Shell Houston Open - Friday

After a long day, we shoot one over par and miss the cut. We caught a bad break for the first round as the Tour had to make the guys play the ball down for round one. Since the first round started Thursday morning under those rules, the Tour could not allow lift, clean and place after the heavy rain yesterday and over night. Kevin drove the ball great but we had zero control from the fairways. I have never seen so many balls with so much mud on each and every hole. There was nothing we could do. We managed it the best we could, shooting even par (72) even though we had balls flying "sideways" finishing so far off line; two of them ending in water hazards.

When we finished, we had about 1/2 hour to get ready for the second round. The Tour played lift, clean and place for round two. Kevin continued to drive it great but struggled with the putter. Only missing two greens through 13 holes, we could only manage two under par to that point. With 5 holes left to play and hanging on the "cut number", we missed the next three greens; making bogey on each of those holes. In a blink of an eye, we watched the entire day go down the drain. We once again left too many opportunities out there. Hitting it well, we only missed 8 greens for 36 holes and played those 8 holes 6 over par. We played the par 5's one over without a birdie and had a total of 63 putts. For the second year in a row, we leave the Shell Houston Open very frustrated.

As for leaving, we are all heading home tomorrow. I will be back pounding the pavement at 3am for my 16 hour drive home. I am hoping to get home before the kids go to bed. It looks like we will have two weeks off before our next start in San Antonio. We did not qualify for The Masters next week and we will need an exemption to get into Hilton Head the week after The Masters. We'll get our rest and try to do better next time.

Shell Houston Open - First Round (Suspended)

No golf for us today. A storm rolled in just before our 1:40 tee time and play was suspended at 1:30. It dropped about 1.5" of rain and the Tour could not get the course back playable before dark. Play was officially called for the day about 4:45pm. The practice facilities were open so we went out and hit a few balls, chipped and putted.

It looks like we will be in for a long haul tomorrow. Our tee time is set for 7:40am and as soon as we finish 18, we will go right back out for the second round. Some isolated thunderstorms are in the forecast for tomorrow but, if all goes well, we should get 36 holes in before dark.

As for Kevin's hip, he said it felt "better" earlier today during our first warm up. When we came back out tonight, we mainly hit short irons and only a few 3 woods. We did not hit the driver. He said it felt fine so he didn't want to push it. We have a lot of golf to play tomorrow.

Shell Houston Open - Practice Days

When we arrived Tuesday morning, we went to the putting green to find a putter. Kevin's main concern was finding a putter with the same feel as his Odyssey Backstrike. He found another Odyssey putter with the same insert which provided the same feel. This putter produced the type of stroke his putting instructor, Pat O'Brien, was looking for with the same feel / distance control as his old putter.

After finding a putter, we warmed up and played a practice round with Vaughn Taylor, David Mathis and Matt Bettencourt. Mathis and Bettencourt only played nine and Vaughn continued on with us. Kevin played well and we had a great day with Vaughn, listening to Ryder Cup stories. Vaughn played on the 2006 Ryder Cup Team in Ireland. After the round, we had some lunch and Kevin had his left hip worked on by the physical therapist. His hip has been bothering him and got worse through the round. It really bothers him when he hits the driver. After his treatment, we went through our practice routine, concentrating on the short game and putting. Kevin finished his day with a workout and then took Brittany and I out for a great dinner in downtown Houston.

Wednesday was a light day. Kevin's hip is still bothering him when he starts hitting the longer clubs. His ball striking is good, so we didn't force the issue and spent most of the session on the scoring irons, chipping and putting. We tee off tomorrow afternoon at 1:40 with Erik Compton and Kyle Reifers.

Shell Houston Open - Monday Qualifier

As I was leaving the hotel this morning for the qualifier, Kevin text to let me know we moved to first alternate. We talked about not even going but since there was a pro-am on the Tournament course, we decided to head over to the qualifier. Kevin has only hit balls since his wedding, so we thought it would be good to get out on a golf course and play. But the day didn't last long. An official came out and told us we were in the field after only 5 holes into the qualifier. We hopped on the cart and headed in to the clubhouse.

