Adam's Tour - (Hillcrest Classic) Second Round

Score: 79

I'm a little behind again because I was on the road yesterday immediately after I finished. My 79 was not good enough to make the cut, so I decided to start heading home. Yesterday's round was difficult to say the least. I've already described the conditions of the course and in 30+ mph winds, it only made scoring that much harder. The whole day was constant winds of over 30 mph with gusts near 40 mph. It was intense.

The day started off promising after I birdied the first hole. Four solid pars in a row to follow and I was -1 under par through my first 5 holes. A good start considering the weather. It seemed like the next four holes something went wrong on each and I finished the front nine (bogey, bogey, bogey, double-bogey).

I started the back nine with a 3-putt bogey on #10 and a triple-bogey on #13 due a poor tee shot. So, after being -1 under thru the first 5 holes, I went +9 over the next 7 holes and pretty much ruined any chance of making the cut. I did hit every green from then on in, but only managed to make one birdie. When it was all over, I was +7 over par.......5 strokes too many.

There's a couple things I want to mention about this week before moving on. The condition of the greens at this course were the worst I've played on so far and as bad as I've seen in recent memory. I was 0 for 16 in making putts from 4ft - 10ft for two days. With a stat like that, there is no way to shoot a decent score. I'd like to think that my putting was getting better which is part of the reason why I've had more success recently. But, the greens at this course were so bad it was nearly all up to chance as to whether the ball would bounce in or bounce out. I think the fact that the cut was at +8 over par (which is unheard of) is proof that everyone was struggling.

So, I'm not going to read too much into what happened this week. I feel like yesterday I was getting close to swinging the way I was a couple weeks ago.....even with the winds as high as they were. My putting is getting better, but I obviously have to keep that a top priority going forward. I'm happy to be home and see my wife who did not travel with me this time. It's good to be home, but I look forward to working with Brian during this brief time off and getting prepared for the US Open qualifier next Monday. More on that to follow............

Adam's Tour (Hillcrest Classic) - Round One

Today's Score: 78

Today was simply not a good day. With the way I played today, I should of shot 1 or 2 over, but two costly errors and extremely poor putting wouldn't allow me to do any better than +6 over par. The first mistake I made came on the par-5 4th hole. I hit a really nice drive down the middle and had about 260 yards to the front of the green. With water all along the right hand side of the hole, I picked a target well left of the flag but still managed to block the ball right into the water. The decision to go for the green in two cost me my second stroke of the day. I followed that up with back to back 3-putts on the next two holes. After nine holes I was +5 over par and having just an absolute blast.

I was able to make a nice birdie on the 10th hole in an attempt to get the round under control. However, the second costly error on the day came on the 13th hole where I hit my tee shot with a 3-wood left out-of-bounds. #13 probably has the widest fairway on the whole course and plenty of room out to the right. Only a complete lack of focus could cause a shot like the one I hit there and those are mistakes you just cannot make and expect to shoot good scores. I missed three more putts inside of 6ft over the next 5 holes and finished with a +6 over par (78).

I noticed towards the end of last week's tournament and beginning of this week, that I haven't been as comfortable with my swing as I was a couple week's ago during the qualifying for the Zurich Classic. I'm definitely struggling with my driver and really all tee shots in general. I'm hitting on average about 7 fairways a round and on courses like last week and this week, eventually it's going to catch up to you. And, I think that combined with not being able to make a putt is what caused such a poor round today. But, I know that the changes I've made in my swing recently are still a work in progress. Things are still relatively new and it's going to take time before the changes become permanent. From what I've noticed so far though, I'm still very excited about the future. I'll continue to work with Brian when I get home and feel confident that there's more success to come.

Tomorrow, my tee time is 12:30 off #10. The weather is supposed to be rainy and windy so maybe I can pull out a good round and sneak inside the cut line.

Quick Update

I'm made it to Waco, TX this morning and was able to put in a practice round at the course we're playing this week. It's called Twin River Golf Club and is home to the Baylor Bears men's golf team. You might think that would be a sign that the course would be a good one, but unfortunately, it's not. Plain is the best way I can describe the layout and the greens are just in poor condition. I think the cold winter we had this year really had an affect on the courses it this area. But, if last week is any indication, me not liking a golf course might be the key to playing well.......we'll see.

Tomorrow I'm signed up to play in my first pro-am so that should be fun. I'm in the morning wave which is set for an 8:00 shotgun. There's a little bit of side money that the pro's can win for playing in the pro-am so hopefully I can pick up a little extra cash. I'll have more tomorrow before the first round.

