Saskatoon Blog

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!

GLT Platinum Update

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!

GLT Recap

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.

Niagara Rd 1

Today was the first round of my first Great Lakes Tour, 36 hole Platinum event.  I’m playing in scenic Niagara Falls.  The day started very well in cold windy conditions.  I played pretty flawless golf on the front and turned in 3 under.  Things were looking very promising….

Upon giving my scores to the scorer at the turn, I was greeted with many well wishes from the volunteers thanks to my 9.  I was also informed that no one has come through better than 3 over!  Fact or fiction, this was information I could have done without!  I proceeded to get very tight and tense, knowing I was apparently leading by 6 strokes.  I played the next 6 holes 6 over.  It was very frustrating to say the least!

I birdied my last hole and shot 2 over.  I sit in a tie for 12th; 5 back, with one round left.  I’m excited about tomorrow because I know that I can make birdies on this course and hopefully plot away at the leaders and climb the board.

Today was a valuable lesson.  I’ve never been in a situation where I’m leading the tournament in the early stages.  As expected, I got spooked and was ripped from my comfort zone.  Leading is what I want; it’s what I work for, but it was still foreign to me.  I’m very happy this happened today and that it’s out of my system.

I seem to be learning something very valuable with every round this year, and it’s great!  Here’s hoping that tomorrow will bring some great play and more valuable lessons about myself and my game when forced to come from behind.

Q School Recap

I’m sitting here on the outside looking in, yet again.  It’s very frustrating to have done what I did today.  I shot 77 today and in the end missed out on a card by 3 strokes.

Today was my chance to go out an play well and lock up a card…and I didn’t.  I’m disappointed and that’s it.  I’ve learned to not was my energy thinking about what could have been.  Right now, I’m evaluating my stats and my rounds and trying to figure out what went wrong this week.  The thing that sticks out the most is how few fairways and greens I hit this week.  Normally, this is the best part of my game.  My only thought is that trusting the changes I’ve made this off season was difficult over the course of 4 rounds.

It’s a bummer, but I’m far from discouraged!  I’m handling this better than any of the previous failed attempts at Q School.  My focus is on great practice over the weekend and the Monday Qualifier for the Times Colonist Open in Victoria.

I don’t have status on the Canadian Tour, but that doesn’t mean I can’t still work hard and play great golf this summer…it’ll just be a little more spread out where I’ll be playing.

I’ve dealt with much worse things in my life and I’ll be just fine in the wake of this poor round of golf, because that’s all it was… a poor round of golf.

Round 3 Recap

Round 3’s in the books and I managed to stay idle.  I shot 73 and still sit in T13, 1 stroke out of a conditional card and 6 strokes out of a full card.

One could look at it and say that today’s round was a decent round relative to the field…but today’s round really made me shake my head when it was all over.  I made so many dumb little mistakes today.  I had 4 penalty strokes and 3 putted twice.  Just wasting strokes away!

Today was really an internal struggle.  2008 Andrew showed up with the terribly timed poor swings.  2009 Andrew climbed back time and time again with patience and birdies at the right time.  The 3 putts were not acceptable but a little less frustrating given the poa annua greens taking the ball for some unwelcome bounces.

I’m frustrated that I didn’t make a move up the board, but I’m still very optimistic about tomorrow.  I finally struck the ball well today, hitting 13 greens.  With the exception of a loose drive and two irons into some water, the ball striking was solid.

My goal for tomorrow is to keep striking the ball solidly, find some more fairways, and trust my putter.  If I stay patient and trust my abilities, I will play well.  Like I’ve said all week, the goal is to play well.  I’ve played well all week with the exception of a few holes each round.  Here’s to hoping that tomorrow will be the first round of the week that comes together and I play well all day!

Round 2…

Well, today was a tough go around Morningstar.  I struggled with all aspects of my game, and it was certainly a huge test for my patience.

I shot 75 today.  Made 3 sloppy bogeys in the first 8 holes.  I turned it around between 9-14 where I never had a putt outside 12 feet for birdie.  I made 2 of them and burned the hole on 2 more.  The last 4 holes were terrible.  I feel back into the sloppy play from the first 8 and made 2 bogeys.  Needless to say, I was a little bummed after finishing as poorly as I did.

I fell back to T13 and sit 4 strokes back of a full card, and 2 strokes back of a conditional card.  I had some great practice after the round and feel like today was just a minor bump along the way.  I hope to go out tomorrow and stay patient and play well.

Round 1 Results

One round under the belt, and I’m happy with where I stand.  I shot 2 under today and sit T8, 3 strokes out of the lead.  The round was a great way to start this event.  I came out hot with 5 birdies in my first 8 holes, but cooled right off to 2 under.  My putter wasn’t there for me late in the round like I would have expected.

That being said, I’m very encouraged moving forward.  My confidence is still very high; and with every round I play, I’m learning to believe in myself more and more.  The goal was to play well, and I did.  The goal remains the same for tomorrows round.  I’m going out there to play well and that’s the only concern!

I tip it at 7:40 pst tomorrow.  I’ll tweet immediately following the round on how it went.  Follow along at twitter.com/andrewjensen

Victory Recap

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.

First Win!

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!