Hello from Kahuku, Hawaii.  I am here at Turtle Bay Golf Club on the North Shore of Hawaii finally getting my 2012 campaign under way.  Today was the Pre Qualifier for the Sony Open.  I managed a one under par 71 today to easily advance to tomorrow's qualifier.  I have posted a couple of pictures above from the course.  The first one is of the "Official" Towel Dip.  I thought this was hilarious.  I was wondering to myself where the "unofficial" Towel Dip might be located. Haha!  The second picture is the green and backdrop of the 17th hole.  It is very hard to concentrate on the green as you look at the vast beauty of the Pacific Ocean and the waves crashing some 50 yards from you.  Absolutely stunning.  The Hawaiian tourism industry can thank me later. 
    It was nice to be able to see a lot of positives out of my round after my long layoff from playing.  I hit alot of quality shots today and I am excited to build on that moving forward tomorrow.  I played today with two other professionals, one of which was a professional in an entirely different sport: surfing.  I enjoyed watching his laid back demeanor today.  That is definitely what I am pushing myself to be more like.  I often get uptight and it hurts me.  The surfer vibe is one of not-a-care-in-the-world, and it was nice to see first hand.  If you can have the guts to get on a board and ride a 30 foot wave knowing darn well if you fall, alot of bad things can happen, then golf must not really seem that hard.  Kidding aside, there are alot of parallels to golf and surfing.  In golf you have to see the shot you want to hit, and then get up there confidently and execute what it is you see in your mind without a fear in the world.  Same goes in surfing.  You see the wave coming, then you have to visualize what you want to do with it and flat out have no fear and do it. 
    Anyway sorry for rambling, but it is always exciting playing with different athletes and picking their brain on how they think.  I can't wait for tomorrow's opportunity to go out and have another great round at Turtle Bay.  It is such a beautiful place, and if you have never been to Hawaii I strongly recommend putting it on your bucket list.  The simplicity of just being able to be outside in a short sleeve shirt in the middle of Winter really feels great.  After bundling up in Saint Louis day after day 4 layers deep, I feel like I lost 40 pounds playing golf today with the range of motion I had in solely a collared shirt.  Another great day of 80 degrees and sun is projected for tomorrow.  Heck that is what the weather is 365 days a year out here.  I'm just going to go out and enjoy the entirety of what tomorrow brings.  Thanks for reading and I'll come back with an update soon!