Progress at Gateway Finale

My final Gateway Pro Tour event of the spring season saw the hours of hard work and dedication start to pay off. Solid rounds of 71-71-70 propelled me to a 12th place finish at Vista Verde GC. A patient three days of golf saw a pretty steady scorecard throughout each round. With only 5 bogeys and 1 double bogey over 54 holes, I was able to limit my mistakes and put less pressure on making lots of birdies. Each day saw winds blow from 15-25 mph making it difficult to attack some challenging pin positions, especially on day 3. I had plenty of opportunities to get myself into contention, but my wedge game just didn't set up enough close birdie chances. With blustery winds, tight pin locations, and quick firm greens, it was tough to be aggressive to hit it close. Overall, I was very pleased the way I managed my game, and eliminated the number of mistakes. My approach to the week was a more confident and purposeful attitude, allowing me to feel more comfortable with my game and knowing I have the ability to perform at a high level. Sharpening up my wedges, along with tightening up a few other parts of my game will be the focus over the next week to get ready for my next event.

The Minnesota Golf Champions event is scheduled to be held May 6th-8th at Minneapolis Golf Club in Minneapolis, MN. The invitation-only field consists of the top amateur and professional golfers from the state, participating in a three day stroke play event, with a cut after the second round on Saturday. I'm looking forward to finally playing in the tournament, after having to decline invitations in years past due to collegiate tournaments. The Minneapolis Golf Club (MGC) is one of the premiere venues in the state, especially after a bunker renovation in the recent years to update the layout. A site to past PGA Championships and many other USGA majors, MGC will certainly provide a great test regardless of the always unpredictable Minnesota weather. You can follow my progress in this tournament through the Minnesota Golf Champions leaderboard page.

Less than 24 hours after the Minnesota Golf Champions event concludes, I'll once again tee it up the following morning. I will be participating and looking to advance through the U.S. Open local qualifier, which is being held at Bunker Hills GC in Coon Rapids, MN. With numerous practice rounds and tournament experience at Bunker Hills, I'm excited to have the chance to qualify for the Sectionals of the U.S. Open after missing out by 1 stroke last year.

With some great opportunities to test my abilities in the coming weeks, I will be making sure all aspects of my game are ready to go come next Friday. Diligent and purposeful hours of practice will be had each day back here in Alexandria, MN in order to be prepared for four straight days of competitive golf. I'm looking forward to getting back into the tournament grind and working my way into contention!

That's all for now from "the tips", but until next time remember...."the more you practice, the luckier you get!"
-Gary Player

Bryce

Going out with a bang!!

Vista Verde is set to host the next upcoming Gateway Pro Tour event. Tournament #12 gets going on Wednesday and runs through Friday after a 36-hole cut. I'm looking forward to this event as Vista Verde is the course that I've practiced and played at the most during my time in Arizona. Birdies will be a little tougher to come by on this layout than the past couple of events, especially when the winds pick up. The undulating, tricky, and typically quick greens tend to be the course's defense against most players. Hopefully I can get off to a solid start and get myself into contention this week! You can follow the results and progress at the Gateway Pro Tour website. Game on!

Tournament #11 Recap-

With perfect scoring conditions during round #1, players definitely took advantage as scores were extremely low. My round was off to a solid start after a few opening pars. Things got going in the right direction with back-to-back birdies at 4 & 5. A couple more good looks at birdie on the front nine just wouldn't fall, and I headed to the back nine at -2. After a disappointing bogey on 10 with a sand wedge from the fairway, I rebounded back with a birdie on 13 to get back to -2. The rest of the round would provide a couple more opportunities for birdie, but I wasn't able to convert. A first round 69 was a much better start to a tournament, but I would still need to make up some ground the next day to make the cut.

The second round saw some tougher conditions as the wind started to blow 15-25 mph. I was looking to get off to a quick start to gain some ground, and was able to do just that. Rolling in an 18 footer for birdie on my first hole was just what I needed. Nearly making another birdie on the next had me feeling confident early on. Unfortunately, that fast start would be quickly given right back over the next 3 holes. A water ball on the island green par-three led to a double bogey, followed by back-to-back bogeys on the next two holes left a major hill to climb in order to play the final round. After making the turn to the front side things started to head in the right direction with a tap in birdie, only to give it right back a the next with a 3-putt bogey. A miscue with a wedge on the next caused yet another bogey and the hole kept getting bigger to dig out of. The rally come much too late as I made some great swings on the last few holes. A disappointing score of 74 however, wouldn't be enough.
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As I refocus and get ready for my last Gateway event of the spring, I want to approach this tournament with a confident attitude and be patient for results. The progress these past few months has been promising. It's been tough to be patient and wait for the hard work and dedication to pay off, but I feel as though it could come to a head at any time.

That's all for now from "the tips", but until next time remember...."Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill."
-Charles Swindoll

Bryce

Recharged and Ready to Go!

As a new tournament comes on the horizon this week, I'm once again excited to get back into the thrill of tournament golf. After a break in my schedule to practice and prepare, the Gateway Tour heads to Lone Tree Golf Club on Wednesday for the first round of tournament #11. Having had multiple rounds on this course in the past year, it will be great to be comfortable and familiar with with the venue.

The past few weeks have been diligently spent working on my ball striking and putting. After working with my swing coach and making a minor adjustment, things are progressing as I continue to try and groove my take away. A great putting lesson from Mike Christensen, Kevin Streelman's caddy & fellow Minnesotan, instilled some great ideas to focus on in my putting. Slight changes in my grip, stance, and pre-shot routine have me feeling more solid over the ball and allowing me to make a more consistent stroke. In order for things to really take off with the "flat stick" I just need to continue to build confidence each day, and then hopefully putts will start falling from all over.

Last Friday I had the privilege to play TPC Scottsdale for the first time, and had a great time with some friends and fellow mini-tour pros. The picture above is from my hole out from the fairway on #14 on the Stadium Course. My 2 on a the par-4 came from 176 yards with an 8-iron. Hopefully this marks a turning point, and results will follow the rest of 2011!

Feel free to follow my progress in this week's event through the following link:

http://www.gatewayprotour.com/

That's all for now from "the tips", but until next time remember...."Talent doesn't take you to an elite level. Focus, an absolute driven mentality, along with talent, take you to an elite level."

-Dave Hakstol

God Bless,

Bryce