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.