Puttter Fitting

I had a tendency to pull my putts off line in tournament play, so I paid a visit to a local club fitting guru at Cool Clubs in Scottsdale. They were kind enough to spend 45 minutes with me on a state-of-the-art fitting system with 8 cameras on the stroke. I was happy to see that the path of my stroke was solid, but my setup was skew. My feet were 10 degrees open, and thus my shoulders were open, to compensate for this, I was lining the ball up off the toe. My right hand was also in a strong position and I had 2 degrees too much loft on the ball at impact. The guru had me set up square, line the ball in the center off the club, weaken my right hand, and apply more forward press with my hands. He also bent the toe of the putter down a 1/2 degree. I was thrilled and went out yesterday and putted fantastic, I'm glad I didn't wait another day to do it!

2 Tourneys in the Bag

I started my pro career last Sunday with a small 1 day event on The Pepsi Tour at The Starfire at Scottsdale Country Club. My first hole went well, pumping a drive down the middle and then hitting a 3 wood to 20 ft for a tap-in birdie. I was a little nervous and it showed as I later hit 2 balls in the water and 1 OB, matched with 4 birdies for a 2 over par score. Very frustrating after shooting a 63 in the practice round 2 days earlier. The winning score was a -4 66.

This past week I played my first Gateway Tour event, a new qualifier event with 1 full and 1 half Spring Series exemption up for grabs, with 90 guys in the field. The course, Vista Verde in Scottsdale, was long at 7300 yards but fairly wide open. First round included 2 doubles, 4 birdies, and 4 bogeys on route to a 76. The second round I was +2 when I began feeling ill and ended up vomiting at the turn, and again on the 11th tee before withdrawing from the event. The winning score was -8 and runner-up was -7.

Reflecting on these events I can draw upon the following positives as well as points in my game that need improvement. I am hitting my driver very well, averaging over 300 yards and hitting most fairways, and my irons are being struck very well with a tendency to block them 5-10 yards which will be easy to straighten out. I have played with really great guys in both events, who shot 68 and 67 and my ball striking is right with them. My touch around the greens as been surprisingly good given I'm coming from snow but I plan on spending the most time on wedges inside 100 yards, chipping, and putting. I need to spend more time on course management, figuring out where not to hit it whether off the tee or on my approach to the green. Lastly, the position of the sun, the grain off the grass, relativity to local mountains and valleys, and the wind can greatly affect chips and putts in Phoenix, something I will need to pay attention to.

The experience thus far has been amazing. The players here are the best in North America and the level of play is exhilarating, right there with The Nationwide Tour. I am pleased with my progress thus far, I look forward to the tournaments ahead, and am motivated to practice harder than ever!

Preparing for Competition

Before leaving Vancouver, the pro's at Capilano were kind enough to let me use the training room to tweak my swing with video and mirror assisitance. The range was 2 ft deep in snow but it was great way to fix my swing lane and get used to my new equipment.

Since arriving in Phoenix 5 days ago, my host Dr Eric Honing has kindly set me up with the pros at his home course, Tatum Ranch in North Scottsdale, and I have been playing and practicing there everyday. At 6800 yards, with very fast greens it is a good test and perfect preparation for the tournaments I'll be playing in. There is also a gym and a pool to work out at and cool down after practicing.


Yesterday I had a surreal day practicing at The TPC Scottsdale where The FBR Open will be hosted next week. I practiced for 6 hours on the biggest putting green I've ever seen, deep bunkers, and a massive chipping area. I hit buckets of balls on the range a few stalls down from South African Rory Sabbatini and Charles Howell III, who is coming off a near win at The Sony Open in Hawaii.



My game feels very good. My short game has been surprisingly sharp given the change in conditions and time away from putting and chipping and my ball striking is close to top form.

Thank you again to everyone who has made my journey to Phoenix possible- it is a dream come true.

Tournament Schedule

My first Tournament will be the Gateway Tour Spring Qualifier in Rio Verde, Arizona on Jan 28-29.WIth full exemptions onto the Gateway Tour up for grabs, I'm looking to play well and get my feet wet.

From there my schedule will consist of The Pepsi Tour, The Gateway Tour, and The Golden State Tour. These tours are located in the Southern California, Arizona region and comlete schedules, stories, and results can be found at there respective home pages: www.pepsitour.com, www.thegatewaytour.com, and www.gstour.com.

New Equipment for 2009

2009 marks the start of a new adventure for me: Professional Golf. It has long been a dream for me to play pro golf and I can't imagine a better time to test my game against some of the best than now.

I have armed myself with all new equipment. Taylor made has supported me with the new Tour Burner Irons and the Tour Burner Driver.

I will be playing Titleist Vokey Wedges and The Scotty Cameron Newport 2 Putter.

I will be using the Tour Burner Rescue 18 Degree, a new club I'm excited to put in the bag.

My bag and clothing have been provided by Ogio.

Stormtech has supported me with rain gear and clothing.

Thank You so much to my family, sponsors, and supporters. I am so very grateful for your interest and support and am thrilled to begin training, practicing, and competing at my highest level.