Final stage - 2nd Round

That was over quick. It doesn't even seem like final stage has started and its over for me. A second round 73 will leave me way outside of the top 100 cut.

I had chances today, but failed to make the putts, which is similar to yesterday where my 75 could've been a 71 with decent putting. But no excuses, I didn't play well these past two days.

Again I'm stuck waiting for a shuttle, but this week it isn't after a 69. I'm starving and very sweaty so this afternoon will be spent relaxing.

I might post more later, but for now I'm too disappointed to elaborate. Check Twitter for some new pictures that I got in the last few days.

Neil

Final Stage - 1st Round

Bad first round, almost identical to last week. Didn't score well. Made no putts and had no momentum.

1st round score - 75

I've got a quick turn around before an early second round so this will be short. I'll post more tomorrow after the second round.

www.asiantour.com

Neil

Final Stage Practice Rounds

The past 2 days have been practice rounds for the final stage of Asian Tour Q-School.  The tournament has about 250 players.  Everybody will play one round on Imperial Lakeview Course (which I played last week) and one round on Springfield Royal GC, then the field will be cut to low 100 and ties.  The final 2 rounds will be played at Springfield.

I've spent the practice rounds at Springfield getting accustomed to the new course.  It has much better greens, with way less grain, but still quite a bit.  Overall, it's in better shape that the course I played last week, but it is a little bit tougher layout.  It has several elevated greens and is a little bit longer.

I'm going to keep this post short because I'm going to spend the afternoon resting.  The past 3 days have been the hottest since we got here.  Sunday we relaxed and spent time at the beach.  Jumping in the ocean helped cool things down, but Monday and Tuesday were spent on the course practicing and the heat/humidity wore me out.

My first round tee time is Wednesday at 11:35 am local time - 10:35 pm Wisconsin, 9:35 Arizona.

Neil

Moving on to Asian Tour Q-School Final Stage

I got through the first stage of Asian Tour Q-School with a really smart and solid final round.  It was windy once again, not as windy as round 3, but definitely as windy as the 2nd round.  My final round 71 only had one bogey and it came on my last hole!  I really wanted to finish without a bogey, but the 18th hole is really tough - 455 yards, uphill, into the wind, and missing the greens right or left is a difficult up and down.

Before the final hole,  I had a couple of great saves for par.  My approach to the 14 hole was way off line.  My drive found a divot and I chunked the shot left and way short.  I pulled it into a spot where I had the whole green to work with and was lucky not to be chipping down wind.  I pitched that shot up to 4 feet and made a fast putt that was downhill and down grain.  On number 12, the 207 yard par 3 played down wind and slightly cross.  My 6 iron flew right to the hole and bounced over the back into the bunker.  I didn't have much green to work with, but the lie was good, so I splashed it out very high and soft and it trickled to a foot where I tapped in for par.  The other great save was on number 9, which is a 420 yard par 4 uphill and into the wind.  My drive left me with 143 yards and I couldn't decide between an 8-iron or 7-iron.  I incorrectly choose the 8 and right when I swung a big gust of wind ballooned my ball high into the air and way short of the green.  Another fortunate spot to miss - I was left chipping uphill, into the wind, and into the grain.  I left the chip 15 feet short, but rolled the putt in and made the turn with a 1-under 35.

It feels good to get through the first stage.  Only 22 and ties advanced, which is much lower than I expected when I signed up for Q-School.  They had a record number of people sign up.

The final stage begins on Wednesday.  I'll be relaxing on Sunday.  We rented motorbikes again, so we're going to drive down the coast to where we can get $1 smoothies and swim in the ocean.  The beach there was gorgeous.  It'll be a nice relaxing day before getting back to work on Monday.

Back on Wednesday, after the first round, I posted about my confidence to be able to get the job done over the last 3 rounds.  The most obvious reason to why I was able to play better was because I made putts, but each round I eliminated as many mistakes as I could.

In Round 1 I made 5 really bad swings and that resulted in my 4 bogies.

