It was a cold start to the day. When I met Kevin at 7am to start our warmup, it was only 42 degrees. Kevin drew number one for the playoff and we teed off first at 8am. The players in the playoff were Jason Gore, Mark Anderson and Billy Horschel.
We had our chances early but we were not able to make the putts. Kevin had a 4 footer on number one to win and then an eight footer on number two to win. On number three, everyone except Gore made birdie. With Horschel in close, Mark Anderson rolled in a 25 footer for birdie. Kevin was able to knock down his 15 footer to tie and Horschel made his 3 footer.
From number three, we moved over to play the par five 7th hole. Kevin hit a 3 wood to 15 feet while the other two were just short of the green. Horschel pitched to 8 feet and Anderson to 12 feet. Kevin's eagle attempt just lost its speed and broke in front of the hole. Anderson missed his birdie putt. Horschel made his 8 footer.
Both players came up short on the long par 3 8th hole and both got it up and down for pars. On nine, Kevin hit a great second shot to 7 feet. From the fairway, his shot looked much closer. Horschel was unable to match Kevin's shot and his ball ended up 25 feet away. After Horschel's miss, Kevin stood up and made his third birdie in four holes to win the playoff.
When we finished, we met after lunch and played a nine hole practice round. We were both extremely tired so we decided to only play the front nine today. We will play the back nine early tomorrow before the pro-am.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Won the Playoff - Waste Management Monday Qualifier
The playoff went six holes. Kevin makes a 7 footer for birdie to win. More details tonight. Gotta go the work!!
Monday, January 30, 2012
Waste Management Phoenix Open - Monday Qualifier
Kevin played another great round today. He shot five under par (67) to finish in a tie for 3rd with three other players. Due to the lack of daylight, the four players will start a playoff tomorrow morning at 8am. They are playing off for one spot. (Monday qualifiers are usually 4 spots. Due to the small field size (132) at the Phoenix Open, the Tour only allows 3 spots for this event)
Kevin scorecard today had 8 birdies, 1 bogey and 1 double bogey. The only bad shot for the day was a tee shot right on our 7th hole which found "interior" out of bounds (the maintenance building). Other then that swing, Kevin hit it awesome. It was also the best putting round since second stage of Tour School. Using a new belly putter today (first time in competition), he had a total of 25 putts and made three putts from off the fringe. He also finished the round making three nice birdie putts on our last three holes.
I will try to write a quick blog in the AM to let everyone know how we finish. If we do qualify, we will be heading over to the TPC Scottsdale for a practice round. If not, I will be trying to get home for a few days before we head to Pebble Beach next week. Either way, I will do my best to let everyone know how it all turns out.
Kevin scorecard today had 8 birdies, 1 bogey and 1 double bogey. The only bad shot for the day was a tee shot right on our 7th hole which found "interior" out of bounds (the maintenance building). Other then that swing, Kevin hit it awesome. It was also the best putting round since second stage of Tour School. Using a new belly putter today (first time in competition), he had a total of 25 putts and made three putts from off the fringe. He also finished the round making three nice birdie putts on our last three holes.
I will try to write a quick blog in the AM to let everyone know how we finish. If we do qualify, we will be heading over to the TPC Scottsdale for a practice round. If not, I will be trying to get home for a few days before we head to Pebble Beach next week. Either way, I will do my best to let everyone know how it all turns out.
Friday, January 27, 2012
Farmers Insurance - Second Round
Kevin once again hit the ball great. Unfortunately, our 1 under par total (73-70=143) falls one short of the cut line (142). Playing the North Course, we were able to get off to a great start with four birdies through 8 holes and we were 4 under through 10. Three bogeys on the next three holes left us trying to claw our way back. The first two bogeys were with 3 woods into the greens and then a 3 putt gave us our third straight bogey. We finished the round with birdie putts from 5', 8', 12', 9' and 1' (only making the last). The poa annua greens were very difficult to putt and we just could not get them to fall.
We are not in the field for next week's Waste Management Open in Scottsdale, AZ. We will have to try the Monday qualifier. After some practice tomorrow at Torrey Pines, Kevin will fly over to Phoenix late tomorrow afternoon and I will drive over. We will met up on Sunday for a practice round.
