Round One - Crown Point

Well today was the most bi-polar round of golf I have played in a while...I either hit a green and had a good chance at birdie, or missed the green and made a double!

I started out strong, and feeling really good about my game.  The problem today, unfortunately, was my course management.  When I missed the green, I missed it in the worst place possible.  I had four double bogeys, all of which could be attributed more to poor course management rather than a poorly executed shot.  Especially on the par 5s (which are playing pretty short this week), I got a little greedy and deserted my "lay it up to 100 yards" game plan.  I paid dearly.  I DOUBLE bogeyed two of those par 5s.  Ouch.  Other than that, I left myself in areas where it was nearly impossible to make a save for par.

I did make a couple of good putts, and made one of my three legitimate birdie chances of the day.  I ended up carding an 80 for the day.  There's not much else to say except that I'm pretty bummed.  It's never enjoyable to post a bad score, but it seems even worse when you have been hitting, putting, and chipping really well coming into the day.  Somewhere there seems to be a disconnect between my ears during a tournament round.  It's especially frustrating because I've had some great practice sessions out here.  I need to learn how to transfer my physical and mental state at the practice area to the course during a tournament.

Eventually, it will come through in my tournaments, but until then I'm just going to stick to the process, and keep working hard.  I'm not sure just yet of my tee time, but it will probably be tomorrow afternoon sometime.  The pairings will be posted later tonight on the Futures Tour website.  Thanks for following along, and I'll update you tomorrow!

Crown Point, Indiana!

This week I'm in Crown Point, Indiana for a Futures Tour event.  It's a beautiful little town only about 33 miles from downtown Chicago!  I've been practicing and checking out the course (White Hawk Country Club) for the past couple of days, and last night we had a Meet the Pros party in the downtown square of Crown Point.  I have to say, I don't think we've ever been greeted quite like we were last night!  All of the Futures Tour players were loaded onto fire trucks, trolleys, and buses at the golf course.  From there, we were literally paraded down through the neighborhood to the town square which was blocked off for us complete with a band for the night!  We were officially welcomed by the mayor, and had the chance to mingle with the many residents that had come out to the square for the rest of the night.  It was definitely a fun and unique experience!

Today, the course hosted two Pro-Am tournaments, so this morning was a good chance for me to get in a solid practice session before the tournament starts tomorrow.  The tournament will actually begin tomorrow (Thursday) instead of Friday and will end on Saturday.  I am assuming the scheduling change has something to do with the upcoming holiday.  I'll be teeing off bright and early tomorrow at 8:25 off the #1 tee!  The course is in pretty good condition, and I'm excited to begin another tournament!  THANKS for keeping up, and I'll keep the updates coming!

Have a happy Wednesday!

Round Two - Michigan

Well, today was a little bit better!  I carded a 76, with a birdie on the last hole.  But unfortunately, that wasn't good enough to make the cut.

I started the day off great, with a chance for birdie on the first couple of holes.  Then I missed a couple of greens, and couldn't seem to get up and down.  I really struggled with my chipping today, which is pretty uncommon.  I usually feel pretty confident about my short game, but it was just a struggle today.  I think this lead me to begin to focus on "not making a bad shot" in order to avoid an up and down situation.  I finally realized this was happening, and committed to the shot I "wanted to hit" on the last couple of holes, and finished pretty solid.  Although I had a few mishaps, I did make three birdies today and finished the back side even par.

I owe a big THANK YOU to Ms. Shelly Dean who so graciously volunteered her house this week!  I thoroughly enjoyed my stay in Michigan and getting to know such wonderful people!  Thank you again, and I hope to see you all next year!

Tomorrow morning I'm leaving for Crown Point, Indiana for the next Futures Tour tournament.  This event is a little bit different than the others as far as scheduling goes.  The tournament will begin on Thursday rather than Friday.  Afterwards, I'll head back home to Alabama for a week before leaving again for either Connecticut or Florida!

Thanks so much for all your support, and I'll keep you updated this week!  I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Round One - Michigan

Hey everyone!  I would like to apologize before I begin, because I completely forgot to update my posts about this trip/tournament!!!!!  I guess between the 16 hour drive and crazy weather the past few days in the upper peninsula of Michigan, my brain shut down...or froze...you decide.

Here's a brief synopsis of what you missed.  I left home Monday morning at 8 a.m. to begin the haul to my next Futures Tour event.  It was a total of 16 hours from my front door to Harris, Michigan, so I broke it into a two day drive.  I was VERY excited to get the chance to stop in Chicago overnight, and stay with a wonderful college friend who lives there now.  Her name is Nell, and she dances with a company in Chicago!  I was so thankful to have a chance to catch up with her during this trip, not to mention the fact that she has a great apartment with an extra bed!  So Nell, if you're reading this...again, a big THANK YOU :)

I left Chicago the next morning at 8 a.m. to finish the drive.  By the time I arrived in Escanaba, MI (a lovely town close to the golf course where my host home is located), I had experienced a FOURTY degree temperature swing!!!!  As you know, I left Alabama in sweltering 90-something degree weather.  I arrived to a chilly and rainy 55 degrees in Michigan.  I'm pretty sure my body was in shock.  Hahaha.  The cold and rain stuck around for the next two days, but I managed to get a decent look at the course by  Wednesday night.  Sweetgrass Golf Course is a fairly new addition to the Island Resort Casino property, and it is in good shape for us.  We experienced four inches of rain in just over two days, but the course has almost completely drained now!  The greens are firm, a pretty nice speed, and are a lot like a Robert Trent Jones course back home!

