Update

Just a quick update on what's been going on. I've spent this whole week practicing and working on improving all areas of my game. This has included a lot of time on the driving range, chipping area, and putting green. I was very upset with the way that I putted on Monday so I've made sure to correct those mistakes. I've also managed to get a few rounds in on the course as well. Twice I played here at English Turn and once out at the New Orleans Country Club. These last few days have been extremely windy so that has allowed me to work on that aspect of the game along with everything else.

Tomorrow I'm planning on getting to the gym in the morning and then going to practice before we head out. It looks like we'll be hitting the road around 3:00 in the afternoon in order to get to Alabama in time for dinner. I've got some family in Foley, so we'll be spending the night there on Saturday and then driving the rest of the way to Orlando on Sunday. I can't explain how excited I am to start playing full tournaments (one after another) and hopefully get into a good rhythm.

Viking Classic - Qualifier

Today's Score: 76

Well, the weather was absolutely perfect, the condition of the course was a lot better, and I hit the ball twice as good as I did on Friday. You would think those would be the key ingredients to a better score. But, golf is a funny game. And the one key reason why today's score was worse: PUTTING! 35 in all to be exact which included four 3-putts. However, somewhere in all that horrible display of putting I was able to make 5 birdies.

As I'm sitting here writing this entry, I'm having a really hard time trying to explain what happened today. This is definitely the toughest round to describe so far. It was just a weird day all around. Most of the bogey's I made today were from 3-putts. I hit one drive that ended up in the lip of a bunker which led to a bogey. And I hit a really good iron shot on a par-3 that ended up going over the green and up against a tree.......that shot led to a double bogey. The good news is I hit a lot of good shots which is why I was able to make 5 birdies.

All in all, I'm glad that I gave it a shot. With these qualifiers, it's pretty much all or nothing. You're competing against anywhere from 40-70 guys for 4 spots so there's just no room for error. You've got to play well and avoid making any big mistakes, and I wasn't able to do that today. But, this is just one of many qualifiers that I plan on doing so hopefully I'll have better luck next time.

I'm back home for the week and then Erika and I are leaving for Florida on Saturday. Next week I start playing the Hooters Tour Winter Series events which are held all over Central Florida. The plan is to play in 10 events between now and the end of January. Hope everyone is doing well.

Jackson

Back in Jackson, MS. I was able to get a little more practice in today and I feel better about my swing. The course should be dried out and in better shape due to the good weather we've had over the weekend. I'm really looking forward to playing tomorrow and competing for one of those 4 spots. I tee off at 9:40am........here goes nothing!

Hub City

We decided to stay in Hattiesburg, MS at my grandmother's house through the weekend. Erika's feeling better so I'm happy to see that. I really wanted her to be able to see me play on Monday.

I was able to hit some balls this afternoon which was much needed in order to regain some of the confidence that I had last week with my swing. Tomorrow, I plan on going back to the same place and practicing some more before heading up to Jackson.

I've enjoyed getting to spend some time with my grandmother who I don't get to see very often. I'm currently enjoying watching LSU beat Auburn quite handedly. And Erika is getting better by the hour. I'd say it's been a good weekend so far.

Viking Classic - Pre-Qualifier

Sorry for not posting anything after my practice round. Yesterday went by pretty fast as we tried to make it an early night. And what a beautiful day today was. If you like 50 degrees, windy and overcast. The front that passed through last night dumped over an inch of rain on the course and made the conditions pretty poor for today. We played the ball as lift, clean and place through the green. I don't think there was any other way to do it since the ball would be covered in mud after every shot.

I ended up with a +2 over 74 after bogeying my last two holes coming in. It was good enough to put me in 8th place and secure a spot for Monday. I knew with the way the course was playing that it wasn't going to take a real low number to get in. I'd have to rate my game after today as a C- at best. I think the conditions had something to do with that but I definitely had my struggles regardless. The swing that I felt so confident with this past week wasn't quite the same. I'm going to need to regain the control over the ball that I've had lately in order to have a chance on Monday. The course is pretty short so it's not too hard to keep your score around par, but in order to go low I need to hit the ball better than I did today.

I'm happy to be through to Monday. The next two days are still up in the air. One thing I do know is no matter where we are I'll be practicing somewhere. It looks like we might be coming home tomorrow because Erikas been fighting a bad cold. She's a trooper though as she has stuck with me the whole time. I owe her one for sure. That's all for now. Til next time......Geaux Tigers. Big game tomorrow.

Packing Up!

Well, we're getting ready to hit the road again tomorrow morning. Our destination: Jackson, MS. There is a PGA Tour event being held there next week, which means the qualifying process will begin this Friday. For all PGA Tour tournaments, there is a pre-qualifying round (Fri.) and qualifying round (Mon.) that take place the weekend before the tournament starts. On Friday, about 60% of the field will make it through to Monday where everyone left will be competing for the 4 open spots available. It's a tough task, but definitely worth a try.

I would have to say that I feel more prepared going forward than I've felt so far in this journey. I've spent the majority of October practicing and working on my game. I'm confident in my swing and my short game is improving. I know there is a lot more work to do, but I feel good as of right now.

The plan is to drive up tomorrow morning in time to play a practice round sometime in the afternoon. They're expecting the weather to be bad with the next front moving through, but maybe we'll get lucky. The course we're playing on Friday is a course I've played about 5 times before so I know the layout. If I don't get a practice round in I feel confident enough that I'll be able to get by on Friday. This is the last PGA Tour event of the year that is open to the public for qualifying so let's hope we can make the best of it. More to follow tomorrow......

