Final Results - T-19th - 70, 70, 74, 69 - 5-under par. $1768.75
It was a good week in Fort McMurray, AB. The end of my third round was a bad 7 hole stretch, but I'm really happy with how I played the other 65 holes. I stuck to my game plan and had enough confidence in my putting that if my tee shot found the rough, my only goal was to get the ball into the green.
Before the tournament started, I didn't think this golf course would be a great fit for my game. Fort McMurray golf club is very narrow and they let the rough grow up to nearly 5 or 6 inches in some spots. You're forced to hit a lot of irons/hybrids/3-woods off of tees and everybody ends up hitting into the green from the same yardage. I prefer a course that gives you the option to be aggressive with driver, a club that has usually been one of my strengths.
During the practice rounds, my swing didn't feel good, and I honestly hit it very bad on the range and on the course. The only bright spot was my putting. Late in the practice round I found that a more aggressive putting stroke produced a more consistent roll for the putts. The greens were heavy on the poa annua which always makes the greens bumpier as the day moves on, but the aggressive stroke seemed to help keep the ball rolling, instead of hopping.
The shapes and contours of the greens were fairly benign so that gave me more confidence when I reached the greens. I lived in the rough all week, but from there I just tried to get the ball to the middle of the green and I knew I could 2-putt. That worked all week and took pressure off of my short game or even my iron play.
Trust me when I say that I lived in the rough. The most fairways I hit in any round was seven (1st round), but then I only hit three in round 2 and six in the final 2 rounds. Sticking with my gameplan - to aim at middle of green from rough - I hit 14, 15, 12, and 16 greens in each of the 4 rounds. That gave me a lot of chances at birdies and resulted in a bunch of tap-ins for pars.
The most positive thing about the week was how my ball striking improved and my confidence grew each day. That's no doubt a result of the confidence in my putting carrying over to the rest of the game. It was a lot easy to make confident swings when I knew all I had to do was get the ball onto the green surface.
Glad to have my first top-20 on the PGA Tour Canada especially after the week started off with apprehensive thoughts.
Next tournament is in Winnipeg, MB and then I'm back in the USA for 2 weeks.
** 2013 Schedule & Results have been UPDATED **
Neil
It was a good week in Fort McMurray, AB. The end of my third round was a bad 7 hole stretch, but I'm really happy with how I played the other 65 holes. I stuck to my game plan and had enough confidence in my putting that if my tee shot found the rough, my only goal was to get the ball into the green.
Before the tournament started, I didn't think this golf course would be a great fit for my game. Fort McMurray golf club is very narrow and they let the rough grow up to nearly 5 or 6 inches in some spots. You're forced to hit a lot of irons/hybrids/3-woods off of tees and everybody ends up hitting into the green from the same yardage. I prefer a course that gives you the option to be aggressive with driver, a club that has usually been one of my strengths.
During the practice rounds, my swing didn't feel good, and I honestly hit it very bad on the range and on the course. The only bright spot was my putting. Late in the practice round I found that a more aggressive putting stroke produced a more consistent roll for the putts. The greens were heavy on the poa annua which always makes the greens bumpier as the day moves on, but the aggressive stroke seemed to help keep the ball rolling, instead of hopping.
The shapes and contours of the greens were fairly benign so that gave me more confidence when I reached the greens. I lived in the rough all week, but from there I just tried to get the ball to the middle of the green and I knew I could 2-putt. That worked all week and took pressure off of my short game or even my iron play.
Trust me when I say that I lived in the rough. The most fairways I hit in any round was seven (1st round), but then I only hit three in round 2 and six in the final 2 rounds. Sticking with my gameplan - to aim at middle of green from rough - I hit 14, 15, 12, and 16 greens in each of the 4 rounds. That gave me a lot of chances at birdies and resulted in a bunch of tap-ins for pars.
The most positive thing about the week was how my ball striking improved and my confidence grew each day. That's no doubt a result of the confidence in my putting carrying over to the rest of the game. It was a lot easy to make confident swings when I knew all I had to do was get the ball onto the green surface.
Glad to have my first top-20 on the PGA Tour Canada especially after the week started off with apprehensive thoughts.
Next tournament is in Winnipeg, MB and then I'm back in the USA for 2 weeks.
** 2013 Schedule & Results have been UPDATED **
Neil
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