Wednesday, June 4, 2014

Ups and Downs (and Ready for More Ups!!)

It is possible to be extremely disappointed and incredibly encouraged at the same time. I have felt these two emotions simultaneously before, but I have never felt each of them so strongly at the same time as I did earlier this week. After going nearly three months without a tournament round under par, I posted an eight-under-par round of 63 in the opening 18 holes of US Open qualifying on Monday. A chip-in birdie on the second hole of my afternoon round got me to nine under par for the qualifier. Through those first 20 holes, I missed only four greens, and none of those were missed in challenging spots. My play was effortless and bogey free, and though I did hole two shots from off of the green, my putter was still only lukewarm during those 20 holes. My performance was reminiscent of the great golf I played last year, and I feel like I am ready to capture that "lovin' feeling"!

So, obviously that is the extremely encouraging part of the story. I made my first bogey of the qualifier on the 21st hole, and, despite feeling great both mentally and physically, I did struggle over the next twelve holes. I really made only two swings all day that I wish I could have back, but in the 13-hole stretch from number three through number 15 in the afternoon, I made five bogeys and no birdies. Actually, I didn't birdie number 16 or 17 either, but knowing that I needed birdies coming in, I gave myself fantastic chances on each of the final three holes. After two great shots on the watery par-5 18th, I nearly chipped in for eagle and made a birdie to get back to five under par for the 36-hole qualifier. It seemed at first like that might be good enough for a playoff, but in the end, it came up one shot short. It is hard to swallow playing so well and not finishing the job, but Monday proved to me that I am ready to play great golf again. 

Though I will not be playing in the US Open this summer, I certainly have a lot for which to play over the next few months. And the great news? I am ready to play the best golf of my life!

I am in Memphis this week for the FedEx St. Jude Classic at the TPC Southwind. After seeing this course for the first time on Saturday morning, and playing a full practice round yesterday afternoon, I can already say that it is one of my absolute favorite courses on the PGA Tour. I am ready to have a great week! 

My last five days have been all about preparing for and recovering from the 36-hole marathon of U.S. Open qualifying, so I have not been staying on top of my normal fitness or practice regimen, but I am ready to get back to work. I feel energized, motivated, and ready to go! It's going to be a great week in Memphis! Keep it here for updates and good news. Thank you for keeping up with me and believing.

6 comments:

  1. Great golf Peter. Keep the same mental attitude (thoughts) every day. Don't think about money or anything else. Everything will take care of itself if you will just go out like you did today. You have the physical skills, just need to work on the mental part.

    Saw you on TV on #7 after the delay. Nice birdie there. I don't know if you read my comments about the par 3's on your May 23rd blog but it appears to me that you did. 2 under today on the par 3's.

    Now, if you have time, I have a favor to ask. I have a 17 year old grandson. He has played on his high school golf team the past 2 years and will be a senior on the team next year. His name is Jonathan Gharis. He is a left hander.

    This summer, we have him scheduled to play in 11 one day junior PGA tournaments with the North Texas Junior PGA. His first tournament is June 9th and his last one will be August 5th.

    I would be most appreciative if you would send him an email. Tell him who you are and any words of encouragement or advice you think he could use. You could just tell him you know his grandfather Fred.

    His email address is jonathangharis@gmail.com

    It would really make his day. I followed him this past spring on several of his high school tournaments. The last hole of his last tournament was a par 5. He hit a 345 yard tee shot. His second shot was a 7 iron over the green. He chipped back and birdied the hole. His usual score is around 80.

    Thanks Peter. and kick some ass this week.

    ReplyDelete
  2. You must be very close to only miss by a single shot. I attended the Sectional out here at the Olympic Club and watched Alex Cejka tear it up.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Nice round today. I also saw the birdie on #7, as well as your interview afterward. Good luck the next 3 days.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Yeah!!! Lean green birdie machine. I am writing this while you are playing #7 in the second round. I love the way you bounced right back with a birdie on #6 after a bogie on #5. That tells me your mental game is great. A whole lot better than the past few months.

    Keep on keeping on.

    ReplyDelete
  5. We met you yesterday after they called the round for rain. My son was in the wheelchair. Not only did you sign his flag and give him a ball, you took a moment to talk with us. The Troikes are officially your biggest fans now!! Let us know if you need anything while you're in Memphis. We are expecting great things from you!! Thank for being gracious! You made our day.

    ReplyDelete
  6. What a joy and pleasure to watch you this past week at the FedEx/St. Jude Classic. Watching you brought back so many great memories from the past. Congratulations on a good week!. Enjoyed visiting with your mom and meeting your wife. Many blessings to you.

    Christi Nichols (Kaleb Nichols' mom)

    ReplyDelete

New Blog Site

Hi everyone! Thank you for continuing to try to keep up with me. As you might have noticed, I've not been updating this blog at all late...