Adam's Tour (Victoria Open) - Final Round

Score: 75

I was unable to achieve my goal set for today of not having any penalty strokes and/or 3-putts. A few costly errors when I made the turn really cost me a possible top-10 finish. But, I'm very pleased with how this week turned out. I'm happy to see the rewards of practicing hard and working on my swing. Hopefully, I can carry this momentum forward into next week's tournament and play even better.

Final Round Recap -

I started off with a birdie on the first hole that really helped me settle down early and get into the flow of the round. I followed that up with another birdie at the par-5 4th hole to move to -2 under par. I was unable to take advantage of two really good chances for birdie from 6ft on the 7th and 8th holes so I remained -2 under for the front nine. All I can say about what happened on #10 is that I would give anything to go back and replay that tee shot. With out-of-bounds down the left hand side, the shot from the tee must be hit out to the right. Unfortunately, I didn't do my part to ensure my ball didn't go left and consequently found myself 2 inches too far offline. I was forced to re-tee and went on to make a triple-bogey (7). The next two holes produced a couple of bogey's due to poor placement on the greens. One three-putt after another and I went from being -2 under to +3 over par for the round in a matter of three holes. The momentum was just sucked right out from under me and it was all pars from then on in.

In the end, I'm just thankful for actually being in contention again. It's been quite some time. I know that this type of experience builds confidence and I hope to use that going forward. Now, the next time I make 15 birdies and an eagle I'll finish the tournament lower than even par. I'm off to Waco, TX tomorrow morning for my next event. I plan on playing a practice round tomorrow afternoon and then I'm scheduled to play in the pro-am on Wednesday. Should be fun. Let's hope for some enjoyable weather. 'Til next time.........

FINISH: Even - T20th

Adam's Tour (Victoria, TX) - Third Round

Today's Score: 69

Another solid round today. First time in a while I played a whole round without a bogey. The scorecard consisted of 3 birdies and 15 pars. I did, however, have one 3-putt for par after hitting the par-5 4th in two. Other than that, I was able to achieve my goal for the day.

There's really nothing much else to report from today's round. It was pretty uneventful for the most part. I drove the ball a little bit better and was able to hit 15 greens in regulation. All in all, just a solid round of golf. My goal remains the same for tomorrow. If anything, the pin placements should be slightly more approachable tomorrow than they were today. Usually, its the other way around, but from where they were today I think there might be a few more chances to be aggressive tomorrow.

I'm very pleased with how this week is unfolding and it definitely feels good to finally be in contention. I'm currently tied for 10th place, so another good round tomorrow should lead to a high finish.

Adam's Tour (Victoria, TX) - Second Round

Today's Score: 71

Well, the bad news is that I've got to play my least favorite course two more times, but the good news is I made the cut. Today the winds were constant 20+ mph with gusts easily over 30mph so I feel good about shooting under par under these conditions. In fact, of the 43 guys that made the cut, only 9 shot under par today. It's a tough course to drive the ball in play and the winds only made putting that much harder on greens that are already difficult enough.

So, I'm pleased with how the day went overall, but at the same time, I know that there were a few holes coming in that I let some shots get away from me. I made the turn at -3 under par after making 6 pars and 3 birdies on the front nine. It was a solid start to the round considering how windy it was from the very beginning. On the back, I hit three poor tee shots that lead to bogies, but was able to make a nice putt for birdie on the par-3 15th. I still feel like I can clean up my round a little better and shoot some lower scores the next couple of days. My goal for today was to not have any penalty strokes and 3-putts and I was able to do that. If I can accomplish that goal for the rest of the tournament, I should do alright.

My tee time tomorrow is 8:09 of #10. We'll see what happens.....

Adam's Tour (Victoria, TX) - First Round

Today's Score: 73

If I could draw up my least favorite golf course in the world, it would probably look something like the course we're playing this week. You want to talk about a course that just doesn't fit my game, this is it. And I hate to think like that, especially when I have to play the course three more times.....hopefully. But, I've got to tell it like it is. In terms of overall length, it's relatively short but playing a bit longer due to all the rain they've had in the area lately. The majority of the holes are extremely narrow off the tee with trees and out-of-bounds lining just about every fairway. On top of that, most of the par-4's and 5's are dog-leg lefts which for me, someone who likes to fade the ball, just isn't my cup of tea. At least not when it seems like every single hole is shaped that way.

So, having said that, I really can't complain too much about shooting +1 over par (73) today. What I will mention though, is this is the first time in my life I made 5 birdies and 1 eagle in a round and somehow managed to shoot over par. Usually, a score in the 60's would follow a performance like that but there were so many holes that I just felt uncomfortable on that I paired the positives with 4 bogey's and 2 double-bogey's. You can probably imagine how up and down my round was today with all that craziness going on.

