Perfect Test for My Fidget-less Routine

I looked a bit out of sorts all day in round 2. After opening the Egolf Tour's Cabarrus Classic with a very solid round of 64 on Wednesday, I was far from solid in Thursday's second round. I was sloppy off of the tee, mishit a lot of iron shots, failed to hit my wedges close the hole, and was a little uncomfortable on the greens. With all of that, I still managed my game quite well and posted another bogey-free round. I could muster only three birdies, however, and signed for a 69 at the end of the day. I am currently eleven under par for the tournament and alone in second place heading into tomorrow's final round. The leaderboard is quite bunched and there are a plethora of good players within three shots of the leader's twelve-under-par total. The final round will be jam-packed with excitement on Friday, and I am pumped to be in the mix!

I have to admit that I let my mindset get away from me a little bit during the second round. As I made par after par and failed to convert some very reasonable birdie opportunities, I began to press a little bit and try too hard. The greens were fairly bumpy given soft conditions and my afternoon tee time, but instead of focusing on my routine and worrying about my own execution, I was trying to will the ball into the hole over the bumps. For the first time in the last couple weeks, I found myself taking a couple extra looks over some of my putts and fidgeting a little bit again. It wasn't too bad, but I want to nip that in the bud and keep progressing with my new and improved routine.

Friday will be an excellent test for my mental game and my new routine. I will be in the final pairing and will certainly be feeling some added pressure, but if I can stay relaxed and stay focused on my own game, I will be able to execute my new routine easily. I am going to try not to think about my score or my standing in the field at all. I just want to see it, feel it, and trust it on each and every shot and execute fearlessly. It is going to be a fun day, and I am looking forward to everything about it! Come back for a full report Friday evening. Thank you for your support!