I'm in Albany, New York in a Holiday Inn all by myself.  This is a story I don't want to tell, but I feel it is necessary for all of my supporters out here that take the time to read this.  For those that are sqeamish, I'd stop here.  Today @ the PGA Tour Turning Stone Monday Qualifier I missed in a 4 for 1 playoff to get in the event.  I shot a quality round of 4 under par 68 to put me in the playoff, but the hose job I received on my 9th hole today rivals the worst bad break in my 25 years of existance.  On my 9th hole of the day I was cruising along in 3 under par when I teed off with a driver.  The hole is a split fairway where you can go left or right.  There is a series of bunkers in between the two fairways that makes the player choose which side he is going to drive to.  I hit a solid drive down the left center of the fairway and as I went up to find my ball, it was nowhere to be found.  In golf under the USGA rules of golf that govern play you have exactly 5 minutes to look for your ball.  Well we searched for 5 minutes for my ball and mysteriously could not find it.  After that 5 minutes your ball is deemed lost, and I had to take a penalty stroke and retee from the tee box, which essentially makes it a 2 stroke penalty.  As I began my mystified walk back to the tee 5 minutes and 15 seconds after looking for my ball, low and behold I found my original drive just sitting fine 40 yards back from where we were looking.  Unfortunately even though I found my ball, I could not play that one because my 5 minutes were up.  So instead of making a routine par I made a double bogey.  My grandpa died some 7 years ago, and this was the first time I had tears in my eyes since then.  In my mind I qualified for the event today, but it was taken away from me from the cruel, strict rules that govern our sport.  I know I have to abide by these rules, it just so happened they hampered me from realizing a dream of mine today.  In the playoff I was proud of myself for recomposing myself.  I made birdie on the 1st hole by getting up and down greenside on the par 5 first hole.  It was one of the most crafty pitch shots I have hit in all of 2010 and my ball lipped out for eagle.  I tapped in for birdie.  Two of the other playoff contenders matched my birdie.  On the 2nd playoff hole, I had to get up and down for par to extend the playoff.  I had a relatively challenging pitch shot from the short side right of the pin.  My ball was sitting down just a hair and I decided to take out putter and be safe, rather that mishit a wedge and have no chance at par.  I hit the first putt to 7 feet, and just missed my par putt to extend the playoff.  Hindsight tells me I should have trusted the work with my pitching that I have put hundreds of hours into with my instructor Brian Mogg, but I think I made the prudent club selection with putter given the lie.  I need to gracefully salute 59 YEAR OLD Dick Mast for beating me in this playoff.  If I can take any solace, and help lick my wounds, I can walk away from today realizing I still can be competitive for 34 more years in this game if Mr. Mast can do it!  59 must be the new 29.  I am ready to qualify through Tour School this fall and putt Monday qualifying behind. me.  I have served my apprenticeship and know in my heart and soul I am ready to take it to the next level.  I head from here to Garden City, Kansas tomorrow for an Adams Tour event.  It is an event that I love, but it is a tough pill to swallow realizing what could have been.  Until next time. ~JK