Final Stage Korean Tour

After making a double-bogey on my 7th hole today, I responded by birdieing 4 out of the next 5 holes to close the tournament with a round of -1, 71. The score was good enough to improve my position from 19th to 7th place and give me fully exempt status on the Korean Tour. I will get exemptions into 16 events with purses between US$350k-600k. All the events are televised live and draw thousands of spectators to every event. Between this tour and the few events I play on the Asian Tour, 2008 has amazing potential.

I am very tired, but too excited to rest now. It is such an overwhelming, joyous feeling to receive improvement in concrete form. 11 months ago, I came into the final round of Candian Tour School in a similar position, on an easier golf course, with a less internationally based field. I needed to play a good round under the final round pressure and I faultered early, lost belief in myself and the negative perception and poor shots snowballed into an increadibly disappointing finish. Final stage of Asian Tour School added a chapter to the memoir of Q-School let downs.

For the first three rounds, I struggled on a golf course with hazards on every hole, but found a way to remain competitive and give myself a good chance going into this final round. After making a double bogey on the 7th hole today, I found myself very close to the projected cut line where I began to faulter 11 months ago at Canadian Tour Q-School. When it occured this week, I kept telling myself everything was playing itself out the way it was supposed to and I responded accordingly: by comming back with four birdies.

Looking back on everything thus far, I see that it is not my swing that has improved dramatically, or my putting stroke, but my ability to live on a shot by shot basis and believe I will find a way to make my plight successful. A year ago, that double bogey on my 7th hole, may have led to a bogey on 8 and then the downward spiral begins. I knew all week, even after the double bogey today, that it was all a test of faith. Now I know that it played itself out perfectly because it accentuates just how far I have come in 2007.

Here is a link to the final results: http://eng.koreapga.com/

This is going to be a great year and you're all a part of it. I've said it before, but can't say it enough: thanks for all the support and love. Over and out.

Love,
The first New Hampshire representative of the Korean Tour,
Mark