Greetings.  I finished up my round today right where I started the day with an even par 71.  It took 66 to qualify and I missed by 5 shots.  This was very obtainable today given how I was feeling going into the round, I just didn't go out and get it.  I would like to share a story that is rather interesting.  I was supposed to be paired today with a fellow by the name of Johnson Wagner.  He didn't show today and with good reason.  Yesterday he won the PGA Tour Mayakoba Classic in Cancun.  So he went from last week thinking he would be qualifying alongside me to PGA Tour winner.  That right there gets me excited, because it shows it can be done. 
    I was paired instead with two other PGA Tour players today.  Alex Rocha and Scott Piercy.  I beat Alex and I tied Scott.  At no point in time was I even a bit scared, awe struck, or nervous playing with them.  So I may not have played perfect today, but I at least had a gut check and nice day where I reaffirmed that I soon will be on the PGA Tour.  I still need to shore up a few areas of my game moving forward, but I like the direction that I am headed.  I had one loose drive today, which was an improvement on the several I had in Mexico.  I can walk away with my chin up knowing I may not have qualified today, but I can still take alot of positives away from it.
    Tomorrow I arrive in Tallahassee, Florida for my first 4 day event.  It is the first Hooters tournament of the year and I am really excited to tee it up on Thursday.  I am improving every day since I got down here a few weeks ago and I see no reason at all why I won't go out this week and play some great golf in Tallahassee.  If I can keep up stride for stride with bonafied million dollar winners on the PGA Tour, then it is a no brainer that I can keep up with my contemporaries on the Hooters Tour.  This is how confidence is bred and I am feeling great about myself and my chances this week.  I am staying with a great friend of mine Phil Strebeck in Tallahassee, so it beats the redundancy of hotels.  Now it is the time to go out and get 2011 started properly.  Keep you posted.  

    Hey guys.  I just uploaded a couple pictures.  As promised here is a picture from my club in Orlando.  This is the 18th hole at Bay Hill on a nice sunny day.  The second shot requires precision over water to a green that is not very big depth wise.  The other picture is of an iguana that we saw in Cancun.  Those little guys are fearless.  These pictures are a far cry from the snow filled photo I shared a couple weeks back.

    Well I find myself sitting in Miami, Florida currently.  I had a nice day on the course yesterday in West Palm Beach and shot a steady 69 to barely squeek through the Honda pre qualifier to get to play on Monday for the 4 spot qualifier.  There were 111 guys at my site playing for 14 spots and I tied for 13th place to get through.  I was very proud of the way I played all day, but was most proud of the way I bounced back on the 14th hole of the day.  On number 13 I made a mistake filled double bogey that sent me back to even par for the day and completely stifled my momentum.  I bounced right back on 14 with an outstanding birdie and got me back to under par for the day.  I finished off the round with four straight pars to secure my spot in Monday's field.

    So I am practicing with my friend Michael Buttacavoli in Miami for a couple days before we head up to West Palm Beach for Monday's qualifier.  We played a practice round for the course today.  The course is demanding off the tee, so the 4 guys who qualify will have assuredly kept the ball in front of them all day.  Monday will be a wonderful measuring stick early in the season to see exactly where my game is at against a very strong field.  There will be 100 plus guys, half of which already have some sort of status on the PGA Tour for the 4 spots available.  If I can go out and keep striking the ball the way I have been in practice as of late I will give myself a great chance to play a great round.  For that reason I am eager, nervous, and confident all in the same breath.  The season is still very early, but Monday is going to be a very exciting day that I am looking forward to.  I'll keep you posted.  Over and out from Miami, FL.

    I am back from Mexico.  I shot a 74 and missed qualifying by 5 shots.  It was good to get a competitive round under my belt.  It also was a difficult day weather wise with strong winds, so it was nice to be able to be forced to hit some tough shots in grueling conditions.  I started off poorly and was 3 over par early in my round, but I persevered and got my round back to even par with a birdie on my 10th hole.  I had an eight hole stretch to close out my round by feeding off the momentum that I had, but I couldn't keep it going.  The course is very demanding off the tee and you had to get the ball in play.  I unfortunately had 3 "foul balls" that got me in trouble and a double bogey on my final hole left a sour taste in my mouth.  I did hit a bunch of quality shots which I can take with me moving forward and keeps me feeling great about the direction I am headed.
    I am currently in West Palm Beach, Florida for the PGA Tour Honda Classic pre qualifier which is tomorrow.  There are 100 some odd guys playing for 15 or so spots that will advance to the Monday Qualifier.  These early PGA Tour events in California and Florida have always drawn big numbers at the qualifiers, so it makes it necessary to play a little bit better at the pre qualifier in order to advance to the Monday.  It is just one more hurdle necessary to compete, but the reward at the end makes it all worth it.  I am excited again to tee off tomorrow morning at 10am and play a great round to move on to Monday.  Keep you posted.



"People ask me what I do in winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring." ~Rogers Hornsby

    This quote perfectly sums up how I have been feeling over the past 75 days.  This is a picture of my backyard in Saint Louis.  The snow has been on the ground for basically the entire 75 day period that I have been home, so when I leave for Orlando, Florida tomorrow, the green grass will never have looked or smelled so good!  In actuality this snow cover has rejuvenated my golfing senses and when I pull into Orlando Sunday night, it will mark the beginning of my 2011 golf campaign.  Without hesitation, I can tell you as I have previously posted, this is the most excited I have been to play golf since I turned professional.  It is amazing what some time off will do to get the competitive juices flowing again.  It has been something of a reawakening where sitting on the sidelines for an extended period of time really has given me a great prospective.

    I will have a week of golf in perfect weather to get ready for my first event, which is a Monday Qualifier in Cancun, Mexico.  I'm mentally preparing to have a week long golf boot camp to knock the rust off and then go get after it on Monday February 21st in Mexico.  Lucky for me I have played the course in Mexico 4 times previously so this gives me a huge leg up on the competition in terms of practicing correctly for the shots I will be facing.  I finished my last weight training session today in Saint Louis and look forward to continuing my fitness down in Florida as I attack the game from every avenue that I can to keep getting better.  I'll try and keep you posted on how my progress is going down in Florida and will post a picture from my home course, Bay Hill Club and Lodge, which I anticipate will have a nice hue of vibrant green grass!