Q-School Finals - Final Round (Earning His Card Back)

Wow, what a great performance from Kevin. When I met Kevin in the morning, he was relaxed and focused. I could tell his back was feeling better because his rhythm was perfect right from the start of our warm up. He was swinging great and I knew he was ready for the challenge.

We got off to a hot start with birdies on 2, 4, 5, 7 and 9. He was hitting it so well, four of the five birdies came from inside 10 feet. We made the turn at 5 under par (31). His only "mediocre" swing came when I steered him away from the pin from 147 yards on the par 3 - 8th hole. Under the circumstances, it was one of the most impressive nine holes that I've seen.

The back nine was a little more conservative. We added one more birdie on 11th when he just missed an eagle putt from about 25 feet. That was offset by our only bogey on the tough 13th. Kevin closed it out with a great par putt on the 18th and we finished the day five under (67). Our 12 under total moved us into a tie for 11th. That means our 2012 PGA Tour "ranking number" will be almost exactly the same as last year when Kevin finished 11th on the Nationwide Tour money list.

2011 has been a wild ride. We had more then our share of lows. At times, lower then low. But I believe it made him into a better player. The thing that impress me the most about Kevin is his determination to continue to learn and improve. He has worked extremely hard with Rickey on his full swing and he continues to learn and understand the different shots in the short game. The old saying "what doesn't kill you, will make you stronger" fits us perfectly. I believe when we look back on his career many years down the road, 2011 will be the year that built him into a world class player.

I want to thank everyone for following us through out the year. All of the support has been amazing. It was great seeing most of you throughout the year at the different tournaments and I'm looking forward to seeing you all again next year.

Q-School Finals - Sixth Round (Tournament Course)

I don't have much time since I am about to catch a flight home. Kevin played an awesome round of golf today and shot five under par (67) to finish t-11th. I will post another blog tomorrow when I get home. Thanks to everyone for all of their support this week. Kevin and I are blessed to have such a great support team.

Q-School Final - Fifth Round (Stadium Course)

The weather conditions were ideal today. Kevin's three under round (69) moves us back into the top 25. Our -7 total is tied for 24th with one round to play.

Kevin played solid all day. He continues to drive the ball great hitting every fairway and only missed three greens. Unfortunately, we bogeyed all three holes when we missed the green. His back is still not feeling right. He said he has a constant "ache" and he has trouble getting through the ball on a few swings. After the round, he had more physio.

Strong winds are once again in the forecast for the final round. Some reports are 30mph while others are saying 15mph. Either way, we will have some challenging conditions and we will be prepared for anything.

We tee off the final round at 8:45 with Roberto Castro and William McGirt. Round six, here we come.

Q-School Finals - Fourth Round (Tournament Course)

It was one of the toughest days I have ever had on a golf course. We woke up this morning to cold and windy conditions. With winds blowing consistently 35mph, it made for an absolute brutal day. Kevin drove the ball great but we had a terrible time judging the yardages into the greens. We tried to manage the game but at times the conditions made us look foolish. But, with patients and attitudes wearing thin, Kevin's short game kept us in there. At the end of the day, we were only two swings (9th and 17th) and two three putts (4th and 10th) away from shooting a great under par round. Instead, we finished the day at 3 over par (75).

We now have fallen outside the "top 25 number". Our total of 4 under par is tied for 28th with two rounds to play. On a positive note, this was Kevin's first round over par since early October at the Fry's.com Open. He is still playing great. If we just stay focused and relaxed, we'll be fine.

We tee off tomorrow on the Stadium Course (10th tee) at 8:10. We are paired with Dicky Pride and Scott Parel.

Q-School Finals - Third Round (Stadium Course)

It was a cold start to the day with the temperature in the upper 40's as we started our warm up session. Kevin was having trouble getting his back loose and warmed up so he was a little stiff starting the round. A great 35 footer for birdie on our first hole (10th) to start the round helped get the round going. Kevin added two more birdies through the first 5 holes with a 3-putt bogey mixed in and we were 2 under through 5. Unfortunately, we could not make another birdie for the rest of the day.

It was one of those days where we "rode the fence". He hit plenty of good shots and good putts that hit the holes. But then we also had some missed shots on some good scoring opportunities. When we add it all up, we finished the day with a one under par round (71).

Tomorrow we move over to the Tournament Course. We play in the same group and tee off at 9:44 on number 1.

Finals - Second Round (Stadium Course)

We woke up today to 25-30 mph winds and gust up to 40 mph. The perfect desert weather turned nasty as temps hovered around 55 - 60 degrees with no sunshine. It was a completely different day.

Kevin was able to get off to an incredible start with a hot putter. Yardage and direction control was extremely difficult with the gusty winds and it made hitting greens next to impossible. But a nice short game and a hot putter took a bit of the pressure off. Kevin started the day with a nice 15 foot par putt on our first hole and never looked back. He only had one 2-putt green through 11 holes which also included two holed putts from off the green. His total of 10 putts through 11 holes put us 4 under for the day through 11 holes.

A missed green with a 2 iron on our 12th hole led to our first bogey. And then a miss judged pitching wedge on our 16th that only flew 88 yards finishing in a water hazard led to a double bogey. It was a tough way to finish off the round. We managed the game well all day with the exception of one bad mistake on our 16th. But on a positive note, Kevin's one under par round (71) on a difficult day kept pace. Our -6 total leaves us in 9th place and only 4 shots off the lead.

We tee off tomorrow at 8:28 on number 10 of the Stadium Course. We are paired with Jeff Maggert and Dean Wilson.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.  

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.

Disney - Round 3

We had another solid day. Kevin shot 5 under and is 11 under for the tournament, tied for 6th. He hit the ball well all day; missed some short opportunities with the putter but at the end of the day, it was solid. The weather was a little cool early but it warmed up and it was perfect for the rest of the day. Kevin was a little disappointed with his putting because we missed some short putts but when we look at the stats for the week, he is 5th in putts per green in regulation and 13th in putts per round. After the round, we worked on the putter and he seemed to be comfortable with the things we worked on.

We tee off tomorrow at 11:35 with Tom Pernice and Sunghoon Kang. We are looking forward to the opportunity of chasing down the leaders and having a chance to win this tournament!!

Disney - Round Two

Play was slow today. Our 12:10 tee time was delayed about 20 minutes due to the early morning tee times playing slow. With the wind conditions constantly changing, it made club selection difficult. We were able to get off to another fast start with birdies on the first two holes. Kevin added two more birdies on the 7th and 10th holes and we were -4 for the day. Once again the momentum was slowed after hitting two great shots on the par 5 11th hole when we three putted for par and then a missed 4 footer on the next hole led to our first bogey. Kevin settled back in and we hit every green coming in. We were only able to convert one birdie but that was offset with a three putt on the par 3 16th. We finished the day with another 3 under 69 and we are 6 under for the tournament.

We tee off tomorrow at 10:30 with Billy Mayfair and Arjun Atwal.

Children's Miracle Network Hospitals Classic (Disney) - Orlando, FL

As all of you know, I haven't blogged in a while. After missing the cut in California two weeks ago, I caught the red eye back to the east coast on Friday night and was not able to blog after the first round. Last week in Georgia, I did not have the internet and once again could not / did not blog. So here you go.

We teed off this morning at 8:10am on the Magnolia course with Garrett Willis. Garrett had my long time, good friend Brennan Webb caddying for him so I had a great day. This tournament is a pro-am being played on two courses for the first two days with each professional paired with one amateur. Garrett's partner was an ex-NFL football player that played for the Denver Broncos for nine years. I told him that if he had legs like mine, he could have played 10 years!!

With a cold front moving through yesterday, it was cold and windy starting the day. Our warm up started in the dark and under the flood lights. We got off to a great start as Kevin hit it solid and putted great. With only 13 putts through 10 holes, we had it 5 under for the day in some tough conditions. Our momentum hit a wall as our drive on the par 5 - 4th hole (our 13th) ran through a fairway bunker and finished up under the lip. We were not able to get it out of the trap and then the next shot could only be advanced with a sand wedge. The final result was a double bogey. A few loose shots but some great up and downs coming in and we were able to keep it at 3 under. Kevin was a little disappointed when we finished but the Magnolia course played almost two shots higher then the Palm course today and there were only 7 scores better then us on the Magnolia.

Tomorrow we tee off at 12:10 on the Palm.

Fry's.com Open - San Martin, CA (Round 1)

On a day where the weather was constantly changing, it was a tough day that tested your patients. We got off to a great start (-3 thru 5) but could not find another birdie for the rest of the day. With the temperature constantly changing, the wind changing directions and the rain coming down heavy at times, I thought we managed it well and finished the day even par (71). Kevin's ball striking was solid; 4th in driving accuracy and 10th in greens in regulation through one round. He is a little frustrated with our finish because we left some opportunities out there but it was difficult for everyone. The leaders are at 4 under so we are still in a good position for the rest of the week.

We tee off tomorrow morning at 8:20. I'm sure it will be cold but at least the forecast is for clear skies.

Justin Timberlake Shriners Open - Final Round

Another perfect day for golf. Kevin played solid most of the day but we were unable to convert on some good scoring opportunities. A few loose wedge shots and chips coupled with some good putts not falling left us even par for the day through 15 holes. Kevin hit a great shot into the par five 16th hole and made the putt for our third eagle of the week. We had another good look at birdie after a beautiful 6 iron on 17 but could not hole the putt. Two more great swings on 18 left us with a 4 footer for birdie and we finished the day at 3 under par (68). Our 13 under par total was good enough for a t-29th.

