It was a wonderful final week of my amateur career. I got a chance to play in one final USGA event, almost everything was paid for, and the course we played at was one of the finest facilities I've been to. Our team didn't do that well, we finished in a tie for 17th, but I felt good about the way I grinded my way around the course. The course was long and it played very tough. All the fairways were a firm as concrete and the rough was very long. This meant that the balls easily bounced through the fairways and into the thick rough. From there the greens were just as firm as the fairways, meaning a shot from the rough needed a miracle to stop on the green. Once on the green, you had to take into consideration which way the grain was going and then read the break accordingly. It made for a very difficult and frustrating round of golf. Sometimes you would hit a great drive, and fabulous second shot, only to two putt from 5 feet because you completely miss read the grain.
Despite all of the grinding I had to do, I enjoyed all three rounds and finished tied for 16th in the individual standings. I learned a lot about the bermuda greens and gained a lot of confidence about my ability to play in the southern part of the US. I was the low man from Wisconsin, but not because of my great play. The other two guys struggled. For the tournament, I shot 72-72-73, 1-over par. The best part of the whole tournament was ending it with a birdie. I rolled in a 25 foot putt on my final hole. That's a nice way to end my amateur career.
Once I got back to Wisconsin I received some wonderful news. I found out I was named the 2005 Wisconsin Amateur Player of the Year. My consistent play throughout the summer paid off. I'll write more about this when I know more. Next week I will be traveling down to Arizona to get settled before the 1st stage of Q-school. That begins October 23rd in Texas. I will be updating everyday for that, but you can also follow it at:
www.pgatour.com/qschool
Feel free to leave a comment. I think people are reading this, but I'm not sure who or how many.
Neil
2 comments:
I sent your link to everyone in my address book that would know you, and hopefully they did the same
Neil, it's great following your progress and exciting golf experiences. I've got you in my favorites so I can keep track of you. Congratulations on the WI Amateur Player of the Year - you definately deserve it. What a way to end your amateur career - a birdie and named the best amateur player in WI!! It's been great spending time with you on the golf course over the years and we really look forward to watching you as you work on meeting your goals and dreams. Good Luck!!
Pat & Jack Meyer
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