Today's round started out pretty good, but took a quick turn for the worse.  The temperature was nice today and the rain stayed away, but about the third hole, our nice breezes turned into 20 mph gail force winds!  I must say that I am not that experienced playing in such windy conditions, so it through me for a loop.  I started second guessing my club selection, which made it harder to commit over every shot.  Missed greens resulted in tough up and downs, which resulted in frustration, which resulted in some big numbers...a double bogey and triple bogey to be exact.  This vicious cycle continued for the next stretch of holes.  I was six over at the turn and made a triple bogey on #10.  YIKES!  However, somehow by the grace of God, I managed to settle down.  I made a conscious decision to start trusting my yardages/judgement of the wind, and focus on hitting fairways and greens.  I played the next eight holes two under par!!!!  I ended up carding a 79 for the day.  So, although there was a very ugly stretch of play today, I was proud of finishing so strong.  This is just a constant learning process, and I've got to be more patient and trust my preparation to do the job.

I tee off #10 tomorrow morning at 8:35 EST (somehow we're in the eastern time zone up here).  Thank you for all of your encouraging texts, posts, and calls.  I would appreciate any thoughts and prayers you could send my way tomorrow.  Sorry again for the brain freeze, I promise to post more promptly next time!  Have a great night!

Monday Qualifier - State Farm Classic

Well, today I played GREAT!  Not good enough to make it into the event, but I carded a 73 (two 68s made it in).  I played so much better than a 73, though!  I hit greens, and stuck it close A LOT.  I made three birdies today, but had so many putts that just didn't fall.

I was really proud of the way I played today, because I stayed in the moment and process-focused through nearly every shot!  In the past, I've let my surroundings intimidate me.  But not today!  Before I ever stepped out of my car, I made up my mind that my opponent for the day was the golf course, and everyone else had to play it, too.  Instead of letting my surroundings intimidate me, I took them in and enjoyed the experience!  I hit balls on the driving range next to Grace Park, putted next to Paula Creamer, and played a course set up for an LPGA event...and played well!  Afterwards, I had dinner with a couple of girls that are playing on the LPGA and were already in the event.  If you're watching the tournament this week, watch out for Dori Carter, Cindy LaCrosse, and Shasta Averyhardt.  They're cool girls, and really good golfers!

Also, a special thanks to Rick Eades for being a last-minute caddy for me!  He was nice enough to come down on short notice.  I was fortunate enough to have him carry my bag today, and really enjoyed playing with him.  Thanks so much, Rick, for everything!!!

So, although I didn't make it into the event, this was definitely a great experience and a good confidence builder!  I'm currently waiting to see if I get into a couple of Futures Tour events, but if not, I'll be heading down to Florida to play in the Suncoast Series this July.  I am excited to make the journey home tomorrow, and once again, am so thankful for all of your encouragement this week!

Have a great night!

Final Round - Marion, IA

Hey everyone, sorry again for another late posting!  Hopefully, if you were really anxious to see the results, you were able to follow the Futures Tour link pretty easily.  If not, I ended up carding a 74 today and tied for 51st.  It was actually a MUCH better day than my score may suggest!  I started the day off with several great saves for par, and a 30 foot birdie on #16 to move to 1 under for the round.  Then, on the very next hole, I found myself with a 10 foot putt for birdie...and made it!  I was 2 under on the most difficult side of the golf course!!!!  I hit an errant approach shot on #18, leaving me with a tough sand shot which I could not manage to get up and down for par.  Nevertheless, I made the turn at 1 under!

I continued to play really well the second nine, but unfortunately lost some momentum coming down the last stretch.  I had a couple of birdie putts that were inside of 10 feet that didn't fall.  One was a slick putt downhill that I somehow managed to leave short, and the other was a nice uphill putt that moved a bit more than I thought it would.  Looking back, I probably began to get a "scramble" mentality in my head on the last couple of holes instead of maintaining a solid and process-focused "fairway, green, putt" mentality I had played with the entire day.  This resulted in a focus on "making birdies," which undoubtedly lead to missed greens...which lead to a couple of bogeys.

All in all, I am very proud of the way I played, and this tournament was a great learning experience for me!  Plus, although I didn't finish as well as I would have liked, coming in tied for 51st allowed me to take home a pay check!

A unique opportunity came up while I'm out here in the midwest.  There is a Monday qualifier for the LPGA State Farm Classic in Springfield, IL...which just happens to be on my route home!  So, as soon as I finished playing, I packed up and got back out on the road.  I arrived here in Springfield four hours later and have officially "crashed" in my hotel room!!! Haha!  Luckily though, I'll be able to get some good rest because I have a late tee time tomorrow.  For those who are unfamiliar with the LPGA qualifiers, basically there are several events this season that the LPGA has opened up to allow other professionals and amateurs the chance to qualify for a spot in the event.  So, tomorrow I have the opportunity to play for a spot in the State Farm Classic!  I tee off #10 at 1:44, and once again would GREATLY appreciate any good vibes, thoughts, and prayers you could send my way!

