After several days of getting over jet lag, I got back into my playing schedule with an All-American Tour event. It was played last Monday-Wednesday at Sundance GC, which is way out west from downtown Phoenix.
My game was a little rusty (physically), but mentally I was sharp and excited to be back out there. My short game showed the most rust. I failed to get up and down on a handful of easy shots throughout the tournament. On the other hand, my strong focus kept me from letting those mistakes sabotage the rest of the round/tournament.
One example is during the final round. I was just short of the green in 2 on the par-5 9th hole. I chipped it up to about 4 feet, but missed the putt. This could've been the start of a downward spin, which would've resulted in a disappointing finish. Instead I shrugged it off and eagled the next hole, the par-5 10th.
The other example happened early in the first round. I hit my approach to 1 foot on the 1st hole of the tournament. I came up just short on the 3rd hole and hit an awful chip to about 15 feet. It was a straight forward bump-and-run, but I banged it way past. I didn't make the putt and tapped in for bogey. After the nice birdie on 1, the bogey could've put me in a funk for the rest of the round, but I shrugged off that mistake and went to the next hole. I birdie the next - #4, and also birdied 7, 8, and 9 for a front side 32.
By the week's end I found myself tied for 4th.
The weirdest stat of the week - -
* First round - 7 birdies, 1 bogey, 1 double bogey
* Second round - 7 birdies, 3 bogies
* Third round - 1 eagle, 1 birdie, 1 bogey
Odd how some rounds you can only make a bunch of pars, whereas other rounds you make a load of birdies, but throw in a few bogies.
A few pictures to share. First one is from Thailand, during the final stage practice rounds. Follow this link, scroll to the bottom, and find my name. Click on it and you see a picture of me teeing off.
The other picture is from this past week in Arizona. During the final round, a photographer snapped this picture:
Am I smirking? or grimacing? You tell me what you think.
I've got another tournament this week - Tuesday through Thursday.
Neil
My game was a little rusty (physically), but mentally I was sharp and excited to be back out there. My short game showed the most rust. I failed to get up and down on a handful of easy shots throughout the tournament. On the other hand, my strong focus kept me from letting those mistakes sabotage the rest of the round/tournament.
One example is during the final round. I was just short of the green in 2 on the par-5 9th hole. I chipped it up to about 4 feet, but missed the putt. This could've been the start of a downward spin, which would've resulted in a disappointing finish. Instead I shrugged it off and eagled the next hole, the par-5 10th.
The other example happened early in the first round. I hit my approach to 1 foot on the 1st hole of the tournament. I came up just short on the 3rd hole and hit an awful chip to about 15 feet. It was a straight forward bump-and-run, but I banged it way past. I didn't make the putt and tapped in for bogey. After the nice birdie on 1, the bogey could've put me in a funk for the rest of the round, but I shrugged off that mistake and went to the next hole. I birdie the next - #4, and also birdied 7, 8, and 9 for a front side 32.
By the week's end I found myself tied for 4th.
The weirdest stat of the week - -
* First round - 7 birdies, 1 bogey, 1 double bogey
* Second round - 7 birdies, 3 bogies
* Third round - 1 eagle, 1 birdie, 1 bogey
Odd how some rounds you can only make a bunch of pars, whereas other rounds you make a load of birdies, but throw in a few bogies.
A few pictures to share. First one is from Thailand, during the final stage practice rounds. Follow this link, scroll to the bottom, and find my name. Click on it and you see a picture of me teeing off.
The other picture is from this past week in Arizona. During the final round, a photographer snapped this picture:
Am I smirking? or grimacing? You tell me what you think.
I've got another tournament this week - Tuesday through Thursday.
Neil
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