Update

The last two days have been very productive. I feel as though I've achieved a lot in my practice sessions and that my swing is getting better. I've spent a lot of time working on my short game which includes wedges, pitching, and putting. If there's anything I've learned in my career as a golfer its that you can never have too good of a short game. Everyday involves some work in this area.

The rest of the time has been spent in the gym. I've made a good friend in my trainer, and he really seems interested in helping me achieve my goals. Tomorrow will be much of the same during the day. Our plans are to go to my brother-in-laws football game tomorrow night and then golf with the family on Saturday. My next tournament is next Friday so I'll be playing and practicing as much as possible until then.

Back in N.O.

Well I made it back to New Orleans safe and sound. Back to the rain and humidity that is. I'm hoping I can find a clearing in between thunderstorms tomorrow to get some practice in. Otherwise, there might be a lot of swings made inside. I'll keep this post short and end it with a GEAUX TIGERS!

Nationwide Qualifier - Ft. Lauderdale, FL

1 Swing. 1 swing was all it took to go from playing in my first Nationwide event to going home empty handed. I was -4 under with five to play. The 14th hole is a reachable par 5, playing downwind. I was on the tee waiting to hit my drive and began having bad thoughts about where I didn't want to hit this shot. The right side of the hole had a lot of trees so I began visualizing myself trying to pull the ball in order to keep from hitting it right. And that's exactly what I did. What happened next was an eye opening experience as to why a good caddie can be invaluable. My ball came to rest underneath some thick bushes down the left hand side. There was enough room for a stance and a take-away of about knee-high. After two failed attempts to get out from underneath the bush, I was quickly on my way to a triple-bogey 8. I missed qualifying by 1 stroke.

As I look back on my round, I began to realize that had I just taken an "unplayable lie" (which is a 1 stroke penalty) there would have been a very good chance that I would of come away with nothing worse than a bogey. But for some reason, it never entered my mind that I should play safe. My thought process was all focused on how I could save par. I believe that a good caddie in that situation would make sure the player went over all his options before hitting the shot. Just having someone to talk to can help you better evaluate the situation. In no way am I blaming this mistake on the fact that I didn't have a caddie, I just realize now why PGA Tour players use caddies as they are more important than just carrying a bag and finding distances.

With that sob story being said, I want everyone to know that I am excited about the situation I am in. I feel as though my game is improving which is evident by the good round today; (69) -2 under par. There are definitely some areas that need work, but I'm confident that corrections can be made. I'm swinging the club better and my putting is there. (0 three-putts today)

I head home tomorrow morning....this time by Southwest. My upcoming plans include a lot of practice and time in the gym. Next Friday I'll be playing in the pre-qualifier in Madison, MS for the PGA Tour's Viking Classic. If I get through, I'll have to play again that following Monday in the final stage of Qualifying. Hope all is well with everyone.

As a Tiger fan all I want to say is that we still have a chance and that Alabama should be stressful.

Update

Well, this weekend turned out perfectly. About 50 family and friends showed up for my brother-in-laws birthday party and everyone had a great time watching LSU beat Georgia. You couldn't ask for a better ending. This past Friday I played golf at Ellendale with my father-in-law and shot a 69. It was a tough day after the 2 inches of rain that fell the night before. On Saturday, before the game, my father and brother-in-law along with myself played at the University Club in Baton Rouge. Again, with all the rain the course was pretty wet but I still managed to shoot a 71. So, I'll feel pretty good about how my game is progressing.

Today is my wife's birthday so we've decided to be tourists in our home town and do all the things we've never done. We're making a quick stop back home, and then it's off to dinner. The whole day has been a surprise so I won't say where we're going to eat, but I think she'll like it.

Tomorrow I'm scheduled to meet with my trainer and then the rest of the day will be spent practicing. Hope everyone is doing well. 5 more days until the biggest day of the year......LSU vs UF. Geaux Tigers!!

More Practice

The last couple of days have been nothing but practicing and working out. Yesterday I was invited to play out at the New Orleans Country Club for the first time since I left work. It was good to see some of the people I used to work with, as well as, some of the members. The round started off a little shaky. I was definitely feeling sore after the workout my trainer put me through the day before. But it was good. I guess if you're not sore then you're not accomplishing anything. The round progressively got better as I shot -1 under on the back. We then squeezed in another quick 9 holes in about an hour where I shot another -1 under. So, all in all, it was a really nice day.

Today began with another great workout this morning, followed by a solid practice session this afternoon. English Turn is having their Member/Guest tournament so the course, though closed, is in excellent condition. It makes practicing a little more fun. I didn't hit an enormous amount of balls today, I just made sure the ones that I did hit had a purpose. Practice finished with my usual putting drills.

I'm heading to Houma, LA this evening to see my in-laws. My brother-in-law has a football game tomorrow night, and since this is his last year, I want to make sure I see him play before he graduates. I believe the plan is to play golf at Ellendale before the game. On Saturday, its off to Baton Rouge where my wife's family is hosting a birthday party for her older brother. Their birthdays are the 4th and 5th, so we've decided to celebrate by watching the LSU vs UGA game with all her family and friends. Should be a great time..............let's just hope LSU wins!!!