Final Round Report

I'm about to hit the road and head home from Charlotte, but I wanted to just drop a quick line about the second and final round from the Carolinas Tour event at Olde Sycamore. I played well, but still wasn't overly comfortable on the course and didn't feel like I was trusting myself very well on a lot of shots. I posted a score of 68 (-4) and finished in a tie for seventh place. I am pleased to have played well enough to earn a check, but the course definitely was yielding some better scores in round two, and I feel like I need to get "that lovin' feeling" back with some solid work over the next few days. I'm still very encouraged by the fact that I was able to post some pretty decent scores without feeling in control out on the course, but I feel like my game has been trending quickly upward in the past few weeks, and I want to get back on that trend. I'm pumped to have some good work back at home. Keep it here for a more thorough report in the coming days. Thank you for keeping up with me!

Quick Round-1 Report

This week's Carolinas Pro Tour event is at a course on the east side of Charlotte, NC, called Olde Sycamore. It is a fairly short course, but the fairways are tough to hit, and the course features some punishing rough and greens that are difficult on which to putt. With that said, the course should be pretty easy. Scores in round one didn't reflect that on Tuesday, however, and I contributed with a very mediocre score of even par after a three-birdie, three-bogey effort. I had a good warm-up session and am feeling good about my game overall, but was out of sorts all day on the course. I did enough things well to still feel good about everything, though! I am in the middle of the pack heading into tomorrow's final round, but I'm only four shots behind the leader. It will be an exciting day, and I know that I can make a big move with a solid round. Come back for some good news in the evening! Thank you for following me!

My foot is still healing, and I have definitely been moving a bit slowly since returning home from last week's Carolinas Pro Tour event, but it was another productive week for me. I had to replace all of my runs for the week with bike rides, but I have enjoyed the change of pace and feel like my bike rides (from 16 to 23 miles) have been a more than sufficient cardiovascular workout to help me keep my fitness level high. Though I did not do a great deal of extra practice this week, I easily completed all of my process goals for week and feel like I continued to make great progress with my putting and short game. In addition to that, I have had good workouts and feel like I am staying strong and helping my foot to recover. With the very encouraging effort I put forth in the tournament last week combined with another solid week of work, I am feeling very good moving forward.

I will play another event on the Carolinas Pro Tour this week at a course called Olde Sycamore on the east side of Charlotte, NC. The 36-hole tournament will be Tuesday and Wednesday, and, after a sixth place finish two weeks ago and a fourth last week, I am trending in the right direction in these events! After this week, the Egolf Tour fall series kicks off with an event in Clinton, South Carolina, the following week, so I will try to carry some great momentum into that as I make a push to climb up the Egolf Tour money list this fall. I'm feeling great, and I'm excited to keep competing.

Since this week will mark the third consecutive week that I have played a two-day event on the Carolinas Pro Tour, I am going to make sure that I don't have another "easy" week with my practice goals. I am going to hold myself accountable for all of my non-tournament week process goals this week, which means that I will have to manage my time well and have very focused and efficient work sessions. My number one focus will be ensuring that I am prepared to play well in the Carolinas Tour event on Tuesday-Wednesday, but in addition to that, I am determined to have a thorough week of work as I prepare to make a strong run this fall.

This is going to be a big week. Keep it here for tournament results and all the rest of the news as well. Thank you for following me and for your support!

One AWFUL Shot; But a GREAT Day

I began the final round in an eight-man tie for the lead at six under par, and can honestly say that I never thought of my standing in the field one time during the round. I don't know if it was because I am continuing to improve mentally or if it was simply that I am so thankful just to be playing after my nearly serious foot injury last week, but I am pumped about the way that I was able to commit to each shot without thinking much about the overall outcome today. The results were quite good, too. Despite a couple of short-range misses on the greens, I was six under par and bogey free through thirteen holes. I narrowly missed birdie putts on holes 14, 15, and 16, but still felt good as I stood on the 17th tee. There I made my only mistake of the day. I hit my tee shot well left of target, and never found it in the woods. I made double bogey on the penultimate hole, and though I followed it with a good birdie on the par-5 18th, my second-round score of 67 and two day total of 133 (-11) finished two shots behind winner. For a brief moment after my round, I was very disappointed with the result. I had played so well but didn't get the victory. After a short bit of reflection, however, I am feeling great. My game was very good in round two. With the exception of a couple of short-ish missed putts and the one dreadful drive on the 17th hole, I played nearly flawlessly. In addition to that, my mindset was fantastic. I definitely wish that I had won the tournament (and collected the winner's check!), but this showing will only continue to enforce that I am doing the right things and heading in the correct direction.

I'm heading home to East Tennessee for the weekend, and I need to have some solid days of practice. I'm definitely pumped about the progress that I'm continuing to make, but I know that I can further sharpen all facets of my game and add more consistency. I'm excited to have some more good work days. Keep it here for a practice report over the weekend and a "what-comes-next" update. Thank you so much for keeping up with me!

