Season in Review:

I’m currently on a quick flight from Phoenix to San Diego to visit with my aunt and uncle therefore, I have no excuse, I must blog! As we were taxiing I found out that my childhood best friend Cole became a dad today. I can’t get over it. His baby girl is the prettiest little thing and I know she has the absolute best dad. I have such good memories of Cole and I growing up and I can only imagine what he will be like with his little girl, probably very similar to how my dad is with me. Cole and I have a weakness for Nikes so I bought her a pair of retro ones and I can’t wait to see them on her! Sorry for the side personal note but I’m ecstatic!!!

The past few weeks have supposedly been called “offseason” but it’s felt far from that. I’ve had a rollercoaster of emotions lately and it seems to be a perfect theme for the entire season.

I flew down to Venice, FL to qualify for the Final Stage of LPGA Qualifying School (a gruesome series of tournaments that get you on the LPGA Tour.) I took my Phoenix caddy Carl Laib “the Caddy Machine” down with me and knew without a doubt we were the best combination in the tournament. I played well my first and fourth round but the middle rounds were not so pretty. With my second and third round being ugly scores I knew my last round needed to be one or two under par. I was even par as we reached the 17th hole. We needed no worse than par. I ended up making a ridiculous 25 footer to save par and I was pumped! I’m not a fist pumper but in my head I did the biggest fist pump you’d ever seen. I had to hit the fairway on 18 because we needed to dunk it for a 2 or stick it close and make 3. I would have never gone for this pin because of poor choices in the past on this very hole but I didn’t have an option. I had to go right at it if I wanted to keep my journey of LPGA going this year. The green is covered with water in front and all right of it. The pin was tucked just behind a bunker and on the right edge of the green. From the fairway we had 160 yards to the pin with a slight breeze behind us. 7 iron it was. I stuck it pin high, just right of the flag about 7 feet away. I read the putt to break about a ball from right to left, Carl saw much less break. I told him there is no way I’m leaving this ball on the low side so I stuck to my read. ...lip out… First lip out in 72 holes. Any amount of adrenaline I had in me was gone in one second. I knew I had missed the cut of making it to the Final Stage for my third year in a row. How does that happen? I’m a much better player than I was a year ago. I had a veteran caddy who has won ungodly amounts of LPGA majors and tournaments. I never took one week off on the LPGA Futures Tour schedule this year. I have given too much time and dedication to this game and that’s what I earned…a missed cut? Season was over. I had nothing to work towards for the next few months.

My caddy and I were the saddest looking puppies you’d ever seen. We had lunch afterwards and he mentioned that I still had a chance at getting in to Final Stage as an alternate. The LPGA wanted a full field of 144 players at Final Stage this year and all I could do was wait it out for 3 weeks. From past experience of being an alternate, nothing positive has come from it so I put the thought of me making it into the field into the very back of my mind.

A few Fridays ago, I met Carl at 6am at a course I was playing for the Cactus Tour. We went around and made notes for the course instead of playing a practice round. When we got to the 18th hole, LPGA Headquarters called me. I started jumping up and down when they asked me if I would be interested in signing up for Final Stage because the field hadn’t filled. YOU BETCHA!!!

Carl and I were the happiest puppies you’d ever seen. Wow. Thank you dear baby Jesus. No sympathy needed here but this has been one of the hardest years in my personal life and I was tired of remaining positive about my game when the results were not showing my hard work. I took two full weeks off from the game after 2nd stage and had no desire to touch my clubs. I took up hiking by myself and have discovered a new hobby. I love it. I love the peace of it all. The sounds. The quietness. Golfers reflect a lot and I did a lot right after my Q School experience in Venice.



I drove down to Miami to visit my best friend Caitlan. Thankfully she took my mind off of golf but when she had to work and I laid on the beach for a few days, that’s all I could think of:

Will I ever arrive? Will I just always be an underachiever? Why am I playing this game and giving it all of me? For money? Fame? Life can get out of focus quickly for golfers but I have learned so much about myself and life this year. One thing I learned this year was that by living on the road, out of my Jeep, I could care less if I lose all of my belongings tomorrow, it’s not important. I used to think the worst thing in the world would be if my house burnt down and I lost everything. None of it’s important and a bad golf round isn’t important in the big scheme of things. I want to be able to pay it forward, help others like so many have done for me. I want my life to be more than just being known as a golfer. I love my God. I love hard. I appreciate. I care. I live.

I’m so thankful for the second chance at Q School this year. I’ve got two more tournaments in Phoenix to work on my game before heading back down to Florida for five awesome rounds and who knows, I might earn my LPGA Tour Card coming in as an alternate!

Third times a charm???

The greatest difficulties of life offer us our greatest opportunities to trust. – Tom Holladay

Q School Time!

It’s gotten to the point in the year where it takes me an embarrassingly long amount of time to figure out where I am, what month and day it is as well as what the heck time zone am I in.

It’s a never-ending cycle and I’ve been bred to love it. It’s the tour life.