I can't begin to tell you how much your encouraging texts and comments have meant to me this week!  I am truly, truly grateful that the Lord has surrounded me with such a supportive community of friends and family!  Thank you again, and I'll update tomorrow!  Have a great night!

Round Two - Marion, IA

Today was a long day, but MUCH better!  So please forgive this rather short entry, I'm exhausted and it's late...and I MADE THE CUT...so I have to wake up for a 9:40 tee time in tomorrow's final round!!!!!!!!  I had an afternoon tee time that got pushed back 45 minutes due to some lightening that came into the area this morning.  So instead of teeing off at 1:50, I teed off at 2:35.  We finished at 7:45.

My goal today was to really trust myself, and focus on the shot I wanted to create.  This really helped, especially in my short game!  With chipping and pitching, I put most of my energy into visualizing the shot I wanted, where it would land, how it would roll out, etc.  When putting, I still did everything necessary to decide just how the putt would break and what speed might be best, BUT, once I placed my ball back on the green, I made a conscious decision to commit to that line and to trust my stroke.  I did have a couple of hiccups, and three putted twice.  Other than that, it was a much better day on the greens.  

I finished the day with a one over, 73.  That paired with yesterday's 80 puts me at 153 for the tournament.  When the results came in, I was sitting right on the number, 153 made the cut!  So I will play in my first "final round" on the Futures Tour tomorrow, and I'm so excited!  I tee off #10 at 9:40 a.m.

Thanks for your kind words, thoughts, and prayers!  I'll keep you updated!

Round One - Marion, IA

Well, today was not so great...I carded an 80...yuck.  I hit the ball pretty well, I just couldn't get anything going with my short game.  Plus, the wind was ridiculous today!  I teed off at 9:30, and there was a solid one and a half to two club wind ALL day long.  So that made it difficult to hit greens, and unfortunately I struggled with my putting as well.  With the exception of one beautiful birdie on #16, I hit some really great putts that didn't go in and then struggled with a couple of three putts.  It was a bit frustrating because I've been putting and chipping pretty well during practice and even in practice rounds, I'm just having trouble translating that to the course during a tournament round.

All in all, with an 80 on the scoreboard, I stand tied for 96th which is not as bad as I thought it might be.  Tomorrow I am really going to focus on trusting myself and on the shot I want to execute, instead of the shots I want to avoid.  I am going to pick a target, trust my instinct and read, and produce the best stroke I can.  I'll be teeing off #10 at 1:50 tomorrow afternoon!

Thanks for all of your support and encouragement!  Check back tomorrow, and remember, you can follow my round live by clicking the LPGA Futures Tour link above!

Have a great night and weekend!

Tee Off Tomorrow! - Marion, IA

Well, today was a bit of a weather curve ball!  Since I arrived, the weather in Iowa has been really nice.  It's a bit cool in the morning, but bright and sunny.  Yesterday's high was around 80 degrees with a nice breeze all day.  Unfortunately for the Pro-Am participants this morning I woke up to a stormy, significantly cooler day!  It stayed cool and rainy all day, but there was a small break in the weather where I did manage to get in a couple of hours of rain free practice.

The tournament begins tomorrow, and I'm ready to go!  I tee off #1 at 9:30, and it's supposed to be a clear day with a high of 93 so I will feel right at home in that kind of "Alabama" weather!  If you get a chance to say a quick prayer and send some good vibes my way I'd really appreciate it!

You can follow the tournament's live scoring online if you just click the LPGA Futures Tour link above.  Once on the page, you'll see a "real time scoring" tab in the upper right hand corner.  Click there and you can follow us hole by hole!

Thanks again for your support, and have a great night!

Futures Tour - Marion, IA

I hope everyone had a wonderful and relaxing Memorial Day weekend!

I'm in Iowa this week for my first Futures Tour event of the season!  I am participating in the private housing program that the Futures Tour offers this time, and I arrived at my host family's home last night.  I have to say that they are absolutely fabulous!  We all had dinner together last night, and had a chance to get to know each other.  They are extremely welcoming and I am so very thankful that they've volunteered their home for the week!

I played this course last year, and was sure to get my yardage book for this trip.  My practice round was this morning, and it was a little rushed to say the least because of a pro-am event that was scheduled to tee off around lunch.  So now I am VERY glad to have my yardage book from last year because it was much easier to remember holes, yardages, and notes about the course!  I still managed to get a good refresher look at the course this morning and got some good practice in this afternoon.  The tournament starts Friday, so tomorrow will also be a good day for practice, and to get better feel for the greens.

I'm off to a "Meet the Pro's" party tonight where everyone gets a chance to meet tournament sponsors, pro-am participants, and other players in the field this week.  Thanks for visiting, and I'll keep you updated! Have a great night!