Welp, so far 2012 has been pretty sweet.
I loaded up the airplane with my boy and friends and headed east to Spain for the first three weeks of January. I played in the Ladies European Tour Qualifier. Two stages: prequalifying and final stage. 72 and 90 holes in back-to-back weeks. That’s a lot of golf!
The 11-hour flight from LA to Madrid was a piece of cake. We had great, back of the bus seats and I never once got up to go to the bathroom!!!! I’m kind of proud of that accomplishment, especially for people who really know me.
All but one bag made it to Murcia, Spain which kind of stunk because I didn’t have my golf shoes to play in for the first couple of days. The airlines also made me spend $60 on a taxi to pick the bag up at the airport. Iberia will be hearing from me this week about a refund…
The first handful of days consumed of getting to know the two golf courses at La Manga Golf Resort and getting our rest. Actually, the entire trip (and my life) was revolved around golf and sleep. I bet I averaged 10 hours of sleep a night, with an occasional nap in the afternoons out on our patio and roof.
I shot rounds of 76, 73, 73, 73 (+7) in prequalifying and made it on to the Final Stage! I played with girls from all over the world, which isn’t unusual for me, but I finally felt like the foreigner. I asked a girl from France what the stereotypes of Americans were and she said cocky and obese. From that moment on, I hardly spoke and ate like a bird out on the golf course. Sort of kidding but I definitely was aware of how others might view me.
After the 4 rounds we took the next day off to travel over to Cartagena and enjoy some of the Spanish life. I invested in a great camera and finally got a chance to take some great pictures. We ate lunch on a boat and enjoyed the best calamari and paella. We had some hot chocolate on our way back to the car and it was literally a cup of thick, melted chocolate. It was really good but my gosh, I have had enough chocolate to last me the rest of the year.
I had two days of practice before the Final Stage began so I played 9 each day and had light practices. La Manga’s range consisted of limited flight yellow golf balls and most of us hit off mats so my warm up lasted about 20 minutes each morning. I liked to hit 3 shots with each club, starting with sand wedge and work my way up. I might throw in a few more swings if I feel frisky and want to work on my knock down shot for when the wind wants to pick up. I finish with a couple of 60 degree wedge shots then I’m good and warm.
Final Stage rounds were 72, 73, 73, 71, 74 (+2) which put me in a tie for 9th. I ended up earning full status for the year and now I have a lot of decisions to make. This was the whole reason for coming over to Spain. I wanted to give myself a few more options of where I could play because I failed to make the LPGA for the third year in a row and the LPGA Futures Tour was not exciting me at the end of last season. I am not sure where I will play but I know for sure I will be in the US for a very short time this week then head over to Australia and New Zealand to play in two great tournaments in February.
God works in mysterious ways but I know that everything will always work out just fine as long as I keep the faith and continue to work hard. I have the best support group in my life and I’m thankful for each day I have.
What I’m Reading: One for the Money
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Thursday, November 3, 2011
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
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
Monday, September 26, 2011
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”
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”
Friday, July 22, 2011
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.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
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
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
Monday, June 6, 2011
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!!!
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!!!
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
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
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
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