Since my last update I played in Concord, NH (finished 37th), drove to Syracuse (missed the cut), drove to Baltimore (flew home to OKC for 3 days), flew back to Baltimore, drove up to Harrisburg, PA (finished 59th), drove to D.C. (visited the Walter Reed Center), drove to Richmond, VA (finished 58th), flew to PHX (met Bones Mackay along the way…super cool), flew to Augusta, GA, played in Vidalia, GA (finished 8th), drove to Memphis (visited with my grandma for a few days…first time back in Memphis since 2004), drove to OKC, stayed for a week, flew to Albany, NY (missed the cut), flew to OKC for 4 days, drove to PHX, played in a Cactus Tour event (tied for 2nd), flew to Tampa, drove down to Venice and here I am now at the second stage of Q School!

We could say that my year on the LPGA Futures Tour was a roller coaster but a fun and memorable one! I learned a lot. Met some awesome people. I’m a better, smarter golfer than when I began the year and continuing to grow is the positive outlook I have after this season.

This week in Venice, FL is very important…Q School. I am feeling good about my game and am so relieved to have the best caddy on my bag. Carl Laib aka “The Caddy Machine.” Google him if you don’t know him. I am so honored and thankful that he came all this way to caddy for me. We work great together and he makes life easy for me. He keeps me loose and helps me play at my highest potential. We should have a fun 4 rounds together.

I thank my sponsors every single day for allowing me to get to live out a dream. I think about them every time I pull out my visa, even if it’s for something on the dollar menu, I think of them. They know who they are and I could not do any of this without their love and support. I’m truly blessed.

I pray everyone has a great week at Q School, stays healthy, and refrains from being disqualified (something crazy happens every year.)

After this I’ll be heading down to Miami for a few days to visit my best friend Caitlan and enjoy some beach time without the golf clubs! After that, it’s back to work in the desert and playing in some tournaments and pro ams. It should be a great off season until I decide on whether I’m taking my talents across the pond to Europe or staying in the US of A. I have a lot of decisions coming up.

Until then, have a great week everybody!!!

What I’m Reading: The Relationship Principles of Jesus by Tom Holladay
What I’m Listening To: Lady Antebellum “We Own The Night”

New England Adventures

My dad has always said that I’ve led a very golden life. I am starting to think that he is right. It’s not anything that I do but it’s the people that I meet along the way who help me out in tremendous ways.

The past couple of weeks have been a whirlwind but a blast! We had one week off in which I flew to Phoenix to relax and play a little golf at some courses that I had not played. One was a Top 100 course called Estancia, home of Bubba Watson. I have been trying to get on to play for months and they finally had us out one afternoon when it was well over 105 degrees. One week off from the Tour was nice but I could have used an extra one. I flew back to Chicago to pick up my Jeep and headed east to Youngstown, OH for the night. The next day I headed on to White Plains, NY to stay with a friend from Edmond. He works at a country club and up there the clubs house their employees so I stayed the night at the golf course. It was a lot of fun because all of their employees are from Poland so I felt like I was in another country! The next morning I woke up early and drove to Winged Foot West Course to play a two-hour round with my caddy Jose. I didn’t play well but I met some great people and they treated me so well! The starter gave me a goody bag of a hat and Ralph Lauren polo! I met the GM Colin Burns who ended up helping me out in a great way the following weekend.

After I played Winged Foot I had a quick lunch at a cute diner in Stamford, CT then headed on to Bloomfield, CT. I decided to play an 18-hole practice round making that 36 holes in one day. I was tired but had to go to our weekly Meet The Pros Party at the course. I didn’t stay long because I had a 7:00am Pro Am the following morning. I decided not to touch a club on Thursday because it had been a crazy week and my body needed a rest. It turned out to work all right because my opening round went well and put me in great position for the weekend. I shot 67 but continued to score worse and worse as the tournament went on: 70 and 72. I ended up -1 for the tournament and finishing tied for 18th. A year ago I would have been happy with that finish but now that I’ve tasted blood with a top 5 finish I know that I should be toying with that leaderboard every week.

As soon as the tournament finished I hopped in my Jeep and headed north to Boston with some new tires on the baby! Tires are so expensive but since I am almost to 50,000 miles I decided it was time to make their feet feel a little better. It was my first time to Boston but I fell in love as soon as I arrived. The Winged Foot GM hooked me up with a place to stay at The Harvard Club downtown. It was way out of my league so I had to be on my best behavior. I cleaned up my room before the housekeeping ladies could get a hold of it. I don’t ever care to take hotel soap and shampoo but this place was so nice I took it every day! There were about 25 of us from the Tour who hung out in Boston Sunday night for dinner and drinks. I made it an early night because I woke up early and drove to Hingham, MA to play Boston Golf Club. It is a fairly new golf course but one that is new in the Top 100. It was gorgeous!!! I had a great caddy named Danny who was born and raised in Boston. We struggled to understand each other but it was another nice two hour round. I drove back to the city and found myself in Cambridge on Harvard’s campus. I bought a hoodie since I don’t own one and since their colors are similar to OU’s I figured it was okay. The traffic and roads are crazy and sometimes hard to maneuver through but I finally found myself back at The Harvard Club where I walked from to shop for the rest of the day. I had to make a pit stop at Nike Town. It’s a must for me at every large city I visit. I had delicious pad thai and ice cream on my way back to the hotel. The next morning I woke up super early to play The Country Club in Brookline, MA. It is a famous course and well in the top 20 on the Top 100 list. It has been around since the 1800s and a movie called The Greatest Game Ever Played was filmed after the club. I was lucky to be able to play it and once again I had a wonderful caddy named Tom who was a Boston native. We had a great time but my short and sweet trip to Boston came to a conclusion following the round.