We now head over to California for the Fry's.com Open just outside of San Jose. We will continue to work on the things we have been working on along with continuing to clean up the wedges and short game. Over the past few months, we are finally hitting the ball consistent enough throughout the weeks to get into contention. Time to keep building on it.

Justin Timberlake Shriners Open - Third Round

On a perfect day to play golf, we had a solid day with no bogeys and shot 4 under par 67. Kevin hit it well, only needing to chip one time all day. He was a little frustrated with the results since we had so many opportunities but it was a step in the right direction. He is playing well and all we can do is continue with the process. Our tee time tomorrow is 9:10 off number 1 with Jason Bohn and Nathan Green.

Justin Timberlake Shriners Open - Las Vegas, NV

Kevin and I arrived in Las Vegas on Sunday. We played last week on the Nationwide Tour in Saboba, CA. Last week's event was a nice warm up to the Fall Finish on the PGA Tour. Kevin hit the ball great three out of the four days in Saboba. We struggled with the putter but it was a good week getting back into the swing of things.

Early in the week we had some great practice rounds and practice sessions. The golf course is in perfect condition and the weather is perfect. On Thursday, we struggled a bit with the ball striking but is was not far off. He was missing shots a little right but the contact was solid. Only hitting five fairways and just over 50% of the greens, Kevin's short game kept us in the tournament and we were able to manage a one under par round (70). After the round, we worked on freeing up the tension in his arms and he was able to get the ball back on line.

This morning, we teed off at 8:16 and got off to a tough start. A drive into the right rough and then a pitching wedge that shot right of the green put us into a difficult position. A three putt after the chip shot led to a double bogey start. Kevin gutted it out and came right back with a perfect drive and a nine iron to 1.5 feet on the next hole for a birdie. He stayed committed to each shot and played great the rest of the day. We finished the day with five birdies and an eagle for a 5 under par (66). We are now 6 under for the tournament and ready for the weekend.

Mylan Classic - Third Round

It was an up and down day. Six birdies were offset by two bogeys and two doubles. We started the round with a great tee shot down the middle but our second shot 9 iron flew over the green. Kevin was able to get it up and down but I think it set the tone for the rest of the day. With the heat and humidity high, we struggled getting comfortable controlling the distance with the scoring clubs. After a double on our third hole, Kevin settled into the round and got it rolling again starting the on the par three 5th. He played the next 7 holes 5 under par and moved to 16 under for the tournament (3 under for the day). Things started to unravel on the par 3 (14th) as we pulled an 8 iron and failed to get it up and down. A poor wedge on the 15th led to a three putt bogey and then another pulled 8 iron coupled with poor chipping on 16 led to another double. That three hole stretch backed us up to one over for the day and 12 under for the tournament. Kevin dug deep and hit a great wedge that looked like it bounced off the flag stick and made the putt for birdie. Another great shot into the 18th left us about 10 feet but we were not able to convert the birdie. Our final round 71 keeps us in the lead tied with two others at 13 under par.

Due to the weather forecast, tee time have been adjusted and the field will be split, going off both the first and tenth tees in threesomes. We tee off in the last group at 10:00 with John Mallinger and Gary Christain.

Mylan Classic - Round 2

We had another great day. With the weather conditions perfect for scoring, we started the day with six straight pars before the flood gates opened. Kevin hit his first five greens and had nice looks at birdie. After coming up short on number six, he made a great up and down to save par. He then plays the next 8 holes - 7 under par. We had three more opportunities on 15, 16 and 17 but was unable to convert. The day concluded with a holed out 8 iron from 161 yards on 18 for eagle. Our 9 under par (62) ties the course record and puts us at 13 under for the tournament.

We tee off tomorrow at 1:00 with Gary Christian. Looking forward to the process!!

Mylan Classic (Pittsburgh, PA) - Round 1

It was an early morning with a 4:30 wake up call. I arrived at the club about shortly before 6am and we started our warm up in the dark. Our 7:20 tee time was the earliest tee time we have had all year. Kevin got off to a solid start, hitting it solid and giving himself good looks at birdie. A pulled drive on our 7th hole (#16) finished in the rough, on a side hill lie and led to our only bogey for the day. With a thunderstorm rolling in, play was suspended when we reached the next tee.

Play resumed 2.5 hours later and Kevin continued his solid play. With the wind blowing strong, it made it difficult to figure out the correct yardages because of the extreme elevation changes. But we managed it nicely and Kevin was able to hit all but one green coming in. A nice 10 footer for birdie on the difficult 4th hole (our 13th) got us back to even for the day. Two more solid pars and then Kevin caught fire over the final three holes. Finishing birdie, eagle, birdie put us at 4 under (67) for the day. What makes today even more impressive was it was done with a new grip. One of the most difficult things to do in golf is changing your grip. Kevin made a major change from using an overlap grip to an interlocking grip. Kevin and his instructor believe this is something that needs to be done for him to improve and be more consistent. Only two and a half days into the change, and he was able to hit 15 out of 18 greens.

Due to the 2.5 hour delay, play could not be completed today. When play was suspended for the night at 8pm, 7 under is leading and we are t-4th. They will resume play in the morning and complete round 1. Our second round tee time has now been pushed backed 30 minutes and we are scheduled to tee off at 1pm. The weather forecast is for more chances of thunderstorms tomorrow around mid-day. It could be another long day.

 

Knoxville Open - Final Round

We put ourselves in position and had our chance. After getting off to a rocky start, pulling two six irons in a row, Kevin settled into the round and played well. We made the turn at one over for the day (37) and made birdies on 10, 12, and 13 to get within one shot of the lead with 5 holes remaining. On 14, our tee shot found the fairway bunker only 115 yards from the hole but we caught a bad break as the ball finished close to the edge. Kevin could not get his left foot into the sand at address and had to stand with it outside the bunker on a severe downslope. As he swung the wedge, his left foot slipped down the slope and his natural reaction was to come up out of the shot. He thinned it over the green, out of bounds. We then had to drop another ball in the bunker, slightly plugging in the sand, he hit his next shot heavy into the greenside bunker. When we got to the greenside bunker, we found the ball buried just over the front lip of the trap and he had no backswing. We had to play the ball out sideways away from the hole. The end result was a quadruple bogey 8 and our chance of winning was washed away in a matter of 5 minutes. It was a horrible feeling because we did nothing wrong. He worked hard all week to get himself into a position to win the tournament and it all ended because of a lie and stance.

We question why things like this happen, it sucks and it really stings the psyche. But after a few days, we have to look at the big picture. Kevin played well enough to win the golf tournament. We finished 2nd in putts per green in regulation and led the field in birdies. Golf is a process. We are now back in Pittsburgh (Mylan Classic), site of his last win on the Nationwide Tour. We should have a lot of confidence heading into this week and if we continue to build on what we are doing, we'll have another opportunity this week.

After Sunday's round, Kevin and I both went home. He is flying into Pittsburgh this afternoon (Tuesday). I drove up yesterday after taking Alex to his first day of school and Geraldine out for breakfast for her birthday. We are going to meet this afternoon for a nine hole practice round and then we are in the pro-am tomorrow afternoon.

Knoxville Open - Third Round

We had a tough front nine. After opening with a birdie on the first and being one under through 3 holes, we made a bad club selection off the tee on number 4 and hit a perfect 3 wood through the fairway into the water hazard. That mistake led to a bogey and then a bad swing off the next tee sent our tee shot out of bounds. After re-teeing, Kevin hit some great shots and was able to make a 10 footer to save a bogey. We finished the front nine with 4 pars and shot one over (37).

The momentum finally changed on 10 when Kevin chipped in for eagle. We were able to follow that up with 3 more birdies and came in with a 5 under par (31) on the back nine. The 4 under (68) puts us 16 under through three rounds and t-2nd. The leader is one shot ahead at 17 under.

Today was a perfect example of why it is so important to stay patient and keep a positive attitude. You don't have to be perfect. Kevin overcame a poor course management decision followed by a bad swing but worked his way back into contention. When he showed up in Knoxville on Tuesday, he had only one goal for the week....WIN. He has done all the right things so far and we are 18 holes away from reaching our goal. We'll try to give ourselves 18 more opportunities tomorrow and see what happens.

We tee off tomorrow at 1:00 with John Mallinger.   

Knoxville Open - Second Round

We had another solid day. Kevin got off to a great start with birdies on the first two holes. He continued to give himself great opportunities at birdie but was unable to connect. A poor swing with a six iron on the par 3 sixth hole led to our only bogey. Kevin was in control all day with the only difference from yesterday being the putter. But he stayed patient and birdied three of the last 5 holes to finish the day at 4 under par (68).

Our 12 under total leaves us tied for 4th going into the weekend. We tee off tomorrow at 12:50 with Brain Bateman.

Knoxville Open - Nationwide Tour

Kevin went home after the Wyndham Championship on Sunday. He took Monday off and I played in the NC mid-am qualifier in Winston Salam, NC. I'm happy to say that as bad as my game has been, I was able to shoot one over par (73) and qualified. I now have two weeks to get ready. The NC Mid-Am is being played at River Run CC in Davidson, NC on Sept. 9-11. I'm looking forward to the challenge.

Kevin and I arrived in Knoxville on Tuesday afternoon. We hit a few balls and then went out for a nine hole practice round. On Wednesday, we played off site at Rarity Point with Garrett Willis, Andres Gonzales, Keith Nolan, and few other of Garrett's friends. Unfortunately for Kevin, he had me as a partner and we got "killed". It was not fun.

