andrew scott jensen

It’s Tuesday, and I find myself in Winnipeg this week.  Needless to say the last week has been quite the whirlwind of excitement and last minute travel.  As I wrote last week, I got into the field in Saskatoon for the Can Tour event held out there.  Unfortunately, I missed the cut out there.

Missing this cut was different than all my missed cuts last year.  This time around, I accepted it, kept my chin up and moved on to what was next, never did I dwell on the fact that I didn’t play four rounds.  This is a huge step in the right direction!  Last year, a missed cut was devastating for me.  My confidence was shattered every time I played myself into a weekend off.  It was a fight every Monday to re-gain confidence and proper focus for the next tournament.  It’s no wonder that the 3 cuts I made all year all came at the end of a stretch of events.  I had nothing else to focus on, so I was free to just play golf and not stress about next week.

Last week, I did much of the same.  I was focused on Saskatoon and Saskatoon alone.  Never did anything creep into my mind about what I would do next week.  Unfortunately, I didn’t transfer that head space into made putts and low scores.

After the missed cut, I arranged to come to Winnipeg and Monday qualify for the event here at Pine Ridge.  Pine Ridge is my favorite course the Can Tour plays so I was excited to have a chance to play this week.  I played well in the qualifier, but just like in Victoria, started poorly and followed it with awful putting all round!  I missed by 4 strokes and was severely frustrated with the outcome.

I’m now hanging around the peg and waiting to see if I get into the field.  I’m the 4th alternate this week, so there is an outside chance I might play, but I won’t be finding out until tomorrow evening.

So, my focus is on hold for what’s next.  This is a far cry from my focus last year.  Last year I would be focusing on any and everything past and present, and consequently never be fully present during a round of golf.

I’m here now and that’s it!  I love this feeling!  This great focus will translate into great golf, there’s no doubt in my mind!  I’m just remaining patient for that time to come!

I hope this blog finds you well!  I find myself sitting in the Toronto airport en route to Saskatoon, to play my first event on the Can Tour of the year!

It’s very exciting that my affiliate member status got me into this week.  I had no idea where I was on the list until I got a call yesterday from the tour asking me if I wanted to take a spot in the field.  It was a no brainer!  This is a great unexpected bonus to my year!  I’m so excited to tee it up tomorrow and play great! I got the call while I was on the course at Royal Ashburn, playing the final round of the third platinum event on the GLT.

The tournament was a great time, with the exception of my first 9 holes on Monday!

Playing Royal Ashburn in a non Q School event was very weird to say the least.  All of my memories of that course are associated with Q School.  This is where my problem came from on the front nine monday.  I made 2 early bogies and freaked out!  I started replaying last year’s Q School in my head and panicked!  I tricked myself into believing this was Q School and that I was screwing up again.  I shot 43 on the front, making every sloppy, stupid, rookie mistake imaginable…it felt like the twilight zone.

Walking across to 10 I identified my mental state and slapped myself out of it and got the focus back and shot 35.  My 78 left me miles back from any kind of placing.

I went out in the second round with the goal to re-capture my confidence and get some good visuals in preparation for Q School this September.  I turned in 34, and played very solid in the windy, rainy conditions on the back and shot 70.  The conditions were very difficult and my 70 was the third lowest score on the day.  I jumped up the leader board, but still managed to miss getting paid by one stroke(for the 4th tournament in a row!)

I left the course very happy and very confident in my game.  It was great to check my phone messages and learn that I got into the Can Tour event.  So my confidence is back up and I’m playing on the tour I really want to play on this week!  I plan on playing fearless this week and taking advantage of this opportunity!

Here’s to a great event!

I’m here in Welland, On playing another Great Lakes Tour platinum series event.  We’re hosted by Lochness Links, a course that I really enjoyed playing today.

Today was an up and down round that really tested my patience and self belief.  I was 2 under through 5 holes, 2 lip outs from being 4 under through 5.  I proceeded to run into some poor luck and a poor swing; and 3 holes later I was 1 over.  The ninth hole is a great risk reward par 5, and I hit two great shots and was about 40 feet from the pin just off the green faced with a flop shot that was impossible to get inside 15 feet!  I made par and turned in one over.

The back nine started very poorly, I made two bad swings on 10-12 and hit my ball in the worst possible spots around those greens imaginable!  I doubled 11 and bogeyed 12 and was sitting 4 over through 12, thinking that this event might be gone down the crapper!