My friends Cara, Jessi, and Tara


Boston Golf Club

#18 The Country Club


Cambridge

I made the quick drive up to Concord, NH where we are playing this week. It is night and day from Boston. Concord is very laid back and tiny! It’s been a relaxing week and I’ve only played the course once. I feel good about my game plan and will tee it up later this afternoon. It is going to be a hot one! Well over 100 degrees, which is hot for the northeast! Live scoring will be found on lpgafuturestour.com, check it out!

Hope everyone is doing well and beating the heat this summer! I want to thank my sponsors and everyone else who is making this all possible. I'm having fun and loving what I'm doing. I have met some wonderful people along the way and that is what makes it all worthwhile. I'm blessed.

Happy 4th of July!

I know I know I know. I’m terrible. I’ve had so much to say but so little time to say it. Quick update:

I played in Springfield, IL June 13th for my first Monday qualifying for the LPGA State Farm Classic. I didn’t qualify but it was awesome to put myself in that setting and knowing that being there week in and week out isn’t that far away.

Afterwards I drove over to Mason, OH to play in the LPGA Futures Tour at King’s Island Golf Center. I had a decent tournament but didn’t finish the way I had liked. I was able to have dinner with Cole, my best guy friend from childhood. I hadn’t seen him in years and we finally were in the same town at the same time. It was so great to see him and catch up. The next night I was able to enjoy a full rack of ribs at the famous Montgomery Inn with Steve, my pro am partner from last year. I also had breakfast with DJ, another pro am player from last year. I LOVE FREE MEALS! It was nice seeing people I hadn’t seen in a while. My pro am group from this year featured an Oklahoma State grad. I think the Tour does this on purpose…pairs me up with enemies and in return, I have to be nice to them. Just kidding, kind of. Rain delays were a major story in this tournament and wore a lot of people out but my wave lucked out pretty good in terms of how many holes we had to play on Saturday.

From Cincinnati I drove back west to Decatur, IL. It was our third LPGA Futures Tour event in a row and thankfully it cooled off a little bit for us. This event was our Tour Championship so they always host a wonderful event. Grand stands, good crowds, good food. I was paired up with the President of the title sponsor Tate and Lyle’s wife in a pro am. (That was a mouthful.) What a great lady! Judy! She made all of our putts so I loved having her as my partner.

My boy caddied for me this week so I picked him up from Peoria’s airport Wednesday night. Thankfully I had an afternoon tee time the next day so we weren’t exhausted. I played solid for 4 days and once again rain was a factor. It was such a fun week and I was so happy to have him on the bag. I wish every tournament would put up a grand stand on 18 green like Decatur did. I love grabbing free lunch and sitting up there to watch my fellow competitors finish out their round.



The following Monday I said goodbye to the boy and headed north to Madison, WI to stay with my good friend Ben and his girlfriend Chelsey. They were so nice to let me take a 6-hour nap at their place before heading up north to Harris, MI. I made a pit stop at Lambeau Field in Green Bay and I’m glad I did. What a neat place! I would love to go to a game there. My boy Sammy B supposedly plays there this fall (if the NFL has a season.) I might have to schedule a trip up there for that. The Jeep and I headed north another two hours to the heavily populated town of Harris, MI! I’m just kidding about it being heavily populated but I had no clue what we were in for when I pulled up and it was pouring rain.

It was an inaugural event at Sweetgrass Golf Course at the Island Resort Casino. We never had to move our cars all week! Well, my friend Lucy did because her dad was insistent that he drive their Honda from the hotel entrance around the building to the golf course entrance. He’s a funny man. The players were so pumped when we registered. We all received a $200 visa card just for playing! It paid for my flight that I’m currently on, golden! We had player hospitality in the hotel every day for all meals, we were given coupons for free gambling money, bingo and drinks every day. We were ecstatic!!! I was paired up with my good friend Lucy Nunn in our first round. It happens about once a year for us. I played solid minus three holes. Two three putts early on and an 8 on a par 3. ….. ….. ….. oops. Like I told Lucy as we walked off the island green, “hey, it’s okay, you can laugh.” If you play this game long enough, everything is going to happen to you. I’ve made a 12 on a par 3, a 10 on a par 3, a 12 on a par 4, a 9 on a par 3, and now an 8 on a par 3. I have always said only the talented can do stuff like that. Five over on one hole can put you slightly behind the 8 ball. I am proud of the way I handled myself. You wouldn’t of known whether I made a 2 or an 8 walking off that green. I shot an 80. It was my first time for me to shoot that in a long, long time. I still had a ridiculous amount of confidence in my game and myself. I really didn’t have a reason to but something inside me told me to keep on trucking, look ahead, and focus on the positive and important things. Dwelling on the 8 and the 3 putts were going to only harm my next round so I kept reminding myself how sweet I was hitting the ball. I went on to play a solid second round and I ended up missing the cut by 4. One hole really ruined it for me, that and the fact that I didn’t make a whole lot of birdies that week.

