Major dose of reality

So today I received my official paperwork for the US Open Qualifier for next Wednesday. It's nice to feel official, however after looking at my pairings, I started to wonder about one of the names. Sure enough, I'm playing with Roger Tambellini, current Nationwide Tour player, ranked 557th in the world, 45th on the Nationwide Tour moneylist, former PGA Tour player, etc. That was like a shot in the arm. I immediately went downstairs and worked out, now I'm going to the backyard putting green for an hour or so. It didn't feel real until today, I'm not ashamed, I'm freaking nervous.

I also just signed up for another Golf Channel Amateur Tour event, this Sunday back at The Duke. It's a very nice golf course, and I should do a bit better than my last showing (no, we won't relive it shot by shot). I took Monday and Tuesday off of work in preperation for Wednesday's qualifier, so we're going to treat this upcoming week like a full immersion. We're pretending we have no job, and all we're doing is focusing on practicing and playing starting Friday afternoon.

My mom and stepfather are coming to stay the night at the house Friday as they are in town this week, so that should be a good time. We're going to cook some steaks on the grill and talk about how nervous I am before they head back home Saturday morning. I'll then go play Saturday afternoon, GCAT tournament Sunday, then practice rounds Monday and Tuesday, before the qualifier Wednesday. This should be an exciting week! Wish me luck!

Intro to Rob Brauer - Friendly Round

I met a guy named Rob Brauer at the Phoenix City Amateur a couple of weeks ago and we hooked up to play some golf this past weekend. He is pursuing this in nearly the identical way as I am, check out his website when you have a chance - www.robbrauer.com. We played at LoneTree down by my house as he has a tournament coming up there in the next few months and the golf course where he'll be making his professional debut this weekend was booked for a scramble. Good luck Rob!

We start off on 1 with a fairly decent tee shot, and a pretty thin and weak 4 iron short and right of the green. Thinned the pitch a bit to about a foot, ahem, yeah I meant to do that. #2 is playing right at 190 or so, hit a 5 iron that felt like it just mushed off the face but when we arrived at the green I was about 12 feet just below pin high, putt broke more than I could stomach so we left that one even as well. Third hole is a good dogleg left, as I told Rob, you almost can't hit it too far left. We both hit driver well to the center, I tried to get cute with a knockdown 8 instead of a 9 and left it short. Chipped about 6 feet left and failed to make it. Fourth hole is nearly driveable in the right conditions, at 370 yards on the card it doesn't seem that way, but with a little wind you can almost get there. I always hit driver here, as does everyone else, you just can't be in too bad of shape. My first bout with a lack of concentration and I leave the pitch short, dead, 15 feet below the green, I stab it up to about 25 feet and two putt for another bogey.

The fifth is a good par 5, don't remember the yardage, 550+ I do know, the wind has turned a bit and we hit driver pretty good here. Blocked the 3 wood pin high right, hit the chip a bit too far right (I guess to avoid the bunker. On a chip shot. Yes. That just happened). Straight downhill, hit the putt hard and missed and walked away with a disappointing 5. Sixth hole is about 340 yards, bunker about 290 yards out on the right, I always hit driver just short of it, and I did again. 3 inches short of it, in a divot. Now I've got about 50 yards in, 1/3 of the ball down in this divot, I announce that I don't think I can hit it hard enough to get out of the divot and still stop it on the green. I advanced the ball, and this is where it gets touchy, I say 8 feet. Rob swears up and down it was 6 feet (just read his blog, yeah he claims "I'll take 6 feet to my grave"). That dude needs glasses, clearly it was at least 8 feet. I mean come on, 6 feet? What am I a chop? Obviously I can do better than that, puh-leeze. So anyway, I'm 8 FEET CLOSER to the green, in the bunker, hit a shot that just fizzled out about 10 yards short, chip to 3 1/2 feet and make bogey. NOTE - Not a double like Rob claimed. So he can't add, and he says only 6 feet? I call shenanigans on this one.

