Soboba Classic (San Jacinto, California) - Tuesday Practice

Well, we all finally made it to California. My journey started Sunday afternoon, flying from Charlotte, NC to Atlanta, GA to El Paso, TX. I arrived in El Paso Sunday night at 10pm. Then it was off to Phoenix, AZ Monday morning at 6am connecting on to Ontario, CA. After 24 hours and five different states, I finally made to San Jacinto.

Kevin's journey started Monday but his flight was cancelled.  He had to wait to fly Tuesday morning and was rerouted to LAX rather then the Ontario airport. LAX  is not only further away from San Jacinto but he now had to change his car rental, hotel reservations, etc. It was a mess. Kevin finally arrived to the course around 2pm (that is 5pm est after waking up at 3:30am est). After a little practice, we went out for a nine hole practice round. He actually hit it very well and we had a good practice session. Kevin's girlfriend, Brittany, is out with him this week. Brittany came and picked us up about 5pm and then we all went out for some dinner.

For those of you that don't know, Kevin is also dealing with the Shingles. A few weeks ago, he had some back pain and then a rash broke out on his lower back while we were in Boise, ID. So early last week, he went to the Doctors and was diagnosed with Shingles. He lost focus in Salt Lake and looked very tired in Boise which are all symptoms of Shingles. He says he is feeling much better but the things I have heard about Shingles are they can be very painful. Lets hope the worse is behind him.

We are in the morning pro-am tomorrow at 7:30.

Boise Open - Sceond Round

Kevin started the day with an unbelievable warm up session. He carried the warm up out to the course and had a very good ball striking day. We teed off number 10 and birdied the 11th and 12th holes to get the day started. One bad swing with a five iron on the par 3 number 13 lead to a bogey and killed the momentum. Another good birdie on 16 was followed by a 3-putt bogey from the fringe on the par 3 17th that killed the momentum once again. We made the turn at one under par (-2 total). Back to back 3-putts on the 3rd and 4th holes put us in a position that we could not get out of. We ended up shooting even for the day (-1 total) and missed the cut.

Kevin is taking next week off as the Tour goes to Midland, TX. As I mentioned yesterday, Kevin is worn out both physically and mentally. The week off will be good for us. It is time to recharge the battery and get ready for the home stretch. Even though it looks like Kevin has his PGA Tour card for next year, every week is so important. Each position on the money list could mean more opportunities to play early in the year on the west coast. We need to continue to play well and stay focused.

As for me, I am flying home on Monday. Looking forward to getting home, spending time with the family, cooking out, and playing a little golf of my own. I hope everyone has a great week next week and I'll sign back on when we get to Soboba, CA.  

Boise Open - First Round

We teed off this morning at 8:40 paired with Charles Warren and Patrick Sheehan. It is a great pairing this week. Kevin has played many practice rounds with Patrick and Charles has been a family friend since Kevin was young. Everyone was relaxed and enjoyed the day.

Kevin played fairly well today with the exception of two tee shots and one three putt green. We had three bogeys along with four birdies to shoot one under par (70). Kevin was not in total control of his swing but he managed his game well and kept the ball in front of him (putting it in the right position). By doing this, we had plenty of opportunities which is the goal each day. We struggled with a few reads on the greens but if we were able to convert a few more putts it could have been a great day.

After the round, Kevin hit some putts and then went to work on the range. We worked on getting the club in front of him on the way down and then swinging left by turning his chest through (less arms). When the body gets tired, you have the tendency to swing too much with your arms and the swing gets out of sync. Kevin has played a lot of golf and the win has taken a lot out of him. By the end of the session, he was hitting it much better.

Earlier this week, The Golf Channel asked Kevin for some interviews and said he would be the featured player on Friday. Coverage comes on at 4:30pm (EST) - 7:00pm. Check him out!!! 

Boise Open - Monday Practice

After missing the cut last week, Kevin took the weekend off. Saturday was spent watching College football and yesterday was spent in the car driving up to Boise, ID from Salt Lake City, UT. It was about a five hour drive so I arrived in Boise about 4pm. My hotel this week is much nicer then last week. I'm in a Hyatt Place about 5 minutes from the golf course. My roommate (Randy Dietz - caddies for Jon Mills) flew in about 10:30pm (they took last week off). I picked him up at the airport about 11pm and then came back and went to bed.