I packed my things up and made my way down south to a place called Whistling Straits. Yup. A little reward pit stop for no reason. Man oh man I cannot describe how spectacular this piece of land is. You would never guess that you are in the United States. Grandpa Pete Dye designed it a few years back and I must say it is his best course that I’ve ever played. It was just me and my golf bag on my back, hardly any wind, sunshine, and a few other male golfers around me. I couldn’t of picked a better day. The marshals were on their walkie-talkies wondering who this “Dye” girl was playing by herself. Everyone treated me nicely and now I know why!!! They thought I was Pete’s granddaughter. I mean that’s how I introduced myself to everyone but they actually believed me. I shot 78 from the men’s tees with a double on 7 for a lost ball left and bogeying 18. No birdies but I was pretty pleased with how I hit the ball.







Once I finished up playing out of Dustin Johnson’s infamous fairway bunker on 18 I hustled down south through Milwaukee and Chicago to Crown Point, IN. This event was a late addition to our Tour schedule but we were thankful for it. I had two practice rounds in preparation for our Thursday-Saturday tournament. It was different because we normally play Friday-Sunday. I like playing on Thursdays. I like getting the show on the road. Too many practice rounds bore me to death. Some players have started making fun of me because I introduce myself to the practice putting green and driving range the day of or the day before a tournament. That may or may not be a good thing but I’d much rather be on the golf course than on the range pounding balls, critiquing and analyzing my golf swing. I think by now it’s a well-oiled machine. It doesn’t take long to warm up a Cadillac. Ha! Just kidding but I did practice for a full hour and a half on Wednesday leading up to the tournament! I was proud of myself. I don’t remember hitting it any better than I did that day.

That night a big group of us went to Downtown Chicago for a Cubs-Giants game. I won’t get into detail about it because you can read about it on my blog for the Tour here: http://lpgafuturestour.com/player_results.aspx?id=27232. Wednesday’s good practice session carried over into my first round Thursday. I shot 71 (-1) but it was one of the worst scoring days of my career. It did not reflect how well I hit it but knew there were lots more birdies to come. Friday was flat out ugly weather wise. I played 2 holes and came in and never went back out. I haven’t seen a storm like that in quite some time. There was lots of pretty lightning and loud thunder. We were all left in limbo about what the next day or two was to bring. I bought a second flight just in case I missed my original flight (I love Southwest, I have it on credit now since I made the original!) The Tour decided to wash out everything that happened Friday and cut the tournament to a 36-hole event. The course was so wet that the ball needed to be played lift, clean, and place and since my second round from Saturday was played down, everyone would have to play the ball down, therefore, the Tour scratched the 2nd round. That was the most fair way to do it. I got off to a hot start, parred the easy par 5 10th but made a putt from off the green on 11. Birdied the par 5 13th and par 4 14th. Bogeyed the par 3 15th and parred the rest coming in on the backside, hitting two of the last three lips. We made the turn and I discovered that I didn’t have the front side’s yardage book in my bag. Ruh-roh. However I always make a homemade yardage book for extra notes and such so I wasn’t completely SOL. I found out that I was able to ask my playing partners for numbers such as what it was to the front of the greens but I did okay without the official yardage book. I made a long bomb on 1 green that shocked me. I don’t ever make putts that long except on the practice putting green (when I’m warming up for a tournament round.) My second hiccup came on the 6th green when I 3 putted for a bogey. I know I can’t play a perfect round but I hate three putting! I later found out that that 3 putt cost me $5,000. Gah!!! My playing partner put two in the water on the par 3 island green so we waited for about 15 minutes to be able to play our putts. I didn’t put it close to the hole because I was playing more conservative there and just didn’t hit the putt hard enough to get all the way down to the hole. I missed my 6-foot par putt on the low side and tapped in for bogey. I had three good pars coming in and finish 6th. It was my career best finish on this Tour so I can say it was a successful week. I’ve been reading some of my old Bob Rotella notes that I keep in my bag but hadn’t brought out in a while. I have figured out a few things about my swing and putting stroke this week and I tell you what, as long as you’re getting better everyday, you can’t be upset with that.


The group at Wrigley Field


Aaron and I chowing down on our Chicago Dogs!

I am in desperate need for a break even though I’m dying to play in the US Women’s Open this week at the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, CO. My good friend Jessi Gebhardt is playing so I get to cheer for her instead from the couch. I’m on my way to Phoenix and I can’t wait to get there. I don’t even care that it was 116 there today. I am spending the 4th with my boy and some friends. It’s going to be a chill week, spent by the pool and of course the golf course. I love what I do but 5 weeks in a row on the road is a lot for a person to go through. Everyone needs a break, especially our Tour Staff. They work so hard and never get thanked so THANK YOU!

I can’t believe that it’s July and our season is halfway over! Where has the time gone? I have had an absolute blast this year on Tour. I have bonded with so many awesome girls and guys (caddies and Tour staff) and I feel like we are one big family. I’ve met a lot of new people this year and let me just say that I am blessed! I know I am where I need to be right now. I’m learning, growing, and enjoying what I’m doing. I know that many people don’t feel that way about their jobs and once I start feeling otherwise, I’ll go on to plan b. Thanks for everyone who cares to read my blog and keep up with my crazy life. I can hardly keep up with it myself! Have a happy and safe 4th everyone!!!

