Hi all! Sorry for the wait! I was supposed to write a blog after the POC Med Classic but I felt like I didn't have enough to share after the west coast swing of tournaments, but now I've got some good stuff for you!
The west coast swing consisted of 3 tournaments and every one was so different! It was an up and down couple of weeks. Morongo, east of Los Angeles, was hilly and played liked a shootout with tons of low scores. Longbow, east of Phoenix, had some of the firmest greens I had ever played on with gusting winds. And Windsor, north of San Francisco, was wet (i.e. the course was completely flooded the first round so they had to cancel play that day!). I found that my game held up pretty well but my ball striking suffered as it's usually the first thing to go when I don't have my A game. Off the course, there were two cool places I went to that I would recommend going to if you're in the area. Near Phoenix is Lost Dutchman State Park which is home to the spectacular Superstition Mountains. And in Santa Rosa, California, the Charles M Schultz Museum is home to many exhibits of Schultz' iconic Peanuts comics which showcase Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the gang.
After my west coast swing and being on the road for six weeks, it was an off week which meant HOME! Yay! Short-lived though as I had to be back in Sarasota, Florida six days later. And Sara Bay Country Club is where I found the meat of this blog. First off, the course is a beast a.k.a. "let's make sure all the greens aren't flat and all the edges of the greens roll off ". It is hands down one of the hardest courses we play on tour which is why there was only one person under par. Secondly, I got to meet one of the greatest legends of the game ever -- Nancy Lopez! She came with two of her colleagues to talk to us about anything and everything. From how to handle media to being emotional on the course to having kids while still on tour to taking time to acknowledge fans . She had some amazing stories and told many of the same ones and more when she was on Feherty which aired on Golf Channel this past week. Some of the key things I took from listening to her are below:
After that incredible experience, I was due for another life-changing experience of my own. My expectations were pretty neutral for the Sara Bay Classic as I had heard and saw first-hand during the practice rounds how difficult the course really was. So I just chugged my way through the first two rounds trying to eliminate any big numbers by playing smart (i.e. playing to wide parts of the green and choosing to be short of the green instead of long to avoid severe downhill chipping). This worked really well as I found myself in the final group on the last day. And I was in for a doozy! I've only been in the final group in a professional event once before when I was still an amateur. But now, the circumstances were much different. I walked up to the tee and was surrounded by more than 80 spectators gearing up to watch a great showdown. I was literally shaking in my boots! I was so nervous and I wasn't even in the lead. I got off the tee fine, but that was about as good as the round was going to get. The crowd followed us for the whole round and only increased as the drama between Hannah Green and Benyapa Niphatsophon (the two leaders I was playing with) intensified as the round went on. The spectators were often only 15 feet away from me when I was hitting shots and you could hear all the oohs and aahs as they reacted. And I often got caught up in the sheer volume of the crowd when it came time to move from green to tee or tee to fairway. I didn't play poorly, it just wasn't my day. But I was still intrigued by the whole experience and watched how the tables constantly turned between Hannah and Benyapa. At the end of the day, I learned a lot about how I react when I'm in a final pairing and have a ton of spectators watching my every move. I could've been put in the 2nd to last group as my score was the same as theirs and potentially have played much better, but I wouldn't have traded that learning experience for anything in the world.
I didn't have much time to brush off that pretty abysmal round as the Symetra Classic in Milton, Georgia was about to start, but I just took it as a "one off" because of the circumstances and told myself that I was still a great player that could challenge for the title the coming week. Well, I didn't end up challenging for the title, but I did something I've only done twice before which is play a bogey-free round on the last day. It was so great to not have any of those annoying, burnt orange coloured squares on my scorecard when I looked at it online and I had a realization. Compared to the last round of the previous week, I was now proving to myself that golf is a game where the outcome should never control your happiness in life or your worth. The professional game of golf puts so much worth on your finish in a tournament, how much money you make, how many cuts you make, how many sponsors you have and how low you can score. It's so easy to feel worthless. But here's the truth. As a player, my worth is not found in any of these things. It’s found in how I handle myself on and off the course, my ability to learn and experience life without fearing failure, and my faith in and dedication to God's greater purpose for my life. I always ask myself, "If I couldn't play golf professionally anymore starting right now, would I be okay with my life?". And my answer should always be "yes" because golf doesn't define my life, the way I value myself and my purpose in life should.
P.S. shout out to my volunteer caddie Rick who has caddied for me in California and Georgia! I'm forever thankful for your generosity!
G.O.L.F.