I proceeded to birdie 13, leave an eagle putt on 14 two inches short, and then hit it an inch away from an ace on 15!  16 was a 300 yard par 4, dead down wind.  I didn’t take advantage of this birdie opportunity and the birdie train stopped at 3.  I left my downhill birdie putt on 17 two inches short yet again.  I hit two great shots on 18 and left myself 20 feet for eagle and a sub par round.  I missed it and tapped in for 72.

I’m happy with my comeback, and hopeful that I can ride the birdie train into tomorrow’s final round and give myself a great shot at closing the 5 strokes between me and the leader.

I’m hitting it well and putting great!  It’s just a matter of time until I break through and shoot some crazy low numbers!  Until then, I’ll stay patient and keep telling myself that it will come, much like Lucas Glover did over the past few months, which seems to have worked out just fine for him!

Well, I played in another GLT one day event yesterday and it was yet another learning experience.  I started off my day so steady; fairways, greens, and patience!  I shot 33 on the front and headed to the back nine tied for the lead and much more comfortable than last weeks event.

Unfortunately, the back nine was another struggle.  I shot 40 and finished in a tie for 20 with a 73(+1).  This time around, I felt much better than last week.  I stayed patient and calm and tried all I could to keep the round alive.  I had a couple poor breaks and a few lip outs that really tested my patience.  On the positive note, I handled the pressure of leading the tournament much better this week.  Sure, I didn’t come through and win, but I certainly banked a great lesson and priceless experience.

Like I said last week, being in the lead is where I want to be.  It’s just a matter of time until I’m comfortable in the lead and comfortable maintaining it!

One major positive to take away is the fact that in my last 4 events I’ve been in the lead after the first nine holes in every one.  Wether it’s an 18, 36, or 72 hole event; I’ve been coming out strong.  This is a far cry form last year.  Last year, I would start off struggling and then grinding back to something around par.

I’m very encouraged by all of this.  I’m making all the right moves and putting in the right work.  Again, it’s just a matter of time and repetition until I’m comfortable enough to take a 9 hole lead and turn it into a victory at the end of the day or end of the week.

I’m planning on digging deeper into all of this with my coach and sports psych in an effort to come out strong next week in the 36 hole event taking place monday-tuesday in Welland, ON.

I’m sitting here on my flight from Ottawa to Vancouver, allowing what happened on Wednesday to sink in a little bit more.  It’s amazing what some time to reflect and journal about a round of golf can do for the confidence!

Wednesday was a special day.  Winning a golf tournament is always exciting, regardless of the field, event or tour… we want to win.  That being said, going into the round and throughout the round, the thought of winning was never the intention.  The intention of the day was to play well.  I went into the round wanting to see if I could trust my recent work and play well in competition looking for a boost of confidence heading into Q School.

The day started a little suspect with a double from 100 yards on my second hole.  I didn’t lose focus though, I still knew I could play well.  I birdied the next hole and knew that more could come.  The day just kept moving in the right direction.  I was playing the course for the first time so I was conservatively hitting 3 wood off all the tees.  Luckily, all my short game work paid huge dividends.  I got up and down from inside 120 yards all day.  6 Birdies and a bogey later, I stood on the 18th tee at 3 under thinking I was near the top of the leader board.

I laid up to 130 yards on the par 5 and was faced with a difficult and exciting shot to a tucked pin.  The leader board behind the green was too hard to look away from.  I saw that 3 under had been posted and was leading, with only myself and 2 other guys left on the course who could match it.

What took place for my approach shot is something that will be great for future situations like this in my career.  I began to think ahead about what could happen with a birdie, par, and bogey.  I shook it off and did my routine, but still had some bad thoughts over the ball.  I had to back away and start the routine over again.  I threw myself back into the moment and the shot at hand and ignored the consequences.  I proceeded to hit the best shot to date of my short career.  I stuffed it to 3 and a half feet from the stick!  The putt was easy and my trust in the routine really helped me beat the nerves and roll it in.

The 2 other players couldn’t match my round and I won!  It was great to hold up the trophy at the end of the day.

My confidence got the exact boost it needed heading into Q School this coming Tuesday.  I’m going into the event focused on maintaining the same thoughts and intentions to play well, and to accept where that leaves me on the leader board.  I’m left to trust that my playing well will be enough for me to be smiling after the final round next Friday.

That’s right, I won my first professional tournament on Wednesday!  I won the Great Lakes Tour event held in Newmarket, ON at Silver Lakes GC with a 4 under 68.  I’ll write a recap of the day on my plane ride to Victoria tomorrow.  I just wanted to post the exciting news!

It’s a rainy day here in Ottawa, and I’m enjoying having a day to rest and reflect on what’s taken place over the past few weeks, and also look ahead to what’s coming up in less than two weeks.