We are not in the field for next week's Waste Management Open in Scottsdale, AZ. We will have to try the Monday qualifier. After some practice tomorrow at Torrey Pines, Kevin will fly over to Phoenix late tomorrow afternoon and I will drive over. We will met up on Sunday for a practice round.
Farmers Insurance Open (San Diego, CA) - First Round
Kevin played great today. He drove the ball the best that I've seen in a long time. We played the South Course which is much harder and managed a one over (73). The score does not reflect how well we played but I liked how he hit the ball today.
The few mistakes we made today were simple mistakes. A missed up and down on our second hole and a three putt on our sixth put us at two over par early. But Kevin made a few birdies and got us back to even for the day heading into our last hole. A hooked 7 iron left of the green on our last lead to a bogey but it was really our only bad swing of the day.
After the round, we hit a few balls and then went to work on the putter. Kevin talked to his putting instructor and he suggested that his grip pressure in his thumbs were a little too tight. We hit putts with his thumbs off the grip and he started to stroke the putter better.
We tee off tomorrow on the North Course at 10:20
The few mistakes we made today were simple mistakes. A missed up and down on our second hole and a three putt on our sixth put us at two over par early. But Kevin made a few birdies and got us back to even for the day heading into our last hole. A hooked 7 iron left of the green on our last lead to a bogey but it was really our only bad swing of the day.
After the round, we hit a few balls and then went to work on the putter. Kevin talked to his putting instructor and he suggested that his grip pressure in his thumbs were a little too tight. We hit putts with his thumbs off the grip and he started to stroke the putter better.
We tee off tomorrow on the North Course at 10:20
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Humana Challenge (Sunday) / Farmers Insurance (Practice)
Finally getting caught up with my blog. It has been a busy week.
Last Sunday morning, we had six holes to complete when the third round resumed at 7:30am. We doubled the long par 3 fifth hole after Kevin's 2 iron finished in the water hazard. He came back with a nice up and down birdie on the the next hole and then finished the round off with three straight pars. Our 7 under total was good enough to make the cut.
The final round started about 2 hours after we completed the third round. We were paired with Rickey Barnes and Charlie Beljan. Kevin played solid but wasn't able to get much out of the round. Two late bogeys on our 16th and 17th holes killed the day and we finished with an even par round (72). It's always nice to get the first cut under your belt and we will take a lot of positives away from this week.
After the round, we both took the 2 1/2 hour drive over the mountain to San Diego. On Monday, we played a pro-am on the South Course at Torrey Pines. The weather was miserable with cold rain and wind. Tuesday's weather was much better and we played our practice round on the North Course. Today we finished our preparation with lots of putting and some range work.
We tee off tomorrow on the South Course at 9:20.
Last Sunday morning, we had six holes to complete when the third round resumed at 7:30am. We doubled the long par 3 fifth hole after Kevin's 2 iron finished in the water hazard. He came back with a nice up and down birdie on the the next hole and then finished the round off with three straight pars. Our 7 under total was good enough to make the cut.
The final round started about 2 hours after we completed the third round. We were paired with Rickey Barnes and Charlie Beljan. Kevin played solid but wasn't able to get much out of the round. Two late bogeys on our 16th and 17th holes killed the day and we finished with an even par round (72). It's always nice to get the first cut under your belt and we will take a lot of positives away from this week.
After the round, we both took the 2 1/2 hour drive over the mountain to San Diego. On Monday, we played a pro-am on the South Course at Torrey Pines. The weather was miserable with cold rain and wind. Tuesday's weather was much better and we played our practice round on the North Course. Today we finished our preparation with lots of putting and some range work.
We tee off tomorrow on the South Course at 9:20.
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Humana Challenge - Third Round (Palmer Course)
Kevin got off to a great start today, shooting 31 (5 under) on the opening nine. The only green we missed was on our first hole when the ball ran through the fringe finishing only 15 feet from the hole.
When we made the turn, it was like someone turned a switch. The winds kicked up to 25 mph and starting swirling from every direction. We played three and a half holes in the wind until Tour officials suspended play. Kevin continued to hit the ball great in those tough conditions and had three great looks at birdie. We had to settle for pars and we are in the fairway on number 4 (our 13th) when play was suspended for the day.