We went over to the Tournament course, registered and then practiced. After some range work and chipping, Kevin was able to work with his putting instructor, Pat O'Brien. They worked for almost an hour, making a change away from his Odyssey Backstrike putter. Pat saw that the design of the Backstrike putter was putting Kevin into a bad position with his hands and he was manipulating the putter through the stroke. They switched to a "conventional shafted" putter and he started rolling it great. Since it was late in the day and all of the manufacturer reps were gone, we will be looking for a putter early tomorrow before we head out for a practice round.

Louisiana Open - Final Round

It wasn't the final results we were looking for this week. Richard's ball striking was better today statistically but we could only manage a one under par round (70). Trick's 8 under total left him two shots from the "magic top 25 number" which would have put him into the next Nationwide event in California.

Looking back on the week, 8 under par was actually a pretty good score with what we had this week. He fought his swing and putter all week but stayed patient and worked extremely hard for every shot. When you add his 8 under to his 5 under par on Monday; 13 under for the entire week of competition is pretty solid. The next "re-shuffle" on the Nationwide Tour will come after the next event. His position will improve and he will be getting into more events as the Tour moves to the east coast.

After the round, I hopped in the car and started my 200 mile drive over to Houston. An overturned semi turned a 3 hour trip into a 4 hour trip. Kevin texted me on my way in and I was able to meet Kevin and Brittany for dinner.

This morning we have moved to 2nd alternate. Our Monday qualifiying tee time is scheduled for 1pm. It feels like deja vu from last year. We were 3rd alternate in 2011 on Monday morning and teeing off in the afternoon for the qualifier. We played 7 holes before a Tour official came out to let us know we were in the field. We hope that happens again this year, but we still have to prepare to do our best today. You never know how many guys will withdraw, especially the week before a major, so we need to go out and prepare as if today was our only chance at getting into the event.

Louisiana Open - Third Round

We had another tough day with the ball striking. Trick continues to have trouble driving the ball as we only found three fairways. The Tour played the ball "down" today so at least we weren't giving up much of an advantage by missing the fairways. Trick managed to hit 11 greens and had a solid short game to keep us in there shooting a two under par round (69).

After the round, he headed back to the range to work on things. He worked on his ball position, feeling like it has moved forward on him. After moving it back, he started to hit it more consistent and he decided to go with it. We finished the day with some putting practice before we called it a day.

We tee off tomorrow at 10:03 with Stephen Gangluff

Louisiana Open - Second Round

Today was another perfect day to play golf. The wind was down and the temperature was perfect. Trick drove the ball better today but he is still not happy with it. We caught two good breaks when we missed the fairway on the 18th and 4th holes which allowed us to still have shots to the green. Other then those two swings, I thought he drove the ball fairly well. Our only bogey came on the long par 3 third hole with a missed up and down from short of the green. He was able to add 4 birdies to that lone bogey for a round of three under par (68). Our five under total keeps us around with an opportunity to get something done over the weekend.

After the round, we went through the normal routine - putt, chip and hit balls. Kevin called this afternoon to check in on us and told me to just "stay out of Trick's way." He has made it back from their trip to New York and is now getting ready for the Houston Open with Rickey. When entries officially closed today at 5pm for the Houston Open, Kevin is the 5th alternate. We will have to play the Monday qualifier to try to get in or have five guys withdraw by Thursday. At least we now have two good chances at getting into the tournament.

Trick tees off tomorrow at 10:06 with Josh Broadaway.

Louisiana Open (Nationwide Tour with Richard Scott) - First Round

I was excited to get a phone call from Richard Monday night asking if I wanted to come to Lafayette, LA to caddy. Richard was Kevin's roommate in college and I was fortunate enough to work for him at the first stage of the PGA Tour Qualifying school last fall. Richard (aka Trick) earned conditional status on the Nationwide Tour through last years Qualifying School. Not in the field this week, Trick came to Louisiana after Kevin and Brittany's wedding to Monday qualify. He shot 5 under par and qualified.