Coming out in the afternoon for round 2 I only made 1 bogey (a 3 putt), despite still making a handful of awful swings.  The difference was getting up and down on the 2nd hole after a birdie on the 1st.  That freed my swing so I wasn't fearing a miss or wasn't worried about needing to get up and down.

In the windy, difficult 3rd round I made a lot of mistakes - but look at the scores  and you'll see a lot of people made far more mistakes than I did.  I plugged a wedge in a front bunker early in the round and then I chunked a wedge on the 8th hole into the water - I had mud on my ball, with a tight lie, and straight into the wind.  That mistake really upset me, but by the time I dropped and hit my pitch to 20 feet I was calm and ready to save a bogey, which I did.  On the back nine of the third day I got into a nice groove of hitting greens and having birdie chances.  I made a big mistake on #11 with a 4-putt for double bogey and I finished the round with a 3-putt bogey on #18.  In between those mistakes I made some long putts for birdies and to save pars.

Looking back at the final 3 rounds I see a double bogey and 5 bogies, which came from a 4-putt and 2 three putts.  I see the other 3 bogies coming from a mud-ball, a plugged lie in a bunker, and bogeying the last hole of the tournament.  I guess what I'm trying to say is that I eliminated the mistakes after the first round and found my confidence on and around the greens.  The result were 3 solid rounds that advance me to the final stage of Q-School.

Neil

Asian Tour 3rd Round - 1st Stage

Wow, today was a really tough day with lots of wind and equally tough pin locations. Almost every down wind hole had a front pin and lots of other pins were in spots where you'd easily find yourself with a treacherous downhill, down wind, down grain putt - very fast!

I battled all day and made some great putts on the back nine, two 20 footers for birdie and one 15 footer for par. My one over par, 73, gained ground on the field. Unfortunately I made a few bad mistakes which kept this round from being really good, but on a day as windy as today, a few swings will get away from you. I was just able to limit them to only a handful and I made up for them with those nice putts.

Tomorrow is the final round. My tee time is 8:50 local time, early evening in the US, but I won't finish until sometime after midnight. The forecast says more wind, which has been the case this entire week.

Neil

Asian Tour Round 2

Thanks to a simple and brief email from my coach - Paul Meyer, I made some putts and posted a 3-under 69. I've always over thought Bermuda grass greens. They really are way different than bent grass, which is up north, but I've played numerous rounds on bermuda and I've learned how to properly read the grain. It's just a matter of trusting myself and then making that confident stroke. Any doubt leads to a stroke that doesn't release and then the ball tends to hop instead of rolling.

I got out of my way on the chipping too. Yesterday my short game let me down, failing to get up and down for birdies or pars. Today I made a great save on my second hole (after a solid birdie on the 1st). The up and down on 11 was from 30 feet short of the green and I had to pitch he ball up on top of a tier. I've always struggled with pitches up a tier, regardless of the type of grass. That save, early in the round, felt great because it was a windy day and I started on the more difficult side (back nine).

Yesterday I said the caddies don't have to carry the bags, but my caddy carried for the last 6 holes today because her pull cart broke and started squeaking really loud. She just dropped it off to the side and picked up my bag. She's barely over 4 feet so I adjusted the straps as much as possible. I also dumped the 3 extra water bottles I was hoarding. She's a great caddie who didn't complain about the broken pull cart and she still managed to keep up with me. Anybody out there who has caddies for me knows I'm a fast walker.

Third round is Friday morning, tee times between 7:30 and 9:30 local time. Check results on the Asian tour website:

www.asiantour.com

I'm posting this from my iPhone as I wait for the shuttle back to my hotel. It's not going to be here for another hour and a half, but I'm watching the sun set in a place that could be mistaken for Jurassic Park. Very pretty site, especially without the dinosaurs.

One more note, the first two days I played with a guy from Korea (I assume South, but I didn't ask) and a guy from Chinese Taipei. To say there was a language barrier would be understating it. Everybody could say 'good shot', it in 2 days there has been very little conversing between the players.

Neil

1st Round Asian Tour Q-School

Not the score I wanted to start with, a +2 74. Certainly not the way I wanted to finish, bogey last 2 holes. However, there was a lot more good than bad today on the course. I hit a lot of good shots, but wasn't able to make the putts. This is a very cliche comment, but 74 was the worst I could've shot today. I say that because I still have confidence in getting the job done over the next 3 rounds.