What I’m Listening To: Beyonce - 4
What I’m Reading: One Day by David Nicholls

Cornfield City!

It’s a new week!!!! Thankfully.

The past 10 days have been some crazy ones, that is for sure. I flew back from Portland, Oregon to Phoenix on a Tuesday, drove from Phoenix to OKC on a Thursday and from OKC to Iowa on a Monday. My precious 4-year-old Jeep went from 36,000 to 46,000 in a matter of 5 months. I guess she’s still on track for a nice, long life. Those 2012 models sure look pretty though, anybody want to donate to the Kendall Dye Golf Fund?

While I was driving to Iowa I started to feel sick and by the time I arrived to Cedar Rapids, I was miserable! I met my friend Jessi at the course that afternoon and drove around to map out the course. That was all I could handle for one day. Unfortunately I had to wake up early for a full practice round Tuesday morning with some friends. Jessi and I saw Hangover 2 that afternoon and came out very disappointed. It’s such a shame because the first one was so funny. I committed to helping with this clinic on Wednesday afternoon where you teach a group of guys on the driving range and putting green and then take them out on the course to play a couple of holes with them. By Wednesday I was in no condition to even talk because I was hacking so much but since I had to give instruction I gave it my best. I played 2 holes with some money on the line and thankfully didn’t lose to them. I had to leave early to race over to a local country club where a pro am dinner was being hosted. The pro am groups drafted the pros for Thursdays afternoon pro am. It was a big production but thankfully a great group drafted me and I headed back to the hotel for more sleep. I decided to go to an urgent care facility Thursday morning so I could get the right drugs to get better. The verdict: strep and bronchitis. Z pack was bought and I was on my way to recovery. Thursday afternoon rolled around and so did the storms. We were drenched for many holes and I should not have been out there playing. We ended up shooting -10, which doesn’t sound that great but it was the lowest score I heard all day. I skipped out on the dinner following because I had to get my body ready for the first round on Friday.

I’ve never withdrawn from a tournament but this was on of the times where I definitely contemplated it. I felt out of it in the head, physically worn out but I knew that I could still get out there and hit a golf ball. It was an extremely windy day, which made it pretty difficult. I didn’t have the energy for a single practice swing all day but made a birdie run late in the round but unfortunately finished with a bogey bogey finish. I hate when I do that. I left the course immediately, went and bought 2 cups of soup and went to bed. Saturday morning’s round came early and I got off to a nice start but had some hiccups halfway through my round. A late dumb dumb dumb double cost me making the cut by 1 single stroke. GAAAAHHH!!! Like any other professional golfer I dwelled on my mistakes and could count on multiple fingers all the strokes I could have saved but I also knew that I couldn’t make myself go crazy about it. I can honestly say I did not give it my all physically or mentally in preparing for the tournament. I know that sickness will come many times in my career and this week was one of them. I will learn from this past week and take the good with me. All things happen for a reason right?
I was able to get up Sunday morning and drive over to Springfield, IL to Panther Creek Country Club. For the first time I will be Monday qualifying for the LPGA State Farm Classic. There are 30 girls playing for 2 spots. I have an LPGA caddy on the bag and he knows this course well. I was able to practice for a couple of hours Sunday afternoon and then spent a few more hours walking the entire course and making notes. It’s in fantastic shape and I’m looking forward to a new experience and hopefully a positive one!

I feel like I’ve been going through a rough patch this year with a DQ, missing the US Open by 1, missing some cuts by 1 so I know that good things are to come if I keep a positive mindset and continue to work hard and harder. I know how important it is to have good health in order to perform my best. I feel like it’s coming around so hopefully this golf game of mine can as well!!!

On a side note, my 13-year-old Yorkie Penny had an emergency acl surgery last Friday. She was on her nightly walk when all of a sudden she yelped and had my dad carry her all the way home. She apparently had an old fracture in there and it finally gave way. It was an expensive butt shave but she is doing pretty good. She hops like a bunny down the hall and has been drinking grape Gatorade like an athlete. Hopefully she’ll be back to herself in no time. In the past year Penny, my dad, my sister-in-law and me have all had surgery. Hopefully this is it for a while!

Thank you to everyone for their continued support. I can’t do it without you all!!!

Got the Dub!

Once again I have slacked off with updating my blog. A lot has happened since my last post!

I spent the past couple of weeks in Phoenix playing in a Cactus Tour event and getting ready for the US Open qualifier. Some girls decided to take it easy during May but by deciding to play I won my second professional golf tournament!!! It was a great win against LPGA players and a solid field. It was nice to see some of my work paying off. I’ve been learning a lot in Phoenix, spending some time with a long time LPGA caddy who has taught me how to chart courses and really think out there, by playing smart yet staying aggressive and using my advantages all at the same time. I’m really grateful for him.


