After a long and frustrating couple of months, I'm back. Last time I was here, I was playing some bad golf in Chile and Brazil. That bad golf continued throughout March and April and a lot of other problems started creeping in. The biggest problem was not being able to set any schedule In the past, I've liked to know that during the winter/spring I would be playing several Gateway events in Arizona. This year, I wanted to stay focused on the Web.com events so I choose not to play locally in AZ. Unfortunately, I didn't get into any Web.com events outside of South America so I had to scramble and add a few random tournaments at the last minute. My game was rusty and my patience was being tested every week when I failed to get into the Web.com events. During my struggles, I saw a lot of good things when I practiced, but the tournament results just seemed to be miles behind.
Now, I'd like to believe that I have slowly pulled myself out of that slump and am ready to go on a big run. Quite a few things have happened in the last few weeks which points to an upward trend. First was that I truly hit rock-bottom. I had an awful tournament and was embarrassed by how poorly I played. Everything that could have gone wrong did and even my good shots lead to double bogies. Luckily I had my caddie with me and we were able to diagnose the issues and begin anew the next day. Next, I started to see the results in a tournament instead of just practice rounds. I came close to monday qualifying for the Web.com event in Valdosta, GA, but I needed a birdie on the 18th hole and messed it up. The best thing about that round was after my awful start, I could've just packed it up and quit (especially after a 3-putt bogey on #7), but I had the feeling that a lot of birdies could be made. I went on to make 7 birdies in a 9 hole stretch and that put me on #18 needing one more birdie. Finally, I made a quick trip (3 days) back to Arizona to play in the local US Open Qualifier and advanced by finishing 4th. Considering everything else I was trying to balance, it was great that my mind was focused and clear while playing so I could play well. I will be playing the US Open Sectional qualifier in San Francisco on June 2nd.
I've saved the best news for last, which is that I snuck into this week's Web.com event in Greenville, SC. A week ago I was 21 spots out and didn't feel very optimistic, but when I had moved up to 9 out by last weekend, I started to believe. Once Monday rolled around, I was 3rd alternate, and I was very glad that I was already in the area so I could go right to the courses to practice.
This week's event is a Pro-Am where everybody plays 1 round at 3 different courses and then the top 65 players make the cut and play Sunday. This is also the first event of the year that is televised on The Golf Channel - just a couple of hours of coverage a day. Keep an eye out for me.
Until the tournament starts, check out my new website. The blog will still be updated, but they'll be linked through the website.
Neil
Now, I'd like to believe that I have slowly pulled myself out of that slump and am ready to go on a big run. Quite a few things have happened in the last few weeks which points to an upward trend. First was that I truly hit rock-bottom. I had an awful tournament and was embarrassed by how poorly I played. Everything that could have gone wrong did and even my good shots lead to double bogies. Luckily I had my caddie with me and we were able to diagnose the issues and begin anew the next day. Next, I started to see the results in a tournament instead of just practice rounds. I came close to monday qualifying for the Web.com event in Valdosta, GA, but I needed a birdie on the 18th hole and messed it up. The best thing about that round was after my awful start, I could've just packed it up and quit (especially after a 3-putt bogey on #7), but I had the feeling that a lot of birdies could be made. I went on to make 7 birdies in a 9 hole stretch and that put me on #18 needing one more birdie. Finally, I made a quick trip (3 days) back to Arizona to play in the local US Open Qualifier and advanced by finishing 4th. Considering everything else I was trying to balance, it was great that my mind was focused and clear while playing so I could play well. I will be playing the US Open Sectional qualifier in San Francisco on June 2nd.
I've saved the best news for last, which is that I snuck into this week's Web.com event in Greenville, SC. A week ago I was 21 spots out and didn't feel very optimistic, but when I had moved up to 9 out by last weekend, I started to believe. Once Monday rolled around, I was 3rd alternate, and I was very glad that I was already in the area so I could go right to the courses to practice.
This week's event is a Pro-Am where everybody plays 1 round at 3 different courses and then the top 65 players make the cut and play Sunday. This is also the first event of the year that is televised on The Golf Channel - just a couple of hours of coverage a day. Keep an eye out for me.
Until the tournament starts, check out my new website. The blog will still be updated, but they'll be linked through the website.
Neil
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