Tough sledding today. During the warm up, Kevin hit it well and talking with him throughout the warm up he felt much better today. A solid up and down on one and then a chip in birdie on two had us under par early. A hooked hybrid off the tee on three led to a bogey after chipping back out to the fairway but two more birdies on the par fives had us back under par (-2) through 8 holes.
Here is when things start to go south. After a nice drive on nine, a blocked wedge to the right of the green started a streak of ten straight missed greens in regulation. Not all were bad shots and not all were from the fairway but we still missed 10 in a row. The common thread was right. When we did miss the fairway, it was missed to the right. Then when we hit one off line from the fairway, it was also to the right. And wouldn't you know, when we did hit a solid shot on line, the distance was wrong. Add this all up, we shoot 34-42=76 for the day. Only hitting four greens all day, I guess the positive is that his short game was pretty solid. He chipped in twice and had some great up and downs. So, it could have been worse. The one over par total puts us in T-60th heading into the final round.
After the round, we once again hit the range and worked on things. We tee off tomorrow morning at 8:54 with Billy Hurley. As soon as we finish, we will be heading off to Memphis, TN for our US Open 36 hole qualifier on Monday.
Saturday, May 31, 2014
Friday, May 30, 2014
The Memorial - Second Round
It's been a long day so I'm going to make this short. Kevin told me on the range warming up that something didn't feel right with his swing. He was hitting it solid during the warm up but he said he felt out of sync. We ended up managing it pretty good all day considering how he felt. Three birdies with three bogeys had us shooting even par (72) for the day.
After the round, we headed straight out to the range to figure it out. A few quick videos with a phone call to his instructor and we were back on track. We hit balls for about 45 minutes before calling it a day. Kevin's three under total puts him T-24th heading into the weekend. We tee off tomorrow at 10:45 with Justin Thomas.
After the round, we headed straight out to the range to figure it out. A few quick videos with a phone call to his instructor and we were back on track. We hit balls for about 45 minutes before calling it a day. Kevin's three under total puts him T-24th heading into the weekend. We tee off tomorrow at 10:45 with Justin Thomas.
The Memorial (Columbus, OH) - First Round
Kevin did not arrive until Tuesday so I spent Monday doing all of my course work. I walked the front nine by myself and then helped out William McGirt by caddying for him on the back. His caddy was not getting into town until Tuesday and he wanted to play nine holes. We played the back as he gave me insight on how each hole played. This will be William's third visit here so I was able to get some valuable information about how the course plays.
Kevin arrived mid afternoon on Tuesday after a few flight delays. We had a quick warm up and played the front nine by ourselves. Rather then rushing around and trying to play 18, he decided to spend extra time around each green chipping and putting. Because the Memorial only has a morning pro am on Wednesday, we were able to play the back nine Wednesday afternoon. Kevin had a great time playing with the Georgia Tech boys (Roberto Castro, Bryce Molder and Chesson Hadley).
Thursday's round started a 8:59 on number 10. This golf course will test every facet of your game - mental and physical. There is no "faking it" around here and it will test patience. That patience was tested early and often but he battled through it and finished like a champ. An early bogey on the par five 11th after a miscue coming out of the rough led to the first bogey of the day. A great wedge on 14 followed by two more great shots on the par five 15th gave us two birdies in a row and had us at one under through six. The patience was once again tested through the middle of the round after a bogey on 17, a 10 foot par save on 18, and another bogey after driving it two inches into the rough on number one. But he showed some maturity and fought through it, making four birdies on his final eight holes. His three under (69) put us T-11th after the first round.
After the round, we had a light practice session hitting a few balls with some chipping and bunker work. Brittany had a scheduled doctors appointment today and Kevin was looking forward to hearing about how it went. When we finished practicing, Kevin checked his phone and all is good back home. Brittany is dilated to 2cm. Exciting times!!