But that all changed today and we had fun shooting 8 under 64. Kevin was in control. He only miss hit two shots all day. Both of those misses were iron shots that needed to be hit full with a draw. He got ahead of them and hit blocks with no turn to the left. But they were both left in decent positions. He was able to get the first one up and down and made a long birdie putt with the other. Kevin putted great. He received a tip from good friend, Scott Brown earlier in the week. He made an adjustment in his setup and he rolled it great. He made 9 birdies and had two great par saving putts on our 11th and 18th holes which kept the round intact.

We tee off tomorrow at 1:20.

Wyndham Championship - weekend

Kevin played well this weekend with the exception of a four hole stretch during Saturdays round. With rounds of 71 - 68 on the weekend, we finished four under par for the week and tied for 59th.

Unfortunately, we did not qualify for the FedEx playoffs. The PGA Tour will now be in the playoffs for the next five weeks. Because Kevin is a full time PGA Tour member, he has the option to play any Nationwide Tour event during this time. We have decided to play the next two weeks in Knoxville, TN and Pittsburgh, PA. After Pittsburgh, Kevin will take a few weeks off before the PGA Tour's Fall Finish. The Fall Finish consist of four events beginning in Las Vegas and finishing at Disney in Orlando, FL.  

Wyndham Championship - Second Round

It was another solid day. Kevin's ball striking was better then yesterday and we managed our way around the course nicely. We struggled once again with the putter and failed to make putts. We had a bogey-free round (67) with only three birdies.  Two of the three birdies were 2-putt birdies. Its hard to maintain a positive attitude when putts are not falling but we just have to keep giving ourselves the opportunities.

After the round, Kevin had a good practice session and then worked out. When we finished, I left and found a golf course to get a little practice in for myself. I was feeling good about things until I took the family to play putt-putt after dinner. I'm embarrassed to say, my wife beat me and my kids almost beat me.

We tee off tomorrow at 9:06 with Joe Durant. 

Wyndham Championship - First Round

It was a solid day. We didn't do anything special but we managed the round and gave ourselves some good opportunities. We were just a few putts from having a great round. The ball striking was a little shaky to start the round but Kevin hit every fairway and green on our final nine holes. The back nine 33 got us back to even (70) for the day and keeps us in the tournament.

We tee off tomorrow at 8:40am

Wyndham Championship (Greensboro, NC) - Practice

Kevin and I arrived Monday morning and played in the Monday pro-am. We both had a nice week off and we're ready to get back at it. This is the last event before the FedEx playoffs. We will need a top 2 finish to have a chance to make the playoffs. Our back up plan is to play the Nationwide Tour next week in Knoxville, TN and then go defend at the Mylan Classic in Pittsburgh, PA the following week.

On Tuesday, we played a practice round with Jim Renner, Andres Gonzales, and James Driscoll. It was a solid day all around. After lunch, we went through our practice routine and called it quits about 4pm.

I have the family with me this week so Kevin gave me the day off on Wednesday. I spent the morning with them swimming at the pool and then headed out to play my own practice round. I am trying the NC Mid-am qualifier in Winston Salem, NC on Monday so I met up with my friend, Dennis Woolard, and we played our practice round. I've only played one round in the last six weeks so I have a lot of work to do on my own game.

We tee off today on number 10 at 1:40pm.

Reno Tahoe Open - Round One

The day got started off on a good note. After a good warm-up session, Kevin played solid on the front. We only missed one green and turned at even par. The back nine was a different story. A blocked 3 wood off of the 10th tee finished up against the lip of the fairway bunker and we could only advance it about 20 yards down the fairway. We failed to get it up and in from about 90 yards and the bogey was the start of the struggles. We were only able to find 2 fairways and 1 green on the back nine. The short game could not bail us out and the final result was a 5 over par round 77.

Some good news is the top 70 after the first round falls at 1 over. We can still work our way back into the event with a solid round tomorrow. We'll probably need a 4 under par round to hang around for the weekend but it's definitely possible. Time to get back into hitting fairways and greens.

Reno Tahoe Open - Practice Days

Kevin flew in from The Greenbrier on Sunday night. I was not able to get here until Monday evening. Kevin went out to the club on Monday and practiced. He was excited to find Jose Maria Olazabal practicing his short game. Kevin asked a few questions and the next thing you know, Jose is explaining his technique and giving Kevin a short game lesson. What a great opportunity to learn something from a two-time Masters Champion who learned his short game from the greatest of all time, Seve Ballesteros.

On Tuesday, we played a practice round with Colt Knost, Andes Gonzales and Chez Reavie. Kevin was not happy with his ball striking and was very aggravated with how he was hitting it. After a long, tense practice round, we went to the range and worked on it. It was a tough day on both of us but we left the golf course with some positive thoughts and we were looking forward to getting back at it on Wednesday.

Today, we decided to get our work done on the golf course so we played nine holes before the pro-am at 6am. Kevin hit it great. We had a nice practice round with just the two of us. He was able to hit some extra tee shots and get some work in around the greens. It was exactly what we needed. After a little breakfast, we went through out normal practice routine (shooting balls, chipping and putting) and finished up around noon. Kevin was chosen for the Sponsor Value Program this week, so he had a meet and greet function at 2:30. He left to get his workout in before his function.

We tee off tomorrow at 8:50 with Sunghoon Kang and Creighton Honeck.  

Vancouver / Greenbrier Update

It's been a while. I told everyone that I would not be blogging from Canada but I did not realize that it would continue into last week. I was staying so far away from The Greenbrier (about 1.5 hrs away in Roanoke, VA) and with the family out with me, I just did not have the time or energy to blog last week. Unfortunately, it looks like I'll be taking one more week off from blogging in Reno. I'll be staying at The Grand Sierra Resort which most likely will be charging for the Internet. So, to all my friends that are giving me a hard time about paying for the Internet, its not about the cost - its about principle. If McDonalds can offer free Internet, why can't a four star resort include it into the price of their overpriced rooms?

Vancouver was a great week. A good friend, Rick Newsome, from Victoria, BC and his fiance, Bev came over for the week. Rick caddied for me during my days playing on the Canadian Tour. I also ran into one of my roommates from my Canadian Tour days, Dave Jukes, and his wife Antonella. It was great to catch up with them and it brought back great memories. The golf course was extremely difficult. With tight fairways and high rough, it was referred to as a "US Open test." Any drive that finished in the rough could not be advanced to the green and it was like a half shot penalty for driving into it. Kevin played great and put us into contention going into the weekend. A few missed putts on Saturday and a loose driver on Sunday took us out of contention and we finished 59th for the week.

The week at The Greenbrier got off to a horrible start. I flew home Sunday night and Kevin stayed behind to do a charity outing for Andres Gonzales in Seattle, WA on Monday. Our plan was to meet up on Tuesday for an afternoon practice round at The Greenbrier. Kevin called about noon on Tuesday to let me know that his flight was cancelled out of Chicago and that he would not be getting in until later in the afternoon. Kevin then calls back around 3pm and tells me the next flight has also been cancelled. He was now working on getting a private flight to West Virginia and he would not be arriving until late. We ended up playing a 9 hole practice round before the Wednesday pro-am at 6am. The limited 9 hole practice round made it very difficult. Kevin had to play the front nine "blind" on Thursday. Combine that with a tired mind/body and we struggled all week.

Kevin's parents and Brittany came in for the week. He was staying at The Greenbrier for the weekend to get some much rest and relaxation with the family. I came home for the weekend and had a great little birthday party Saturday night with my family. I'll be leaving for Reno tomorrow morning. I just found out the US Air pilots are on strike and the Charlotte airport is a mess. I'm hoping my travel plans go smoothly tomorrow!!

Viking Classic - Fourth Round

Tough day today. We struggled getting the ball in the fairway off the tee. Only hitting five fairways, we were not able to control the ball from the rough and we had limited opportunities at birdie. Our one over par (73), -14 total, dropped us to a tie for 27th.

After the round, I hopped in the car and drove 10 hours back to Morganton. I got home at 2:30am, doing some laundry this morning, and then heading to the airport for Vancouver. My flight leaves Charlotte this evening at 6pm for Seattle. I'll be renting a car in Seattle and then driving up to Vancouver, expecting to arrive at my hotel around midnight (3am EST). It's going to be a long day. Kevin is flying in from Jackson, MS today and we plan to meet about 8:30am Tuesday morning.

Unfortunately, my hotel in Vancouver is charging for the internet. I refuse to pay for the internet in a hotel so I will not be blogging next week from Canada unless the business center offers free internet.

Viking Classic - Round 3

Damn it!! Our first "missed shot" of the week. A thin 3 wood from 243yds didn't cover the hazard on the par five 18th and we finished with a bogey. It was our only bogey for the day and it dropped us to 15 under for the tournament - 3 shots behind the leader.

Kevin's 3 under par (69) was once again solid. We got off to another great start with birdies on the 1st and 4th holes. We added two more birdies on the back on 12 and 16. It just seemed like we could not get a comfortable yardage to the pins today. We had a lot of shots that were between clubs which made it difficult to get the ball close to the hole. When you get between clubs it is natural to get a little conservative, play the ball to a safe spot, and try to let your putter do the talking. That was a test on Kevin's patience because he felt like he should have been hitting the ball closer. But I thought we managed the round correctly and it gave us the best opportunity to shoot low.

Even with the disappointing finish, Kevin is in contention and has an opportunity to go out tomorrow and post a low score. Patience will be the key because this golf course will allow you to make a run of 4 or 5 birdies in a row. You can do it early, in the middle of the round, or late. There isn't any part of this golf course that doesn't allow it. I feel if we can post a solid number tomorrow, we tee off far enough ahead of the leaders that you never know what might happen.

