March Madness

Before the real "March Madness" begins on the hardwood later this month, the All-American Tour's version tees off this coming Monday. The top 64 money winners from this year's money list will square off in a single elimination match play event at Trilogy at Vistancia Golf Club in Peoria, AZ. This Tour Championship event has a lot riding on it, as the champion who outlasts everyone over the four days will earn an exemption into a Nationwide Tour event in June of this year, in addition to the winner's check from the $33,000 purse.

My first match finds me squaring off against Niklas Lemke at 12:42 pm on Monday afternoon. I've always enjoyed the match play format, as momentum changes continually keep you on your toes throughout the entire match. Strategy definitely plays a role in this format, and I believe it benefits the type of game I like to play. The link below will allow you to follow all the action in the match play bracket.

http://www.all-americantour.com/leagues/custom_page.cfm?leagueID=0&clientID=4367&pageID=5702

Gateway Tour event #6 Recap:

After a better start to this week's event at Palm Valley, I was confident in my ability to improve my position on the leaderboard in the second round. A string of 7 pars to begin the day, I had to keep telling myself to be patient and putts would start to fall. Numerous birdie chances in the early part of the round continually burned the edge or stayed just a roll short of falling in. Finally, on the par-3 17th hole (my 8th) I hit a great 5-iron into the wind to ten feet. The read and stroke were right on line and the ball fell in for a two. Making the turn at -1, I figured I needed to shoot -2 on the front to make the cut.

A great wedge shot on #1 to within two feet started the front nine off exactly how I wanted with another birdie. After a huge drive at the par-5 second, I found myself just 195 yards away from the green. Unfortunately, a poor iron shot and a poor chip later I walked away with a disappointing par. A bogey at the par-3 third was quickly followed up by two good holes to get me back in it. A lob wedge from 116 yards came to rest just a foot away for a kick in birdie at #4. With just a 7-iron in my hands at the par-5 5th hole, I made my best swing of the day to set up a 10 foot eagle putt. Even with a good stroke, a slight misread led to a birdie and a score of -3 on the day. Two decent shots into the wind on #6 left a 35-footer down the hill. A misjudged first putt left a six foot comeback. Things would get out of control quickly after two misses within 4 feet, and I walked away with a double-bogey 6. With only 3 holes left, I knew I'd need to make some things happen. Near misses at 7 & 8, followed by a good par save at 9 completed another round of 71. The week would end there as my score was 2 shots shy of making the cut. Progress was made in some different areas throughout the week however, so I'll take away the imrpovement in those areas to get ready for the coming week.

The last couple days have been very busy and productive with practice. Some work with my swing coach both on my ball striking and putting has me feeling some confidence again. I'm excited for the opportunity next week, as well as seeing some progress in my game despite the results. Each day I'm getting more and more comfortable and it's only a matter of time before things break out.

That's all for now from "the tips", but until next time remember...."doing the same things over and over and expecting different results is insanity."

Bryce

Battle at Palm Valley

Another week is upon us as the 6th Gateway Pro Tour event is underway at Palm Valley Golf Club in Goodyear, AZ. A better start this morning in the first round came out to a 71 (-1), putting me in a tie for 46th. The course was there for the taking as the conditions were ideal all day. I drove the ball very well today, but just wasn't able to capitalize on the opportunities available to take it deep into red numbers. My focus after the round today during my practice was on my wedge game, and putting to improve my "scoring" clubs. Tomorrow I'll look to keep it in play off the tee again to continually give myself a lot of chances for birdies. The more looks I can get at birdie, the better chance I'll have at moving myself up the leader board. My second round starting time tomorrow is 12 pm & you can follow the scores on the link below. http://gatewaytour.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/gway11/event/gway117/contest/1/leaderboard.htm Time to climb the board!! Gateway Tour event #5 Recap: Last week's event was a disappointing start to the tournament. An early mistake put me behind the 8-ball in a hurry in the first round. With perfect weather and a golf course there for the taking, I had a lot of ground to make up after only a couple of holes. Any momentum I got going with a birdie, would only be short-lived as a bogey would soon follow on day 1. A first round 75 would make playing all three days a very tall order. Knowing I had to shot something in the low 60's to play the final round, I came out aggressive in the second round. Near misses for birdie on the first two holes, were followed by back-to-back birdies at 12 & 13. Things cooled off however, but a birdie at #18 allowed me to make the turn at -1 for the day. Another birdie on #1 as I made the turn kept things going. Unfortunately, another disaster hole caused a setback with a double on #4. My roller-coaster round would continue as I rattled off three consecutive birdies, only to follow it up with another bogey. A closing par sealed my score of 69, providing a little confidence heading into the following week. My game is close to turning the corner towards the right direction. A few errant shots here and there are holding me back from the consistency that I've been striving for. I've been making enough birdies to get myself into contention, but eliminating the big numbers and costly mistakes are necessary to compete week in a and week out. I am confident that the golf I know I can play is near, and can come alive on any given day. All I can do is put all my heart and effort into it and be patient for the results to follow! That's all for now from "the tips", but until next time remember...."Resolve never to quit, never to give up, no matter what the situation." -Jack Nicklaus Bryce

Trilogy @ Power Ranch!

