Greetings.  I am back in Orlando following my brief trip to Hawaii.  I have made a new rule that if it takes me longer than a day to get to a tournament that I am not already in (a.k.a. any sort of qualifier), I am not going.  I wouldn't change anything I have done, but it was a definite learning experience covering such a distance to attempt a mere qualifier where only 4 guys advanced.  The trip to Hawaii took my body some time to recover from due to the many plane hours I had to log.  However, I had a week to recover and get ready for this week's event in Orlando at Diamondback Golf Club.  The first two rounds of the tournament really went well.  The first day I came out with a two under 70 with sub par ballstriking.  I really saved some nice shots with my short game.  Yesterday I hit the ball incredible on the front nine and turned in five under 31.  I struggled on the back nine to a one over 37, totaling a 68 on the day, and scratching my head as to what could have been.  The hangover continued today where I had no clue how to hit basically any kind of shot, whether it was routine or complex.  I totaled a 75 and got lapped by the field.  On a day where I was with in striking distance of recording a very good finish I took a step backward.  It was a weird week because I can only single out the nine holes in my second round where I really had complete control of what was going on.  Other than that the other 45 holes of golf I was more or less scratching and clawing my way for survival.  That is no way to win a tournament and I know that.  Below I have pictured a new supplement I am taking called Amino Vital.  It is a powder formula that I mix into a water bottle and it really helps give me some sustainable energy on the course.  There is so much that goes into being the best I can possibly be and this is one element that I believe helps me gain an edge.  I will try and do a better job this year of really giving you some insight into how I am making my way to the PGA Tour from an "outside the ropes" perspective.  Eating well, exercising, getting proper rest, thinking with clarity, and playing with confidence are really several of the areas that are in my control that I am doing a good job of targeting that can really make a difference in golfing at an elite level consistently.  The last Hooters Winter Series event is slated for next week at Rio Pinar CC.  This is probably my favorite tournament course in Orlando because it has a real old school feel to it.  It doesn't have the typical Florida feel to it where you are winding your way through water hazards on every hole.  Instead it is a Parkland style course, by this I mean Rio Pinar meanders its way through trees and brush and really puts a premium on ball striking and maneuverability.  I have played this course many times, even recording a college event here back in my Mizzou days.  I know how to win on this course, and I feel like with a good weekend of practice I can put myself in position to do just that.  Things are moving in the right direction.  This week was one where I never got any rhythm going for any extended period of time.  I've already put it behind me and am drawing up a plan on how I can go out and put my best foot forward on Tuesday for the 1st Round at Rio Pinar.  Cheers!

I did not qualify for the Sony Open this year.  Yesterday in the pre qualifier I played really well and shot a 69 on a windy rainy day that really made scoring tough.  It was a round I am really proud of and given the conditions if the qualifer would have been held yesterday my score may have very well held up to get me in.  I made it to today's round with 15 shots to spare.  (What a joke).  Anyway today the weather was absolutely perfect with hardly a breath of wind.  I shot a two under par 70 and missed the magic number of 65 required to gain entry into the Sony Open.  Yes it was frustrating that I traveled roughly 5,000 miles to get here, but I wouldn't have it any other way.  I can't tell you how much joy I get in the opportunity to go to such special places with my career.  I am going to play on the PGA Tour very soon I can feel it.  I have had a lot of close calls and failures along the way, but I am getting better and better at this game.  I am not just typing this onto the page as filler, its the honest truth.  I double bogeyed my first hole today.  Had that been me a year ago and beyond, I probably would have mentally checked out and folded my tent.  I was proud of my resilient play today where I fought back to post a couple under par.  I just didn't have my A game today, and I still was right there in the fight.  I head back to Los Angeles tomorrow for a pit stop before I head back to Orlando Wednesday night.  What will I take with me besides a missed attempt at my first Monday Qualifer of the year?  A knowledge that I have the mental strength to battle my way through adversity as seen by my first hole blunder, along with a very solid 69 from the pre qualifying that bolsters my confidence.   

