I firmly believe I play one of the most taxing mental sports in existence. Last week in Canada I came up short of obtaining my tour card on PGA Tour Canada for the summer. It stings because I set a goal to get myself into the PGA Tour system and work my way up the ladder. This put a damper on that goal temporarily and I currently sit in no mans land with no status here in the USA. The landscape of developmental tour golf has changed. Domestically if you have no status you are limited to watered down mini tours, state opens, and Monday qualifiers since all the tours tied into the PGA Tour system are overseas in Canada, China, and Latin America.

Last week I went in with thorough preparation, and a goal to really stay level all week. I hit some poor shots and great shots and stayed real level, but I didn't produce the goods. I putted and putted and putted. I holed next to zero putts of any significant length. It's funny, because I've been working so hard to shore up my chipping and iron play and put my bread and butter putting and driving on the back burner. Well, that came back to bite me last week. I drove the ball poorly and putted beyond poorly. Taking my 2/3rds success guidelines, I came up well short of my marks in both categories. I hit my irons great and chipped it ok. What I took from this is I need to work on all elements of my game equally, regardless of how I'm performing in each facet of my game.

In baseball, scouts refer to an elite player as a 5 tool player. Golf is similar. You need to 1) drive with power 2) drive with accuracy 3) execute solid iron shots 4) chip & pitch efficiently 5) putt with prowess

Thus, all aspects of these 5 categories need to be constantly monitored and refined. I can honestly say I took for granted my putting and driving as they have always been my best areas. My practice moving forward will cover all 5 areas equally. For most my career, I've zoned in on my iron play and chipping. I've worked the hardest in these areas, as they have been my weakest link. By doing that, in some ways I've mentally made it that much harder because I've admitted that those aspects haven't been where I want them to be and have stressed out and drove myself crazy trying to perfect them. I'm really proud of the strides I've made in my chipping and iron play, but I have to equally focus on the other 3 tools required to be a complete player.

I want to finish this blog post by stressing the importance of going out there in competition and really having fun and being patient. I've greatly improved my flatline approach, but deep down I'm still too results driven. Externally I appear calmer, but I'm still churning inside trying to hard to produce results. I have to be more process driven and hit more shots with imagination, fun, and athleticism. It is so easy to get caught up playing golf for a living and tie each shot to the results. Truth be told, that is how I make my living in life. Moving forward though, I have to put that aside and have fun and absorb myself in the process of getting there. I have a lot of opportunity still in front of me this month. Tomorrow is my US Open qualifying at home, then I leave for 2 weeks to Central America for 2 starts on PGA Tour Latin America.

A previous me would have first and foremost stressed the importance of playing well so I could seize the opportunity. The new me is going to sit back, work really hard on my game, have a ton of fun along the way, and let my immense talent shine forth by not being so critical and intense. I've long said its like having a Ferrari in the garage, but I haven't found the keys. I'm going to find the keys by relaxing, taking deep breathes, enjoying the journey, and realizing everything I need talent wise is already in me. The talent will reveal itself by not putting this self-inflicted pressure on myself. Thanks for reading. I'm ready to go out and perform at an elite level by not focusing on performing at an elite level. Let's have some fun!!! Thanks for reading.