Not Good Enough, but Solid Playing on Carolinas Tour

My game has felt good all spring, and I'm starting to see some of the results that I am expecting. I got off to a rough start in the second round of the Carolinas Pro Tour event and saw my two-shot deficit at the beginning of the day grow to five shots after I played the first three holes in one over par. After the tough start, however, I stayed in a good frame of mind and didn't get ahead of myself or try to do too much. I made six birdies and no bogeys over the final 15 holes to post a second consecutive score of 67 and reach 10 under par for the event. Unfortunately, my buddy Mikel Martinson was too good. I was paired with him in the final round, and his solid play never let me get closer than three shots until my closing birdie on the 18th pulled me to within two. A player from the middle of the pack posted an unbelievable round of 61 to get to 12 under par for the event as well, so I was forced to settle for a solo 3rd place finish. I really wanted to win the event, but I am happy with the good finish and the solid play that got me there.

With the exception of a couple of poor swings early in the second round, I really drove the ball beautifully in this event. I also hit my irons fairly well and showed a lot of promise with my wedges. I wouldn't say that I am particularly sharp with my irons and wedges, but I do feel like I'm trending in that direction. I am putting solidly but still waiting for that part of my game to get hot. I do feel like everything is starting to come together, though, and I'm extremely happy to be settling into a good tournament golf mindset.

I will practice here in Charlotte Thursday morning and will take off for St. James Plantation on the southern coast of North Carolina in the afternoon. I am going to get to St. James a full five days before next week's Egolf event which is being held there, and I'm excited to get in some good preparation. The courses at St. James are very demanding but also quite fair. It is one of my favorite Egolf venues of the year, so I will be looking to have a good tournament next week.

I need to have a solid rest of this week first, though. I have a lot of work to do to fulfill my practice goals for the week, so I will need to have some efficient and focused practices the next four days. I can do that.

Things are looking and feeling good. Great news is coming! Keep it here for all the news, and thank you so much for keeping up with me!