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

Headed to Daytona!

Welp, most of you all know the good news but we finally did it! I qualified for the Final Stage of LPGA Q School! It was a great week of good, consistent golf. I haven’t been playing my best golf lately and a few months ago was contemplating not even trying to qualify but I had a some people who mean a great deal to me tell me that I should always give it a try. Thankfully, I took their advice and qualified out of the first sectional with 8 shots to spare before worrying about the cut line. I shot 73-69-71-72. When we reached the 72nd green, my caddy Paulie said “alright, you can ten putt this and still be okay.” He was kidding of course and I said “heck no let’s make it!” Paulie has been a huge asset to my golf game in the past few months. It was weird how we were matched up but I am so thankful that he has taken me on to work with. We have such a great time out there together and I feel like we compliment each other well. During my second round, I almost holed out for eagle. I couldn’t see the pin, only Paulie could. He didn’t make any kind of reaction and when I asked him where it went he said, “it lipped out, you have an inch putt now. Good shot.” Well geez Paulie thanks so much! Ha! He really cracks me up out on the golf course. The things we say to each other are thankfully not microphoned or else we’d be receiving huge fines or having reality television shows wanting us.

It’s such a huge relief that I don’t have to go to Venice, FL this coming weekend to try to qualify again for Final Stage so instead I’m switching my flight and going down to Miami, FL to see my best friend Caitlan and to get a little rest in. She lives on the beach and it seems like a really tough life down there so I need to go cheer her up. Ha! I will find some nice courses to go rate for Golf Digest and actually have a vacation.

I will be playing in the Arizona Womens Open in October and a Suncoast event in Florida leading up to the Final Stage of Q School but other than that, I will just be playing here and there and hopefully find some good competition along the way.

I really appreciate everyone’s support and I know that this is not an individual sport, especially at the professional level. There are so many crucial players in my life that affect my golf game in a positive way. Can’t do it without ya’ll!!!

Q School

This will be a quick update because I am a tired, tired girl! This week has been a good one so far! I started off Tuesday on the Dinah Shore Course at Mission Hills in Palm Springs, CA for the LPGA Sectional Qualifier. It was a pretty solid day and finished at one over par. I didn’t shoot myself out of it on the first day, which was nice. I knew I had work to do in order to make the two-day cut.

Yesterday we switched courses and played on the Palmer Course. I got off to a nice start with a bunch of pars before I found my first few birdies. My ball striking was on and I had plenty of opportunities to make birdies. I finished the round at three under, two under for the two rounds. I sat in 11th place and made the cut with two more days guaranteed.

Today was the third round back on the Dinah Shore Course. I started off with a dumb bogey from 100 yards out. Not the way I wanted to start but thankfully stole a birdie back on the next hole with a long putt made. A gift! I haven’t been making a whole lot of long putts but it was nice to see one barely fall in. I found another bogey on the third but found back-to-back birdies on five and six. Made a dumb bogey on the par 3 eighth and another stupid one on the par 5 ninth from 75 yards out. I wasn't too extremely happy at the turn... I found a quick birdie on the tenth and thankfully calmed down my round with five straight pars. I had a few close calls at making them for birdie but I also had some great par putt saves. I put myself in jail on the fifteenth hole and took my medicine with a bogey but knew that I had three holes left and wanted to finish the day at even par at worst. Thankfully I didn’t have to wait long and made a great birdie putt on sixteen. I had popped in a blue jolly rancher before I made that birdie on sixteen and told my caddy Paulie that it was for good luck. They’ve been giving us candy on the first tee every morning and I’m a sucker for candy. I can’t help myself. I’ve been taking handfuls and it’s kept me entertained throughout the round. Well, the blue jolly rancher worked for one birdie so on the next tee, I popped in another blue one and missed the green just by 2 feet. I told Paulie that I was due to make one from off the green. It went in for birdie! I told him it was the candy, not the caddy or player. I popped in one more blue jolly rancher for the eighteenth hole but tapped in for par for a one under round of 71.

