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 I had always been proud to say that I had never been dq’d or withdrawn from a tournament but there is a first time for everything.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
No comments:
Post a Comment