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
Get an inside the ropes look at my life on the mini-tours as I chase my dream of playing professional golf. With the support of family & friends, I'll keep you up to date as I travel the country looking to make my way on to the PGA Tour. God bless and thanks for stopping by!
Monday, February 14, 2011
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
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