Tiger Hunting!

On Wednesday, I drove to Dove Mountain to watch Tiger Woods' debut at The WGC. It was an amazing day which I will never forget. The buzz and crowds around Tiger were massive, and he did not disappoint, opening with a birdie and an eagle, and making another eagle on the 13th for an easy victory. His focus and intensity from the moment he stepped on the practice tee was unwavering and something I have been trying to do on every shot. I studied his warm up routine and his pre-shot routine. Watching Tiger was like those watching Jordan, Ali, or Gretzky must have felt, he is clearly a level above everyone else. I spent most of my day on the driving range where I watched, Weir working with Dr Rotella, Woods, Goosen, Singh, Mcilroy, Els, Harrington, Mickelson, Donald, Cink, Weekley, Ames, Poulter, Garcia, Ryo, and more! The highlight of the day came at the very end, when I was the only person watching 19 year old Irish sensation Rory Mcilroy and he came over and we chatted for a bit about his win in Dubai and my pro golf before signing my cap. I absorbed a lot and have been filled with inspiration and motivation after watching the world's best at work.

Golf Fitness and Swing Changes

I have been working hard on my flexibility, fitness, strength, short game, and golf swing. With the help of TPI Certified golf instructor Mindi Boysen, I have identified balance, hip flexibility, and core strength as areas I need to improve. I have been jogging every morning, going to yoga classes 3 days a week, and lifting weights/ core 3-4 days a week at Mountainside Fitness.

My practice sessions usually begin with 1-2 hours of putting, working on routine, picking a spot on my line to roll the boll over, neutralizing my grip, pure contact, body/head still, and keeping the blade square. Then I'll chip for an hour working on spin control and landing the ball on a spot. Then I'll hit balls for 2-3 hours, working on setup, hip rotation, grip, trajectory, and swing plane. Sessions close with 1-2 hours on the putting green and chipping green. Progress is good, as proven by matching my Career Low round with a 63 on Tuesday at Firerock!

The Desert Golf Tour Debut

Today I made my professional debut on The Desert Golf Tour, hosted by Wigwam Golf Club, a true Championship golf course playing over 7400 yards. I opened with a birdie and a narrow birdie miss on #2 and was still a little unsettled going bogey after being bunkered on a long par 3, par, bogey after my tee shot found a fairway divot and I hit it over the green, bogey; +2 through 6. I settled down and hit every green from there on, giving myself a lot of looks at birdie, making 3 in a row on 14,15, and 16. I finished par, par on 2 tough holes for a 1 under 71, good for 7th place and in the money, just 1 shot back of T3rd and a much better paycheck, the eventual winner was a seasoned pro-golfer with an impressive 65.

My goals before teeing off were to have fun and to play 1 shot at a time, disconnected from my score or the results. I had a lot of fun playing with my fellow competitors and I had no idea what I shot until the scorers tent- it was a successful day! My course management was excellent as I stuck to my game-plan of hitting irons and woods off some tees, and setting myself up in the fairway for the best angles to pins.

The Winter Gateway Tour comes to Wigwam this week, I may buy in to the event, otherwise my next event will be The Desert Golf Tour, a two day event early March at Tatum Ranch.

The FBR Open

This past weekend was The FBR Open (formerly The Phoenix Open) at The TPC Scottsdale. I went early on Friday to watch Anthony Kim, Kenny Perry, and Stewart Cink. Watching on TV on Thursday, I was so impressed with Kim's ability to laugh off his +4 start and grind out a 73. Unfortunately, I watched the opposite first hand on Friday. After lipping out an eagle on 15, his 6th hole to go -2, he 3 putted 16 in front of the infamously rowdy crowd. Kim them stomped his ball deep into the turf and marched on to 17 without acknowledging the crowd. 17 he blocked it right and missed a 10 ft putt, then on 18 he snap hoked a driver into the lake, double bogey, and a smashed driver against the desert rocks. As he made the turn he hit it into the rough on1 and topped it into the desert and his hopes of making the cut were gone. I have no doubt frustration was the catalyst to this bad stretch and it reaffirmed the importance of detaching myself from the result and focusing on the process of 1 shot at a time. Meanwhile Kenny Perry shot a 63 highlighted by an eagle on the 3rd and a chip in birdie on the first.

I went out again Saturday and Sunday, following the leaders around on Sunday. I studies their pre-shot routines, their tendencies when reading greens, and their course strategies. I learned that that don't fire at many flags, those are just the shot we see on TV. They spend a lot of time playing to the safe part of the fairway or green and making excellent up and downs and long lag putts. Kenny Perry especially stayed very calm and managed his game flawlessly, never putting himself in an unmanageable position.

The 16th holes is even rowdier in person! College students heckling and chanting in players back swings, and booing even mediocre shots. The FBR is more of a fair than a golf tournament, I was pleased though as with the distraction of The Cardinals in The Superbowl, I was able to follow the last 3 groups on Sunday with ease and get within feet of the pros!