Recent Updates

Hi everyone! I hope you had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend! As the Symetra Tour (aka, Futures Tour) & the LPGA get into a full summer swing, I wanted to update all of you on a recent decision of mine. I played in the U.S. Women's Open qualifier last week in Atlanta, Georgia. The course was tough, with a lot of elevation changes, fast greens, & dog legs. The thing that hurt me the most, however, was the length. I didn't score well at all, carding an 81 that morning followed by a 76 that afternoon. While short game is imperative to a good round, it makes things all the more difficult if you have hybrids/woods in your hand into a majority of the greens. My stats for hitting the greens with hose clubs were slim & the chances of you making every up & down decrease as you miss more greens. Basically, I came to this conclusion: I will not be able to contend on the LPGA (which of course is the ultimate goal) in the way that I would like unless I gain some yardage off the tee. With that being concluded, I pulled out of the upcoming Symetra Tour events, instead, choosing to work on the issue of gaining yardage. I will still play in tournaments but not until I have addressed this problem & see some progress. Thank you all for your support, & I wanted to let you know why my blog might be quiet for a while. I have already identified some swing flaws, and look forward to working hard on making the changes necessary to my swing. I'm hopeful that this will help me to be blogging again soon! Thanks again for your support! Soli Deo Gloria

Grande Pines - Round Three

Today was not much better than yesterday. I shot 76 again. Hit 12 greens, had 32 putts (two 3-putts), and three birdies. I had one double bogey on #6 & was unable to convert some putts to save par. It was a struggle again. It all comes down to the putting! Sure, I didn't hit as many greens as I would have liked, but (with the exception of the double) I didn't miss the greens in bad places. I even hit great chips to well within 10', but I wasn't able to make the putts! Overall, I ended up 16th. The bright side is that my bad days are still getting better. I'm going home this week, determined to correct my putting! I am more determined than ever to work on short game skills because the past two tournaments have revealed how much of a difference it can make! Thanks again for following me this week! I appreciate all of your support so very much!!! Have a great weekend! Soli Deo Gloria

Grande Pines - Round Two

Overall, today was much better. I hit the ball better, hitting 14 greens total. I also gave myself lots of good looks at birdie...unfortunately, I only made ONE out of nine legitimate chances. The upside is that I hit it to at least 15' nine out of the fourteen times I hit the green! That's improvement! The weather did hit us briefly today, pulling us off the course for about 30 minutes. After the break, we finished the front nine & I made the turn at one over. I hit a great approach into #10 green & made the putt for birdie. I stayed at even par for the next five holes & had three other really good looks at birdie. Number 16 is a par four with a sharp dogleg right. The wind was coming pretty hard from behind so I took a little more than usual off the corner. It looked like a perfect drive from the tee. When I got to my ball, however, it had gone through the fairway, into the rough & behind a tree. I couldn't go for the pin, but had a pretty straight forward punch from under the tree to at worst the front of the green. My punch shot was a little harder than I planned, but I NEVER imagined it would hit in front of the green, roll over the green, through the greenside bunker & into the woods...but that's exactly what happened. It went so far into the woods that I was forced to take an unplayable & return to my original spot in the rough! I tried the same punch shot, but landed it about 30 yards shorter. Again, it kept rolling. It rolled through the fairway, over the green & came to rest in the greenside bunker. Now I was hitting shot #5 from the bunker! I hit a fantastic shot to within a few feet & made the putt to save DOUBLE. I was in shock. I regained my composure to par #17, & hit what I thought was a good drive on #18. Turns out, the fairway was a little wet & I didn't get much roll at all. I had 185 to a very intimidating pin. I hit a good shot, but it caught the false front & rolled down into the rough. I hit the worst chip of the day, that also caught the false front & rolled back down to me. I hit the next chip to inside 10', missed the putt & tapped in for DOUBLE. Again, I was shocked. I picked up all of my four strokes over par (76) on two of the last three holes. Ugh! I was really disappointed with today's finish, but I can't be totally frustrated because I played the other 16 holes even par & continually gave myself chances for birdie. I did hit 14 greens today, made some great chips & putts to save strokes, & despite my 32 putt total, I didn't have a three putt! The thing that's frustrating is that two bad holes can really put a damper on your score, especially if they're at the end of the round. Tomorrow's another day! I tee off at 10:15 EST. Thanks again for your encouragement & a special THANK YOU to the Browns & the Andrews for coming out to the course today! It was so nice to see y'all & I appreciate you taking time out of your vacation to visit me! It was a great way to start the day! Have a great night! Soli Deo Gloria

Grande Pines - Round One

Im back in Orlando this week for a Suncoast event at Grande Pines Golf Course! Today was the first round, and unfortunately, it wasn't my best. I started off pretty good with a birdie on the first hole. I made pars the next two holes, but a terrible swing left me in the right greenside bunker on the par three, #4. I hit a great shot out to five feet! Unfortunately, I missed the putt. At this point I was a little shaken about my shot, and now I was a little shaken about my putting! I hit a great approach on the next hole to 6' for birdie. It was a slider, and I misjudged the speed. I made a few more pars, but my putting "jitters" were amplified by my three putt from 15' on #8! I went on to bogey the ninth as well, making the turn at three over. Another wayward approach on #10 left me with a 60' putt up and over a huge ridge in the green. I three putted...again.i missed the green on #12 & had a tough lie in the bunker. It came out thin & sailed over the green. On the other side, I needed to hit a high flop to the pin, avoiding a severe slope coming right back at me. I hit a good shot to about 10' but missed the putt. I made double bogey. This was one of those moments that sneak up on you in tournament golf. You start to feel like you can't do anything right, and it's a quick, slippery slope to a high score. I recognized my anxiety & made a conscious decision to focus on the basics: it the fairway, hit the green, see the shot you want to hit, and commit. Of course, saying a little prayer helped, too! I birdied the next hole! I hit greens & gave myself good looks at birdie coming in. When I missed the green I didn't panic or get down on myself. I played the last six holes one under! I carded a five over, 77 for the day. Not a good day, but I was glad that I didn't succumb to the discouragement that reared its ugly head during the round. Statistically, my ball striking wasn't very good today. I only hit 10 greens. Plus, when I missed, I didn't miss in the best area, leaving myself tough up & downs. My putting wasn't so hot either. I had 32 putts total, making only two birdies, missing a couple of 5 footers, and had two three putts. This course reminds me a lot of a Robert Trent Jones course. It has intimidating approach shots, undulating & multi level greens, and can get pretty tight in some places. I think I let my nerves get the better of me today on my approach shots, and had trouble committing to the shot I wanted to hit. I worked for a while on the range afterward, and will do a better job of commenting to the shot I want to hit rather than all the other possible outcomes! I was able to get my putting instructor to take a quick look at my stroke & he noticed that my shoulders were closed at set up. This could explain the inconsistencies in my putting despite all my practice! We worked on making sure my shoulders were parallel & I feel much better about tomorrow! I tee off tomorrow at 11:48 EST! I'll keep you updated, and thank you again for checking in! I truly appreciate all of your support & encouragement! Have a good night! Soli Deo Gloria