The past month’s been amazing.  My progress forward has been very encouraging.  I’ve been working very hard with my coach on a few different things.  The first thing has been my setup and plane of the club.  It’s been very difficult to make these changes after years of bad habits that have hurt my consistency under pressure.  That being said, we are only working on that on the practice tee.  When we’re on the course, the focus is playing golf, not golf swing.  This has been a challenge as well.  My knee jerk reaction to poor shots was to immediately analyze the swing and this took my focus off getting the ball in the hole.  All and all the work’s been very good and encouraging, and my consistency is drastically improving.

I’ve also been putting in lots of work with the flat stick.  I went on a Tomi Putting Machine and it was great for my stroke.  I’ve become aware of some flaws in the stroke and I’m working very hard on improving.  That being said, all the work on the stroke is without a hole.  When I work on the stroke that’s the only focus, not getting the ball in the hole.  When I practice with a hole, the only focus is the target and the stroke doesn’t matter.  This has been great work, that’s really paid off on the course.

I’m also playing more golf now than I would usually like too.  I’m focusing on my routine and thought management on the course, and that’s it.  I’m working on thinking in the think box, committing, and then playing in the play box. It’s been very productive.  After every round I evaluate my mental game and how I managed my thoughts and it has been a steady learning curve.

I’ll be playing another one round Great Lakes event on the 20th and I’m excited to go out there and play golf and manage my thoughts properly in and effort to prepare for the pressure of Q School on the 26th.  I’ll be flying out to BC on the 23rd and I couldn’t be more fired up!  My confidence is rising more every day and I can’t wait to go out there and do what I know I can do.

Expect a blog after my round on the 20th

Yesterday was my first event on the Great Lakes Tour.  Unfortunately, it was a less than stellar debut.  The weather was cold, wet, and windy…which are conditions that I’m actually very happy to compete in.  Pairing my comfort with the weather with the good vibes I had entering this event(after a long month of hard work back home in Ottawa) I went into the round expecting to play well.  Most importantly, I went into the round with the hope to find my feet again in competition after a month and a half away from it.

The first tee was awful!!!  I have no explanation for what happened, but I laid the sod over two consecutive 3 woods and dumped them both into the hazard in front of the tee.  I walked off the first hole with a quintuple bogey 9.  Frustrating, to say the least.

I chose to make the best of the blunder.  I told myself that if I made a 2 or a 9, my mental approach would have to be the same; I’d have to attack the next 17 holes with the same mindset or patience and focus and ultimately the ability to stay present.

This was a big victory for me mentally.  I didn’t let myself get concerned with what others would say or think about me playing yet another poor round, but focused on me and trying to hit great golf shots.  I played the next 17 holes well, not great but well.  I drove it well, hit a descent amount of greens, but struggled with my reads on the greens.  I played the next 17 at 2 over par, not stunning play, but play that re-assured me of the work thats been put in will pay off with patience.

So, I fired a 78 and finished well outside of the money.  But, that’s not what I’m concerning myself with.  I’m concerning myself with the process.  This round is just part of it.  I have to assess the day and take the positives and move forward, with my focus set on my next event, a one day great lakes event on the 12th of May.

If I keep moving in the right direction, this year WILL be the great year that I’m hoping for.

I hope this blog finds you well.  It’s been a while since my last entry and I apologize.

Things have been coming along great back home here in Ottawa.  I’ve been getting a lot of great work done in the gym and on the range.  The weather has finally turned the corner and the Canadian golf season is upon us.

Courses opened this week and I got my first local round in on Thursday at a course I’d never seen before.  I went out with some good friends and had a great time.  Highlight of the round was firing my first career course record!  I was very happy to finally accomplish this feat.  Now I’m encouraged to do it more often on more courses!!

I’m currently planning my tournaments for 2009 and I’m looking forward to getting back into competition.  The only thing dictating where and when I’ll start competing is the finances.  With the economic state and my poor play from last year, my sponsor hunt is getting a little challenging.  I’m not discouraged though!  I believe that my break will come.  I’m working so hard on my game so that I’ll make great use of the break(when it comes).

All and all, things are great here!  I’m loving being home.  It’s recharging my batteries and motivating me like never before.

I think my first event will be an 18 hole Great Lakes Tour event on April 28th.  I’ll keep you posted on how it goes and what will follow.

Today was a struggle yet again.  Very disappointing to say the least.

I will more than likely not get my card for 2009.  Only a miracle round of 64 or better with some help from the players inside the number will get me back into the hunt for a conditional card when tomorrow is said and done.  I could do it, I hope to do it, but I’m not holding my breath.

…crazier things have happened…

I’ll write more tomorrow night.