I turned things around today and made a much needed improvement after my 2nd round disaster. I hit it better than either the 1st or 2nd round, but I still had some horrible swings. I hit horrible approaches on #10, #17, #1, and #3 - but I was lucky to save par on each of those holes.
The best thing about my round was how it ended. I got a major jolt of energy with an eagle on my 17th hole (#8). I had just played #6 and #7 really well and continued that with two great shots onto the 8th green. My putt, however, was nearly impossible. The hole was on the left side of the green. I found myself on the back part of the green, on a higher tier. I had to putt alongside the tier, letting it fall straight left as it died. Once at the bottom of the tier, the putt would break back to the right and the green was sloping away from me. I died the putt just on top of the tier and it took a left turn, then turned back right, and snuck in the left side of the hole. It felt like hitting a grand slam. All of a sudden my ho-hum even par round was 2-under.
I hit 2 solid shots on #9 and missed my 20 footer for birdie, but I definitely felt the surge of confidence after holing that eagle putt.
I'm still outside the cut line, but I have confidence going into the final round. I've been in a similar situation many times this year. Eight times this year I've been in the final or 2nd to last group on the final day of a tournament. All of those experiences, good and bad, should come in handy tomorrow.
By now, you probably know where to go for scores.
Neil
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
PGA Q-School 1st Stage - Round 2, Pinehurst, NC
Opps. I took several giant steps backwards with today's round. Worse ballstriking than yesterday. Struggled to hit fairways and struggled to hit greens. I had a stretch from 16 - 2 where I didn't hit a single green and only hit one fairway.
This marathon is only half over and I can play two good rounds and move on, but honestly I'm going to struggle to play good rounds if I continue hitting it this poorly. It's been windy both of the first two days and that has wreaked havoc on my swing. I had a tough time choosing the right club and when my problems began on #16 I started trying to swing too hard.
I'll spend some time at the range this afternoon, trying to find my swing - but I know I can't hit it any worse than I have the first two rounds.
Neil
This marathon is only half over and I can play two good rounds and move on, but honestly I'm going to struggle to play good rounds if I continue hitting it this poorly. It's been windy both of the first two days and that has wreaked havoc on my swing. I had a tough time choosing the right club and when my problems began on #16 I started trying to swing too hard.
I'll spend some time at the range this afternoon, trying to find my swing - but I know I can't hit it any worse than I have the first two rounds.
Neil
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
PGA Q-School 1st Stage - Round 1, Pinehurst, NC
I got off to a nice start, but it wasn't the prettiest of rounds. I'm very happy with a 2-under 70, but I hit a lot of loose shots today. I only hit 9 greens today, but I was saved with one chip in and two putts made from the fringe. In total, I had 25 putts in the first round. The two putts I made from the fringe were about 15 feet and the longest putt I made on the green was only 3 feet. Weird day with the putter.
My day got off to a great start, birdies on the first two holes. I drove it into a fairway bunker. My lie was perfect so I laid up with a 4-iron and have 141 yards left to the hole. I hit a soft 9-iron to two inches and tapped in for a birdie 4. On #2, I hit a perfect drive that left me with 120 yards to the pin. The second shots was one of the loose shots, as it came up short and right of the green. I chipped that shot in for a second consecutive birdie. Through two holes I had already hit some loose shots, but was 2-under. That felt great.
Round 2 begins at 8:50 Wednesday morning. I'll start on #10. Check for scores between 2 and 3 pm eastern time.
These round all take around 5 1/2 hours. They are long days. I expect to be fully exhausted on Friday when I've completed the final round.
Neil
My day got off to a great start, birdies on the first two holes. I drove it into a fairway bunker. My lie was perfect so I laid up with a 4-iron and have 141 yards left to the hole. I hit a soft 9-iron to two inches and tapped in for a birdie 4. On #2, I hit a perfect drive that left me with 120 yards to the pin. The second shots was one of the loose shots, as it came up short and right of the green. I chipped that shot in for a second consecutive birdie. Through two holes I had already hit some loose shots, but was 2-under. That felt great.
Round 2 begins at 8:50 Wednesday morning. I'll start on #10. Check for scores between 2 and 3 pm eastern time.
These round all take around 5 1/2 hours. They are long days. I expect to be fully exhausted on Friday when I've completed the final round.
Neil
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Callaway Gardens - Final Round
Well I'd like to think that I had a chance to win the event, but Alex Hamilton's 8-under 64 was crazy good on the final day. His 64 was 3 shots better than the next best score of the day and he blew open the tournament to win by 3 shots when there were about 12 guys within 4 shots after 2 rounds. The wind blew for the first time all week and that makes his 64 even better.
Despite what Hamilton did, I was tied at 13-under with 5 holes to go. My birdie putt on #13 was only 10 feet and it lipped-out. The 14th hole was a par-3 into the wind and the pin was tucked front right side of the green, over a bunker. I was in between 5 and 4 iron - decided on the 4 iron because hitting a hard 5 may have ballooned up and buried into the front bunker. The 4 iron was too much; it bounced through the green and left me a tough up and down. The next hole I hit a 3-wood right down the middle, but hit a loose wedge just through the green and into the fringe. After saving par on 15 I knew I was trailing and needed to make something happen on the par-5 16th, but an errant drive into a fairway bunker and than a horrible approach into a greenside bunker resulted in a bogey. I had good looks for birdie on #17 and #18, but made a disgusting stroke on 17 and misread the putt on 18.