After the tournament win with my friends Tara and Tracy

I flew out to Portland last week to play in my US Open qualifier. I traveled with fellow LPGA Futures Tour player Jessi Gebhardt. We visited the Nike campus in Beaverton, which is a dream place for me to work or at least to work for one day. Anyone who knows me knows how much I love the Swoosh. We woke up early Saturday and played Pumpkin Ridge Ghost Creek with my Oregon caddy. That course is the home of the LPGA Safeway Classic held in August. We will be taking a red eye from the east coast to Monday qualify for that tournament in August so we used Saturday’s round as a practice round. I had my qualifier yesterday at Royal Oaks Country Club in Vancouver, WA. It was by far the tightest golf course I’ve ever played. I didn’t play as well as I have been playing lately and it was a shame because I missed qualifying by one shot. My group finished our 36th hole last night and was told by the rules official that we were stroked one shot from our first round because we were 2 minutes late finishing the 18th hole. It had started to rain heavily on our 16th hole and my two girls shot 85 and 89. You can only play so fast when you hit that many shots and trees. What could I do? How can I be responsible for them shooting scores like that when you are supposed to have a 6 handicap or less to even play in the qualifier? I was furious because at the time my score was sitting in a playoff. It turned out that a late score came in and I missed the playoff by 1 shot not counting the ridiculous penalty stroke. I learned a lot on this weekend trip up to the Pacific Northwest and have realized HOW CLOSE I am to breaking through. It’s bound to happen. I’m not giving in that’s for sure.


Nike


Jessi and I

I’m en route to Phoenix currently to get my belongings and Jeep and head for the Midwest for more Futures Tour events. I’m excited to get back in the groove of things and playing some smart and solid golf! Happy Memorial Day everyone!

What I’m Listening to: Everything!
What I’m Reading: Play Your Best Golf Now - Pia Nilsson and Lynn Marriott

Meheeecooo!!!

Holy Moly! I have never been so close to missing a plane as I was just a second ago! I’m currently on a flight from Houston to Phoenix but I have no idea how I made it! We took off late in Puerto Vallarta and had 45 minutes in Houston to make it through immigration, customs, security, and the longest walk of my life to my gate. Hallelujah!

I now have some time to write about my past week in Me-he-co!!! It was AWESOME! It was a relaxing week to say the least and much needed, especially after a crappy last week in Daytona Beach. I had my own room and read through 2 books and started working on a third…that was halted because someone dumped it in the pool and stole my towel while I was busy playing in the pool with a friend. I look like a fool reading it on the plane with the pages all damp and crinkled but it’s a good read so I’m gonna deal with it.



I believe everything happens for a reason and even though I thought last week in Daytona Beach was the worst week of my life, I believe it served a bigger purpose. When I left there, I felt like I had my back up against the wall, behind the eight ball, you name it, I just couldn’t see why some not so ideal things happened to me. However, once I got to Mexico, checked in to my room, spent some time under the sun near a pool, watching people enjoy their vacations I realized that I absolutely love what I do. There have been days when I didn’t feel that way. I get the opportunity to travel with my good friends around the country, and sometimes out of the country to places where people take their vacations and play golf for a living. Yes, right now the money is not great but if it’s in God’s plans, I might be playing for more money in the future. There have been days when I wonder if I have it in me to go low, keep it low, and for consecutive days in order to win a competitive golf tournament. Last week when I spent my weekend watching other girls play in the golf tournament that I was supposed to play in, it hit me square in the face. I love what I do. I love to compete. I feel like I can win on any given weekend even though I have not done so yet. It put so much fuel in my fire when I was watching girls play who don’t hit it as far as me, don’t make as smart of decisions as me, and don’t think like I do out there on a golf course. I looked at this tournament as 54 opportunities to make birdie and sometimes eagle. I can honestly say in the past I did not view every round that way. I was excited to get my putter in my hands, to walk on the green and believe that every single putt was going in, no matter the distance. Now I know confidence waivers like the sea but if I can continue this mentality and revert back to it on days when I’m not feeling so hot about my game, it will keep me grinding away.



I played much better than I scored, made more putts than I’ve made in a long time, and feel good about where things are headed. We have two weeks off until we play in San Antonio, TX. It’s a great track and I want revenge on it since I made poor decisions playing it last year. This will be the first time my folks will see me play live this year so I want to make them proud and show them that my hard work is paying off. Thanks for the great support and love everyone!

Lessons Learned

Some days and weeks just don’t go as you had planned. This past week in Daytona Beach, FL was one of them...

Lucy and I drove from Plant City, FL to Daytona Beach in the pouring down rain last Monday morning. It was a good thing she drove because the entire way over, I worked on a Sudoku and continuously said, “I can’t see anything!” I was not any help so props to her for getting us there, safe and sound. We saw Lincoln Lawyer that afternoon since there wasn’t much going on that day. It was great compared to the movie we saw last week…Limitless. Don’t see it!

We stayed in Port Orange, FL with an awesome couple who is from Oklahoma City. We had a wonderful time with them and the week was filled with lots of laughs and stories.

I woke up early Tuesday morning and played a 12-hole practice round in the rain. I am part of the Player Marketing Team (PMT) this year and had a meeting and photo shoot to attend so the golf was cut short that day.

A group of us from the Tour were selected to ride around in a pace car on Daytona 500’s track so Wednesday morning, that’s where were! It was my second year in a row to be on the track and let me tell you, going that fast gets your heart beating! It was a really neat experience even if you aren’t a Nascar fan. I was an alternate for the pro am that afternoon so I practiced for a few hours and then was booted off the range due to a massive storm that hit Daytona.



