Montreal Open Recap

I unfortunately didn’t make the cut this week in Montreal.

This has been the hardest missed cut to handle so far.  It’s been difficult because I played well both days, but couldn’t get anything to drop.

Unlike past missed cuts where I putted badly with many 3 putts and poor strokes, I putted the ball very well in Montreal.  My lag putting was great and my short putting was very solid.  But, it didn’t seem to matter how well the ball was stroked, it still couldn’t find the bottom of the cup.  In those 2 rounds I had 10 putts that looked great but could only amount to lip outs.  If only half of those had dropped my weekend would be much more exciting.  Frustrating, but that’s the way it goes sometimes.

Thankfully, there are a lot of positives to take away from those rounds.  I struck the ball great, handled my emotions very well, was very strong mentally, and putted well for the first event in months.  All of this amounted to a missed cut; this is a tough job sometimes!

I am very confident about the next event in Toronto.  If I can continue doing what I am doing, it’s only a matter of time until I really break through and get in the mix on the weekend.

My patience is being tested like never before!

I’m playing in a pro am at Rideauview on Monday, and I’m very excited.  There’s going to be a lot of good players there, and it’ll be great to put my game up against them.  Monday will be a great day for the putts to drop and for both my confidence and cash flow to increase.

I’m off to watch the women play the Hunt for the day.

Montreal Open Rd 1

I fired an even par 71 yesterday in my first round.

It was a nice way to get back after 3 weeks off.  I hit the ball great and gave myself a lot of good chances, the putter was solid, but the ball was touching every part of the hole except the bottom.

Hopefully I can do the same thing today and just have the ball find the bottom of the cup.  I play at 2 this afternoon.

Follow my scorecard here

Montreal Open

After a much needed break, here is my latest update.  Bare with me as the blog rust may be evident.

The tour stops down in Montreal this week.  From what I have heard and experienced so far this week, this event is high class.  It is ran much like a PGA Tour event, and it’s treated on that level by the fans, sponsors and media.

I am very excited to showcase at an event that’s as big as this one.  I played 2 pro ams early this week and have seen the course and I like what I see, this will be a great test for my solid ball striking of late.

I came back to Ottawa this afternoon and will stay here Wednesday to watch the pro am at the Canadian Women’s Open.  It will be great to see some of the best that the LPGA has to offer playing my home course.

I plan to head back and get in some last minute range time prior to teeing it up Thursday morning at 9 am.

This is everything I have been working for over my time off, I am so excited to start back into the routine of playing tournaments every week for the next 4 weeks.

I am slowly working on my fall playing schedule and it excites me what the possibilities are for playing tournaments into December.

For now I am focused on this week in Montreal and playing the best I can for those 4 rounds.

Update

My time off has been going great.  I’m getting in lots of gym time and lots of play/practice.

I am playing very well and improving on the things I set out to work on.

I’m optimistic that this will be good to carry into the last 4 events of the season

Players Cup Recap

Now that I’m back home and have had some time to reflect back on last week’s event, here is a recap of what took place.

Thursdays round was very solid, probably the most solid of the week.  I had it 2 under very fast into the round and had my name on the leader-board for the first time this year.  I was one back of the lead at 3 under.  I went on to miss the par putt and promptly remove my name from the leader-board, but it was up there!  I went on to make a few sloppy bogeys and finally 3 putted my 17th hole to finish at a 1 over 72.  I hit the ball great but really didn’t get much out of my putter.

Friday started very poorly.  I bogeyed the 2nd, 5th, and 6th holes.  I was very frustrated and convinced that I did it again and blew my chances to make the weekend.  Things made a turn on the 7th hole, however.  I hit it to 6 feet and somehow guided home the birdie.  That birdie, as lucky as it seemed, gave me the jolt that I could break out of the slump and turn things around.  I birdied the 8th, after lipping out the eagle putt.  Making the turn at 1 over, I felt good about the back nine.

The 10th hole is when everything clicked.  I really focused over a 5 footer for par, and when it dropped I was fired up to start making putts.  I made a birdie on 12 to get back to level par.  On the 14th I made a great 8 foot double breaking par save, and then I knew that I was going to make the weekend.  I birdie 15 to get under par for the day.  I promptly made a great birdie on 16 to get 2 under.  17 was when I let up a bit, I just lagged my 20 footer and was happy with par.  On 18 my adrenaline was surging, I bombed a drive on the tough hole and was left with only a wedge(I hit 7/8 irons every other round).  I hit the wedge to 15 feet and left it 3 inches short.  The birdie would have been nice, but the security of the par confirmed that I was in for the first time this year.  I shot 69 to get to 1 under for 36 holes and make the cut on the number.

I was so excited to finally play a weekend and experience that atmosphere.  Looking back, it’s no surprise that my play on the weekend didn’t follow Fridays.  I took my foot off the accelerator and was content with the made cut, and not as motivated to close in on the lead.