Quick Round-1 Report

Prior to my 11:36 tee time in the first round of this week's Carolinas Pro Tour event at Cabarrus Country Club, I was afraid that I had tried to return too quickly from my injury scare last week (see yesterday's post). My warm-up session was a bit painful and certainly didn't show a lot of promise. I went to the first tee, however, convinced that I was going to have a good day. Six lousy shots later I finished the very easy par-five opening hole, and felt momentarily discouraged. I managed a bounce-back birdie on the second hold, but could manage only pars on the next five holes to stand at even par through seven holes on a very benign golf course. I switched balls on the eighth tee and told myself I was going to win this tournament. I believed it, too. I made four birdies and eagle over the next eleven holes and posted an opening round of 66--six under par. My name is on top of the leaderboard heading into the second round of this 36-hole event, but I have got plenty of company. A full eight players matched my score and several others are within just a few shots. The final round promises to be full of action, and I am excited to be a part of it. I told myself I was going to win, and I believe that I will. No matter what happens, I am thankful that I am able to play. Come back for some exciting news after the round tomorrow! Thank you for keeping up with me.

A Scare from Last Week; Ready to Go Again

In addition to a fairly solid round of 68 in the second round of last week's Carolinas Pro Tour event, there was a much bigger story from last Thursday that I did not tell on here. To make a long story short, I was dangling my foot outside of the golf cart (The Carolinas Tour uses carts for its events) as I sped from the fourteenth green to the fifteenth tee and got my foot caught against a rock as I looked excitedly toward the tee of the approaching par 5. It was evident that I had done some serious damage to my foot, but I was instantly encouraged by the fact that I could still put some weight on the foot and half-ways make a golf swing. I painfully finished the four holes of the tournament and got a bag of ice for my three-hour drive home. When I arrived home, I could only hobble. My physical therapist, Dr. Laura Malnati, is a darn good one, and we talked extensively over the phone about what I felt and the motions that I could and could not make with my foot, toes, and ankle. She confidently diagnosed that no bones were broken and that I had just really aggravated and overstretched some of the muscles in my foot. She prescribed me to try my best to keep the foot in motion but cautioned against overdoing it. It would heal itself she assured, but it would take some time before the muscles calmed back down and the pain subsided. I have been a good patient, and, despite not being able to walk the first two mornings after it happened, I am now walking with very little pain and even walked a full nine holes this (Monday) afternoon. I am very relieved to see that this injury is nothing severe, and I feel very lucky. From now on, I will be following that stupid warning written in all golf carts to "keep arms and legs inside the cart at all times while in motion." :)

I vowed three weeks ago that I would finish my process goals every week until I am all the way through Q-school. Given that I hadn't made much progress on them last week before suffering my injury, I didn't like my odds of keeping that promise. I am really pumped up to say, however, that with a lot of work on the putting green and some very quality time spent working on my chipping, I was able to finish all of my practice goals on a bum foot over the weekend. Even more exciting is the fact that I was able to have a good workout on Saturday and then substituted my final run of the week with a 17-mile bike ride on Sunday. The bike ride was something new for me, but I have a family of experts in that area. Though my butt hurts from the ride, my body feels awesome and I am proud to say that I did complete every single one of my process goals last week. It was a good feeling, and I really do feel like I made great progress while I was hobbling over the weekend. 

I felt so good on Sunday that I decided I was going to play this week on the Carolinas Tour again. I was leaning towards withdrawing on Saturday and still felt that way until late in the day on Sunday, but as I hit some long bunker shots towards the end of the day, I noticed that I was getting to my left side fine on my injured foot. I hit just one full shot on Sunday, but it felt good, and I knew that I was good to go. I practiced in Dandridge on Monday morning, had another great bike ride over the lunch hour, and hit the road for Charlotte, NC, in the early afternoon. I arrived in time to play a quick nine holes before dark at a course called Northstone, and both my foot and my game felt good! 

This week's Carolinas Tour event is at a course called Cabarrus Country Club. It is Tuesday and Wednesday, and I am ready for it! Though I didn't play a practice round at the course, I know it decently well and am confident that I can play it well. Most of all, I'm just excited to be playing. It should be a great tournament with another strong field. Keep it here to follow the action. Thank you for keeping up with me!

67, 67: 135??

The Carolinas Pro Golf Tour website shows in the final results that I posted matching rounds of 67 for a nine-under-par total of 135. Unfortunately for me, they have the total correct, but my second round was actually a 68, and the nine-under-par total left me in a large tie for sixth place. I am quite pleased with how I played even though that result certainly does not thrill me. I played solidly in the second round. I was very happy with how I putted, but I did miss a tap-in par putt on the sixth hole to make my only bogey of the day and thwart my front-nine momentum. I also watched sadly as a number of very well-rolled birdie putts caressed the hole before missing on the back nine. I was close to shooting a very good score both days, but I still see my 67, 68 showing as a continuing step in the right direction. The great news about these rounds is that I finally have something to show for my efforts. While good scores often leave a professional golfer empty handed in Monday Qualifiers, it feels good to say that my consistent effort the past two days has earned a paycheck. I am excited to be competing and even more excited by how good my game feels. I say this all the time, but great things are coming! Please continue to follow the journey with me. Thank you very much for your support!