7 is about 470 yards into the wind, hit a pathetic tee shot, right up the gut. Sill have I believe 200 yards or so in. Hit a cut 3 iron into the bunker and failed to get up and down. 8 is playing 190 yards, into the wind, which is starting to back off a bit. Hit a good 4 iron that landed 1 foot left of the cup and settled 6 feet behind the hole in the fringe, which we canned for a 2. Ninth is a par 5, perfect time to hit a heeled cutter into the left side of the fairway. Ah no matter, I always try for the same shot here anyway, 90 degree dogleg left par 5, I put it 20 yards short and right of the green, up and down for back to back birdies. This game is easy. Hit the tee shot a bit farther right than I wanted to on 10 back into the wind, but pretty damn solid. We get out there to see that I'm 170 yards out. WTF? 255 yards, literally 40+ yards behind Rob who's in the fairway bunker left. Well, at least I'm hitting fairways. Again, I can't line up properly on this hole and in another brush with the concentration vortex I fan 5 iron right of the green. The 40 footer breaks 10 feet left, I played for 6, missed the 6 footer coming back for bogey.

11 has a lake all the way down the right side, hit another heeled cutter into the center of the fairway, 95 yards away. Rob and I both just knocked down this flagstick, me 8 feet right, him 8 feet left. I believe that flag is still shaking it was so scared of how close we hit it. This putt broke a full 12 inches, just more than I dared to play. 12 is sort of an island green, more fringe than that of the 17th at Sawgrass, but 176 yards, more like 17 at PGA West, without the rocks. I hit a held off cut 7 iron about 10 feet left of the hole and left it short, you know, because we lag them from 10 feet. Right? 13 is playing dead downwind, tees are up, hit it great, probably 100 yards farther than the last time I played here (not because I'm huge, because the tees are up 50 yards and the wind is in the opposite direction). Hit GW from 110 yards to I believe the exact center of the green (pin back left), you know, to "protect par" as we were saying, and we did. 14th is an uphill par 3, playing 145 yards, wind howling into us, I get the measurement, settle on 7 iron, ready to pull the trigger, wind dies down. I switch back to 8, get back in, and fan it right of the green. All that waiting to hit that shot? Could I concentrate for more than 30 seconds? Please? Hit the chip like a putt (I only wish that was intentional) to about 3 feet and made it for par.

Blocked the tee shot on 15, another 470 yard par 4, lame duck 4 iron into the bunker and failed to convert that one and made bogey. Hit my 2 iron hybrid Mizuno thing I have off of 16 tee, real poor, yanked it left and picking up my tee in disgust yelled for it to get right. I looked up and I'm in the fairway. Weird bounce to say the least. Put a 6 yard cut on a GW from 110 yards (I'm just commentating here, don't ask me how), left the putt literally hanging on the lip for birdie from about 20 feet. Blocked the tee shot on 17 into the fairway bunker, 160 yards left. I hit a pretty clean 7 iron out of there and as it's in the air, I remember that we're playing into the wind. Seriously? Get your head out of your ass. So we're about 5 yards short, I try everything to make the chip, 6 feet by, miss the putt for par, another bogey. 18 is another 550+ yard par 5, cross wind from right to left. Toe'd my driver dead straight into the heart of the fairway, easily 260 yards of bonecrushing power (yes, that was sarcasm). 3 wood to 110 yards and GW to 30 feet, yep, that's right, 30 feet. Birdie putt broke probably 3 feet more than I could have imagined, but made it for a closing par. 39 - 38, 3 over each way for a 6 over par 77.

So all in all a really fun round, was great meeting Rob. I've been sick and miserable for the last couple of weeks, hopefully not miserable enough to make anyone have a bad time. I look forward to being able to concentrate for a period of time longer than a commercial about enlarged prostates (Note to the Golf Channel, not everybody who watches the Golf Channel is 80 years old and afflicted with every health problem known to man, mix it up a little). I believe Rob shot even par for the day, beating my no-concentrating chop ass by a full 6 shots. Guess who's getting strokes the next time out?

Phoenix City Amateur - Round 4

So yesterday I mentioned the shin injury, I was told it's the anterior tibialis muscle, but I just looked it up and that isn't it. Anyway, it's the muscle about 4-6 inches above the ankle bone, on the front / outside of my right shin. It has cramped up a bit in the past, but never too bad. It started up a bit late in round 3 and in round 4 it hit on about the 5th or 6th hole. By the time I got to the back side I was limping pretty bad. I actually had to step away on the 18th tee and tell myself that I only had to make 2 more swings. I drove home with the cruise control on as I couldn't depress the gas pedal on the car, couldn't put any weight on it at all. Man does this thing hurt. Ok, so round 4. A bit shorter drive to this golf course, and not hitting it all that well on the range. Pretty flat golf course, looks to be pretty short. Considering how yesterday went, surely I'm in for some good breaks? Here we go!