Reports had wind gust up to 50 mph. Leaderboards, tents, trees, port-a-potties were falling everywhere. The large leaderboard on 18 fell into the lake. A smaller leaderboard fell on a volunteer. Hospitality tents fell and even a port-a-potty tipped over with someone in it!! Funny but not funny. That is almost as funny as when we met President Clinton on the tenth tee yesterday and he told our amateur players (who were smoking cigars), that he "really likes cigars". That is not a joke, he really said that!!
We will resume play tomorrow morning at 7:30am. The amateurs are done for the week, so we will finish our round in a twosome. Once play is completed and the cut is made, we will play round four in threesomes off the 1st and 10 tees. The Tour is hoping to start round four around 10am.
When we made the turn, it was like someone turned a switch. The winds kicked up to 25 mph and starting swirling from every direction. We played three and a half holes in the wind until Tour officials suspended play. Kevin continued to hit the ball great in those tough conditions and had three great looks at birdie. We had to settle for pars and we are in the fairway on number 4 (our 13th) when play was suspended for the day.
Reports had wind gust up to 50 mph. Leaderboards, tents, trees, port-a-potties were falling everywhere. The large leaderboard on 18 fell into the lake. A smaller leaderboard fell on a volunteer. Hospitality tents fell and even a port-a-potty tipped over with someone in it!! Funny but not funny. That is almost as funny as when we met President Clinton on the tenth tee yesterday and he told our amateur players (who were smoking cigars), that he "really likes cigars". That is not a joke, he really said that!!
We will resume play tomorrow morning at 7:30am. The amateurs are done for the week, so we will finish our round in a twosome. Once play is completed and the cut is made, we will play round four in threesomes off the 1st and 10 tees. The Tour is hoping to start round four around 10am.
Friday, January 20, 2012
Humana Challenge - Second Round (Nicklaus)
Not a good day on the links. Kevin once again had a very good warm up session but we could not take it out to the course. He said he could not get comfortable over the ball. A wild tee shot wide right off number four shook him up and we fought it for the rest of the day. Some nice up and downs kept us in it and he was able to get it to the house at one over 73 (-3 total).
After the round, Kevin was selected for drug testing. After being tested and some lunch, we went back to work. He once again worked on the things Rickey has asked him to do and he hit it great. The good news is...we're not lost, we're not searching...we just need to start executing.
We tee off tomorrow at 9:30 on the Palmer course.
After the round, Kevin was selected for drug testing. After being tested and some lunch, we went back to work. He once again worked on the things Rickey has asked him to do and he hit it great. The good news is...we're not lost, we're not searching...we just need to start executing.
We tee off tomorrow at 9:30 on the Palmer course.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Humana Challenge - First Round (La Quinta)
Kevin played nicely today. He drove it good and only missed three greens. Our five birdies, one bogey gave us a four under par round (68). Kevin's warm up was perfect. He carried it over to the round but he said he lost his "feel" in the middle of the round. He said he struggled getting comfortable in his setup starting about the 17th hole (our 8th) and it continued for about 5 holes. He hit a few loose shots through that stretch but we were able to manage the misses and made pars.
We tee off tomorrow on the Nicklaus course at 9:00am.
We tee off tomorrow on the Nicklaus course at 9:00am.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Humana Challenge (La Quinta, CA) - Practice Days
Kevin and I arrived in the desert around noon on Sunday. I flew into Phoenix, AZ and drove over. Kevin flew straight into Palm Springs. We met for lunch and then headed over to the host course for some practice. The Humana is a pro-am played on three golf courses with the cut coming Saturday night.
Kevin's instructor, Rickey Sullivan, flew in on Monday and arrived a little after lunch. Kevin and I spent all morning working on the short game until Rickey arrived. Once Rickey arrived, we went to work on the range. They worked on getting the club swinging left through impact. After some good work, we went out for a late practice round on the Nicklaus course.