Kevin's parents and sister drove in today. They left Aiken this morning and made it here for our back nine this afternoon. Kevin made a nice par saving putt on the 10th hole, heard a cheer, and said "that's got to be my mom". After the round, we all had a nice dinner and we're looking forward to tomorrow. We tee off at 11:01 with Woody Austin.
 

Viking Classic - Completion Round 2 (Saturday)

The restart was 7am. We loaded up in the vans at 6:45 and headed out to the 6th green. Kevin had a downhill 12 footer for birdie to start the day. Unfortunately, the fresh, early morning green speed got us. Kevin hit a solid putt that ended up rolling past the hole and he could not make the par putt coming back. Unfazed, he stepped up and didn't miss a shot coming in. He birdied 7, rolled a 12 footer over the edge on 8, and birdied 9 to finish the day. The round of 8 under (64) puts us at -12 for the tournament.

Round 3 is estimated to start early afternoon. The field will be split, going off of both sides. I'm expecting our third round tee time will be around 2:30 - 3:00. If the weather holds off, we will have a chance to finish round 3 tonight and be back on track for Sunday.

Viking Classic - Friday

Extremely long day. The day started with a one hour delay which turned into a 2 hour delay. The Tour needed extra time to prepare the course as a storm dropped 1.5 inches of rain during a 10 minute period over night. Unfortunately, we were already on the way to the course when the first announcement was made. We ended up arriving at the course at 7:30 for a revised 10:50 tee time. At least the British Open was on TV.

When the round finally got started, Kevin got off to a great start. Birdies on on the first three holes to start the round put us at 7 under for the tournament. A bogey on our fourth hole (13th) came when we caught a flier from the first cut of rough and a pitching wedge flew 140 yardages. Kevin hit a nice chip to 4 feet but failed to convert the up and down. The bogey was short lived and Kevin birdied the final three holes to finish the front nine in 5 under par. We were able to play two more holes until play was suspended due to a thunderstorm. After a 4 hour delay, played resumed at 5:45 local time. Kevin once again got off to a great start, hitting a wedge to 4 feet and made birdie. One more birdie on the par five 5th hole (our 14th) put us 7 under for the day. Play was once again suspended while we were playing our 15th hole. Kevin just hit another beautiful 9 iron to about 12 feet when the horn blew.

The Tour decided to suspend play for the night and the restart is scheduled for 7am tomorrow. Looking forward to a good night sleep.

Viking Classic - First Round

It was a solid day (68) in very hot conditions. The heat takes so much out of you, we are all pretty tired.

Kevin got off to a great start with birdies on 1, 5 and 6. A few missed opportunities on the par 5's stalled the momentum a little. We were able to get the ball around the green on the par 5's but failed to convert the up and downs. Other then that, every part of the game was solid. Kevin is in total control of his ball striking and it was fun to watch. After the round, we hit a few extra putts and then called it a night.

We tee off tomorrow morning at 8:50am.

Viking Classic (Jackson, MS) - Practice Days

As you all know by now, we shot even par on Friday and missed the cut last week at the John Deere Classic. It was discouraging since our ball striking was as good as I have seen in two years. A late bogey on 17 forced our hand and we finished with a bogey on 18 after hitting an aggressive shot at the pin knowing we needed a birdie to make the cut. It was a tough way to miss the cut but we applied what we have learned into this week of preparation.

On Saturday, Kevin signed up for a pro-am in Davenport, IA. After the pro-am, we hopped into my car and started our 12 hour drive to Jackson, MS. We drove 8 hours, made it to Memphis, TN shortly before midnight and stopped for the night. Sunday we finished our trip and took the day off from practice.

Kevin's instructor flew in Monday morning and I met them at the club about 11am. Holy HOT!! The heat index this week will be hovering around 105 - 110 degrees. Kevin played in the Monday pro-am and he continued hitting the ball solid. We are focusing our practice this week on wedge play and short game. Rickey just wanted Kevin to maintain his width and stay patient at the top of his swing.

Because of the heat, Kevin decided to play nine hole practice rounds on Tuesday and Wednesday at sunrise. We met about 6am each morning, played nine holes, and then finished our practice session with wedges, chips and putting. We were done by 10:30 each day and then Kevin went to the fitness trailer for a workout. Rickey is very encouraged with everything that he sees and just wants us to focus on a few simple thoughts - keep the width and stay patient. We tee off tomorrow at 1:40 with Jarrod Lyle and Monday Qualifier, Matt Fast. I just hope the thunderstorms stay away and allow us to finish the day before dark.

John Deere Classic - First Round

Kevin shot 2 under par 69. We left some shots out there but he rolled the putter good and was able to make 6 birdies to offset the 4 bogeys. We had a couple of bad swings on two par 3's that led to bogeys and one more bogey from 96 yards. If we clean that up and keep it rolling, we will jump right up that board.

The new ball performed awesome. It's really hot off the driver when he hits it solid and also maintains its flight when it is slightly miss hit. It was nice to see a few slightly missed shots carry the distance. Distance control is so important out here and this new ball seems to help with consistency.

After the round, Kevin was selected for the Tour drug testing. He had to go for the test right after signing his scorecard. With the late tee time and finishing so late, we did not have time to practice. We will go back at it in the morning. Our tee time is 8:40.  

John Deere Classic - Tuesday and Wednesday

We met up around noon on Tuesday. Did a little practice and then went out for a practice round. We played with Garrett Willis and Jim Herman. We noticed the greens were much firmer this afternoon then they were yesterday. I'm sure with the cooler temperatures forecast for the week, the Tour will put minimal water on them and firm it up even more by Thursday. After our practice round, we went for some more range work. The Nike staff also wanted to make sure the new ball was performing for Kevin, so they tested a few 7 irons and drivers on the launch monitor. The numbers were exactly what we were seeing on the course. The new ball will be put into play this week.

When I left Kevin last night, we had the plan of playing an early morning nine hole practice round before the pro-am. I woke up at 4:30, showered, dressed and headed out to the club. At 5:30, as I sat in caddy parking, waiting for the shuttle to the clubhouse, I decided to look at my phone. I noticed a text message from Kevin. He sent it last night, it said "sleep in and ill c u abt 9". How am I doing? Nothing like showing up to work 3 1/2 hours early!! Last night I went to bed early...never heard my phone...never thought about checking it for messages. Since my hotel is about 20-25 minutes away, I decide to head over to Denny's for breakfast. Killed as much time as I could, read the paper, pondered the Caylee Anthony Trial, posted on facebook, checked twitter, etc, etc. Finally 9am rolled around and we had our normal Wednesday practice routine. Kevin is swinging it good and rolling it good.

We tee off tomorrow afternoon at 1:55 on number 10 with Fran Quinn and Monday qualifier, Brain Maurer. Time to make some birdies!!

John Deere Classic (Moline, IL) - Monday Practice

I took the 12 hour drive yesterday (Sunday) arriving about 8pm. Kevin flew in this morning. We met about 10am at the club and worked with the Nike staff. Kevin wanted to test a new ball that just came out and also find a new hybrid / 2 iron. During testing, we found that the new ball has a flatter ball flight and there was more consistency with distance control. This ball flight seems to give Kevin a few more yards on all his clubs and allows the driver to "chase" down the fairway when it lands. After a few tries with some new hybrids and a 2 iron, it seems like Kevin hits the "traditional" 2 iron better then any of the hybrids that were built for him. The 2 iron has the same look as the rest of his irons and for whatever reason, he hits it better.

After a late lunch, we did some short game practice - putting, chipping and bunker play. The Monday pro-am finished about 3:30, so we went out and played a nine hole practice round. We played the back nine and continued testing the new ball. The ball performed nicely around the greens and Kevin could not see any difference in feel on and around the greens. We finished just before 6pm and called it a day. Kevin had a long day after waking up at 4:30am for his early morning flight. We will meet tomorrow late morning and do it all over again.

Travelers Championship - Second Round (Fri / Sat)

We missed the cut and it can be summed up as just plain "weird". Starting Thursday, we played 11 holes, waited 19 1/2 hours to play 7 holes, waited 10 1/2 hours to play 3 holes, then waited 11 more hours to play 15 holes. Another weird thing was we made only two birdies and two bogeys all week and they were made on the same exact hole. So our scorecard read exactly the same for both rounds.

Considering all of the wait time, Kevin's game was solid. He played well (ball striking, short game) but we did not score. According to shotlink, we only made 2 putts over 9 feet for 36 holes with the longest being 11'3". His average distance made was 3'1". Kevin's ball looked like it was rolling good. He said he was hitting them solid and starting them where he was looking. We just have to chalk it up as "one of those weeks".

After the round, I went back to the hotel and was able to get a late check out. I packed up and started my drive home. I was able to get 6 hours down the road and stopped in Strasburg, VA for the night. I have about 5 hours to go in the morning. Kevin was able to get a flight out this evening and he should be getting home tonight. We did not get into the ATT National next week, so our next start will be the John Deere Classic in two weeks.

Travelers Championship - Friday (Round One Complete)

We had seven holes remaining in round one when play resumed at 7am. With a mist falling, Kevin played well, finishing with 6 pars and a birdie for an even par round (70). Shotlink shows we only made three putts over 6 feet - longest being 10' 9". We will need to keep hitting the ball solid and start dropping a few more putts.

