This is a fun post to write. I get to recap my wonderful week in Houston were I advanced through 2nd stage and onto the Final stage of Web.com Q-School. Before the week started, I posted a short note about how it's a great course for my game - and boy was that true. This was far from a bomber's golf course - which another
2nd stage site was. I consider myself longer than average off the tee, but my real advantage comes from my accuracy off the tee and my putting skills. Let's dive into the daily round-up. Follow along
here.
ROUND 1 -
Warm weather, mid-70s. Light winds to begin with, but kicked up to 15mph by the end of day.
Started on #1 and I quickly faced a gut-check with a 10 foot made putt for bogey on #3. I rebounded from that hole with a great stretch from 5-7. Three birdies - hit 8-iron to 6 feet of 5, made 18 footer on 6, 2-putted on 7. After that good run, I struggled for a majority of the rest of the round. I made a double bogey on #9 from the middle of the fairway, chunked a sand wedge short of the green on #10 (again from the fairway), and hit my second shot into the water on #16.
It wasn't a pretty finish, but I had confidence that I would peak at the end of the week when the pressure would be at it's highest. I even told my caddie that each round on the course was helping me become more comfortable and more familiar with the tee shots and the approaches and by the final round, I would be totally locked in.
ROUND 2 -
Cold start, 45 minute frost delay, but it warmed up quickly. Highs in the low 60s with light winds.
Started on #10 and had a rough start with 2 bogies on #11 and #13 caused by awful approach shots to the green. After that start, I fell into a good rhythm and made 1 birdie and 9 straight pars before reaching the short par-5 7th. My second shot to #7 almost carried the front bunker, but instead it buried DEEP under the lip and I had to take an unplayable (remaining in the bunker and dropping the ball). I blasted it out to 15 feet and made the putt for par! Then I hit a 7-iron to 8 feet on #8. Never once did I imagine not making that birdie putt, but it was one of the few times all week that I misread a putt and had to tap in for par. I finished the day on #9 with a disappointing bogey. After 2 shots, I was just off the left of the green and had a straight forward bump and run chip. I blew it 15 feet past the hole and didn't make the putt.
The 2nd round had a similar ugly finish as the 1st round did and after signing my scorecard, I went to the range to work off some of my frustration. My caddie and I talked about how frustrating the last 40 minutes of that 2nd round were. If the ball wasn't buried under the lip in the bunker, I could've gotten up and down for birdie. Then the putt on #8 really surprised me because I had putted so well inside of 10 feet. Top if off with a bad bogey on 9 where I failed to execute a simple chip.
After 2 rounds, my confidence in my swing was growing, but I needed to see the results on the course. With half of the tournament still to play, my caddie said we needed 2 good rounds - not mediocre - but 2 good rounds and we'll move up the leaderboard.
ROUND 3 -
Another cold start (no frost), but temp was around 40 degrees when I arrived at course. Temperature warmed up very quickly and stripped the clothing layers throughout the day. Highs in mid-60s with light winds.
First group off of #1 and I was paired with Shaun Micheel, who won the 2003 PGA Championship at Oak Hill CC.
My frustration from the 2nd round had worn off and I was confident that I could put together a solid round and make a bunch of birdies. I had a goal going into the 3rd round, that if I could hit 6 approach shots inside 10 feet, my score would be significantly lower (especially because my putter had been working so well). On the front nine, I hit it inside of 10 feet on #1, #3, #6, and #7 - making birdie on all of them except #3. On top of the better ball-striking, I stole a birdie on #9 by making a 40 foot putt that was straight down hill. A player in my group had a 45 footer, on a similar line, and I watched him roll it right into the cup. I followed him in, but I definitely learned from his - my initial read was quite different from my final read.
Making the turn after a 3-under 33, I felt good, but a bad double bogey on #10 (tee shot in fairway bunker, then 3-putt from 15 feet) soured that good feeling. I quickly forgot about the double bogey and played really well on the last 8 holes, including 2 birdies on #13 and #15. I made about an 18 foot putt on #13 and hit a lob wedge to about 3 feet from 80 yards on #15. I had a great chance on #16 after I reached the putting surface in 2 shots, but 3-putted for par. I finished with a 3-under 69 and I felt great about how I was hitting the ball, putting the ball, and how comfortable I was beginning to feel on the course.
ROUND 4 -
Warm weather, low 70's. Light winds throughout the day.
My final round was a very nervous start. I didn't hit a single good shot on #2 and made a bogey. Plugged my tee shot in a greenside bunker on #3, luckily got up and down (making a 15 foot putt). Then on #5 I hit it into the right rough, hit an overhanging pine tree on my second shot and made another bogey.