On Monday night, I told Trick there was no possible way I could get to Lafayette on Tuesday. I had to take care of a few things at home before I could leave. I ended up leaving at 3am Wednesday morning and drove 13 hours to Lafayette, arriving here 3pm local time. With heavy rain and thunderstorms all day, the golf course was closed for most of the day. Trick was only able to get about an hour of practice time in all day, so I actually didn't miss anything. I was sleeping by 8:15 after a full day of travel.

We teed off today at 2:10. The weather was perfect and the wind was calm. Trick struggled with the driver and finding the speed on the greens. Playing lift, clean and place today; we were only able to hit 5 fairways and added two 3-putts on top of that. But he hung in there and was able to make two late birdies coupled with two nice par saving putts over the last four holes, finishing the day at two under par (69). He felt like his tempo and rhythm was off with the driver. It was only his second time ever seeing this course, so I think it will only get better as the week goes on and he gets comfortable with his sight lines, etc.

We tee off in the morning at 9:20 on number 10.

The Wedding - Brittany and Kevin

It was an incredible weekend. I once again have to thank the Kisner Family and DeJarnett Family for hosting an unforgettable weekend. Things got started on Friday morning as I met Kevin, along with his family and friends at the UGA golf course. We all played 18 holes as Kevin joined in and played about 3 holes with each group. After some lunch at the club, I headed to the hotel for a much needed nap before the rehearsal dinner. The rehearsal dinner was at The Georgia Theatre (the place where Kevin and Brittany first met). I was able to catch up with family and friends and also meet so many others that mean so much to Kevin and Brittany. My highlight of the night came when I found out that I was seated at the table with Uncle Jim and his family, Aunt Susan and Kevin's Grandparents. It was an honour to spend the evening with them and share the stories about Kevin. You may have noticed that I have changed the picture on the homepage. I was told by Kevin's Grandfather that "he has seen the backside of my kid for long enough!! It was about time that I turned that handsome young man around!!" He once again reminded me to "turn him around" on Saturday night at the reception when my family was able to met him in person. So, here you go Grandpa Kisner, I have turned them around for you!!

Geraldine had to wait for the kids to get out of school on Friday so they did not arrive until late Friday night. We woke up Saturday morning and I took them for a tour around UGA. Our first stop was at the UGA golf course. They were exited to see the team photo of "Mr. Kevin" and his NCAA National Championship Team along with the other history around the clubhouse. From there, we went to campus to walk around. We visited the bookstore along with all the sport complexes. It was a neat way to spend the morning. After some lunch, it was time for a little rest before the Wedding.

The Wedding Ceremony was perfect. Brittany was absolutely stunning and Kevin looked pretty good too. It was a beautiful ceremony. Afterwards, the reception was at The Taylor-Grady House. To see all the love and support these two kids have was so impressive. We all had a wonderful time celebrating their marriage. It was amazing.

As for our golf schedule, we are not in the field for the Bay Hill Invitational next week. We will be close to getting into the Shell Houston Open the week following Bay Hill. Kevin has signed up for the Monday Qualifier in Houston so we are planning on doing the qualifier if we do not get into the field.

Thanks again to every one that introduced themselves this weekend and thanked me for the blog. I am overwhelmed by the amount of people that read the blog and actually enjoy it, looking forward to it each week. I look forward to seeing you all sometime in the near future.

Puerto Rico Open - Final Round

It was the tale of two nines. We were able to get off to the start we were looking for with two early birdies on one and three. With some solid ball striking, chipping and putting, we stayed two under through the turn and in perfect position to make a move. Unfortunately, the move we made was in the wrong direction.