Our round 2 tee time is scheduled for 7:20pm. With sunset at 8:28pm, we should be able to play 4 or 5 holes before play is suspended. They are forecasting a chance of thunderstorms starting about 5pm, so we will have to see if they develop. Either way, we will be out there late tonight and then back out Saturday morning for another early restart.

Travelers Championship - First Round

Long Day. We played 11 holes before play was suspended at 11:20am. Kevin played solid with just one bogey and 10 pars. His ball striking was solid - missing one fairway and two greens. We stayed in our new routine and only miss hit one shot, a hybrid 2 iron. Other then that, every shot was hit solid.

The Tour officials opened the practice facilities at 4pm. With it still raining, they went out to access the golf course and at 4:45 they announced a 5:45pm restart. We started our warm up in the rain and as it continued, the Tour pushed the restart back to 6:15pm and then again to 6:30. Finally at 6:15, the Tour announced we were not going to be able to restart today. We will be back in position at 7am tomorrow. That means another early wake up. Weather permitting, it is possible we will play our final 7 holes, finish about 9am and then have to return to start our 2nd round about 7pm. Looks like another long day tomorrow. Bring it. We're ready.

Travelers Championship (Hartford, CT) - Practice

Kevin and I rolled into town on Sunday night. On Monday, we met at 9am on the range with the Nike Rep. Kevin cracked the face of his driver during the third round in Memphis, so our main focus was finding a new driver that produced the correct launch, ball speed and spin rate. After working on the launch monitor and making a few adjustments, they dialed it in and we had a driver just as good as the old one. After a morning of practice, we had a 12:30 tee time in the Monday pro-am. During the pro-am, Kevin decided to change up our routine. He did not want me to give him numbers/yardages, he just wanted the club, type of shot and target. Kevin feels like he needs to free it up on the course and this is a way he can come out and just hit shots. Much like he does on the range. The routine worked and his ball striking was solid. He played very well.

We met after lunch on Tuesday. So in the morning, I went out on the course and finished up a little course work. I caddied here in 2008 but I still needed a few lines and lay-up numbers on the par 5's. Our practice mainly consisted of short game. We spent a lot of time around the practice green chipping, bunker play and putting. After hitting a few balls, we went out for a nine hole practice round with Trevor Immelman. We stayed in our new routine and it seems to be working. Kevin had another great day.

With the Pro-am teeing off this morning at 6:50am, I met Kevin at 5:30 for an early morning practice round. After a warm up, we were teeing off at 5:55am. We had a nice nine hole practice round by ourselves and we were able to get some good practice in around the greens. The only negative came when I lost a $20 bet to Kevin when he hit an 86 yard shot onto a floating Travelers Umbrella that was only the size of king bed. When we finished, we had some breakfast and then went through our normal practice routine - chip, putt and ball hitting. Our day finished about 11am.

We tee off tomorrow at 8:51 with Fran Quinn and Andres Gonzales. Rain has moved in this afternoon and is forecast to hang around for a few days. It could be a long day tomorrow but we are ready.

FedEx St Jude Classic - Fourth Round

Solid Day. The new driver performed as well as could be expected. It did not have the "pop" like his old one but the spin was down and it got us through the day. With the wind down and blowing from the opposite direction, the course was playing slightly easier and the scoring average for the field was a little lower then the first three days. Our even par (70) put us at even par for the week and finished t-38th.

This week is the US Open so we will be home for the week. We start back next Monday in Hartford, CT at the Travelers Championship.

FedEx St Jude Classic - Third Round

It was a bit of a struggle today. We shot two over par (72) with 16 pars and 2 bogeys. Kevin fought his swing a little today but the biggest issue came from his driver.

We noticed early in the round that his driver was not flying correctly. Kevin hit nice tee shots off of the first three holes but after walking to them out in the fairway, they had no distance to them. His tee shot on the third hole was 35 yards shorter then where it finished on the first two days. After discussing it with Kevin, he told me that he thought something didn't seem right with the driver on the finishing holes yesterday. I just chalked them up to miss hits and/or wind issues therefore, never thought much about it. But today, we could tell something was seriously wrong.

Since we could not see or feel a crack in the face we had to continue to use the driver. With the wind speed and direction similar to the first day, our driving distance dropped 20 yards from Thursday (288.5 yards down to 269 yards). Coming into these greens from 20 yards further back made it very difficult to get the ball close to the hole. We had limited opportunities for birdies and when we did, we failed to convert.

The Nike driver technology that Kevin uses allows him to change the shaft by using a special wrench. So after the round, we took another Nike head identical to his original head and replaced it with his shaft. Kevin said it has a different feel but it feels good enough to stick with and have it in play tomorrow.

We tee off at 9:30 with Ben Curtis. A solid under par round tomorrow can move us right back up that board.

FedEx St Jude Classic - 2nd Round

We played solid for most of the day. Gusty wind conditions made the opening nine holes play difficult. Kevin managed to turn at one over 36 and then birdied 2, 4 and 5 to get it to 6 under for the tournament. A few marginal shots coming in left us in some difficult positions and the short game could not bail us out. Four consecutive bogeys to finish the day puts us at 2 under (t-16th). On the positive side of things, we are only two shots from 5th and the leader is well within reach with two days left. We can't focus on what we left out on the course, we can only improve on what we have ahead of us.

With 83 players making the cut at 2 over or better, the PGA Tour has split the tee times off of number 1 and 10. We will be teeing off number 1 at 10:22 with Blake Adams and Jonathan Byrd.

FedEx St Jude Classic - Memphis, TN

Man, it sounds like some of you missed me!! I woke up this morning to text messages, voice mails, and saw there were 61 hits on my blog in the past 24 hours. Wow, I guess I better start blogging. Fact is, I've been sick the last few days and the medicine I've been taking after the rounds leaves me with little energy and lots of sleep. But I woke up today feeling much better and I'm ready to get back out into the heat.

Our week got started with the US Open Qualifier on Monday. Kevin and I both left Saturday and met for a practice round on Sunday. Kevin hit the ball well on Monday but was not able to get anything rolling. We had three 3-putts through 27 holes and stood at even par. With the projected qualifying number close to 10 under and the heat index at 109, Kevin decided to conserve his energy for the rest of the week and withdrew from the qualifier.

With the temperature hovering around 100, we decided to play 9 hole practice rounds. After a nice practice session on Tuesday morning, we played nine holes with Jhonattan Vegas and Fabian Gomez. During our morning practice, Kevin picked up an Odyssey Two Ball Backstrike putter. After some practice and testing on the golf course, he has decided to keep it in the bag. On Wednesday, we teed off before the Pro-am at 6:15am for the back nine practice round with Andres Gonzales, William McGirt, and 2010 Rolex Junior of the Year Anthony Paolucci. With our early start, our day was done before lunch and we were able to get some much needed rest. Kevin's Dad flew in this evening and is here for the week.

As you all know, Kevin shot 66 and is tied for 2nd. I take zero credit since my "caddy rating" from my boss yesterday was a C+. (don't tell Kevin...I'll take a C+ and 66 everyday) Today was Brittany's Birthday, so Kevin was disappointed he could not give her his first PGA Tour lead for her Birthday. Sorry Brittany, caddy's fault. Kevin's hard work he has put in with his instructor, Rickey Sullivan, is shining through. He is starting to trust it more everyday. Our motto this week "See it, Feel it, Trust it".  His short game was great and he even holed out a flop shot after his C+ caddy put him in a place that his boss called "dead...no chance". It is amazing how a little short game talent can get you out of some pretty tough spots.

We tee off today at 1:30. I'm just trying to improve each day and hope I can get up to a B+ by the end of the week.

Byron Nelson Championship - Third Round

Tough day for everyone. The wind was blowing 25mph and gusting to 35mph all day. Kevin continued to hit the ball well but the wind made the decision making on yardages and lines nearly impossible. It was total guessing on how much the wind would affect the shots and we had three drives that were hit solid but finished in poor positions. One went into a water hazard and two others finished near the lips of fairway bunkers. We played these three holes in four over par and shot five over (75) for the day. To put things into perspective, the final group today (Garcia - 74 and Palmer - 73) only had one birdie between the two of them yet they still lead the tournament. With all that said, Kevin's putter is still letting him down. His speed has been off all week and has missed a number of opportunities inside 15 feet. We continued to work on it after the round today so we are hoping to start seeing the results tomorrow. The forecast once again is calling for heavy winds. We are paired with Ben Crane and tee off at 7:56. A nice solid round could move right back up that leadboard.  

Byron Nelson Championship - Second Round

Kevin played very well today and fought hard to shot one under par - 69 on an extremely windy day. On a day where the wind was blowing 20-25 mph and gusting up to 35mph, there were only 9 scores better then Kevin's 69 today. Kevin's ball striking was solid all day. We had a lot of looks at birdie through 13 holes but we were only able to make two. The last 5 holes finish into the wind and even though Kevin hit solid shots, the golf ball did not find the green and we missed the last five greens in regulation. But Kevin dug deep and made five great up and downs to keep the round intact. Only one player, Steven Bowditch (-5) made a bigger move up the leaderboard. Kevin's 141 total puts us t-39 with two rounds to play. We tee off tomorrow at 9:06 with JJ Henry. The forecast for the weekend the same as today. Winds gusting up to 35mph. Looking forward to it.

Byron Nelson Championship - First Round

Tee time was 1:45 today. The pace of play was extremely slow (5:45) and it felt like we were out there forever. Kevin played fairly solid today (72). He said he felt a little anxious starting out but he hit a perfect drive and pitching wedge to 3 feet for a birdie on our first hole. He did struggle getting his puts on line and we missed a number opportunities. His ball striking was pretty good. We just could not get a comfortable distance into the greens all day. We seem to always be between clubs and never had a "green light" normal distance/shot into a flag. Hoping that changes tomorrow. 