It was on my walk from 5 green to 6 tee that I started to calm down and play golf like I had the rest of the week. I admitted that I was extremely nervous, which was normal. Worse than being nervous, I was fearful of playing poorly and failing to advance through 2nd stage. Nerves are a natural emotion that everybody gets and having nerves is a good thing. Fear, on the other hand, is not a good thing. It clouds your mind with negative thoughts and makes every muscle tight, which severely hinders a golf swing. I told myself to stop being afraid of failing because my desire to succeed should out weigh that fear by 10x.
"You want this. You've practiced to get yourself in this exact situation. Now prove to yourself that you have the skills, patience, and mental toughness to play 13 great holes of golf."
The pep talk really helped because I played 13 great holes of golf from the 6th tee until the 18th green. I ended up making the cut on the number, but I definitely had several great chances on those last 13 holes that could've put me way ahead of the cut.
My first birdie on the day came on #7. I was hole high in 2 shots and hit a perfect flop shot to about 8 inches, tapping in to get one of those early bogies back. On #8 I hit an arrow 7-iron to about 10 feet, but couldn't make the quick, downhill, slicing putt. On #10 I hit an 8-iron to about 5 feet, right over the flagstick, but again couldn't make the quick, downhill putt. Walking to #11 tee, my caddie said that my putting routine was a little quicker than it had been all week, so from that point on I made sure to slow it down a bit on the greens.
The next par-5, #14, I hit a perfect drive, then pushed my 4-iron into the green side bunker. I splashed it out to 7 feet and thought for sure I'd make another birdie to get back to even-par on the day, but my quick, downhill, slicing putt just slid by. Do you notice a theme with the quick, downhill birdie putts? I had a lot of them in the final round.
I finally got 2 straight birdies on #15 and #16, but they were much more unlikely than what I could've done on #8, #10, & #14. My tee shot on #15 found the trees right, and stopped on pine straw. I only had about 60 yards to the pin and if I could hit it 50 yards to the top of a ridge, the ball would roll straight down to the hole. I landed it just short of the ridge and on it's 2nd bounce, the ball checked up, and trickled straight down to the hole - 3 feet away. My birdie on 16 started with a pulled drive towards the water. I thought it was wet, but my caddie wouldn't let me grab a new ball out of the bag because he thought it stayed short. Sure enough, the ball was 1 foot from the water, inside the hazard line, but on grass. My only shot was a chip shot down the fairway, leaving myself a wedge in for my 3rd shot. I was standing in wet mud, choking up to the metal on the club, and chipping the ball about 100 yards down the fairway. It ran just through the fairway and into the rough, but on my 3rd shot I was able to hit a full gap wedge and use the slopes on the green to funnel the ball close to hole. My ball stopped about 10 feet from the hole and I rolled that putt in.
One birdie from pine straw and another one from the water hazard!
Two great iron shots on #17 and #18 (6-iron and 5-iron respectively) allowed me to 2-putt for pars and shot a final round 71. I played the last 13 holes 3-under par and only battled for a par on #9 and #13 (making 5 foot putts on both). The rest of the holes I was staring at a birdie chance.
As fearful as I was for the first 5 holes, I was equally as patient, focused, and controlled for the final 13. Trust me when I say that the nerves increased exponentially as the day went on, but I remained call and patient, even after those birdie putts failed to fall. I didn't catch myself thinking about what the cut would be or how many birdies I needed to make. I was just in my game, hitting each shot, and accepting both the good and the bad.
My focus was so clear that I was able to visualize the shots in the air. I "watched" them go into the fairway, or land on the green, and I "watched" putts drop into the hole. In the past, I've had to close my eyes to visualize the shots, but not on that final day.
After signing my card, my caddie and I hung out in the locker room for a while. He needed a few beers. I just looked at the leaderboard on my phone, making sure that I was good. Once my score was posted, my phone started blowing up with texts, tweets, calls, and messages from EVERBODY! At first I responded to anybody who congratulated me, but eventually I started falling behind. I'd be writing a text to one friend when another one comes in from a relative. When my caddie and I left the golf course, we were starving, so we went to dinner. Throughout dinner I kept my phone in my pocket, but kept feeling it vibrate every couple minutes because of an incoming text or email.
Everytime my phone vibrated, I got a tingly sensation throughout my body. I smiled to myself knowing that I had overcome a big hurdle during that final round. I had embraced my nerves, accepted my fear of failure, and allowed my skills to perform each shot.
Not a single person at that restaurant had a better meal than I did that night (and I don't even know what I ate)!
Neil