Stripe the tee shot on the opening par 5, nary a 4 iron in. Blocked it just short of pin high right, pitch to about 4 feet and made the putt for birdie. That's a birdie on #1 three out of the 4 days in this tournament. If only they only counted the first hole. Ah well. 2 is about a 200 yard par 3, hit a pathetic 4 iron short and right into the bunker, blasted out to a foot and saved par. Hit a nearly perfect cut driver on 3 into the heart of the fairway. Looking at the hole, it's cut on the right side, big swale and dropoff right of that. Obviously miss it left if anything, or hit a cut that starts at the stick if you are me. The pitch was 6 inches from perfect, par putt failed to drop. Back to even. 165 yard par 3 fourth, hit an identically pathetic 7 iron into the front bunker. Ball way above my feet and I could only manage to sneak it on the green about 20 feet short, missed the par putt and made my 2nd bogey in a row. Five is a 331 yard par 4, trees overhanging right, I opt for a cut 3 wood and thinned it, but perfectly shaped dead into the fairway. About 70 yards left but went a little deep. Left the 15 footer about 4 feet short (wow) but made the par putt. 6 is a dogleg right par 4 with water through the fairway left, hit a perfect 3 wood into the corner and a solid 9 iron about 15 feet left of the stick. Misread the putt for birdie, thought it broke left but went dead straight. I really can't remember number 7, it's a par 4 of some sort and I made par, but I can't remember the details. Eight is a 425 yard par 4 and I hit a decent tee shot but a bit right into the rough. Thought I kind of smothered a 9 iron out but it landed pin high about 20 feet left. Didn't exactly come close on the birdie putt, but it was an easy tap in for par. Number 9 is a short par 5 and we need one back. Hit a pulled tee shot but only left with 206 yards into the breeze. There's a bunker all the way across the front, so it's about a 200 yard carry, and I hit another pathetic shot, this time the thinned 3 iron, pin high right onto a dirt path. I tried to bounce it into the slope between the bunker and the green, but was a little agressive, flew the slope and over the green. Chip to 6 feet and couldn't convert. Out in 38, really not too sharp.

Re-compose myself on 10, another par 5. Hit a pretty good tee shot, again in the right rough. About 225 yards out and hit a nearly perfect chaser 3 iron into the heart of the green, about 15 feet away for eagle. The putt nearly went in but we settled for a tap in birdie to get back to 1 over. 11 is about a 165 yard par 3, hit a solid 7 iron about 10 feet right of the stick, pin high. A real good uphill right to left putt to get back to even, except as it turns out, it wasn't uphill and I ran it about 6 feet by. The par putt burns on the high side and we 3 putt for bogey to get back to 2 over. A little red ass on 12, another par 5, hit a low hook right into the corner, leaving me about 265 to the greenside bunker. Just on the edge of safe, we waited for the green to clear and I hit a perfect 3 wood, I mean perfect, that landed 10 yards short and stuck. Damn. Straightforward pitch shot, oops, I mean a nuked pitch shot over the green. A lame "I'm still dwelling on the pitch shot" chip to about 12 feet and we miss the par putt, another bogey. Great.

13 is a short par 4, hitting 3 wood great so I'll just..., nope, toe hooked it into the rough. No matter, 110 yards out, perfect GW. I don't know what happened here, caught it solid, felt great, just crept onto the front, pin all the way back, about 45 feet for birdie. Left the first putt 6 feet short, didn't even scare the hole for par, another bogey. 14 is a dogleg left par 4 around a lake, blocked 3 wood through the corner (hey, exactly where I wanted to miss it, look at that, a perfectly executed shot!), then fatted 8 iron short of the green. Half hearted chip to 10 feet, missed the putt, that's 4 bogey's in a row. 15 is a straightaway par 4, killed 3 wood leaving me right at 100 yards. Hit a perfect SW that landed about 5 paces behind the hole and zipped back to 5 feet. Now wouldn't you know that I missed the damn putt? Of course, great par though, break that bogey train! 16 is about 430 yards or so, dogleg left around a bunker, hit the tee shot low and left, right into it. I'm 155 yards out, on an upslope, so I pull 7 iron. Hit it perfect, I mean perfect, just left of the stick, lands in the fringe and bounces straight left. Hit what I thought was a great chip but it just skated by to about 6 feet. Missed that putt too, for yet another bogey.