Monday, May 26, 2014
The Colonial (Fort Worth, TX)
The week got started with a Monday proam. Since Kevin never played here, he felt it would be best to get in a round on Monday. JT came into town on Tuesday and we had an afternoon practice round and practice session with him. Wednesday was our normal routine.
The winds were up all week which made the "old style" golf course play difficult with tight fairways and dogleg holes. It was difficult picking the correct clubs and birdies were hard to make. Two three putts on the first nine on Thursday coupled with two bad swings on the back led to three bogeys and a double. We finished the day with a five over par (75).
Playing late on Friday, Kevin and I met with JT for a morning practice session. Kevin was just a little out of sync yesterday and didn't feel good with things. A little fine tuning and he was back hitting it solid. We took a break for lunch and then started our normal warm up routine. A missed green with a wedge on seven and then a poor course managing decision by me on nine cost us two bogeys. We made the turn one over (6 over for the tournament). But Kevin hung in there and kept doing what he has been doing. Three straight birdies on 10, 11, and 12 put us back in the game and a chance at making the cut. A missed up and down from the front bunker on 14 was followed by an 8 iron to 3 feet on 15 for birdie. Needing to make two more birdies to make the cut, Kevin hit a perfect iron on the par three 16th to seven feet. He was unable to convert the birdie put but rolled in a 30 footer on 17 to get us within one shot of the cut number. One more perfect drive on 18 left us 120 to the hole. But a slightly pulled wedge, that landed about two yards short and left of the hole, spun down the slope and off the green into the water hazard. It was a tough way to finish but he did great things just to give us a chance coming down 18. I was proud of him for the effort. His two under (68) on Friday was one of the lower rounds for the day.
After missing the cut, Kevin flew back to Aiken for a couple days home with Brittany. She is only two weeks away from her due date so Kevin is wanting to spend as much time at home as possible. He will be flying up to Columbus on Tuesday. Since this is a new venue for both of us, I decided to fly straight to Columbus and start my preparations for the week. As of the deadline Friday afternoon, we were first alternate for the Memorial but at the time of this post, we are now in the field.
The winds were up all week which made the "old style" golf course play difficult with tight fairways and dogleg holes. It was difficult picking the correct clubs and birdies were hard to make. Two three putts on the first nine on Thursday coupled with two bad swings on the back led to three bogeys and a double. We finished the day with a five over par (75).
Playing late on Friday, Kevin and I met with JT for a morning practice session. Kevin was just a little out of sync yesterday and didn't feel good with things. A little fine tuning and he was back hitting it solid. We took a break for lunch and then started our normal warm up routine. A missed green with a wedge on seven and then a poor course managing decision by me on nine cost us two bogeys. We made the turn one over (6 over for the tournament). But Kevin hung in there and kept doing what he has been doing. Three straight birdies on 10, 11, and 12 put us back in the game and a chance at making the cut. A missed up and down from the front bunker on 14 was followed by an 8 iron to 3 feet on 15 for birdie. Needing to make two more birdies to make the cut, Kevin hit a perfect iron on the par three 16th to seven feet. He was unable to convert the birdie put but rolled in a 30 footer on 17 to get us within one shot of the cut number. One more perfect drive on 18 left us 120 to the hole. But a slightly pulled wedge, that landed about two yards short and left of the hole, spun down the slope and off the green into the water hazard. It was a tough way to finish but he did great things just to give us a chance coming down 18. I was proud of him for the effort. His two under (68) on Friday was one of the lower rounds for the day.
After missing the cut, Kevin flew back to Aiken for a couple days home with Brittany. She is only two weeks away from her due date so Kevin is wanting to spend as much time at home as possible. He will be flying up to Columbus on Tuesday. Since this is a new venue for both of us, I decided to fly straight to Columbus and start my preparations for the week. As of the deadline Friday afternoon, we were first alternate for the Memorial but at the time of this post, we are now in the field.