After a nice par on 10, we managed to play the next seven holes four over par with only one poor swing. On the long par 3 - 11th, a 4 iron to the middle of the green led to a 3-putt. On the 12th, we played a 7 iron from 170 yards out of the lite rough. Catching a flier, the ball flew 204 yards, hit a cart path, ending on the beach of the Caribbean Sea. With the tide rolling in and water breaking at his feet, Kevin hit a nice 60 yard blast with a 9 iron from the beach and saved a bogey. After one more 3-putt on the 14th, we made that "one bad swing" off the 17th tee as the tee shot found a water hazard down the right side of the fairway. When it was all said and done, we played the back nine in 40 shots finishing the day at 2 over par (74). Our 5 under total for the week finished t-25th. It was our best week to date in 2012 but left us wanting more. We worked our way into contention with nine holes to play so now we need to build on that progress.

After the round, we had little time to waste as we only had 1:45 to catch our flight. Kevin and I were on the same flight out of San Juan to Charlotte, so we loaded up a car and headed to the airport. We are not playing in Tampa this week at The Transitions because "my boy" is getting MARRIED. We are looking forward to a great week off topped off with a great celebration this weekend. Our next event should be the Shell Houston Open in two weeks.

Puerto Rico Open - Third Round

The weather was much like yesterday. The early tee times caught a break with the wind as it was fairly calm all morning. By the time we teed off at noon, it was blowing about 15 - 20mph. Kevin hit the ball solid most of the day. We missed a difficult up and down on 7 and three putted the 9th to turn at one over for the day. Two late birdies on 15 and 17 got us under par for the round (71) and within shouting distance from the leaders. Kevin is definitely playing well enough to go out a shoot a low one tomorrow.

We tee off tomorrow at 11:30 with Boo Weekley.

Puerto Rico Open - Second Round

The conditions were not as tough as yesterday. The early tee times had very little wind this morning, while the afternoon guys only had to deal with about 15mph wind conditions. The difficult part was dealing with the tough pin positions.

Starting the day, Kevin struggled a bit with his ball striking. After a nice birdie on the par 5 second, we were hitting out of the palm trees on the next three holes. Bogeys on 4 and 5 dropped us to one over for the day and not in a very good frame of mind. A nice 30 foot par saving putt on 7, great two putt from 70 feet on 8, and then chipping in for birdie on 9, turned it all around. Kevin hit some fantastic shots on the back nine as we birdied 10, 11 and 12 to move us to 7 under for the tournament. A late bogey on 17 to another extremely difficult pin put us back to 6 under and that is where we finished. Our 2 under (70) keeps pace as we start the weekend in a tie for 5th five shots off the lead.

We tee off tomorrow at noon with Kevin Stadler.

Puerto Rico Open - Practice and First Round

Kevin and I arrived on Monday. Kevin just spent the afternoon hitting balls, chipping and putting. On Tuesday, we played a practice round with Scott Brown, Blake Adams and Will Mackenzie. Our practice round was cut short, due to the pace of play, because both Kevin and Scott had a Sponsor Value obligation at 4:00 pm. We were only able to play 14 holes before we had to quit. After the Sponsor Value, we spent some time putting and chipping before we called it a day. Wednesday we woke up early to play the six holes we missed on Tuesday. We had to go out before the Wednesday pro-am so we met at 6:30am. Some heavy downpours delayed our start but we were able to get them in before the pro-am. We finished the day with some range work, chipping and some gambling with Garrett Willis on the putting green.

Today we teed off number 10 at 8:40. The wind blows hard here every day and today was no different. With the wind blowing a consistent 20mph with gust up to 25-30, Kevin played a very tidy, no bogey, round of four under (68). Every part of his game was solid. He made a few key sand saves late in the round (5 and 6) to keep the round together.

After the round, we finished the day with a little putting practice and then hit a few balls. He feels good about everything so there wasn't much we need to do. The wind is forecasted to blow all week with 50% chance of showers everyday. We tee off tomorrow on number one at 1:20.