The 2nd round is Thursday afternoon - 12:45 local time. Anybody gotten used to the time difference yet? That will be 11:45 pm Wisconsin time or 10:45 pm Arizona time.

Just to clarify, the caddies aren't carrying our bags. They have pull carts that they strap the bags onto with bungee cords - very high tech.

Results should be posted here at some point in the next few hours.

Neil

Golf Tourney Begins Tomorrow (or tonight for those in the US)

The past 3 days we've played golf, in preparation for the 1st Stage of Asian Tour Q-School. The golf course is a good test, but the greens are the biggest challenge. The greens are very grainy, which is something you have to consider for every putt or chip into a green. If it's down hill and down grain, it will play fast, whereas uphill and into the grain is extremely slow. Not very often is a downhill putt into the grain, but when that does happen it is somewhat of a guessing game as to which one is stronger than the other one.

My first round is WEdnesday morning, 8:10 local time, which is 7:10pm Tuesday night in Wisconsin. Results will be posted on the Asian Tour Website. I'll also post a little about the round on my website.

We are required to take caddies and they are all female. We've had fun trying to communicate with our caddies despite an obvious language barrier. I've picked up some Thai, but it's a tonal language so any mispronunciation of the word probably means something else entirely. The name of one caddies in our group is Saam and for the first 9 holes we thought it was Daam, Taam, Gaam, or Naam. Everytime we tried to repeat her name, we got it wrong and all of the caddies giggled at us. I find the caddies giggling at me most of the day. When in doubt, you can smile and that covers any embarrassment, shyness, or frustration they might have. Thailand is 'The Land of Smiles' and it's very true. If you're unsure or can't understand something, just smile and wait for them to repeat it slowly.

The caddies pick up every loose divot left of the golf course. They also pick up loose trash scattered around, like broken tees and empty water bottles. It's very hard work for the caddies. Their uniform is a sky blue jumpsuit from head to toe with a large brimmed hat. They all wear a towel underneath the hat, which is clipped together in the back and front. That leaves everything except their face covered and I guess it keeps them cool - which is a must with 90 degree temps and dew points in the 70s.

Our hotel is a 5 star resort with a great breakfast buffet included. Our actual room is the size of a normal american hotel room, but we've added an extra cot so it's a bit tight. Best thing is that the A/C works and the shower has 6 heads which shoot water at you head to toe. We're staying right on the ocean and a short walk down the beach is a great grill to have lunch and dinner. We've eaten there every night because it's only 50 Baht ($1.66) for chicken stir fry or shrimp fried rice.

When the sun sets the fishermen takes their boats out on the sea for the night and all you see are green lights on the horizon. They come back in the morning with what they've caught and get ready to go back out the next night. They've been out there every night, Monday through Sunday.

Over the weekend we rented motorbikes and did some sightseeing. We drove south, down the coast and into the town of Hua Hin. We stopped at a temple which is surrounded by monkeys. Further down the coast we stopped and enjoyed some $1 smoothies while playing cards. Then on Sunday we went into the market of Hua Hin and walked around the streets, while every bar and massage parlor tried to get us to come inside. There was a dvd store with bootleg copies of every movie in America. They even began playing the newest Bond movie 'Skyfall', which is still in theaters.

I'm still having trouble uploading pictures to blogger, but I can get them onto Twitter so look for my tweets to see pictures of J.J. Grill, Monkey Island, and fishing boats.

Neil

The Trip over to Hua Hin, Thailand

Let's catch up on my trip to Thailand. I've been over here for about 5 days now, but first I have to explain the long trip overseas. I knew it was going to be exhausting, but I had no idea until the last flight from Beijing to Bangkok and I needed to stay awake, but was barely winning that fight.

The first flight from Phoenix to LAX was easy, quick, and smooth. Once at LAX, we had 4 hours to get our luggage, walk to international terminal, recheck bags, and get through security again. Our flight left at 12:40am with 13 hours in the air. My first mistake was to only bring one glass of water onto the plane. I should've brought the biggest bottle of water I could find. We all slept as much as we could on this first flight, but there was still 4 hours to waste. They served a meal and we played some cards before landing at Beijing Capital International Airport at 5:30 local time.