Monday, May 19, 2014
Byron Nelson - Final Round
Kevin played great Sunday. Hitting the first 13 greens in regulation, we made five birdies with putts all inside 12 feet which included two tap ins. With the way he was playing all week, we knew a low round was coming and we finally had a day where we had good yardages and could be aggressive.
With a 15mph wind blowing from the south and gusting up to 20, it makes the final five hole stretch play long and difficult. But once again, Kevin's hard work he has been putting in on his short game paid off as he was made three great up and downs on 14, 15 and 16 to keep the round together. We were unable to get it up and down from over the green on 17 but two great shots on 18 closed out the round with a nice par. His four under (66) shot us right up the leader board and we ended up with a T-16th finish.
This finish moves us to 100th on the FedEx points list and now gives us an opportunity to get into the limited field at The Memorial in two weeks. Since the Memorial is an invitational, the field of 120 players is filled by the current years FedEx list after the Byron Nelson. As of now, Monday morning, we are currently 111/120 in the field for the Memorial but all exempt players have until this Friday to enter the event.
With a 15mph wind blowing from the south and gusting up to 20, it makes the final five hole stretch play long and difficult. But once again, Kevin's hard work he has been putting in on his short game paid off as he was made three great up and downs on 14, 15 and 16 to keep the round together. We were unable to get it up and down from over the green on 17 but two great shots on 18 closed out the round with a nice par. His four under (66) shot us right up the leader board and we ended up with a T-16th finish.
This finish moves us to 100th on the FedEx points list and now gives us an opportunity to get into the limited field at The Memorial in two weeks. Since the Memorial is an invitational, the field of 120 players is filled by the current years FedEx list after the Byron Nelson. As of now, Monday morning, we are currently 111/120 in the field for the Memorial but all exempt players have until this Friday to enter the event.
Sunday, May 18, 2014
Byron Nelson - Third Round
Once again we had to tee off the tenth hole to start the day. The twenty minute gap between our warm up and start of play didn't agree with us and a poor approach shot finished buried in the lip of the green side bunker. Unable to get that up and down and we started the day with a bogey.
It didn't take long until Kevin was able to get into the flow of the round but we just a little off all day. After making two birdies to get it under par through seven, the tee shot on the par three 17th found the water hazard. But Kevin followed that up by almost holing out his wedge shot from the drop zone and then almost holed his second shot on the par four 18th. Three birdies and two bogeys had us making the turn at one under for the day.
The back nine was much of the same. Good shots mixed with not so good shots had us making a bunch of pars. Our only hiccup came on the par three second (our 11th) as we three putted from off the fringe. The one over par back nine gave us an even par round (70) for the day. (T-47th) It's not what we were looking for but we also know that a good, real low round isn't far away.
We tee of tomorrow at 9:18 with Kris Blanks.
It didn't take long until Kevin was able to get into the flow of the round but we just a little off all day. After making two birdies to get it under par through seven, the tee shot on the par three 17th found the water hazard. But Kevin followed that up by almost holing out his wedge shot from the drop zone and then almost holed his second shot on the par four 18th. Three birdies and two bogeys had us making the turn at one under for the day.
The back nine was much of the same. Good shots mixed with not so good shots had us making a bunch of pars. Our only hiccup came on the par three second (our 11th) as we three putted from off the fringe. The one over par back nine gave us an even par round (70) for the day. (T-47th) It's not what we were looking for but we also know that a good, real low round isn't far away.
We tee of tomorrow at 9:18 with Kris Blanks.
Saturday, May 17, 2014
Byron Nelson - Second Round
We got it in at even par (70) but it wasn't easy. We got off to a shaky start with a three putt on the third and then drove it into a water hazard on the fourth. Two over after four holes has us fighting back early. Even though Kevin continued to hit it well, it seemed to be the type of day where we had middle yardages and were between clubs all day long. That left us hitting it to 30-40 feet and not really having good looks at birdies.