It was a good week, but I'll admit that nerves were a negative factor during the final round. During the last round, thirteen of my eighteen approach shots were "in between clubs". During the first two rounds, when nerves are non-existent, it's much easier to select a club when you've got an "in between yardage". You don't feel like hitting a hard 5 that may burry into a bunker is a life/death decision.
When I won in Marshall earlier this summer, I had an "in between yardage" on #18. I had a one shot lead and the person chasing me was already on the green with an eagle putt. Factors like a higher familiarity with the players, with the course, and with the Dakotas Tour made the club selection easier then. I hit the shot to 10 feet and easily two-putted for the win.
More experience with the Egolf Tour and continuing to put myself in those nervous spots will make those decisions easier and the nerves will seem more natural. It's pretty obvious that Hamilton didn't respond to the nerves like I did - the week before Callaway Gardens he was in contention in the PGA Tour event!
I'm off this week, but next week begins Q-School for me. I'm at the same course that I was at last year - Pinehurst, NC.
Neil
Despite what Hamilton did, I was tied at 13-under with 5 holes to go. My birdie putt on #13 was only 10 feet and it lipped-out. The 14th hole was a par-3 into the wind and the pin was tucked front right side of the green, over a bunker. I was in between 5 and 4 iron - decided on the 4 iron because hitting a hard 5 may have ballooned up and buried into the front bunker. The 4 iron was too much; it bounced through the green and left me a tough up and down. The next hole I hit a 3-wood right down the middle, but hit a loose wedge just through the green and into the fringe. After saving par on 15 I knew I was trailing and needed to make something happen on the par-5 16th, but an errant drive into a fairway bunker and than a horrible approach into a greenside bunker resulted in a bogey. I had good looks for birdie on #17 and #18, but made a disgusting stroke on 17 and misread the putt on 18.
It was a good week, but I'll admit that nerves were a negative factor during the final round. During the last round, thirteen of my eighteen approach shots were "in between clubs". During the first two rounds, when nerves are non-existent, it's much easier to select a club when you've got an "in between yardage". You don't feel like hitting a hard 5 that may burry into a bunker is a life/death decision.
When I won in Marshall earlier this summer, I had an "in between yardage" on #18. I had a one shot lead and the person chasing me was already on the green with an eagle putt. Factors like a higher familiarity with the players, with the course, and with the Dakotas Tour made the club selection easier then. I hit the shot to 10 feet and easily two-putted for the win.
More experience with the Egolf Tour and continuing to put myself in those nervous spots will make those decisions easier and the nerves will seem more natural. It's pretty obvious that Hamilton didn't respond to the nerves like I did - the week before Callaway Gardens he was in contention in the PGA Tour event!
I'm off this week, but next week begins Q-School for me. I'm at the same course that I was at last year - Pinehurst, NC.
Neil
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Callaway Gardens - Round 2
Day 2 in Georgia was just about as good as day 1. I got off to another quick start with a birdie at the first and then two more on 4 and 5. On #8, I made my 3rd putt over 20 feet for my 4th birdie. Then on #9, I made a great sand save to turn with a 4-under 32.
On the back nine I made a 15 footer on #10 for birdie and made a 25 footer on #16 for eagle, with only a single bogey on #12. My putter certainly warmed up today. Add that to more consistent ball-striking and it adds up to a 6-under 66.
Thursday morning is the final round. Follow results here and on twitter.
On the back nine I made a 15 footer on #10 for birdie and made a 25 footer on #16 for eagle, with only a single bogey on #12. My putter certainly warmed up today. Add that to more consistent ball-striking and it adds up to a 6-under 66.
Thursday morning is the final round. Follow results here and on twitter.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Callaway Gardens, Georgia - Egolf Fall Series
I got off to a good start in Georgia, with a 5-under 65 in round 1. Today's round was on the easier Lake View Course. The Mountain View course average nearly 2 shots harder, but that's not as big as I would've guessed. The Lakes course is 6100 yards and par 70. The Mountain Course is over 7000 yards and par 72. In regards to par, the Mountain course average .7 strokes under par and the Lakes course averaged only .57. I don't understand that, but the statistics don't lie. Maybe I will play the easier course tomorrow?
I continued my great ball striking that showed up in Nebraska. I missed two greens and two fairways in today's first round. The result of that good ball striking was a lot of birdie chances. The pin locations were difficult and these greens have a lot of tiers, which made it a challenge to hit my approach on the correct level. I had at least 6 birdie putts where I had to go up and over a tier before reaching the hole.
My second round is at 8:30 am, the first group off. The weather is perfect - no more tropical storms.
Neil
I continued my great ball striking that showed up in Nebraska. I missed two greens and two fairways in today's first round. The result of that good ball striking was a lot of birdie chances. The pin locations were difficult and these greens have a lot of tiers, which made it a challenge to hit my approach on the correct level. I had at least 6 birdie putts where I had to go up and over a tier before reaching the hole.
My second round is at 8:30 am, the first group off. The weather is perfect - no more tropical storms.
Neil
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