Digging Deep..

Heading into the ninth event on the Gateway Tour at Papago Golf Course in Phoenix, I was gaining confidence with each passing day. I was beginning to feel more and more comfortable with my game, and ready for things to turn the corner and head in the right direction. If I could only turn that feeling into results, things could get exciting. The first round at Papago got off to a better start. A couple early birdies got me settled in and made the turn at even par. My ball striking was struggling to find a groove in the first round, and became exposed on the front nine as I scrambled to remain around par. Chipping and putting bailed me out quite a bit, but the continued pressure to get up and down around the greens surfaced and I finished with a couple late bogeys for 74. As hard as it was to struggle with irons in the first round, it was exciting to see a few putts fall. Chipping has always been a strength of my game, and it showed getting up and down 6 out of 8 times. When the final scores were posted, it looked as though I would need to get into red figures (under par) to make the cut and play the final round. Getting off to another good start in the second round was just what I wanted. Birdies at #1 & #3 quickly got me back to even par for the tournament. After a bogey from an errant tee shot, I recovered nicely with some good pars on some tough closing holes on the front nine. At +1 for the tournament, a -2 back nine would probably be necessary to play the next day. A great drive on #10, and a 7-iron to 25 feet set up an eagle putt opportunity. The putt held its line nicely the whole way, and tumbled in the front edge for an eagle three. Over the next 5 holes, I struggled to make some 8-15 foot birdie chances and ended up playing them +1. Finding myself at even par for the tournament, the last 3 holes would make or break the chances at playing another day. A lip out from 25 feet on #16 came ever so close to falling in. A solid par on the 245 yard 17th left me with just one more hole to make a birdie. What I thought was a perfect drive kept rolling and rolling through the fairway and into the desert up against a bush. My only option was to hit one left handed out to the fairway. The ensuing wedge shot just rolled by the edge of the cup and rolled to 15 feet. After a good stroke, the ball just didn't break the way I thought it would causing me to close with a bogey and a score of 71. My +1 score for the tournament would find me two shots off the cut line. Encouraged by my ball striking in the second round, and putting in the first round, I just need to find that combination that gets both working together in the same rounds. It's back to work with a week off next week, before we tee it up again in April. I'm looking forward to seeing my game continue to improve over these next 10 days, and get myself into contention where I know I belong each week. Even with a disappointing start to the new year, I'm still at a point where I believe that any round could spark a movement where things begin to click like I know they can. Putting in the time and work ethic will pay off as I continue to stay patient and dig deep to get better each day. That's all for now from "the tips", but until next time remember...."Placing the ball in the right position for the next shot is eighty percent of winning golf." -Ben Hogan Bryce

Time to Recharge..

After a week mixed with both disappointment and progress, I made the decision to not play in this week's Gateway Tour event. I want my game to be at the point where I'm confident I can contend each week, and not wonder if I need to battle to make the cut. The next week, in preparation for the Papago Gateway event, will be dedicated to having a well-rounded golf game going into the first round. A strict daily practice plan has been put into place, allowing for the best chance of productivity and progress. Getting each aspect of your golf game firing on all cylinders is the million dollar topic that every golfer searches for. I believe I have a plan to execute doing so, and am excited to see the hard work and preparation pay off in the form of consistent and successful results. Gateway Tour event #7 Recap: Last week's tournament at Wigwam was full of opportunities to go low, but the execution just wasn't there. Scores of 70-70 placed me three shots behind the needed score to make the cut at -7. Birdies were abundant by the field as the course was there for the taking in ideal weather conditions, and a forgiving golf course layout. The positive take-away from the week was my ball striking making strides in the right direction, and is on the path towards improvement each day. It's time now to put all the pieces of my game together during each tournament round, and get myself back into contention where I feel I belong each week. Finding some confidence again in my putter and around the greens will take a lot of pressure off my ball-striking, allowing myself to free up and play my game. Things are close, but I need to continually dig deeper and working smarter to take my abilities to the next level. That's all for now from "the tips", but until next time remember...."play one shot at a time." I know it is a cliche, but it's called a cliche because it is true. -Kirk Triplett Bryce

Back at it!

A week of practice and preparation for the upcoming Gateway event at Wigwam-Red has me feeling confident and excited for another tournament! Event #9 starts tomorrow and runs through Thursday after a two round cut. Not only will the following three events have their typical purses, but a Nationwide Tour event exemption on the line as well. A cumulative points race over the next three Gateway Tour events will determine the winner of the BMW Charity Pro/Am exemption later this summer. The past few days have been spent working on the things I believe will be the keys to getting into contention this week. The wedge game, as well as putting, will be put on display at this week's event on the relatively simple layout that Wigwam-Red offers. Capitalizing on the opportunities provided will set the leaders apart from the rest of the field. A pretty forgiving driving course, and with only a moderate length, will allow for an abundance of low scores I believe. I will look to stay in the present this week, and focus on one shot at a time. Breaking my round down into small pieces will simplify things, and ultimately allow me to free up and execute golf shots. I'll let my game plan and patience take over this week, letting the big picture elements fall into place. You can follow this week's scores at: http://gatewaytour.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/gway11/event/gway118/contest/1/leaderboard.htm All-American Tour Championship Recap: A tough first-round draw in the 64-man match play bracket found me facing off against Swedish professional Niklas Lemke. A battle would only begin to describe this match as neither player led by more than 1 up until the 16th hole. The back and forth match found me behind early after a 3-putt bogey at the first. After a couple near birdie misses for wins at 2 & 3, I finally got a couple putts to drop. The first came after a great 50 yard lob over a bunker to 6 feet, and the second a 2-putt birdie on the par-5 fifth. Those back to back birdies propelled me to a 1-up lead. Niklas quickly countered with a birdie of his own at #6 to square the match. After we both made pars at 7 & 8, I squandered a chance to take the lead on #9 heading to the back nine. Two good shots to the par-5 led to a three putt and a halve, which felt like a loss as we headed to the final 9 holes. A great save from the green side bunker for me at ten, only to be followed by a 25-foot birdie conversion from Niklas to go 1-up. The match would become pretty uneventful after that however, as both players continued to make pars. Neither of us could get our birdie opportunities to fall and take control of the match. A disappointing non up and down from just short of the green at the par-5 14th kept me at 1-down with only 4 to play. On the drivable 15th, Niklas hit it over the green into a tough position for an up and down. I hit one of my best shots of the day to the par-4 as it settled just 25 feet from the cup for eagle. My putt would run out of speed though as it came to rest a couple inches short in the center of the hole. Niklas just wouldn't give any ground as he rolled in his 15 footer for the halve and to remain 1-up. My putter would let me down again, as another three putt led to a loss at #16 and 2-down deficit with only two to play. Both of us parred the 17th, and Niklas walked away the winner of the match and onto the next round. That's all for now from "the tips", but until next time remember...."the most important shot is the one you are about to hit!" Bryce