Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Q-School Finals - First Round (Tournament Course)

We were able to get off to a nice start with a 5 under par round 67. The weather was perfect all day with the forecast of strong winds holding off. Kevin started the day a little loose with his ball striking. We only hit two fairways on the front nine but as the round went on, he started to find the swing and only missed one fairway on the back nine. After missing 2 of the first 3 greens, he hit every green for the rest of the day.

After the round, we had a light lunch and then hit the range. Rickey and Kevin continued their work and Kevin's ball striking is getting more consistent with every swing. It was a great post game session on the range. We finished up with some chipping and bunker practice before we called it a day.

When we finished, Kevin stayed at the club for some more physio and stretch while Rickey and I headed back to the hotel. We tee off tomorrow on the Stadium Course at 8:19. Time to get some rest.

Finals - Tuesday Practice

Our practice round was the back nine on the Tournament course. We met at 8:30, warmed up and then played nine with Richard Scott, Tommy Biershenk and Bob Heintz. Our ball striking was loose today so we headed straight to the range after the round. Rickey and Kevin banged it out and tightened it up. Kevin took a break for lunch and had a little physiotherapy on his back. He said his back was feeling a little tight today and needed some work on it. When he came back out, we finished our day with a mini session on the range and then headed over to the putting green. I still had some more course work to do on the Tournament Course, so I left Kevin and Rickey on the putting green and headed back out to finish my work. I finished up just before dark and headed back to my room for a shower before dinner. Kevin, Rickey and I met up with Brain Harman and Harris English for dinner. We had a nice relaxing night and we are ready for the week.

We tee off tomorrow at 9:25 on the Tournament Course with Tommy Armour III and Andy Bare. The forecast is for sunny skies but strong winds moving into the area some time tomorrow. We haven't had a breath of wind for three days of practice so we may see a completely different golf course. But either way, we are prepared and we will manage it no matter what weather is thrown at us.

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Q - School Finals - Monday Practice

We played a practice round on the Stadium Course this morning with Tommy Biershenk, Boo Weekley and Josh Broadaway. Kevin played well with just a few loose shots. After the round, Kevin had some lunch and then worked with his instructor, Rickey Sullivan. A small adjustment in the width of his stance helped Kevin set the club better on the backswing and he was back on track. We finished the day with some putting.

Tomorrow we will play 9 holes on the Tournament Course and have a light practice session.

Monday, November 28, 2011

PGA Tour School Finals - Palm Springs, CA

Good Morning everyone. Q-School Finals officially started yesterday (Sunday). Kevin arrived yesterday and I arrived Saturday night. Q- School Finals is played on two separate golf courses - PGA West Stadium Course and the Tournament Course. I spent Sunday morning walking the Stadium Course getting some course work in before Kevin arrived. When Kevin arrived, we had a warm up session and then played 9 holes on the Tournament Course with Tommy Biershenk and Kent Jones. I felt Kevin's game has not missed a beat since I last saw him in Houston. He once again seems very relaxed and focused. The sun sets early here in the desert so our day was done about 4:30.

We plan on a full day of practice today with Kevin's instructor, Rickey Sullivan.

Friday, November 18, 2011

Final Round - Second Stage Q School

With cool temperatures and a strong wind blowing once again from a different direction, Kevin got off to an incredible start. With birdies on 2, 3, 4, and an eagle on 6 he was out of the gates fast getting it to 5 under par through 6 six holes. The momentum slowed a little in the middle of the round as we missed a few up and downs and had a three putt. But Kevin finished strong with two more birdies on the final 4 holes and closed with a 3 under par round (69). Our 17 under par total was good enough for a 5 shot win.

As soon as we finished, we packed Kevin's clubs and headed to the airport. Kevin had a 5:30 flight out of Houston and we had very little time to spare with the rounds taking almost 6 hours to play. I'm not leaving until tomorrow morning, so I dropped Kevin off, found some dinner, filled the rental car up with gas, and headed back to the hotel.

Kevin and I will both be home for Thanksgiving and then we head out to Finals next weekend. Finals this year will be in Palm Springs, CA with the first round starting on November 30th. I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving and I'll see ya from Palm Springs.

Thursday, November 17, 2011

3rd Round - Q School

Teeing off in the final group during Tour School always makes for a very long day. But when you add it with tough conditions, it equals a round that last just under 6 hours.

With the temperature about 20 degrees cooler and the winds blowing strong from the north, the golf course played extremely difficult. Kevin continued to play well with just a few loose tee shots. We had a tough time getting into the rhythm of the round with the long waits between shots. On three occasions, we drove it left and had to take our medicine - chipping it back to the fairway. I felt like we managed the game/round perfectly and finished with a 2 under par round (70). Our 14 under total (202) extends the lead to 4 shots over second.

After the round, we went to the range just to work on getting the rhythm back. The session was short and sweet and we are ready for one more day. We tee off again at 10:15.

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

2nd Stage Q School - 2nd Round

It was another solid day. Kevin only missed one green today and shot four under par (68). His 12 under par total is still good enough to hold the lead through two rounds. There is really not much else to say. He continues to play great and we are having a great time.

We tee off tomorrow in the final group at 10:15. Good night!

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

First Round - 2nd Stage Q School

Kevin played awesome today. He hit the ball great and putted the eyes out of it. Missing only two greens and taking 25 putts, we finished the day at 8 under par (64). He has the lead after round one.

Being the third group off this morning, we caught a break with the weather and our group was able to finish the round only minutes before the thunderstorms moved into the area. Play was suspended for about two hours but the entire field was able to finish before dark. We tee off tomorrow on number 10 at 9:45. The weather forecast is for sunny skies. Looking forward to getting after it again.  

Monday, November 14, 2011

2nd Stage Q-School (Houston, TX) - Practice Days

Kevin and I arrived on Sunday around noon. We met at the airport and headed out to the golf course (Redstone). We played the Shell Houston Open here at Redstone earlier this year but it was on the Tournament course. Q-School is being played on the Member course. Kevin joined up with friend, Adam Mitchell, and we were able to play 12 holes before sunset.

Today we played an early practice round with Richard Scott, Andres Gonzales, and Adam Mitchell. Kevin has worked hard with his coach and he continues to play well. He is focused and relaxed and we had a great practice round. After lunch, we continued with our normal practice routine - chipping, putting, and some range work. We finished up around 3:30. He is ready for the week.

The weather forecast is not looking good for tomorrow. We could be in for a long day with rain and thunderstorms expected to arrive mid morning. We tee off at 8:35 with Vance Veazey and Ben Alvarado. Good news is once this system moves through, we should have nice sunny days for the rest of the week.