-aids, tape, and gloves that day, and was able to shoot a low round with the help of some good breaks and a sharp short game. With the help of Dr. Crider and Dr. Breeden, and some stitches, I was able to tee it up the final 2 rounds. The next 2 days I struck the ball very nicely and fired rounds of 71, 69. I missed 11 putts inside 15 feet to shoot 69! What a week!
The next day I drove 11 hours to San Diego to play in a Golden State Tour event I signed up for while in New Mexico. What a mistake and learning opportunity! I was on the road too long and just flat out exhausted. I struggled on a fairly easy course by firing rounds of 72, 74, 76. Still it was a fun few days spent with my Uncle Bill, Aunt Val, and cousin Carolyn. Thank you very much for the hospitality, good meals, and great family stories! I definitely learned that 2 weeks on the road is fine, while 3 is just too much for now.
Wrapping things up, this was a great trip filled with some great golf. I was fortunate enough to meet and spend time with a lot of great people over my 3 weeks and I feel like this was the launching pad to my golf career. Thank you to my sponsors and all the support from my followers.
First off, I want to say thank you to Randy Kahn and his family for their incredible hospitality and additional support throughout my stay. It made it very easy to be away from home staying with the Kahns and I continue to be in debt to them. Thank you Randy, Terri, Cory, and Carrie. Second, I would like to say thank you to San Juan Country Club's staff and membership. The San Juan Open was an incredibly run event put on by the staff and membership, and I think I speak on behalf of the entire field when I say thank you to all efforts put in to making it such a fantastic event. Thank you to my amateur partner, Gary Moffitt. It was a pleasure playing with Gary and I look forward to bringing home some hardwear next year with him. Also, thank you to Gary's wife Fran. She was a life saver taking care of my finger and keeping me in the competition. I should probably send her part of my winnings! Thank you to Dr. Crider and Dr. Breeden for helping me with my cut finger. The stitches are out and golf is a lot easier once again having all 10 fingers.
As for a recap of the San Juan Open, I finished t23/80 by firing rounds of 74, 64, 71, 69 (-6). I definitely came in with higher expectations, but after severely cutting my finger and having a bulky putter, I am lucky to have made the cut and cashed a check.
It was such a fun event starting that Monday when participating amateurs got to pick their professional partners. I was fortunate enough to land a great partner in Gary Moffitt when he selected me first overall. It was a fun event to watch and a great opportunity to meet many of the clubs members, the tournament staff, and participating amateurs. That wednesday was the night of the Calcutta. This is a big event where players are bet on. I was the biggest purchase of the night at $3650. Flattering indeed, but I had a tough time not thinking about this throughout the week. I don't think I hit one shot that first round without thinking about the Calcutta and wanting to come through for the people who bet on me. After that first round of 74, I was able to realize that the best chance of coming through for those people was by focusing on golf, 1 shot at a time, and firing as low a score as possible. It still bugs me I didn't perform better for those who bet on me, but am greatful I was able to experience such a pressure. To spice up the week even more, I cut open my left index finger 20 minutes before my tee time prior to the 2nd round. I was changing old spikes and using a knife to loosen up the thread before unscrewing them. The knife slipped and went straight into the base of my left index finger, facing my thumb. I caught a small artery and struggled to get the cut to stop bleeding enough to even attempt swinging a golf club. After cleaning and taping the finger over and over, I hit 7 balls with a 9 iron as my group was waiting on the first tee. So not warmed up, in the rain, with a cut finger, I proceeded to go out and shoot 64 (-7). I went through many band-aids, tape, and gloves that day, and was able to shoot a low round with the help of some good breaks and a sharp short game. With the help of Dr. Crider and Dr. Breeden, and some stitches, I was able to tee it up the final 2 rounds. The next 2 days I struck the ball very nicely and fired rounds of 71, 69. I missed 11 putts inside 15 feet to shoot 69! What a week!
The next day I drove 11 hours to San Diego to play in a Golden State Tour event I signed up for while in New Mexico. What a mistake and learning opportunity! I was on the road too long and just flat out exhausted. I struggled on a fairly easy course by firing rounds of 72, 74, 76. Still it was a fun few days spent with my Uncle Bill, Aunt Val, and cousin Carolyn. Thank you very much for the hospitality, good meals, and great family stories! I definitely learned that 2 weeks on the road is fine, while 3 is just too much for now.
Wrapping things up, this was a great trip filled with some great golf. I was fortunate enough to meet and spend time with a lot of great people over my 3 weeks and I feel like this was the launching pad to my golf career. Thank you to my sponsors and all the support from my followers.
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