Shingle Creek is a tournament I have already put behind me.  I finished up the second round with a disapointing second round 72.  It was frustrating because I had it to 3 under par stepping up to the 17th hole.  I had scratched and clawed my way back inside the cut line and was ready to power my way up the leaderboard.  I hit a great drive on 17 and had 134 to the stick from the middle of the fairway.  The huge Shingle Creek Resort hovers directly over the back left of this green.  I knew the wind was hurting left to right so I pulled an 8 iron believing the wall of wind would help me be able to cozy the shot next to the pin.  I hit the shot just how I wanted, but the hotel blocked the wind from affecting the shot and my ball settled 50 feet beyond the pin.  I 3 putted from there for bogey.  On 18 I split the fairway again only to once again get hosed.  There was one lone tree which sits just off the fairway on the right side.  I found a way to be directly behind this tree.  I had 128 stick into a hard wind.  I had the ability to hit it over the tree, but I had to hit it real high real quick off really tight bermuda.  I caught the shot a fraction thin and the ball took off on a low trajectory, hit 2/3 up the top of the tree and bounced into the water.  I took a double bogey and missed the cut by 2.  I went from comfortably inside the cut and making progress, to in two holes missing the cut and being completely frustrated.  I battled all day in brutal conditions only for this to happen at the end.  Thats golf and thats why I love it.  Well here I am now sitting on the North Shore in Oahu getting ready for the Sony Open Qualifier.  Tomorrow is the pre qualifier in which 67 guys with no status on either the Nationwide/PGA Tour duke it out to move on to Monday.  The top 50 and ties will do just that.  We are playing the qualifier at Turtle Bay Resort.  This place is famous for shooting "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" on its resort property.  It was real neat to see it in person.  It is a truly special place that in a weird way I feel strange being here stag in couples paradise.  I am not here for romance, I am here for the task at hand, to qualify my way into the Sony Open.  The picture below shows the 17th hole with the backdrop the Pacific Ocean.  Number 16 and 17 will provide a stern test the next couple days as they are both Par 4's that are 450 yards long and play directly into the prevailing wind.  I am very excited to play a couple of great rounds and extend my stay in Hawaii another week!  Keep you posted.

Welcome to 2010.  Seeing that it is now 10 years into the 21st Century I figured it is time to get this blog up to a higher standard technologically.  I have always been a visual person, so in 2010 I am going to try and document my life through photos rather than exclusively try and write you a book.  Today I began my competitive season with completion of the 1st round of a Winter Series event here in Orlando.  As most of the country is in a deep freeze, Florida is no different.  While I may not be experiencing the single digit temperatures that a good portion of the country is, I played today in 40 degree weather with 15 MPH winds making the wind chill dip into the twenties.  I can promise you that no where in the country does 35 degrees feel colder than in Florida.  It is a wet, humid cold that cuts right to your bones.  I had little feeling in my hands today and my score showed.  I posted a 79 which was a combination of Christmas Break rust, having 12 new clubs in my bag, and just not adjusting to the weather.  In 2010 the USGA has implemented a new rule where the golf club grooves can no longer be configured in a "U" style, so I had to do away with all my irons and start over.  I have never been real good at adjusting to a new set right away so it may take a little time.  I am now playing Titleist's 710 series blade which are really good clubs, I just need some quality warm weather practice with them to get acclimated to the set.  Speaking of warm weather, Thursday night I depart for Hawaii for my first go at Monday Qualifying for the season.  I could not be more excited for my trip since I have never been there.  There will be 90 some odd players competing for the 4 spots that are awarded just like every week on the Tour.  Getting back to the present, I still have a chance to finish this week strong with a good day tomorrow which will allow me to make the cut and move up the leaderboard.  Usually if I shoot a 79 I would be about ready to sulk in a corner, but I am going to cut myself some slack because of my inability to get in any kind of substantial practice during my Christmas break due to the bitter cold plus the brutal conditions we all faced today.  Some of the guys posted some really solid scores and I have to give them credit.  However, I am really being selfish right now and concentrating on exactly what I need to do to get better and move on with my career.  I will be staying at Turtle Bay Resort in Oahu's North Shore and will post a picture from my excursion soon.  I have a long and prosperous year ahead of me and can't wait to get things rolling.