Hello My Friend,It was a long drive from Toronto and it sure is nice to be home and off the road. Our Tour Championship was held last week at St. Catharines Golf Club just outside of Niagara Falls.
The course was set up very nicely with tight fairways, long rough, fast greens and the par 72 was converted to a par 70 which made it play tougher than normal to par. The Tour Championship is our biggest event of the season with a$250,000 purse. It was a big tournament for me as I was 83 on the money list going into the week and the top 80 players keep their card for the following season. I needed a strong finish to avoid going back to Q-School.
Heading into the week I was focusing on staying loose and dialing in my short game. Everyday during the week I worked on my putting and chipping for a couple hours and only a little time on the range. Playing a tournament that spans a week it is important to stay fresh and mentally strong. Every shot I hit during the week on and off the course I went through my routine and treated it as a tournament shot. I was preparing myself for tournament play as opposed to working on my swing on the range, or hitting putts again and again from the same spot.
Heading into the first round my game plan was to stay loose, have fun, swing within myself, and play BB golf. I fired clean 69 with only one bogey. The second round was a big day for me. This season I have been struggling a bit on the second day and missing cuts due to that. This is common as many players seem to miss cuts by one or two shots week after week. I stuck to my game plan and did my best to play carefree golf and stay loose. I played very well the second day shooting 68 which could have been five shots better pretty quickly.
The third round was my best round of the week even though it was my highest score. After getting off to a good start at -1 through five holes I made three putt bogeys on 6, 8, and 10 taking me in the wrong direction to two over par. I stayed loose, maintained my composure and finished strong with birdies on 16 and 17. These are the crucial times during a tournament. When you are struggling how do you handle it? What happens after a couple bad holes? I was proud of the way I handled this adversity and looking back it is what kept me in this tournament.
My tee time for the final round was 10:00 and the guys and myself at the camp ground where talking about loading up the RVs and taking them to course so we could leave after the round to get the drive home started. Usually I wouldn't want to be messing around with the trailer the morning of the final round of a tournament because I would be worried that it would take away from my pre round focus. My mindset for the week was to play like I was 14 years old which to me meant that I wouldn't think of swing mechanics, worry about what I did the night before, or the morning of the round. If this was a fun round with some friends would I be concerned about getting the trailer ready? No I wouldn't. I wouldn't even think about it. So why would I stress about it before a tournament round. What I am getting at here is that to play my best golf I need to play worry free golf like I am 14 years old. Here's the ball there's the hole, make the swing.
The last round I played very well and was the loosest I have been all year. I knew the round was a big one for me so I made a even bigger effort to say loose and play carefree golf. My 67 the final day was one of the best scores of the day and moved my from 38th place to 18th and earned me a check for $3,500. This was the biggest check of my career by $100 and moved me into 71st position on the money list.
The Canadian Tour still has two events left in Mexico that where postponed from the spring and I will be heading south for both of the events this Sunday. My game is feeling very good and I am looking forward to the last two events of the season. It has been a long year and I have been working hard. My technique has come a long way. I am hitting the ball longer and straighter than last year, my short game is miles better than last year and my putter is still solid and getting better.
After these two weeks in Mexico I will be spending the remainder of the year back home working on my game and the Swinkey project. I have thought long about going to PGA Q-School and have decided not to go this year. It is about an $8000 commitment that I don't have right now and I feel that with a winter of working on my game and the Swinkey will put me in a very good position to get after it next season. At times I think, "if I want to play this game at the highest level I should be doing everything I can to get to the PGA Qualifying." Many of my friends on the tour tell me the same thing and I see their point, but I know myself and my instincts are telling me to take the winter and get organized and prepared for next season. Keep working on my game, and get this Swinkey business rocking and I will be in a great mindset for next season. I am 30 years old and just finished my fourth year of Professional golf but I don't feel like I need to hurry or like I need to go to Q-School. My way to the PGA will be just that, my way. I love what I am doing and am not in a hurry. Patience, and perseverance will bring the results. I have committed myself to enjoy the journey and do my best in each situation and really that is all I need to do.
Thanks very much for your support and all the best my friend,
Brian
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