This made itself noticeable with my putter.  It didn’t have the fire it had from Friday.  I 2 putted every hole on Saturday, it was so aggravating.  The ball striking was still great but the passion left the putter and my head on the greens.

Sunday’s round was much of the same.  I hit the ball great but putted awful.  On the 18th tee I stood 2 over with 5 3 putts, 5!!  Awful!  I went on to make a painful triple on 18 and experience first hand how to spend money on a Sunday on tour.

The experience was great, and well needed.  I affirmed to myself that I can get into the mix, I just needed to know what it felt like.  I am very confident about the rest of the year.  I believe that getting over this hurdle will allow my play to improve and my finishes to rise.

I have 3 weeks off and will work very hard on what needs to happen for me to duplicate my ball striking, and mental state made know in recent events.  I am even more motivated to work hard on my scoring clubs, to give myself a better chance at competing well to finish the season.

There are 4 events left, and I have to play very well to climb the order of merit and keep my playing privileges for 2009.  The task ahead is rather large, but I love a challenge and I’m embracing this challenge with open arms.

My blog will take a brief break over my break, but I will keep you posted on how my work has been going during this time off.

Off to the course…

Home

I’m finally home.

I’m working on a recap of the Players Cup, expect it up tomorrow

Until then, check out this article I wrote for a fellow golf blogger

Cut Made!

I finally did it.  I made a cut on tour! 

I fired 72-69 to make it into the weekend.

I’m very happy but also very determined to close the 8 stroke gap between me and the lead.

I tee off at 8:39 tomorrow morning.

follow my round at cantour.com

Players Cup

I’m in Winnipeg this week and I have limited wireless internet access.  I’m here for our first major, The Players Cup.  This explains the delay in posting on Friday’s round in Edmonton.

Friday went great!  The weather was very difficult and I still hit the ball so well.  I missed one fairway and four greens, the best ball striking I have displayed all year.  It’s very encouraging because I’m saying that every week.  Every week is getting better, so I am very happy and re-gaining confidence very quickly.

I putted poorly again on Friday, 3 3 putts and a few missed chances turned a great round into an okay round.  I’ve put in serious work and I think I have gotten to the root of the problem on the greens.  I’m confident that I’ll start rolling it as well as I was a month ago.

The course here in Winnipeg is great, very traditional with very tough greens.  The greens will keep the scores higher this week.  This course puts a premium on keeping the ball in play.  If I can continue what I’ve been doing the past few weeks and drop a few more putts, this will be a great week.

I’m excited to play this week and then head into a much deserved break.  I feel there will be no better way than to head into the break on a high note from this event.

I tee off at 8:50 tomorrow, and 1:50 on Friday.

Emonton Open Round 1

Thursday’s round did not live up to my high expectations.  The morning was like none I have experienced out here.  I couldn’t get anything to feel right.  My range session felt awful, my chipping and putting session were much of the same.  On top of that I kept forgetting stuff in my car, so I had to run to the car 5 times before the round started.  It was a very off-timed morning.

For much of my front nine, my timing was still off.  I would either hit it perfect or terrible, there was no middle ground.  During the wait on my tenth tee, I tried desperately to settle myself down.  I did to an extent.  My back nine was far more consistent with many birdie putts looking good, but only one falling.  I went out in a 5 over 41 and came in with a 1 under 34.  I still have a chance for Friday’s round, but I need to play a the great round of golf that I keep expecting.

Following the round, I had one of the best practice sessions of recent memory, I didn’t want to leave but some ominous clouds forced me to head home.  It was a fantastic feeling. I was flushing everything, and knowing why I was flushing it.  I have finally put the sensation into my body that my coach has been explaining to me for a few months.  I feel great, and know that if I keep working hard at ingraining this feeling my game will improve a great deal.  I followed that practice with a intense gym session.  I told myself that no matter what the rounds I play I still have to work my hardest.  My goal is the PGA Tour, and it will take all of my work ethic to get there.  I’m not letting a poor round discourage me anymore.

Telus Edmonton Open

The Telus Edmonton Open starts tomorrow, and I feel great.

I have had 3 great days of practice out at Windemere GC.  The course is very nice, it reminds me a lot of the courses I played much of my amateur golf on.  Hopefully this familiarity will allow me to go low this week.

My game feels like it is in the place where I can back up the aspirations of going low.  I have righted the ship with the putter, and I am still striking the ball very well.  I also feel very strong mentally.  Last week I overcame a big mental hurdle.  I finally ignored what everyone else was doing and focused on what I could control.

Over the past few years I have learned that all I can control is my preparation and process.  Unfortunately, I let myself focus on too many extra things early in the season, and it has been a tough climb out of that hole.  I proved a lot to myself last week.  I proved that I can be mentally disciplined enough to stick to a game plan.

I have finally re-shifted my focus to the process.

I am optimistic about this event, and am excited about moving forward from this place.
I tee off at 8:50 off 10 tomorrow, and at 1:50 off 1 on Friday.
Follow my scores at cantour.com