Moving On

I finished 26th at qualifying and am moving onto the next stage. The final round was grueling as it got more windy than any other tournament day with final round tournament conditions. Without my A or B game, I grinded my way to a round of 74, which beat the field's average score. I will find out when and where I am playing on September 30. There are two more stages similar to last week before the finals in December; "It's a long way to the top if you wanna rock and roll." Until then, I'll be working hard towards being ready for my PGA Tour debute. Thanks for the support!

Early Q-School Heat

After three rounds, I sit inside the cut line with one round to play. I've hit many high quality shots, but uncharacteristically, have played the par 5s very poorly (out of the 12 I've played, I'm +5. In an average tournament, I might play par 5s -5 or better, a difference of 10 strokes.) Thus, I've left some work to do tomorrow. A solid round with minimal mistakes will have me advancing to the next phase of PGA Tour qualifying.

I made some great saves today to get my ball around the course in 72 stokes. Tomorrow I will try to get off to a quick start to give myself further breathing room. Should that not happen, I will focus my attention on staying relaxed and patient, utilizing tactical prowess, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

I have a bit more pressure to perform in the final round than I would have anticipated, but it will be perfect preparation for the next phase of this grueling qualifier that extends through December.

Q-School Rd. 1

On a blustery, rainy day at Jennings Mill CC I posted +2, 74 to open the tournament. The low score of the day was 70, which leaves me within striking distance for round 2. This stage of the tournament is played in 4 rounds with 39 players and ties advancing to the next stage. I performed well in a few areas today and chipped in on the final hole to leave the course with some joy. If I can play the par 5s better tomorrow (I played them +2 today) and get some momentum going with my putter, I will find myself headed into the final two rounds at the top of the leaderboard.

PGA Q-School

Q-School is here. The most grueling test in a golfer's career.

It doesn't matter what's happend in the past. All that matters is with a few months of great play, my future can change dramatically. I can take the largest stride of my life towards creating my dream with 18 rounds of amazing golf. 4 of those rounds are played this week at Jennings Mill Country Club outside Atlanta. The course is challenging with many long par 4s and deep, bermuda grass rough waiting to pull player's shots down to the depths.

I've hit a new stride in the last two days here. My ball striking is very solid and I have acute control of my shots. I've put alto of effort into preparing around these greens and I know opportunities will transform into success this week.

My first round begins tomorrow at 9:50. You can follow the results at http://www.pgatour.com/qschool/

I believe this week I wont make you scroll down from the top of the leaderboard.

Another Brick Wall

I am coming home for PGA Tour qualifying...to achieve the first major milestone of a life-long dream. My ball striking is continually improving and the US style of golf suits my game.

I unfortunately moved from the penthouse to the outhouse this week in a mere 27 holes to miss the cut. My putting let me down today. This is the first round I can ever remember where I have not made a single one putt. I finished at even par for two rounds and it appears I will be missing the weekend by a stroke or two.

I will be leaving Asian golf behind without a first place check. If I can make up for it by picking up a few on the US PGA Tour though, it will have been worth it.

A terminally ill professor at Carnegie Mellon said in his 'Last Lecture': "brick walls are placed in the way of dreams to weed out those who don't want them badly enough." I am going to keep climbing and pushing on those walls until I reach the other side, break through, or both.

See you at home.

Hot in Round 1

I finished with -4, 68 today to begin the Heavanland Open. It was highlighted by 7 birdies in 8 holes with 6 of those coming consecutively on the front nine. I struggled a bit finishing the round off when the tv cameras made me the center of their broadcast, but it was a really fun day. I'm looking forward to a better one tomorrow. Talk to you then.

Heavenland

It is the night before the Heavenland Open starts. My comfort level and swing tweaks have progressed every day since I arrived in South Korea nearly two weeks ago. This will be my final event before PGA Tour Qualifying begins and has the potential to be my final event in Asia for the year. I'm playing this week with full intention to leave with a win, to go out in style. The golf course is called Heavenland and it is nearly as special a place as it's name indicates: set on top of a mountain, surrounded by waterfalls with multiple on-course locations from which one can look out and view the entire course.

Three holes, all par 5s, resemble bowling alleys: the most narrow holes I've ever played. The holes make players want to walk side-ways down the fairway, as if hugging a cliff wall on a ledge. I will stand over these shots and swing as freely as I can tomorrow. In my preshot routine I will remain hyper-focused on my bulls-eye in the fairway. I will see my ball flights carved out of the sky as if traced with a fine paintbrush. Then I will stand over my ball and swing with confidence and freedom.

It is going to be a successful week. When it draws to a close, I'll have a few more pounds of hardware to add to my luggage as I prepare for the next leg of my journey: taking on the PGA Tour.