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.