The west coast swing consisted of 3 tournaments and every one was so different! It was an up and down couple of weeks. Morongo, east of Los Angeles, was hilly and played liked a shootout with tons of low scores. Longbow, east of Phoenix, had some of the firmest greens I had ever played on with gusting winds. And Windsor, north of San Francisco, was wet (i.e. the course was completely flooded the first round so they had to cancel play that day!). I found that my game held up pretty well but my ball striking suffered as it's usually the first thing to go when I don't have my A game. Off the course, there were two cool places I went to that I would recommend going to if you're in the area. Near Phoenix is Lost Dutchman State Park which is home to the spectacular Superstition Mountains. And in Santa Rosa, California, the Charles M Schultz Museum is home to many exhibits of Schultz' iconic Peanuts comics which showcase Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the gang.
After my west coast swing and being on the road for six weeks, it was an off week which meant HOME! Yay! Short-lived though as I had to be back in Sarasota, Florida six days later. And Sara Bay Country Club is where I found the meat of this blog. First off, the course is a beast a.k.a. "let's make sure all the greens aren't flat and all the edges of the greens roll off ". It is hands down one of the hardest courses we play on tour which is why there was only one person under par. Secondly, I got to meet one of the greatest legends of the game ever -- Nancy Lopez! She came with two of her colleagues to talk to us about anything and everything. From how to handle media to being emotional on the course to having kids while still on tour to taking time to acknowledge fans . She had some amazing stories and told many of the same ones and more when she was on Feherty which aired on Golf Channel this past week. Some of the key things I took from listening to her are below:
- Don't fear failure - it's okay to not always win or play well as long as you are trying your best
- Play happy - be positive and kind to yourself on the course (i.e. she gave a great example of how we don't say "that sucked!" when you are commenting on a playing partner's shot but we do to ourselves :P)
- Be yourself when you are under pressure - all of us tend to change something when we feel pressured
- Feel is so important - don't get caught up in technique, feel is what wins you championships
- Emotions - it's okay to be an emotional player just always get back to neutral
- Breathe - when things go off course, just take a moment to stop and breathe
After that incredible experience, I was due for another life-changing experience of my own. My expectations were pretty neutral for the Sara Bay Classic as I had heard and saw first-hand during the practice rounds how difficult the course really was. So I just chugged my way through the first two rounds trying to eliminate any big numbers by playing smart (i.e. playing to wide parts of the green and choosing to be short of the green instead of long to avoid severe downhill chipping). This worked really well as I found myself in the final group on the last day. And I was in for a doozy! I've only been in the final group in a professional event once before when I was still an amateur. But now, the circumstances were much different. I walked up to the tee and was surrounded by more than 80 spectators gearing up to watch a great showdown. I was literally shaking in my boots! I was so nervous and I wasn't even in the lead. I got off the tee fine, but that was about as good as the round was going to get. The crowd followed us for the whole round and only increased as the drama between Hannah Green and Benyapa Niphatsophon (the two leaders I was playing with) intensified as the round went on. The spectators were often only 15 feet away from me when I was hitting shots and you could hear all the oohs and aahs as they reacted. And I often got caught up in the sheer volume of the crowd when it came time to move from green to tee or tee to fairway. I didn't play poorly, it just wasn't my day. But I was still intrigued by the whole experience and watched how the tables constantly turned between Hannah and Benyapa. At the end of the day, I learned a lot about how I react when I'm in a final pairing and have a ton of spectators watching my every move. I could've been put in the 2nd to last group as my score was the same as theirs and potentially have played much better, but I wouldn't have traded that learning experience for anything in the world.
I didn't have much time to brush off that pretty abysmal round as the Symetra Classic in Milton, Georgia was about to start, but I just took it as a "one off" because of the circumstances and told myself that I was still a great player that could challenge for the title the coming week. Well, I didn't end up challenging for the title, but I did something I've only done twice before which is play a bogey-free round on the last day. It was so great to not have any of those annoying, burnt orange coloured squares on my scorecard when I looked at it online and I had a realization. Compared to the last round of the previous week, I was now proving to myself that golf is a game where the outcome should never control your happiness in life or your worth. The professional game of golf puts so much worth on your finish in a tournament, how much money you make, how many cuts you make, how many sponsors you have and how low you can score. It's so easy to feel worthless. But here's the truth. As a player, my worth is not found in any of these things. It’s found in how I handle myself on and off the course, my ability to learn and experience life without fearing failure, and my faith in and dedication to God's greater purpose for my life. I always ask myself, "If I couldn't play golf professionally anymore starting right now, would I be okay with my life?". And my answer should always be "yes" because golf doesn't define my life, the way I value myself and my purpose in life should.
P.S. shout out to my volunteer caddie Rick who has caddied for me in California and Georgia! I'm forever thankful for your generosity!
G.O.L.F.