My goal for tomorrow is to not have any penalty strokes and eliminate all 3-putts. If I can do that, I feel like I can shoot under par out here. I'm going to wrap up this post early, because I want to hit a few balls on the range before they close it down. The good news is tomorrow is a new day!

Zurich Classic - Qualifier (La Tour GC)

Score: 70

Sorry for not having a post up sooner following Monday's round. As soon as I found out that I didn't get in, I hit the road and drove straight to Houston. The last few days have been pretty hectic so that's why I fell behind. But, here is a recap of what happened during the qualifier for the Zurich Classic.

First off, it was definitely the most complete round of golf I've played in a long time. And under the circumstances, I'd have to say that it might be one of my best rounds ever. I started off hitting the first 12 greens in regulation, consisting of 5 birdies and 1 bogey. The bogey came on the 4th hole where I 3-putted from about 35 ft. I made the turn at -2 under and continued the back nine by making birdies on holes #10 and #11.

However, #12 is where everything changed. I drew my drive a little more than I wanted as it found the bunker down the left hand side of the fairway. From there, I was 155 yards to the hole with a pretty decent lie. If there is one place you can't hit it on #12 for your second shot it's short of the green. So, I proceeded to hit a 7-iron (which for me is about a 175 yard club) in order to make sure that I made my mistake long and not short. I hit the ball slightly heavy and as I was watching it in the air, I was certain it was going to end up in the front bunker guarding the green. Not where I wanted to be, but at worst I'd make bogey. As I approached the green, my playing partner informed me that he saw my ball splash into the creek that runs in front of the bunker. Now, the bunker was about 130 yards from my original position, and to carry the water would of been about 120 yards. I know I said that I hit my shot slightly heavy, but I would of bet my life savings it went further than 120 yards. From there, I was forced to take a drop and went on to make a double-bogey (6).

I did manage to give myself two more good looks for birdie from about 6 feet but I was unable to convert. After making double on #12, I pared in for a round of -2 under (70) missing a playoff by 2 shots. I have to admit, standing on #12 tee box and -4 under par for the round, I definitely couldn't help but think about what it would be like to play in a PGA Tour event. It was tough trying to control my thoughts and remain focused on finishing strong. For me, qualifying for the Zurich Classic would of been an unbelievable achievement after struggling to break 80 not 3 weeks ago. But, I'm proud of myself for the way I played and just going to have to use this as a confidence booster going forward. I know that one day I'm going to break through and make it on the tour, and the only way to do that is to keep giving myself chances like I did Monday.

Zurich Classic - PreQualfier (La Tour GC)

Today's Score: 72

I'm happy to report that today was definitely a step in the right direction coming from where I was in my game a few weeks ago. I hit the ball well throughout the entire round. If anything, I'd say that consistency has been the biggest improvement after taking those couple of lessons. In windy conditions like we had today, it makes ball control even more important than usual. Aside from two wayward shots, I was able to control my ball the whole day, and consequently, I made fewer mistakes.

Putting has gone from rock bottom to decent. From a professional standard, my putting was as bad as its ever been. However, I'd like to think that I've finally turned the corner. I'm starting to get the feel back on the greens and reading a few more putts correctly. After a decent putting round today, I was able to produce a decent score. If I can get a few more putts to fall, I think I can start shooting some low scores.

So, another successful trip through the first round of qualifying. The next qualifier will be on Monday where they expect to have around 45 guys for 4 spots. As my dad would say, we only need one. I'm looking forward to practicing hard this weekend and playing ever better on Monday.

Update

I want to give everyone an update on what's been going on so here's the latest. I think I've probably practiced harder these last 8 days then I have in any other span the same length in the past. It's amazing what missing 8 cuts in a row can do to light a fire under your you know what. But, I will say at the same time it's been fun practicing hard and trying to get better every day.

Part of my practice has included two lessons from a guy that teaches out at English Turn. His name is Brian Manzella and is most known for his work with David Toms over the years. My whole life I've probably had less than 5 lessons mostly because I was fortunate to have someone like my dad to help me whenever I needed. However, ever since I left for college back in 2001, I've more or less been on my own. And that was completely by choice. I guess you could say I sort of prided myself on being able to figure it out and fix whatever problems I had on my own. But, working with Brian has made me realize how important it is to have help especially when the way your doing things isn't working. I guess that's why just about every tour player has a teacher that they work with on a regular basis.

So, I feel like the work we've done in two sessions has made a big improvement and (not to get to ahead of myself) but I feel like I've got a little bit of my confidence back again. We'll see what happens going forward, but I'm excited as of right now about the future. Tomorrow I'm playing another round at La Tour Golf Club which is where the qualifier for the Zurich Classic is being held next Friday. I'm going to try and play at least a couple more times before then, and otherwise continue to practice my butt off. That's it for now. I'll have another update next week.