Kevin's one under total has us sitting in a tie for 41st but only five shots from 2nd place. The field is bunched up and anyone making the cut still has a chance to win the golf tournament. Since a total of 84 players made the cut, the Tour has us teeing off in threesomes for the third round. We tee off number 10 at 10:00am with Scott Gardiner and Scottie Scheffler.
Kevin's one under total has us sitting in a tie for 41st but only five shots from 2nd place. The field is bunched up and anyone making the cut still has a chance to win the golf tournament. Since a total of 84 players made the cut, the Tour has us teeing off in threesomes for the third round. We tee off number 10 at 10:00am with Scott Gardiner and Scottie Scheffler.
Thursday, May 15, 2014
Byron Nelson (Dallas, TX) - First Round
We played a solid round of golf today. Teeing off number 10 presents a bit of a challenge starting the day. Since the tenth does not start near the clubhouse, we had to complete our warmup 20 minutes early, load up into a van, and ride out to the tenth tee. Kevin's rhythm was a little off early and it took a few holes to get into the flow of the round. I feel like we managed the round nicely and made only one bad mistake late in the day on the sixth hole. After hitting a perfect tee shot, we short-sided ourselves with a nine iron and could not get it up and down from a tough position. It was just a situation where he was a little too aggressive and it cost us a shot as we finished with a bogey.
On a day where conditions were tough and scores were not low (5 under leading), Kevin finished the day with a one under par (69). We caught a bit of a break with the wind as the gust seemed to lay down late in the day. Tomorrow's forecast is for gusty winds in the afternoon so I'm hoping we can get most of our round in with calmer conditions once again. We tee off tomorrow at 9:00.
On a day where conditions were tough and scores were not low (5 under leading), Kevin finished the day with a one under par (69). We caught a bit of a break with the wind as the gust seemed to lay down late in the day. Tomorrow's forecast is for gusty winds in the afternoon so I'm hoping we can get most of our round in with calmer conditions once again. We tee off tomorrow at 9:00.
Wednesday, May 14, 2014
April - May Update / Byron Nelson Practice
It looks like I've been missing from the blog for about a month and a half. But, as most of you know, things have been pretty good since my last post. We made four straight cuts and the finishes improved each week. Houston (68th), Hilton Head (38th), New Orleans (34th), and Charlotte (6th). Bad weather and family friends in Hilton Head, Geraldine and the kids in New Orleans, and commuting from home during Charlotte (along with some laziness) kept me from blogging. But now that I'm back on the road and in my normal routine, I'll try to post a little something each day.
This week we are in Dallas for the Byron Nelson. We did not qualify for the Players Championship so we had last week off. We flew into town Monday but due to some extreme weather Monday afternoon and evening, we both arrived late. I met Kevin Tuesday morning and we had a solid day of practice. JT (Kevin's instructor) flew in for a few days and they worked together after our practice round. Nothing major. Just monitoring and fine tuning a few things as Kevin continues to hit the ball great. Today was our normal Wednesday practice session with a little extra time spent on some bunker work. Kevin is looking good and ready to the week.
We tee off tomorrow at 2:00pm off of number 10 with Hudson Swafford and USGA Junior Amateur Champion Scotty Scheffler.
This week we are in Dallas for the Byron Nelson. We did not qualify for the Players Championship so we had last week off. We flew into town Monday but due to some extreme weather Monday afternoon and evening, we both arrived late. I met Kevin Tuesday morning and we had a solid day of practice. JT (Kevin's instructor) flew in for a few days and they worked together after our practice round. Nothing major. Just monitoring and fine tuning a few things as Kevin continues to hit the ball great. Today was our normal Wednesday practice session with a little extra time spent on some bunker work. Kevin is looking good and ready to the week.
We tee off tomorrow at 2:00pm off of number 10 with Hudson Swafford and USGA Junior Amateur Champion Scotty Scheffler.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)