On Tuesday, we played the Palmer course. Rickey has three students in the field this week; Kevin, Scott Brown, and Tommy Biershenk. After spending the morning with Tommy, Rickey met up with us for the back nine. Kevin was hitting his irons well, but still struggling with the driver. After the round, we hit more balls and made an adjustment in his setup. Kevin hands were getting too low at address and Rickey moved them up, getting Kevin into a better position. Before dark, we headed back out and tested it on the course.
Our practice round on Wednesday was on La Quinta. Kevin was still struggling with the driver but he is starting to have a better understanding of what he needs to do. After nine holes, we decided to go put some more practice in on the range before playing the back nine. I left Rickey and
Kevin on the range and went out to finish my course work. After some lunch and more practice, we went back out on the course. We ended up playing 18 more holes before we ran out of daylight.
We all have put in a lot of work this week. We're not hitting it perfect, but Rickey loves what he sees. We tee off tomorrow at the La Quinta course at 10:30. We are playing with Kevin's good friend Tommy Biershenk. It is a great pairing for us during the pro-am format.
Kevin's instructor, Rickey Sullivan, flew in on Monday and arrived a little after lunch. Kevin and I spent all morning working on the short game until Rickey arrived. Once Rickey arrived, we went to work on the range. They worked on getting the club swinging left through impact. After some good work, we went out for a late practice round on the Nicklaus course.
On Tuesday, we played the Palmer course. Rickey has three students in the field this week; Kevin, Scott Brown, and Tommy Biershenk. After spending the morning with Tommy, Rickey met up with us for the back nine. Kevin was hitting his irons well, but still struggling with the driver. After the round, we hit more balls and made an adjustment in his setup. Kevin hands were getting too low at address and Rickey moved them up, getting Kevin into a better position. Before dark, we headed back out and tested it on the course.
Our practice round on Wednesday was on La Quinta. Kevin was still struggling with the driver but he is starting to have a better understanding of what he needs to do. After nine holes, we decided to go put some more practice in on the range before playing the back nine. I left Rickey and
Kevin on the range and went out to finish my course work. After some lunch and more practice, we went back out on the course. We ended up playing 18 more holes before we ran out of daylight.
We all have put in a lot of work this week. We're not hitting it perfect, but Rickey loves what he sees. We tee off tomorrow at the La Quinta course at 10:30. We are playing with Kevin's good friend Tommy Biershenk. It is a great pairing for us during the pro-am format.
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Sony Open - Second Round
We just could not get it going. With the kona winds, it made driving the ball in the fairways very difficult because it blows from the direction which goes against the doglegs. We only hit four fairways and didn't putt very well inside 10 feet. The end result was a 4 over round (74).
Wanting to get out of here asap, Kevin and I will be flying out tonight (Saturday) and arrive into Palm Springs on Sunday. For whatever reason, this place just does not agree with us. We're ready to get back to the mainland and start some work with Kevin's instructor. Rickey is coming to Palm Springs and I'm sure he will get us back on track. We're not far off.
Wanting to get out of here asap, Kevin and I will be flying out tonight (Saturday) and arrive into Palm Springs on Sunday. For whatever reason, this place just does not agree with us. We're ready to get back to the mainland and start some work with Kevin's instructor. Rickey is coming to Palm Springs and I'm sure he will get us back on track. We're not far off.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Sony Open - First Round
After a great warm up session, we got off to a horrid start today at four over through 3 holes. Missing the green on one with a pitch shot; a buried ball in the greenside bunker on two; and then a hooked drive on three into a water hazard put us in that position. But Kevin didn't panic. We continued to work through it and he was able to get three of those shots back by the time we stood on the 11th tee box. A couple of tee shots right on the 12th and 13th holes put us in bad positions but we were able to get two good looks at par (4 feet and 6 feet). We missed both of those putts taking us back to three over for the day and that is where we finished (73).
After the round we went straight to the putting green. Kevin did not like how the putter felt and we made a slight adjustment to his setup. He moved a little closer to the ball and he started to feel the putter releasing better. He took a break for lunch and then we went back to work. Some more putting, range work, short game and then more putting. Kevin is hitting good shots during his practice sessions, we just need to get it out on the course. Sometimes its just hard to get past the bad memories when you return to certain venues. But he is working extremely hard and we are in a much better place then we were a year ago.
