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