I met Kevin this morning around 9am. We warmed up and then played a practice round with Darron Stiles. Kevin loved the course. It is in great shape and the greens are fast. Kevin spent extra time around the greens chipping and putting. We also worked on keeping his arms connected better through the swing.  Last week he talked about hitting alot of shots in the heel of the club. We talked and felt like he could do better keeping his arms connected to his body. To feel this, Kevin played most of his round with a golf glove under his right arm. He started hitting it much better. With his putter, I felt his rhythm was off. He practiced hitting putts with his eyes closed. This really helped him get a better rhythm and flow back into his stroke. With all of this, we had a great day of practice.

Tonight, I'm planning on having a little dinner and watching some MNF. It's kinda cool having MNF coming on at 5pm. I actually have a chance of staying up and watching an entire game!!!

Utah Championship - Friday

We teed off today at 2:00pm. The weather was great. It was sunny and about 65 degrees. Unfortunately, the weather was about the only thing that was good today. It seemed like we just could not get it right this week. When we played the ball to bounce and release - it would be soft and the ball would stop. When we played the ball to check and stop - it would bounce and release. We struggled with distance control, wind direction, etc. You name it...we struggled with it!! As easy as it seemed last week, it was twice as hard this week.

We ended up shooting two over (73) today for a three over total. The cut fell at one under par. The week can be summed up on the par five's. As much as we struggled, we just did not take advantage of the par 5's this week. There are five par 5's on this course and most of them were reachable in two. We were only able to make two birdies on the ten par five's we played in two days.

Next week in Boise, ID we will have to deal with the high altitude again. The weird thing about playing at high altitude is the adjustment changes with the temperature. Early mornings could only be a 5% adjustment and it could go up to 10% or more in the afternoon. So this is something Kevin and I will work on so we can be better prepared by next Thursday. I'm real excited about next week because I feel it is a perfect course for Kevin's game. I'm looking forward to it!!!

Utah Championship

Monday was a long day. My flight arrived into Salt lake City at 11:00pm (1am est), picked up my rental car, and finally made it to my hotel a little after midnight (2am). I was hoping the reviews I read about my hotel were wrong but when I checked in...it was worse then I expected. Oh well, at least the bed is comfortable!!!

Kevin and I met up on Tuesday a little after lunch. We practiced and then went out for nine holes with Casey Wittenberg. We finished our day shortly before 6pm. The club hosted a nice BBQ at the pool for everyone so I decided to hang around for some dinner.

On Wednesday, we were in the afternoon pro-am that teed off at 1:45. Kevin came out before lunch and we worked on the range. He also spent some time testing out some 2 irons. He was able to find one with a different shaft that now allows him to work the ball both ways. After lunch, we putted until our tee time. The pro-am finished about 7pm, stopped for some dinner on the way back to the hotel, and was in bed by 9pm.

Today we teed off at 9:10 with JJ Killeen and Jeff Quinney. The weather was cold and windy. Kevin played solid starting out and was 3 under through 10. He lost his tempo on the back and missed every green except the par five's. He fought hard to make pars but it finally caught up to us on the last three holes when he was unable to get those up and down. We finished at one over (72). Another thing that made it difficult today was adjusting for the high altitude. We are at 4800 ft so the ball flies much further here. Add that to the cold, windy, firm conditions...its tough!! After the round, we worked on tempo and he is feeling better about things. Looking forward to getting at it tomorrow!!!

Mylan Classic - Final Round

2010 Mylan Classic CHAMPION. Kevin shot a bogey free 67 to win by one shot. The win moves us to 14th on the Money List and in good shape for the rest of the year. (top 25 gain 2011 PGA Tour cards)

Kevin played great all day. Right from the first tee shot that he striped down the middle to the final 4-footer that he hearted in the center of the hole on the 18th. I was very impressed with his composure today. Our goal/thought for the day... "golf is a process, f*** results". We were so toned into the process, he was completely focused on hitting great shots. He was calm and in control all day. Nothing bothered him and he handled the pressure like a Champion.

