Opening Week

The first week of my 2014 schedule on the PGA Tour will definitely go down as a big success. I certainly had a lot of ups and downs on the course, but I would say that the ups outweighed the downs and that it was a great week overall. I think I proved once again that my formula for success works. That formula is: dedication to a solid preparation routine, maintaining a great attitude at all times, and never giving up. I faced quite a bit of adversity on the course this week, but I battled through it all and ended up with a solid result to start the year.

I know I haven't updated you since the first round, and a lot has taken place since then. I had to survive the cut-line twice this week. In Friday's second round, I was cruising along nicely before a bit of a snafu cost me a lot of shots. I was four under par for the day through 12 holes, but on my 13th hole I missed two very short putts and ended up making a triple bogey. That hole pushed me from being in great position in the field to sitting right around the cut line with five holes remaining. Another bogey on the next hole really added some stress to the situation, but I gathered myself and finished with three pars and a closing birdie to shoot 69 (-1) and make the cut with a shot to spare. In Saturday's third round, a rough start found me again my back against the wall. On the PGA Tour, if more than 78 players make the cut, a second "cut" is made after the third round to reduce the final-round field size. For a long time during the third round, it looked like I would not be around for Sunday, but I birdied the last two holes to squeak out an even-par round of 70 and earned the right to play in the final round. Though I would much prefer to be contending up at the top of the leaderboard, I do think it was valuable to me to have two gut-checks this early in the year. I handled them both well.

It is a good thing I did because I played an exciting round on Sunday. I still wasn't super sharp, and I had a lot of erratic shots, but I definitely had some for the highlight reel as well. (In fact, one of my shots actually made SportCenter's top plays of the weekend.) My final-round featured four birdies and a fairly dramatic chip-in eagle. Unfortunately, I also made two sloppy bogeys. Still, I posted a final round of 66 (-4) and moved up a decent amount in the field to a T38 place finish. It was a bummer to give away a few shots during the round on Sunday, but I definitely got a couple extras out of the day as well. All-in-all, it was a nice finish to a pleasant week on the golf course.

http://pgat.us/6010d0Io

I am particularly excited about the week of practice that I had. It was not always easy, but I was able to accomplish all of my map goals for the week, and I think that they are going to be great for me this year. I certainly have a lot of improving to do, but I feel like this week was a great starting point.

In other news, I feel like my caddie and I had a very productive first week together, and I am pumped about that!

It's going to be a great year for me, and I am happy with how it has started. Thank you for believing in me and for your support. Keep it here for news and updates as I head to Palm Springs, California, and the Humana Challenge. Aloha, Hawaii!