Heading into the second week of a very busy competitive golf stretch, I'm looking forward to another week's challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. A busy tournament schedule coming up will help me to continue learning and playing more consistent golf. I'll be looking to get off to a better start today, as I've struggled in first rounds this year. A solid start to this event will be the main focus, as we try to be in contention as the tournament comes to a close in a couple days. This week's competition pins us at Trilogy at Power Ranch Golf Club in Gilbert, AZ. The first round gets underway today, and you can follow the scores at: http://gatewaytour.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/gway11/event/gway116/contest/1/leaderboard.htm. Gateway Tour event #4 Recap: A windy three days at Anthem G&CC had me feeling like I was back home playing high school golf in Minnesota all over again. The first round had me scrambling once again as I struggled with consistent ball striking. A tough stretch in the middle of my round had me finishing with a 75. The conditions were tough for everyone, as I was only 1-2 shots off the cut line. Two early birdies in the second round had things going in the right direction. Unfortunately, I gave them back with a double bogey a few holes later to make the turn to the second nine at even par for the day. Some more errant shots to start the final nine were countered by some great putting and chipping to escape with a pars on the next three holes. My short game could only save me for so long, as my ball striking got me in trouble again on the next two holes. After a water ball and a triple bogey on #4 and a bogey on #5, I was quickly +7 for the tournament with only four holes to go. Knowing I needed to make a big run to make the cut, I figured I needed to close with 4 straight birdies to have a chance at playing the final round. Two good shots on the par-5 sixth put me green side. A great chip to within a foot got things started. A long drive next to the green on the par-4 seventh hole, followed by a nice flop shot to a couple inches made it back to back birdies. Gaining confidence with each shot, I made a nice swing with a 7-iron on the par-3 eighth that finished 10 feet below the hole. The birdie putt never left the intended line as it disappeared into the cup for a 2. As I stood on the tee box of the difficult par-4 last hole, I knew I had to be aggressive. A big tee shot to a narrow fairway left me only 92 yards to a front pin. A solid wedge shot to 15 feet gave me the chance I needed to make a run at playing the final round. I got a good read off of my playing partner, so I was confident about my chosen line. Clearing my thoughts and focusing only on the putt, I put a great stroke on the ball as it tracked the hole the entire way and ran right into the middle of the hole! I had done all I could, now I just had to wait for the scores to come in to see if it were good enough. Luckily it was, and it was time to refocus for the next day to try and move up the leader board. Extremely WINDY conditions in the final round, exposed my inconsistent ball striking again. A rough start had my trying to fight back the rest of the day. Birdies at holes 6 & 7 got things going in the right direction. Unfortunately, it wouldn't last long as a rough stretch on the back nine had me finishing with 78. This dropped me back a few places, finishing in a tie for 35th. Looking back on the week gave me some confidence though, knowing I have the ability to make a lot of birdies. Now, I just need to minimize my mistakes and bring down the margin of error for more all around consistency. If I can accomplish this, I truly believe I can compete week in and week out for my first professional win! I've been working very hard on my consistency the past few days, looking to decrease my margin of error. Finding a better consistency will allow me to get into, and stay in contention more often. The key for me is finding a way to come away with a solid score on the days where I don't have my best. This week I'll continue to take the "street fighter" attitude that came alive at the end of the second round last week to make the cut. That's all for now from "the tips", but until next time...."it's not how good your good shots are, it's how good your bad shots are!" Bryce

Back to work!

After a week break from competitive golf, it's back to work this week as the Gateway Tour event #4 tees off Tuesday at Anthem G&CC - Ironwood Course. Last week's Monday qualifier didn't go as well as hoped, but it was a great experience overall and a very enjoyable day. On a tough day with cool temperatures, gusty winds, and a little bit of rain thrown in the mix, scores were a little higher than usual. I hung around at even par for most of the day through 13 holes. Knowing I had to go low the last five holes to jump up into one of the three spots available, I started getting a little more aggressive trying to make some birdies. Consequently, I made some bogeys on the way in and posted 76. Six guys posted a 67 and would playoff for the 3 spots the following morning due to darkness. The past week has been a great opportunity to sharpen all facets of my game and prepare for the following weeks. A busy schedule ahead has me excited to compete again and test my game against some of the top players. Also mixed in between my practice schedule, was the chance to watch the best players in the world compete at the Waste Management Phoenix Open just a couple miles down the road. Taking away a few mental notes from watching them will hopefully help me in the coming weeks, and get into contention to win. I feel as though my game is headed in the right direction which is exciting. This week I'll look to be consistent and tenacious as I think my way around the golf course. In talking with Tom Lehman some this past week, he stressed the importance of "fighting for each and every shot during a round." You just never know when that one shot will have a big impact on the result of the week whether it was to make/miss the cut, or to win/lose a tournament. You can follow the progress of this week's tournament at: http://gatewaytour.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/gway11/event/gway115/contest/1/leaderboard.htm That's all for now from "the tips," but until next time remember....every shot counts! Bryce