I have a busy day ahead of me today. After the tournament last night, I drove 7 hrs home. I got home about mid-night. Woke up this morning and doing laundry. I'm flying out to Salt Lake City, UT this afternoon from Charlotte. I'm trying to get packed early so I can spend some time with the kids today. Thanks to everyone for their text, emails, phone calls and voice mails. The support means a lot!!!
                                                                                                                                                    

Mylan Classic - Round Three

Boy...we had a good time out there today. I had a friend, Jeff Faria, drive all the way down from Canada to watch us play. Teed off at 11:44 with Jason Gore and Rocco Mediate. Kevin started the day hitting a perfect tee shot off of number one and never looked back. The weather conditions were tough with the wind gusting up to 30mph and swirling. It was the toughest scoring day on the Nationwide Tour this year with a stroke average of 2.9 over par for the entire field. Kevin managed his game, stayed patient, and tied the low score of the day (68). Rocco Mediate spoke to Kevin after the round and told him how impressed he was with his game and told him not to change a thing. I thought that was pretty cool coming from a man that almost beat Tiger Woods in a playoff a few years ago at the US Open. 

After the round we practiced putting for a few minutes. The green speed was faster today so Kevin just wanted to work on his speed. It was a short session since he was tired and hungry.

We tee off tomorrow at 11:30 in the second to last group. Kevin is in 3rd place, 3 shots off the lead. Coverage on the Golf Channel starts tomorrow at 1pm - 4pm. If anyone can't sleep tonight...The Golf Channel will air today's round from 12 midnight til 2pm.

Mylan Classic - Round Two

First off this morning on number 10 at 7:20am. After this summer in the midwest with the heat index reaching into the 110's, I swore I would never complain about being cold again. Well, it was "chilly" this morning. I arrived at the club before sunrise and it was still dark when we started our warm up session. I'm just saying I wish I had a sweater or jacket to wear. (I'm not complaining)

Kevin played well today. One bad lie just off the green and an early "mud" ball caused two bogeys on the first nine holes. He was able to offset those bogeys with four birdies and turned at 2 under. A bad swing with a nine iron ending in a water hazard caused another bogey on our back nine but he finished strong with birdies on two of his last three holes. His 6 under total was good enough for the lead when we finished but I'm sure that a few guys will pass us this afternoon.

The weather forecast is calling for a cold front moving through the area later today. The high tomorrow is only expected to be in the mid 60's and the wind is forecasted to be gusting up to 30mph. The wind here at this course swirls through the valleys and it is very difficult to figure out. If the forecast stays true, it will take a lot of patience tomorrow. Looking forward to it!!!!

Mylan Classic - Round One

Teed off at 12:30 with Nate Smith and Scott Stallings. We got off to a tough start by bogeying the first two holes. A hooked four iron into a creek on number one and a hooked 3 wood off of the tee on number two into a creek lead to those bogeys. Kevin was fighting his swing to start the day. We could have easily been 5 over thru 6 holes but he showed his mental toughness and fought through it. He started hitting solid shots and gave himself 10 great looks at birdie on his last 11 holes. We played the back nine in 5 under par and finished the day at 3 under 68 (t-16th).

We are the first group off in the morning at 7:20am. That means a 4:45am wake up call. Time for bed!!!

Mylan Classic - Wednesday Practice

Wow...there does not get an easier day for a caddy!! Kevin was not in the pro-am, so we met at 10am. He had another treatment on his back and said it was feeling much better. After his treatment, we went to the range. He spent most of his time working on his wedges. We have struggled the last few weeks with distance control so he wanted to work on dialing in his yardages. After his range session, we worked on chipping. We have not played on bent grass in awhile so we spent a lot of time chipping and pitching from the bent grass rough. After some bunker practice and putting, our day was done.

This week is on the Golf Channel. The coverage starts at 3pm tomorrow. With our 12:30 tee time, we will be on the back nine during the TV coverage. So, there is a possibility we could get a little TV time tomorrow. Lets hope we give them something to put on the air!!!