Hey everyone. Some of you may know by now that I was really getting geared up for a Pepsi Tour event. Guys from the Nationwide and Gateway tours are usually the same guys that play in the Pepsi Tour. This event was being held at "The Duke" down in Maricopa AZ.
Well this is my first official money tournament I've played in since Idaho nearly 2.5 years ago. Those were just "PGA Apprentice" tourneys too. This Pepsi tour even was the real deal. $1000 to the winner and it paid money out to the top 1/3 of the field.
I got off to a very solid start. Par, Birdie, Par, Birdie, and Pars all the way out. I had more than my fair share of makable birdie putts that just weren't dropping. I felt like I should have shot 29 on the front. Didn't miss a single fairway or green for the entire front nine. When I rounded 9 with a 34 I was tied for the lead. Then, on hole 10, things started to slide. Not totally my fault either.
The green for #10 is the worst laid out green I've seen of just about any golf course in Arizona. From front to back it's a nasty uphill putt. Then as soon as it's done going up hill, it goes back down hill and with the grain. Anything that has any speed up the top is gonna be gone off the green... and the groundscrew must have woke up with a hang over. He decided one pace from the tipping point of the green was the perfect place to put the flag. Then after it slopes off the green, it's nothing but thick thick thick rough at about a 15 degree slope. Just horrible.
I managed to get it on the center of the green with a 5 iron.... only to watch it roll all the way down the hill back to the front of the green. I was faced with a 50 foot putt that, as I said, was straight uphill, then straight downhill until you are just SOL. Anyway, I ran it past the hole just onto the fringe, missed the 15 footer that came back and still had 5 feet left.. which I managed to drain for an easy 5. Only one of our 4 guys came away from that hole with a par. And he was the one guy that MISSED the green.
Anyway, on 11 I would end up bogeying again because I didn't know that the bunker was 290 to carry. The three guys I played with all seemed to get it just fine over the bunker, but I ended up in the bunker with a rock 1 inch in front of my ball. How delightful. I ended up hitting the rock nearly as far as the ball... which ended up in a "waste area" that had more rocks and dirt. I played it like a bunker shot, went well past the flag and trickled off the green... chipped up tight and there was my 2nd bogey in a row. I had given the golf course back it's 2 strokes.
At this point though I could securely say that I was playing well. The iron on 10 went right where I wanted it. My drive went EXACTLY where I aimed.... and my wedges around the green were just nocking it within 3 feet every time.
I birdied a par 5 by hitting a nifty 310 drive and 255 3 wood just front left of the green. Again chipped it to within 3 feet and sank the birdie.
Par'd everything else up to 16. Of course every golf course has to have one of those REDICULOUSLY long par 3's. The Duke is no exception.... and just our luck, the wind picked up, and this hole had a nice deep, big bunker in front of the green. Precisely where I hit it. Bad bunker shot but on the green.. lipped the putt out and had a bogey. Again, gave the stroke back to the course.
Terrible drive on 17 but decent 2nd shot gave me a really lengthy putt for birdie that I missed. And ended up with a "Strategicly sound" birdie on 18 (driver, 4 iron layup, short wedge to within 10 feet) for a nifty 71.
It was good enough to place tied for 5th. I paid $250 for the tournament and won $175 for a loss of $75. I honestly don't even get paid that money because you have to be a MEMBER of the tour in order to get paid. That's $195 to join, which I could put my money toward or just put the money toward the next tournament I play. I will be choosing the latter.
Anyway, the whole point of me even playing today was just to prove to myself that I could play with those guys. I've been practicing like hell. I told myself that the goal of every shot was to be "deliberate". I'm proud of myself for purposely putting a lot of pressure on this tournament. And in the end I did very well for myself.
Well this is my first official money tournament I've played in since Idaho nearly 2.5 years ago. Those were just "PGA Apprentice" tourneys too. This Pepsi tour even was the real deal. $1000 to the winner and it paid money out to the top 1/3 of the field.
I got off to a very solid start. Par, Birdie, Par, Birdie, and Pars all the way out. I had more than my fair share of makable birdie putts that just weren't dropping. I felt like I should have shot 29 on the front. Didn't miss a single fairway or green for the entire front nine. When I rounded 9 with a 34 I was tied for the lead. Then, on hole 10, things started to slide. Not totally my fault either.
The green for #10 is the worst laid out green I've seen of just about any golf course in Arizona. From front to back it's a nasty uphill putt. Then as soon as it's done going up hill, it goes back down hill and with the grain. Anything that has any speed up the top is gonna be gone off the green... and the groundscrew must have woke up with a hang over. He decided one pace from the tipping point of the green was the perfect place to put the flag. Then after it slopes off the green, it's nothing but thick thick thick rough at about a 15 degree slope. Just horrible.
I managed to get it on the center of the green with a 5 iron.... only to watch it roll all the way down the hill back to the front of the green. I was faced with a 50 foot putt that, as I said, was straight uphill, then straight downhill until you are just SOL. Anyway, I ran it past the hole just onto the fringe, missed the 15 footer that came back and still had 5 feet left.. which I managed to drain for an easy 5. Only one of our 4 guys came away from that hole with a par. And he was the one guy that MISSED the green.
Anyway, on 11 I would end up bogeying again because I didn't know that the bunker was 290 to carry. The three guys I played with all seemed to get it just fine over the bunker, but I ended up in the bunker with a rock 1 inch in front of my ball. How delightful. I ended up hitting the rock nearly as far as the ball... which ended up in a "waste area" that had more rocks and dirt. I played it like a bunker shot, went well past the flag and trickled off the green... chipped up tight and there was my 2nd bogey in a row. I had given the golf course back it's 2 strokes.
At this point though I could securely say that I was playing well. The iron on 10 went right where I wanted it. My drive went EXACTLY where I aimed.... and my wedges around the green were just nocking it within 3 feet every time.
I birdied a par 5 by hitting a nifty 310 drive and 255 3 wood just front left of the green. Again chipped it to within 3 feet and sank the birdie.
Par'd everything else up to 16. Of course every golf course has to have one of those REDICULOUSLY long par 3's. The Duke is no exception.... and just our luck, the wind picked up, and this hole had a nice deep, big bunker in front of the green. Precisely where I hit it. Bad bunker shot but on the green.. lipped the putt out and had a bogey. Again, gave the stroke back to the course.
Terrible drive on 17 but decent 2nd shot gave me a really lengthy putt for birdie that I missed. And ended up with a "Strategicly sound" birdie on 18 (driver, 4 iron layup, short wedge to within 10 feet) for a nifty 71.
It was good enough to place tied for 5th. I paid $250 for the tournament and won $175 for a loss of $75. I honestly don't even get paid that money because you have to be a MEMBER of the tour in order to get paid. That's $195 to join, which I could put my money toward or just put the money toward the next tournament I play. I will be choosing the latter.
Anyway, the whole point of me even playing today was just to prove to myself that I could play with those guys. I've been practicing like hell. I told myself that the goal of every shot was to be "deliberate". I'm proud of myself for purposely putting a lot of pressure on this tournament. And in the end I did very well for myself.