My next flight left at 1:40 - 8 hour layover. It was a surprise that it was only 25 degrees outside in Beijing, but it was definitely still dark. When I left Phoenix, the sun had set and only after 2 hours in Beijing did the sun finally rise. That was about 23 straight hours without any sunlight.

Beijing airport had free internet, but because it's China I couldn't post anything to Facebook, Twitter, or Blogger. Trust me, I tried. Skype works and I talked to my parents.

We ate at a Pizza Hut for breakfast. Eggs, bacon, and toast. Awful in every sense. It must've been powder eggs and the bacon was barely cooked, but the toast was edible. The only reason we choose Pizza Hut was because they accepted US dollars and to exchange any amount of money had high exchanges fees.

The wise thing I did before leaving LAX was to buy a travel toothbrush and toothpaste. After the wonderful breakfast at Pizza Hut I brushed my teeth and it felt awesome. We walked around the entire terminal and saw about 10 duty free shops. They have water dispensers spread throughout the airport so I was able to drink plenty of water. The smart thing about these dispensers is that is has cold water, warm water, and hot water. The hot water is very popular with various airport employees because they can add the hot water to their tea and they can make their instant noodles.

The final flight from Beijing to Bangkok was only 4.5 hours in the air. I had the window seat with Jeff Berkshire next to me and Jeff Burton across the aisle. Shortly before we pulled back a mother and daughter asked to switch seats so her daughter could look outside. We said yes and the daughter gave us an orange, which tasted great. After another airplane meal, we played some more cards, before fighting off sleep for the rest of the flight.

At last, we were in Thailand, with only a 3 hour drive south to Hua Hin. We got through immigration quickly and all of our luggage made it safely. Our van driver was waiting and as soon as we got on the road, I fell asleep. We stopped at a 7-eleven for some cases of water and then got into the hotel at about 10pm. I was too tired to even shower. I brushed my teeth and slipped into my travel coma.

Waking up the next morning, we had a huge breakfast buffet at our hotel and then we walked up and down the beach for a bit. Ever since I arrived in Thailand, it's been an awesome adventure, but the trip over here was taxing.

I'll talk about Thailand in the next post - female caddies, tropical temperatures, motorbikes, fishing boats.

Check out Facebook or Twitter for pictures. I'll post some on here in a bit, but the internet is slow and it takes a while to upload to blogger.

Neil

Off to Thailand

I've been dropped off at the airport and my long travels begin in about an hour. It's already been a long day of packing and this day will continue for another 30 hours before I reach Hua Hin, Thailand.

I'm flying with 2 friends who have played a bunch of Gateway and Dakotas events with me. Here's our itinerary:

8:20pm - Flight from Phoenix to LAX
12:05am - Flight from LAX to Beijing, China
5:30am (Thursday morning) - Land in Beijing (have 8 hour layover)
1:40pm - Flight from Beijing to Bangkok 6:05pm - Flight lands in Bangkok and hope onto bus for 3 hour drive south to Hua Hin.

So I'm about to get on a plane and travel for 30 hours before reaching our destination in Thailand. I'm excited, but also hoping I can sleep for the flight from LAX to Beijing.

Check Twitter for updates. I'll post some pictures if there's wi-fi in Beijing.

Neil

1st Tournament of 2013

Happy New Year.

My tournaments have already begun and the past 2 days I played in a Gateway Pro Tour event where the top 5 finishers would receive free entry into every tournament. I came up a few shots short, but I put myself in a spot where my shots mattered on the back nine and where I needed to go for birdies.

In bigger news, I leave for Thailand tomorrow night. Asian Tour Q-School begins next week. I'll have access to internet and I'll be updating my blog, but you can also follow me on Facebook or Twitter.

I'm still asking for donations, which will help me pay for my tournament expenses. Your generosity - of any size - will help. Thank you, and next time, I 'll be in Thailand.

Neil