British Open Qualifier - Monday

Scheduled for 36 holes, officials had to reduce the qualifier to 18 holes after a late morning storm suspended play for 6 hours. Play was suspended at 10:30am. We were one under par through 11 holes and Kevin just hit an approach shot to about 25 feet on 12 when play was suspended. We got off to a rocky start, with two 3-putts and a flubbed chip shot in the first 5 holes. But Kevin was able to offset those mistakes with four birdies and put us right in the ballgame at one under par when the horns sounded to suspend play. Unfortunately, heavy rains left the course unplayable and an announcement was made at 3pm that the qualifier would be reduced to 18 holes. This put us a little behind the eight-ball since we now only had 6 holes to catch the leaders. When play resumed at 4:30, Kevin struggled with the speed of the greens. With the greens being much slower after the rain, he left his birdie putt short on 12 and then 3-putted 13 leaving both putts short. On the upside of things, Kevin's ball striking was very good on an extremely windy day. The work that he has done on his swing is starting to show. He controlled his ball flight and distances all day. We'll spend the next two days cleaning up the loose ends and we'll be ready come Thursday.

Back on the Road

After two weeks off, I am looking forward to getting back to work. The toughest part of the job this week was the 15 hour drive from Morganton, NC to Dallas, TX. I woke up yesterday (Saturday) at 4:30am, out the door by 5am and pulled into my hotel 1030 miles and 15 hours later. Not the ideal drive but sometimes you just have to do what needs to be done. We did not know we were not playing in the Colonial until late late week and with the cost of flights and rental cars, I decided to make the drive. I'm glad it's over but not looking forward to the trip back home.

Kevin is arriving this morning. He is attempting the British Open Qualifier on Monday at Gleneagles GC just outside of Dallas. I am meeting him around noon and then we will play a practice round. The qualifier is 36 holes and our first tee time is 7:50am tomorrow.

The Tour event this week is the Bryon Nelson Championship. We start preparing for that on Tuesday.

Wells Fargo Championship (Charlotte, NC) - Practice

Home Game. Living about an hour away, I am planning on commuting this week. Kevin played in a Pro-am on Monday in GA, so I spent the day at Quail Hollow doing course work. Finishing up around 4pm, I was able to get home in time for my daughter Albany's first softball game of the season.

On Tuesday, my friend Dennis Woolard came down to Charlotte with me. We met Kevin and his instructor, Rickey, at 9:30 on the range. After warming up, we played a practice round with Garrett Willis, Ryuji Imada, and Jeff Overton. I put Dennis to work and he was "The Caddy's Caddy" today and carried the bag for me. We all had a blast and Kevin was able to get some good work in. After the round, we went back to the range and continued to work on grooving the swing. Kevin had a great session on the range and then we did some short game and putting work. With the sun setting, Kevin wanted to test it out a little more on the golf course, so we headed out and played three more holes. We had a great day of practice and my buddy Dennis was thrilled about his day but also worn out.

Today (Wednesday) was a great day for me. Kevin wanted to play and decided to make the hour drive to Morganton with Rickey and play at my club, Mimosa Hills. Everyone at the club was excited to have a PGA Tour pro coming to play for the day. I invited Mitchell McGlamery, a young inspiring tour pro, to join us. Mitchell will be making his professional debut in three weeks on the Carolinas Pro Golf Tour and I felt it was a great opportunity for him to spend the day with Kevin. Kevin was extremely gracious as many of the members came out to say hello or watch a few holes. It was a special day.

We tee off late tomorrow at 2:10 on number 1. I looking forward to a good week.

The Heritage (Hilton Head Island)

Happy Easter.

I was a little busy with the family this week and along with the weather delay on Thursday, I wasn't able to blog each day. Kevin and I both arrived early Monday morning and met Rickey for an early practice round. Harbour Town Golf Links has to be my favorite course on Tour. I wish more golf courses were like this one; 6950 yards with narrow, tree lined, dog-legged fairways and small greens. It was a nice relief from the big 7400 yard golf courses we see so often now.

Monday and Tuesday practice sessions went well. On Wednesday, Kevin went and played off site with Garrett Willis, Brennan Webb and Lee Janzen. I had the day off and took the family to the beach. We all had a great time. Geraldine and the kids fell in love with Hilton Head Island and they all informed me that we WILL be coming back here for a family vacation.

We teed off Thursday afternoon at 1:40. A three-putt on number 3 and then a miscue on the wind and/or club selection on the par 3 fourth caused a solid 5 iron to finish short in the water; ending with a double bogey. A thunderstorm rolled in when we were on the 12th hole. They brought everyone in off the course and play did not resume until 7:10pm. A three-putt on 13 after the resumption of play left us at 4 over through 14 when play was suspended due to darkness at 8pm.

Friday morning we had to be back into position at 7:45am. I was feeling good about the day because Kevin has been hitting the ball well all week and we just needed to clean up the short game. When play resumed, Kevin started strong; opening up with 2 birdies and finished the first round at two over par 73. We only had about 20 minutes until our round two tee time, so we went to the range to stay loose. Kevin continued playing well and was able to get it to 3 under for the second round; one under for the tournament through 15 holes. Two late bogeys on our 16th and 17th holes put us back to one over for the tournament and we ended up missing the cut by one shot. I was encouraged with what I saw from Kevin this week. I felt we were back playing golf again and I could see it in his attitude and confidence. I know Kevin is extremely disappointed with the final results. He had so much support this week from family and friends and he wanted to play well for everyone. But I'm sure that everyone that came out to watch him play will agree with me; he is close to really playing well. Thanks again for every ones support. I wasn't able to say good-bye to most of you but it was great seeing everyone and I look forward to seeing you all again soon.

On Saturday, the family and I drove to Jacksonville, FL to spend Easter with my parents. I will be leaving here after our Easter dinner tonight and start driving to New Orleans. I will try to knock out about 5 hours of my 8 hour drive tonight. I am meeting Kevin tomorrow morning for an 11am pro-am at the TPC Louisiana in New Orleans. Geraldine and the kids are flying back to Charlotte tomorrow morning.

Texas Open - Friday

We met this morning at 10:30. After a some short game practice we headed out to the range. Kevin and Rickey worked for about an hour. Nothing new was introduced, we just continued to work on the same thoughts we had from last night. During lunch, we found out that the Tour delayed the afternoon tee times 20 minutes due to the extreme wind conditions. The pace of play in the morning was much slower due to the difficult conditions. The delay moved our tee time back to 1:55pm

On a day where the scoring average (75.289) was the highest on the PGA Tour since the 2008 British Open, Kevin's game stayed strong in the tough conditions. We still had some loose swings with the driver, but for the most part, it was a good day. Two late bogeys on our 17th and 18th holes put us at 3 over (75) for the day but Kevin's iron game was solid along with his short game and putting. Now we can carry this into next week and build on it.

Tonight, I changed my flight home and will be leaving in the morning at 7am. I am excited about next week because Geraldine and the kids will be coming to Hilton Head with me. It is spring break week for Albany so the kids are ready to go. We will leave on Sunday and start work on Monday.   

Texas Open (San Antonio)

OK, don't think you are going to open this blog and start reading a bunch of negative stuff. It's not gonna happen. I'm sure you all have seen the score today and continue to wonder, what is going on? But I'm here to tell you all, we are close and I'm getting excited about it.

I flew in on Monday night. Kevin played in a pro-am on Monday in Myrtle Beach, SC and came in on Tuesday with his instructor, Rickey Sullivan. We played a late afternoon practice round and Kevin hit it extremely well. On Wednesday, Kevin continued to hit the ball well as he played in an on-site pro-am hosted on the Canyons Course here at the TPC of San Antonio. Unfortunately, during competition today, Kevin fell back into some old habits. Some of those misses put us into poor positions for scoring and therefore, it reflected on the scorecard. But this is part of the process. Each and everyday we are building a solid foundation and once this foundation is built we will start seeing the rewards. Kevin and Rickey had a great session this afternoon after the round and we are right back on track. Our tee time tomorrow is 1:35pm but we are going to go out early for a little more work in the morning before lunch. Looking forward to putting it to the test again tomorrow. We're gonna be alright!! 

Houston Open - Practice

Well, I guess you all can figure out that we got into the event. I've been a little worn out and not really feeling like blogging the last few days. So, I'll make this one short and sweet.

I've had a lot of people calling and asking how we're doing. We are doing great, working hard, digging it out of the dirt, and improving everyday. Thanks for the encouraging words and support from everyone.

As for this week, we played 7 holes in the Monday qualifier when we found out we were in the field. We then headed out to the course to register, practice and then we played a few holes late after the Monday Pro-am.

Tuesday and Wednesday was once again our normal routines. Practice round on Tuesday and a full day of practice today. We tee off in the morning at 8:50. 

Lafayette / Houston Update (Monday)

I'm sure you all know by now, we missed the cut in Louisiana. Kevin was third alternate at the closing of committments on Friday for the PGA Tour Houston Open. We stayed in Lafayette Friday night and went out to the club to practice Saturday morning. Houston is three hours away so Kevin drove over with me after our practice session. On Sunday, we went over to the Monday qualifying course for a practice round. Kevin was nice enough to hook me up and get me out to play with him. It was nice to get out and swing the club. It took us about three hours to play nine holes so we decided to only play nine. Kevin is feeling good about everything so he just wanted to hit a few more balls at the range. We tee off today at 1:35. The first Tour update this morning has us moving to 2nd alternate. We will continue to go through our routine today and get prepared to play the Monday Qualifier.