All day Thursday was rain, rain, and more rain. It booted our opening round tee times back an hour on Friday but the golf course maintenance did a wonderful job at getting the course in playing shape. I played hard in my first round but it ended in disappointing news. I was disqualified for the first time in my entire life. I had always been proud to say that I had never been dq’d or withdrawn from a tournament but there is a first time for everything.

To briefly sum it up since a lot of people having been asking, I teed off on 17 which is a par 3. The wind was blowing extremely hard which took my ball left. I thought it caught the left side of the green and rolled down the hill into the water. The ball was lying close to the edge in the water so I called my other playing partner over to catch my ball as I was dropping so that it wouldn’t go in the water. I ended up doubling the hole and started walking to the 18th tee. The cart driver in the group behind me drove up close to me and I wasn’t sure what he wanted. He finally said for me not to sign my scorecard because the group behind me thought I did something wrong. I looked at my playing partners and they said not to worry about it because I did the correct thing. I was a little worried and discussed it a little longer. We ended up playing 18 and I actually finished with a birdie. I was expecting to meet our head rules official in the scoring tent to discuss what went down. Long story short, our group was wrong, the group behind me was right. The line was marked yellow instead of red and I was supposed to go back 100 yards to a drop zone but instead dropped within two club lengths of line. Complete brain fart by all three of us. I would have never thought twice by my drop so I learned a lesson and will never make that mistake again. By teeing off on 18, it put a stamp in my round and I was DQ’d from the tournament. I really appreciate my playing partners’ feelings towards the situation. They were very supportive and extremely apologetic for validating the incorrect drop. I take full responsibility for what happened so they should not feel bad whatsoever.

You’ll experience everything at least once if you play this sport long enough.

I had to get up early the next morning to take Lucy to the course so she could finish up her first round and begin her second round. As soon as I left the golf course parking lot at 6:30am, a deer sprinted out in front of our rental car and it caught the right corner of our gangster Chevy HHR. I screamed like I’ve never screamed before. I’ve never hit anything before and let me tell ya, those deer are dense! It was a blur because it was dark outside and the deer was extremely short and running fast. There was a median in the neighborhood road so I saw it for a split second before it got hit. I drove back to make sure it wasn’t a golden retriever or lab. Thankfully it wasn’t because the fur on the grill proved it to be a deer. I called Lucy to tell her I hit a deer but didn’t tell her it damaged the car so she wouldn’t be flustered for her rounds. I went back and watched Lou finish her second round and brought her good luck. She was -2 in her final 7 holes to make her first cut of the season.

We hung out with our housing’s family and friends from their club on the weekend nights and had a great time. One of their neighbors was a mechanic so he fixed the car for a much cheaper price than the insurance was going to charge us. Good news there. I practiced all day Sunday at the course while the rest of the field was finishing up their final round. It was weird being at the course, watching golf, and not being a part of the tournament, especially when I didn’t miss the cut. It was tough!!!





Lucy and I had a very exciting Sunday afternoon and night because Lucy’s roommate/former teammate, Stacy Lewis, won the LPGA’s first major championship of the year, the Kraft Nabisco. It was the most exciting round I’ve ever watched just because we have such an invested interest. I have never been more pumped pulling for someone in golf. It was awesome and something the LPGA needed! The lid is off for Stacy now and she will continue to win championship after championship.

It was one of the tougher weeks in my life. People can be hateful when making fun of other’s misfortunes. I learned that freak accidents, brain farts, bad luck happens. I also learned that when it happens to someone else I will not make fun of them just for the result of a laugh. I’ve got tough skin but after so much questioning, texts, emails, being the butt of jokes, and telling me that I need to spend more time reading the rule book, it got old. I learned a lesson and can only grow stronger from these adversities.

The good news is I am going with the Tour to Mexico for a week to play in Puerto Vallarta. I have turned off the phone and will enjoy my friends, the sun, and relaxation this week! It is needed more than ever. I’m excited to play and play well!

What I'm Reading: A Bend in the Road - Nicholas Sparks
What I'm Listening to: Rod Stewart

I'm Back at It!!!

Where in the world have I been? EVERYWHERE.

I decided to take a break from blogging over the off-season but will do my best to keep it updated this season. I last left off in Palm Springs, CA by qualifying for the Final Stage of LPGA Qualifying School that was held in Daytona Beach, FL in early December. In between those qualifiers I jetted over to Miami, FL to visit my best friend Caitlan and enjoyed some R&R. We had a fabulous time together. I am so thankful she lives there so I have a place and car to use whenever I visit.

I traveled to Fayetteville, AR a few times to visit my good friend and fellow Futures Tour travel buddy Lucy Nunn. The golf facilities at the University of Arkansas’ home course, The Blessings, are too good to be true and with a short drive from OKC, I had to go up there and pretend to be a Razorback for a bit. My Sooners will always come first but the Razorbacks are my adopted golf team. I also traveled to Phoenix a few times to play in some events just to keep my game in check in preparation for the Final Stage of Q School. Shortly after those tournaments, I parted ways with my caddy of 6 months and quickly began to search for a looper for Q School.