Well we're officially pissed. We can't walk or put any weight on our right foot. We've made 8 freaking bogey's on the day and we're up to the 215 yard par 3 17th playing dead into the wind. I hit a pretty solid 3 iron and "bored a hole through the fuckin' wind" (Dead Solid Perfect reference for those not enlightened), settled at the back of the green about 30 feet away, pretty good shot considering the elements. Hit a great putt that stopped 2 inches short dead in the jaws. As I mentioned earlier, I had to actually step away on the te at 18 to talk myself into swinging and walking on my foot for one more hole. Hit a good driver but blocked again, just past the fairway bunker. Still into the wind and I pull an 8 iron from 140 and smoothed it up there to 6 feet, just a great shot. Unfortunately this putt lips out on the high side and we're 3 inches away from going birdie birdie to close out the round.

So there, in all of it's glory is the closing 78 we stank the place up with. Played number 9 just terribly and the 3 putt on 11 just killed my will to play decently. Obviously happy with how we finished the last 2 holes, but man is my shin muscle killing me! Just getting over this monster head / chest cold as well, it's been a rough couple of days. Finished 21st out of 39 entered in this flight, a mere 24 shots from victory. Looking back, this is literally the first 4 round tournament of my life and we made it through. We obviously could have played better, but in all, the front 9 last Sunday and the back 9 this Sunday is what kept this from being respectable. It's all a learning experience and we'll look to improve in the next couple of weeks in the next Golf Channel event. I'll be playing a casual round this Sunday so we'll try to put some things together to build upon. Thanks for keeping up with me and wish me luck!

Phoenix City Amateur - Round 3

Sorry for the delay in posting, this weekend was a whirlwind and immediately after Sunday's round I was down with a shin injury and a bout with the worst head / chest cold I've ever had the misfortune of dealing with. I'll post Saturday's round now then Sunday's round tomorrow. Here we go!

Drove about an hour to get to Cave Creek GC from my house, wind was up and I was hitting it pretty solid on the range. 3 wood off #1, left me about 90 yards in, just nuked my SW, about 25 feet above the hole but cozied it down there for an opening par. I hit a lame thin driver off of the par 5 second, so a 5 iron layup out of the rough, again about 90 yards. This time it came out real soft out of the wet fairway, barely cleared the bunker. Chip to about 5 feet but buried it for par. # is a 200 yard par 3, hit a good 4 iron to about 12 feet below the hole, just missed it for birdie. 3 Wood on 4, blocked it a bit but in a good spot. I fatted the 8 iron out of the cabbage short of the green, but nestled the chip shot to about an inch for another par. Fifth is a weird dogleg right, and all 3 of us blew our tee shots way right into the rough, no trouble except for a big palm tree, but easy enough to cut around it. Instead I hit a dead pull into the bunker. No spin out of there, to about 15 feet and somehow, some way the putt stayed out, I thought for sure that was in.

Hit another kind of lame driver off of the par 5 sixth, hit a monster 3 wood however to about 30 yards short, pitched it to about 3 feet and made it for birdie to get back to even. 7 is playing about 185 yards and I kind of smothered a 5 iron to the back left corner, about 30 feet away from the front right pin. First putt was low all the way, leaving me about 4 feet for par, but no worries here and we hearted it for another par. 8 is another weird hole, straight ahead, but the fairway runs out at about 270 down into a severe valley. Hit kind of a line drive driver up the left side, left me about 170 yards in. I hit what I thought was a short 6 iron but got up there to see it was just past pin high, about 10 feet. This pin was in a nasty spot, literally on the other side of a ridge and I'm not kidding when I say the putt nearly stopped 5 feet short, but kept rolling and rolling and rolling, finally settling on the absolute lip of the cup. Oh how in the world did that not go in? Great tee shot on 9, about 425 yards, a bit downwind now. Left myself right at 100 yards, right next to a goose. Luckily it didn't bite me and I hit SW pin high about 8 feet left. How this putt also didn't go in was a mystery, but another tap in par for even on the front.