We tee off tomorrow at 1:30 (6:30pm for everyone on the east coast). A solid round tomorrow and we can get right back in this thing.
After the round we went straight to the putting green. Kevin did not like how the putter felt and we made a slight adjustment to his setup. He moved a little closer to the ball and he started to feel the putter releasing better. He took a break for lunch and then we went back to work. Some more putting, range work, short game and then more putting. Kevin is hitting good shots during his practice sessions, we just need to get it out on the course. Sometimes its just hard to get past the bad memories when you return to certain venues. But he is working extremely hard and we are in a much better place then we were a year ago.
We tee off tomorrow at 1:30 (6:30pm for everyone on the east coast). A solid round tomorrow and we can get right back in this thing.
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Sony Open - Monday and Tuesday Practice
Due to a Monday pro-am starting at 11:00am, we had to play an early practice round. I met Kevin at 6am and we headed to the course. After a warm up, we played a practice round with Scott Brown, Tommy Biershenk and Kyle Thompson. Kevin struggled the entire round with his ball striking. We started the round fighting a bad block to the right and he slowly started to hit a few good shots on the back nine. After the round and a little lunch, we went to work on the range. Kevin hammered out the things that he and Rickey have been working on and we started to see progress.
Tuesday was another early morning as we once again met at 6am. We played another nine hole practice round with the same group as yesterday. The ball striking was slightly better but we still need a lot of improvement. After the nine holes, we went straight to the range and went to work. Kevin knows what he needs to do but he his having trouble "feeling it" on the golf course. After a phone lesson with Rickey, he suggested putting a glove under his right arm. This seemed to get everything back into sync and it started to click. We had a nice session before Kevin took a break for lunch. After lunch and some short game practice, Kevin hit more balls and then went back out for nine more holes. We played with Scott Brown and Tommy Gainey. Kevin played the entire nine with a glove under his arm. It's still not where he wants it, but it is a big improvement from yesterday.
Tomorrow we have an off site pro-am. I think this is good since we will be able to "test" it out on a golf course rather then standing on a range all day long. Kevin has not been able to put the time into his game over the holiday because of his foot injury. He only started practicing again last week and the reps and golf can only help.
Tuesday was another early morning as we once again met at 6am. We played another nine hole practice round with the same group as yesterday. The ball striking was slightly better but we still need a lot of improvement. After the nine holes, we went straight to the range and went to work. Kevin knows what he needs to do but he his having trouble "feeling it" on the golf course. After a phone lesson with Rickey, he suggested putting a glove under his right arm. This seemed to get everything back into sync and it started to click. We had a nice session before Kevin took a break for lunch. After lunch and some short game practice, Kevin hit more balls and then went back out for nine more holes. We played with Scott Brown and Tommy Gainey. Kevin played the entire nine with a glove under his arm. It's still not where he wants it, but it is a big improvement from yesterday.
Tomorrow we have an off site pro-am. I think this is good since we will be able to "test" it out on a golf course rather then standing on a range all day long. Kevin has not been able to put the time into his game over the holiday because of his foot injury. He only started practicing again last week and the reps and golf can only help.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Travel Day (Sunday) - Sony Open (Hawaii)
Pretty cool stuff. I'm at 30,000 feet and writing my first blog for the year. We woke up this morning at 3:00am and Geraldine drove me to Asheville for my 5:20 flight. My travel today takes me through Charlotte and Phoenix before getting to Honolulu. It will be a long day but I'm ready to get the year started.
We all had a great month off. Kevin had an issue with his foot which required him to keep it in a boot for ten days. I met up with him last week for a few days of practice and he seems to be doing fine. The hard work he has been putting in with Rickey on his swing looks fantastic. Our boy is "on point" and he is ready to go.
I hope you all had a great Holiday. I hope you enjoy the blog and I look forward to seeing most of you sometime this year.
We all had a great month off. Kevin had an issue with his foot which required him to keep it in a boot for ten days. I met up with him last week for a few days of practice and he seems to be doing fine. The hard work he has been putting in with Rickey on his swing looks fantastic. Our boy is "on point" and he is ready to go.
I hope you all had a great Holiday. I hope you enjoy the blog and I look forward to seeing most of you sometime this year.
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