My good friend Kelsey Cline helped me out in a big way. With less than a week before the tournament started, I booked him a flight to come out to Daytona Beach to help me for a week. We worked well together. He kept me loose but focused. We made the cut but did not finish high enough to receive any LPGA status for the 2011 season. I was deflated because it was my second time qualifying for Final Stage and not finishing in the top 40 was crushing. It takes a lot of hard work, time, and sometimes luck to get there so I was definitely down in the dumps about missing out once again.


KCline and I

I put the sticks up and flew back to OKC (losing my laptop along the way) just in time to get my foot operated on. I had shattered my sesmoid bone in my right big toe last February and played on it all season long. December was the only time I had to recover so that was my only option. It was my first time to be operated on due to an injury. I thought I was invincible. I woke up from surgery and asked for a Diet Coke and a refill but shortly regretted it as it all came up and out in the car. The next night my friend Egg Roll and I went to a Thunder game downtown. The next few days I felt like I had been hit by a semi so I decided to chill out and enjoy the Christmas holidays before packing up and heading back down to the Sunshine State for a New Years trip with my three best girlfriends (the Crew.)


Before I got cut on


Ouch!

The Crew consists of Caitlan, Whitney, Mindy, and myself. We are all on completely different tracks in life but that is what makes us tick and get along so well. It’s hard for us to coordinate our 4 schedules so we made a conscience effort months before our trip that we were going down to visit our lonely friend Caitlan no matter what, even if it was just for a few days. I was able to stay a little longer just because I was in the off-season and didn’t have to get back to an office job or PA school like the other two did. We enjoyed a romantic sunset boat ride with three other couples, spent our days out on the beach soaking up the sun, and partied with Caitlan’s co-workers on South Beach for New Year’s Eve. There really isn’t a better place to bring in the New Year other than the beach.


The crew on the beach

I flew back to OKC just in time to pack up and take my jeep west to Phoenix for a few months. It was time to get back to work and play some golf. Phoenix has a mini tour called the Cactus Tour, which allows girls to play all year long, especially when the main tours aren’t playing. I have a lot of friends who play in the tournaments so it’s good competition even if the money isn’t that great. I played in 4 events and finished 4th, 4th, 9th, and 2nd. I fell in love with Ping’s Anser irons so I put those bad boys into play while I was out there and will be playing those all year long. They are solid!

I was able to play all sorts of great golf courses while I was there but still have a laundry list of more that I’m dying to play. I met some wonderful people and love the city every time I visit. The weather is almost always perfect, the mountain views can’t be beat, the food is delicious (ahhhh), and the shopping is great! Other than playing in tournaments I was able to visit Sedona and see the gorgeous views, go on a hot air balloon ride, visit their zoo, meet Bubba Watson, volunteer at the TPC Scottsdale PGA tournament, go to my first Nascar/Nationwide race, hike a baby mountain to get in shape, play with LPGA players, drive indoor go-karts, and spent time with my best friend. My jeep fits in great there and I will be returning as soon as my third Futures Tour event finishes in Mexico. I love the desert if you can’t tell. It sure beat staying cooped up in Oklahoma with all the cold and snowy weather this winter. I’m very fortunate that I was able to be there for a few months and play every single day. I took one day off a week and by the time I left Phoenix last week, I had played 36 rounds. I’m going to keep track this year of how many rounds and holes I play. It could get scary.


Bubba and I


Sitting courtside at a Suns-Kings game


My friend and I working at TPC Scottsdale

I flew to OKC last week to spend some time with family and friends before my season on the LPGA Futures Tour began. It was my mom’s birthday, parents’ anniversary, and since I wasn’t home on my birthday, sort of celebrating mine as well. I got to see faces I needed and desperately wanted to see but with 4 days in 30+ mile an hour winds, I was ready to get on out of there and see some green grass.

My travel buddy Lucy Nunn and I met up at the airport and flew all day Monday to Orlando. We rented our expensive car (we need to be 25 now!) and headed to Plant City, FL where we are staying this week. Our family has strawberry fields and that’s what he’s been his whole life, a farmer! I might eat the most strawberries I’ve ever had this week. The downfall is we are staying an hour away from the course so our days have been filled with practice rounds, work outs, pro ams, parties, dinners, etc. I played in a pro am Thursday afternoon with a guy who won the lottery! He was the first and probably only person I’ll ever meet who has won the lottery.

Live scoring is on lpgafuturestour.com so if you all are bored out there, be sure to follow us. The game feels good, my head is good and if the putter wants to behave we should have a good weekend.

This has been a very hectic, crazy busy “off-season” if you want to call it that. I want to thank my true friends for always being there and being a continuous support system. Prayers were felt and things are looking up. I have grown a lot since last season and have learned so much about how important love and your own happiness is compared to other things that go on in life that shouldn’t matter. I guess that all comes with age but I am excited about this season. I am going to work extremely hard towards my goal of finishing top 5 on the money list this year and that happens with great focus and self belief every single day this season. Thanks to everyone who reads my blogs, supports me and my dream, and the positive people around me who keep me ticking. I love you all!

What I’m Reading: The Mulligan
What I’m Listening to: Adele