I’m currently -3 for the three rounds, tied for 9th. I have to finish in the top 30 in order to qualify for the Final Stage of Q School in December. I believe I have 6 shots to spare tomorrow but that’s not my plan. I’m going to stick to my game plan and hopefully continue to find a lot of greens and try to make the birdies when they become available. The heat is strong here in the desert but I’ve had a really good week with my family being here. My aunt and uncle from San Diego came over a few nights ago so we’ve been at the pool every afternoon at our resort, relaxing and catching up. It’s kind of nice to just be at the course to warm up, play, and leave immediately. We were laughing today at how my preparation was so different this year than last. I was in NYC last week and didn’t touch my clubs for almost a week before heading over here for two days of practice. It seemed to work out all right so far. I’ve always been a big believer in quality over quantity. Get your crap done then get outta there. Ha!!! I really appreciate everyone’s encouraging words this week. I’ve been on my phone constantly but it’s because I love hearing from you guys! I couldn’t do it without a lot of people in my life. I’m blessed.

The Season Comes to an End...

I’ve procrastinated long enough; it’s time to update.

Two weeks ago, I played in Albany, NY for my final 2010 Futures Tour event. I made another cut with Paulie on my bag but unfortunately my ball did not find the hole as quick as I would have liked. The good news is that I moved up to 73rd on the money list and won’t have to play in Futures Tour Q School in November. That gives me a definite place to play next year but I’m hoping for bigger and better things.

My parents and I took a train from Albany to New York City last Sunday night. It was my first train ride and my dad’s first time to NYC. We were able to walk around that night and get our first taste of NY pizza. My mom and I like to sleep in but my dad has ADD and can’t, so he woke up Monday morning and without even changing out of his pjs, walked down to the Today Show, Rockefeller Center, etc. like a curious little boy. He came back to the room and said a man with three teeth came up to him and said “sir sir, is it morning or night?” My dad was a little confused and said “I’m sorry, what?” The guy said “sir, is it morning or afternoon?” My dad replied “uh morning.” Ha! Gotta love NYC!!! The rest of our day was filled with walking, walking, and more walking. It was crazy how much land we covered but I’m pretty sure my dad got to see everything he wanted.

Tuesday was a more leisurely day of sightseeing and that night we saw Mary Poppins on Broadway (my favorite Disney movie.) It was a short and sweet trip but we all had a good time.

I flew home for two days and spent my time practicing, seeing a few familiar faces, and packing up again for the desert, which is where I find myself today.

I’m playing in the LPGA’s Qualifying School this coming week in Palm Springs, CA. It’s going to be my second time trying to make it and hopefully my time is sooner than later. My folks and I flew out to San Diego last Saturday morning and made the drive over to Palm Springs that afternoon. I was able to get out on one of the courses and play about 12 holes. No one was on the course so it was wonderful. My caddy made it to town today because he was looping last weekend in Arkansas for the LPGA event. I was glad that he spent today with me getting a game plan together for this week’s little adventure.

The weather here is predictable. Hot, sunny, and hot. I haven’t been hitting the ball as far as I normally do but I’ve heard a few others say they are experiencing the same problem since we are close to sea level. I’m going to think it’s that and not me needing to do some more push ups. Q School is 36 holes, a cut to top 70 and ties, and then another 36 holes with top 30 and ties advancing to the Final Stage of Q School in December. If things don’t go well this week, I will travel over to Venice, FL in two weeks to give it another try at that sectional. That is where I qualified last year but I’m really hoping we can cancel those flights after this week. I’d be one happy girl! I hope everyone is looking forward to cooler temps and a great OU Football season : ) Proud of my Sooners last Saturday! I won’t be seeing them live for quite a while but as long as they keep winning, they don’t need my help. Ha! Take care everyone!

What I’m Reading: At First Sight by Nicholas Sparks
What I’m Listening To: A little bit of everything!