Greetings.  Day one from the Hooters Tour in Gainesville, Georgia is in the books.  What a crazy day it was.  I teed up in the very first group of the day at 7:45am in cold, windy, and firm conditions.  That triple threat is not the combo that yields low scores.  I shot a two over par 73 today and that score by days end will not in any way kill me.  Granted I did hit quite a few clumsy shots today, but on the whole given the degree of difficulty I can not be too hard on myself.  Today was a day where I felt drawing on my past experiences in competitive golf really was able to help me.  The greens today were as firm today as the greens in Scotland I faced last summer at the British Open qualifier.  The wind and temperature mimicked the cool, breezy conditions I faced last Fall in Spain at the European Qualifying School.  Finally the greens were quick and had an "Augusta Nationalesque" type of speed to them.  So playing today was alot like taking a test in college that I had prepared and studied for.
    Even more so I think today is a great day to keep in the memory bank heading forward.  Q School which is played each Fall more times than not will present conditions very similar to this weather wise.  The majority of my professional golf is played during the summer time where the courses are very hot and the greens are slow and soft because the greens have to be watered to prevent them from dying.  So playing on days like this will undoubtedly be beneficial for my preparations at the end of the year for Q School.  I look forward on getting back out on the course tomorrow and once again enjoying the challenge this course is presenting this week.