Louisiana Open - First Round

We teed off at 12:30 today with Jeff Quinney and Travis Bertoni. Weather conditions were ideal. Kevin had a great warm up, continuing to hit it well with the same rhythm he had during yesterdays practice. Unfortunately, we were not able to maintain that out on the course. After hitting six out of the first seven greens, we were only able to hit two greens on the final 11 holes. We shot 74 (3 over). With the rhythm off slightly, we struggled getting the correct yardages out of our clubs and missed most of our greens long or short rather then left and right. Kevin's short game and wedge play was good with only one missed up and down from an almost impossible positon over the 13th green. The three other bogeys came from two missed sand saves and a drive into a water hazard off the 18th tee. After the round, we went back to the range and continued to work on syncing the arms with the body. We have an early start tomorrow, teeing off at 7:40. 

Louisiana Open (Nationwide Tour) - Practice Days

We both left Sunday morning and drove to Lafayette, LA. Kevin rode with his good friend Scott Brown and a few other guys in Scott's motor home from Aiken, SC. I drove in from Morganton, NC. On Monday, I met Kevin and Scott at the RV park and we went to the airport so they could rent a car for the week. We then went out to the club, practiced and played nine holes after the Monday pro-am. Kevin was a little stiff after the 12 hour bus ride so it was nice to get out and play a few holes to get the blood flowing. After the round, we all went out for dinner at a local crawfish restaurant and tackled a few crawfish, shrimp and oysters. It was messy and a lot of work but worth it. I finally got the hang of cracking, tearing, peeling, pinching and then pulling the bite size piece of meat out after about 5 lbs of crawfish. We had a good time!!

Tuesday and Wednesday were our typical practice days. We played a practice round Tuesday morning and then practiced all afternoon. We were not in the Wednesday pro-am, so we had our normal practice day today - ball hitting, short game, putting. Kevin is improving everyday and I really like the rhythm and sequence in his swing this week. His arms and body finally look synced up and he was hitting it well.

We tee off tomorrow at 12:30pm.

Tuesday Practice - Bulls Bay Golf Club (Charleston, SC)

I drove up to Charleston from Jacksonville, FL and met Kevin about 10:00 at Bulls Bay Golf Club. Kevin's instructor is the Director of Instruction at Bulls Bay and his studio (The Ranch at Bulls Bay) is at the back of the range. Kevin also drove in this morning from Aiken, SC with good friend Scott Brown. Scott also works with Rickey and he just finished third last week on the Nationwide Tour.

The first thing Rickey noticed is Kevin was making too much of a lower body turn during the backswing and the club was not maintaining its width at the top of the swing. Kevin has worked extremely hard on his strength and flexibility that he had zero resistance with his lower body on the backswing. He was "overturning" his hips which caused a bad position at the top of his swing. This bad position could not allow him to get back to impact consistently. Basically, he was over-turning on the way back and under-turning on the way through. The first adjustment was in the set-up. Kevin's knees were too wide at address so they worked on putting them in a position that kept them under his hips. This set-up helps him resist the turn going back. During the backswing, he wants to maintain the width (not allowing his arms to "fold" or hands get closer to him at the top of the swing). From here, he then feels the club/arms drop down in front of him before he starts his body turn through.

We finished up about 4:00 and I made it home at 8:30pm. I'll have a few days home before I leave for Lafayette, LA on Sunday. We will play the Nationwide Tour next week and then head over to Houston, TX the week after for the PGA Tour Shell Houston Open. We are in the field by two right now but there is still a week and a half before commitments close. We do plan on going over and trying the Monday qualifier either way.

Here is a link to an article that was written last week in my hometown paper in East Hampton, NY.

http://www.27east.com/news/article.cfm/East-Hampton/346287/Bock-Trades-In-Clubs-For-A-Bag-On-Way-To-The-Top

Puerto Rico Open - Final Round

Daylight savings got us anyway!! I'm staying with Kevin this week and I had my watch alarm set for 5:30am, Kevin had his phone set at 5:40am. His alarm goes off and he rolls over, looks over at me (still sleeping) and says, "how's that 5:30 alarm treating you bigg'in"? I gave my watch a check and it tells me that it is only 4:40am. I look at our hotel alarm clock but it says 5:40am. Not understanding what was going on with my watch, I get up, shower and get dressed. Kevin is right behind me. We both leave the room about 6:20,  I look around and say "boy it is awful dark out here." I knew something was not right because the last two day it was light outside when we left for the course. When I got down to the front desk, I asked "que hora es?" and sure enough, it was only 5:20am. How we doing?? I guess Kevin's phone and the hotel alarm clock automatically reset for daylight saving even though Puerto Rico does not observe daylight savings. So anyway, we were not late for our tee time this morning!!

Today was the same story as the last few days. The ball striking was not solid but Kevin dug deep and found a way to shoot 3 under par. The 4 under total was good enough for a t-42 finish. Even though Kevin is extremely frustrated with the week of ball striking, we must take the positives and remember he just finished 42nd in a PGA Tour event hitting the ball poorly. Just think what we can do when he hits it well!! It also shows us the importance of a solid short game. On a week that he could have packed it in, he showed us a little guts and got it done.

We are not the the field for the Transitions Championship in Tampa this week. Kevin and I are meeting on Tuesday in Charleston and we will be working with his instructor, Rickey Sullivan for the day. Our plans are to play in the Nationwide event in LaFayette, LA next week which is being played opposite the Bay Hill Arnold Palmer Invitational. Or, just maybe,  Mr. Palmer will call and give us an exemption?? Not planning on it!!

Puerto Rico Open - Third Round

Exactly 70 players made the cut at 1 under or better. Since we shot one under, we had another early day with a 7:30 tee time. Kevin woke up this morning with an extreme headache. He told me he woke up about 3:30am with the headache and was not able to sleep. I could tell he wasn't feeling well. He went to the club early and had a neck message to help try to relieve the headache. By the time we started our warm up, he seemed to be feeling better.

Today was a little better then yesterday. We managed an even par round (72) on a pretty good scoring day. Our stats show that we only missed two fairways and two greens all day but it was "smoke and mirrors".  He did drive the ball well but struggled again with his irons. The good thing was we were able to keep them in play and got away with our miss hits. We just never really had good looks at birdie. I thought he putted well but its too hard putting from 40 feet all day.

After the round, we went through our same routine- ball hitting, chipping, bunker and putting. We tee off tomorrow at 7:58. Puerto Rico does not observe daylight saving, so we will not have to move our clocks ahead an hour tonight....thank goodness!!

Puerto Rico Open - Second Round

We had an early start this morning with an 8am tee time. Kevin did not have a good warm up and never got it going with his ball striking. A hot putter on the front nine (only 11 putts through 9 holes) got to 4 under at the turn (-6 total) but it all caught up to us on the back nine. Three straight bogeys on 10 -12 and two more on 16 and 17 gave us five over on the back nine for a round of one over par (73). Our one under par total will be good enough to make the cut but the frustration continues with the ball hitting. Kevin's patience is wearing thin and the attitude/mood is starting to show.

After the round, we went back out to the range and tried to work it out. It seems like the more balls he hits, the more frustrated he becomes. The consistency is not there and I just do not know what to say to him. It was a tough, trying day for both of us. We finished the day with some chips and putts. There is one good thing anyway...we get to try it again tomorrow!!

Puerto Rico Open - First Round

We teed off number 10 today at 12:40. When we teed off, the wind was blowing about 15-20 mph and the sun was shining. An hour later, the rain was pouring down. It lasted for about 45 minutes and when the rain stopped, the wind also died out. By the time we made the turn, the weather was perfect.

Kevin started out great. Hitting solid shots and making two birdies in our first four holes before the rain started. A bad swing on our 7th hole (number 16) gave us our first bogey of the day and we turned at one under through nine. Two more birdies and one bogey on the final nine gave us a 2 under par 70 for the day. Kevin is still not happy with the consistency of his ball striking. He is having a hard time understanding why the same feels are producing different results. But from my side, I only saw one real bad shot and all the other "bad" shots were still in play and manageable. His short game was good. The two bogeys we made today were from very difficult positions and he gave himself a chance at making a par putt on both of those. This is the type of round we need when he is not completely sharp. Two under par keeps us in the ballgame and when the consistency comes around, we will have that breakthough round.

After the round, we worked on some ball hitting and a few practice putts. We have an early start tomorrow so we went straight to dinner when we came back to the resort. We tee off tomorrow at 8am.

Puerto Rico Open - Practice

My flight arrived on Monday about 12:30. By the time I picked up my bags and took the 45 minutes ride to the resort it was almost 3:00 when I met Kevin. He was already through 14 holes in his pro-am and was doing just fine without me. We finished up the pro-am, practiced and went back to the resort. Kevin arrived at mid-night on Sunday and after a day of playing and practicing, he was ready for an early dinner and bed.

On Tuesday, we woke up early and played an early practice round with Kevin Chappell, Andres Gonzalas, and Peter Tomasulo. After lunch, we hit balls, chipped and putted. Kevin is having a little trouble getting his feel to match the swing. The ball flight looks great to me but he said it just does not feel good. He doesn't like how he hits three or four real solid shots and then hits a bad one with what feels like the same swing to him. I think we just need to continue working on the same things and the reps will clean up the loose swings. We are hitting too many good ones to worry about the few bad ones. Our short game will bail us out with those if need be.