10 is almost identical to #1, 3 wood off the tee, about a 70 yard pitch to 6 feet. Misread it and thought it broke left, dead straight, another tap in par. 11 is a par 5 with water about 260 yards out on the right. I aimed at the 2 geese in the fairway and promptly hit the worst 3 wood on the planet. I bet I hit this nearly 180 yards, oh well, it's safe. Hit a perfect 5 iron to layup, leaves me 100 yards on the number. Hit SW maybe 3 feet left of the hole, but I didn't realize how severe the slope was there and it spun back to the front of the green. About 25 feet up the hill and rolled it over the right edge of the hole, another tap in par. For those counting, my par putts on 8, 9, 10 and 11 added up didn't equal 6 inches. Dogleg right 12th, hit a perfect 3 wood to the corner, perfect that is until I see the tree over hanging the corner, hiding the stick. No matter, a nice high cut 9 iron is the perfect shot. Nope. How about a dead straight pansied 9 iron to 45 feet? Ok, we'll take that instead. Cozied the first putt up to about 8 feet (I only wish I was kidding) but drained it for par. 13 is 163 yard par 3, hit a solid 7 iron and was yelling at it in mid air to go in. Literally hits dead pin high 4 inches left of the cup. Big hop and I'm about 11 feet down the hill for birdie. Somehow I managed to leave it 3 inches short, dead in the heart.

14 is another hole with water about 260 out, this time both right and left. I hit a solid 3 wood into the right center of the fairway, 155 yards, pulled 8 iron a bit but it cleared the bunker, about 12 feet up the hill. Missed it low, kind of a weak effort really. 15 is about the same length but the wind has kicked up now. Another 3 wood to the middle of the fairway, 150 yards, back left hole. I decide on a held into the wind 7 iron, hit it very solid, but it upshot into the wind, left me about 25 feet, up and over a hill, right to left about 2 1/2 feet. I missed it by one inch on the high side.

16 is going the other way now, dead downwind, short par 5. Hit a pretty good tee shot but blocked it right through the fairway. No matter, only 200 yards in, sitting up in some rough. I have to go over a hill and some trees and a pond about 30 yards short of the green. Blind shot, but a perfect 5 iron, and I've been hitting my 5 iron great. I'm thinking about how short my eagle putt is going to be when I thin it into the trees and catch the pond. If memory serves, a phrase that starts with the letter "F" and ends with "uck me you stupid mother fucker" came out of my mouth after that one. I took every bit of punishment I could on that, after my drop, pitch short, chip on, 2 putts later we turned a sure 4 into 7. 17 is a 210 yard par 3, uphill, pin all the way left, hit 4 iron to the heart of the green. First putt caught the wind on top of the hill, nearly went in but skated 6 feet by, but we made it for par. 18 is dead downwind, I hit a rope hook 3 wood that rode the wind to about 70 yards (that was a big 3 wood). Pitch to about 20 feet and nearly made that one as well, but another tap in par.

So Saturday was a day of near misses. We turned a pretty straightforward 68 into a 74 with that double. It's almost like I talked myself into putting it into the lake on 16, just pathetic. On to Sunday.

Phoenix City Amateur - Round 3 coming up

They just posted the 36 hole results from the Phoenix City Amateur and I'm actually only 6 shots back, leader is at 143, I'm at 149. Wow, that's pretty encouraging considering how badly I played in round 2. I have a putting and checkup lesson with Jeff tomorrow and then I'm off at 7:54 at Cave Creek on Saturday. I was pretty disappointed at where I thought I would be, but I'm a full 4 shots ahead of where I expected to be in the best case scenario.

I put a new grip on my putter last night (Scotty Cameron Baby T) as it was the grip on a putter a friend of mine lent to me to try this week, and I fell in love with it. I'm sad to let the Oklahoma Sooners grip go, but it's all in the name of progress. Wish me luck and I'll post results of round 3 on Saturday!