Wednesday was our typical practice day. Ball hitting, chipping, bunker work and putting. Kevin didn't sleep well last night so he came back after a late lunch for some much needed rest. We tee off tomorrow at 12:50, a good night sleep tonight and he'll be ready tomorrow.

Mayakoba Classic - Second Round

We had our chances today. Kevin got off to a great start - birdies on the first three holes to get us back to two over for the tournament. He did not feel great during our warmup and he told me before we teed off that his back was tight. After our warmup, I was surprised with the start as he came out hitting it close on all three holes. But as the round went on, he was really having trouble turning and getting his body to respond to the things he was trying to do. When this happens, his body and arms are out of sync. A poor bogey on the 7th hole from 115 yards and then a three putt for par after hitting the par 5 8th hole in two shots killed the momentum. He hit another great shot to 4 feet on the par 3 tenth to keep us in the game but we were unable to convert the birdie putt. He kept fighting but a tee shot left into a water hazard and then right into another water hazard on holes 13 and 14 closed the door on our chances for making the cut. We finished with an even par round of 71 for a 5 over total. The cut fell at even par.

Kevin was not pleased with his ball striking but I feel the two days can be summed up by lack of scoring. Yes, he struggled with his back and ball striking but we also left too many shots out on the course. I felt like we left at least three shots a day out there just on and around the greens. When the ball striking is off, we need to find a better way to get the ball in the hole. It can also relieve the pressure on the long game. Even though we had four penalty shots over the past two days, those two or three shots around the greens each day would have kept us around for the weekend.

After the round, Kevin and I talked about the next few weeks. He will not get into the Honda Classic next week, so he has to Monday qualify to get into the event. We both agree it would serve him better if he just went back to Aiken and took a week to get better. Our next start will be Puerto Rico in two weeks. We both changed our flights and will be leaving Mexico tomorrow. Kevin is heading home and I'll be heading to Fort Lauderdale, FL. My car is in Fort Lauderdale so I'll pick up my car and drive back to NC on Sunday for the week.  

Mayakoba Classsic - Round One

We got off to a poor start today. Three over through 3 put us in a tough position. With the wind blowing a steady 20mph all day, we had a difficult time getting the ball close to the hole. Kevin's ball striking was not as solid as the practice rounds and the windy conditions magnified the loose shots. We made the turn at 3 over but poor tee shots on the 3rd and 5th holes led to bogeys on our back nine. Kevin's back tightened up on the back nine. He mentioned to me with about 6 holes remaining that his back was starting to bother him. We finished the day at 5 over (76). After the round, Kevin was taking by a Tour official for random drug testing. Each day, a few guys are selected for testing and today was his turn. We spent the afternoon working on a few things on the range, chipping and putting. We will need a good round tomorrow!!  

Mayakoba Classic - Mexico (Practice Days)

Mayakoba is about 40 minutes south of Cancun. I arrived Monday about 1:30 and Kevin was already practicing. After a quick lunch we went out for a nine hole practice round. Kevin was home last week and hurt his back while practicing on Tuesday. An MRI on Wednesday showed a bulging disk and an annular tissue tear. Two cortisone injections, exercise, and stretching will help reduce the inflammation and hopefully manage the pain. Kevin was a little stiff starting out but I was very impressed how well he was hitting it. We spent extra time chippping and putting and finished up just before sunset. Kevin never complained and he seemed to be pleased with how his back felt.

We woke up early on Tuesday for an early morning practice round. After a nice warmup, we played the back nine. Kevin continued to hit it well. He is focusing on getting into the perfect posture to help relieve the stress on his back and he is hitting it solid. After the nine, we worked on some more short game. Not wanting to overwork the back, our day was done by noon.

Today, we were not in the Pro-am. After a morning workout, we went out and had a nice lite practice session. Kevin said his back feels fine. He looks comfortable and he continued to hit it well today. We have not had to work on anything new and we just continue to build on the things he and Rickey have been working on. We tee off tomorrow morning at 7:50 off of number 10.

ATT Pebble Beach Pro-am - Final Round

The unusual format of the pro-am put us out in foursomes today. We were paired with Sean O'hair, Arjun Atwal and John Merrick. Kevin once again drove it awesome. He led the field this week in driving accuracy. (that should solidify his belief on the things he and Rickey Sullivan are working on. Going from last to first in driving accuracy is pretty impressive) We ended up shooting one over par on a very difficult scoring day. Pebble's greens are so firm and fast it was very difficult to get the ball in the correct positions. We had tough up and downs and had to putt defensive most of the day. Our opening nine was almost a carbon copy of our first round at Pebble. We bogeyed the 15th with a three putt and then backed that up with another bogey on 16. But Kevin kept fighting and birdied number 1,2 and 5 to get it back under par for the day. Bogeys on the 7th and 8th to finish the day left us disappointed on a day that "could have been". But, we finished t-39th and know that we are well on our way to bigger and better things.

Kevin is not in the field next week. He was able to fly back home tonight with Mr Rice on his private jet. (we played with Mr Rice during our practice round on Tuesday). As for me, the caddy, I am sitting in San Jose airport waiting for my 7:15pm flight to Phoenix. Then I get to wait 2 hours for my red eye flight that leaves at 12:15am and arrives into Charlotte at 5:50 am tomorrow. But I wouldn't trade for the world. I don't care how, just get me home. I'm looking forward to a week at home!!!

ATT Pebble Beach Pro-am (Spyglass) - Third Round

Mission accomplished. We're playing on a Sunday. Our round of even par 72 was an up and down day. Kevin continued to drive the ball extremely well, missing only one fairway, but we struggled a bit with the irons. A bad break with the lie in a greenside bunker on our second hole and a poor 8 iron on our third hole put us two over par early. Kevin steadied the ship and he was able to get it back to even par through 10. Some great up and downs kept us in the game at even par and then a great three wood to six feet led to an eagle on our 16th hole. It was short lived as we missed the green and then three putted the next hole for a double bogey. A nice up and down for par on the last hole kept us at 3 under par for the tournament, one shot inside the cut number. We tee off tomorrow morning at 8:01. I am scheduled to fly home tomorrow night on the red eye but all of that can change with a top 10 finish. We are not in the field for next weeks event but a top 10 finish here will get us into that field. I would love to have to change my plans!!

ATT Pebble Beach Pro-am (Monterey CC) - Second Round

The Kiz that I have come to know and love showed up today!!! We finally had the round we have been looking for all year. The ball striking and putting was solid all day. Kevin hit every fairway and only missed two greens. Those two greens were missed with a 2 iron hybrid and a 3 iron. He was tested in the middle of the round with an eight foot par putt on 7 and then another six foot par putt on 8. He made both to keep the momentum up and shot a nice 4 under par on the back nine to shoot 65 (5 under) for the day. Tomorrow we play Spyglass and tee off number 10 at 8:33am.

ATT Pebble Beach Pro-am (Round One - Pebble Beach)

Our 10:12 tee time off of number 10 met us with perfect weather. The wind we had earlier in the week left the course playing firm and fast. We played our practice round at Pebble on Tuesday and the greens were much softer then today. On a day when it was tough to get the ball close, Kevin's ball striking was very good. He drove the ball extremely well but three bad bogey's on holes 15, 6 and 7 summed up the day. On 15, we made bogey from 115 yards after a perfect drive. On the par 5 sixth, we made bogey from the middle of the fairway after going for the green in two from 212 yards to the front of the green. And then on the par 3 seventh, we missed the green short from 90 yards. Even though Kevin continued to struggle with the putter, missing quite a few opportunities, these three holes cost us three to four shots at the end of the day. Forget about the putts he missed, our 2 over par 74 could have been an under par round of 70 or 71 on a very difficult scoring day. It was the highest score we should have shot, so we need to take that as a positive considering where we were the past few weeks. We walked off the golf course today with the thoughts about cleaning up the round rather then searching for something that will work. I continue to be very encouraged with the progress. We are off to Monterey Peninsula tomorrow. Teeing off at 9:28.

Pebble Beach Pro-am (Practice Days)

We had three great days of practice. After a few days off at home, Kevin and I both flew in on Sunday. We met up Monday morning and played a practice round at Spyglass. Kevin started working with Ricky Sullivan last week in Charleston, SC and Ricky came out to Pebble for the week. They changed Kevin's address position by lowering his center of gravity in his setup. He maintains that position throughout the swing and has the feeling of swinging more level with his chest through impact. Kevin is hitting the ball extremely well. After the round, we returned back to Pebble and worked on the short game. An adjustment with his right hand grip started producing the pitch and lob shots Kevin was looking for and then some work in the bunker with "less hinge" in the backswing completed a very productive day.

On Tuesday, we played Pebble Beach with amateur Joe Rice and celebrity (singer) Darius Rucker. Mr. Rice played with Dustin Johnson (two-time defending Champion) the last two years. It was an extremely windy day but Kevin's ball striking held up in the windy conditions. We had a great time as Kevin's girlfriend, sister, and brother-in-law all arrived for the week and met us on the back nine.

Today we played Monterrey CC with Tommy Gainey. Another golf course with great views along the water. Kevin continues to hit it well. The bumpy greens have Kevin a little rattled so after a short session on the range we spent the rest of the day on the putting green. Kevin felt his hands were getting a little too high and Ricky felt that Kevin was not striking his putts with enough "authority." He thought Kevin was stroking his putts too soft and the ball was not rolling very well off of the putter. They worked on increasing his grip pressure slightly and then maintaining that pressure through the entire stroke. The ball instantly starting rolling better and it was staying on line even though the ball was bouncing.

Tomorrow we start at Pebble Beach at 10:12.