Recap from Pro Tournament #33

Another missed cut.

As I sit writing this blog and remembering my performance at this tournament, it would be easy to write a long and sad story about the difficult experience and all the bad breaks within the rounds. The hard work that didn’t pay off and the frustration that built inside of me as I shot two rounds of high 70s golf placing me near the very bottom of the leaderboard. But what good would come from that?

I’m now able to look back on this experience in full and realize I had a great week. Another week on the road playing professional golf getting to chase my dream. Also another fun road trip I got to spend with my fiancee. I am very thankful for this past tournament and honestly, I wouldn’t change it. I know it was another great step along my journey.

Let’s be honest though... I did not play well and it was frustrating! I shot 79 77 and finished pretty close to dead last in the whole field. I didn’t scare even-par much less making the cut and getting to play the last two days. There are a lot of things I could have done better but the bottom line is that I am way too focused on results and I am trying too hard to force my will upon the situation. This behavior is not in line with the player I want to be or the man I believe God made me to be! So it’s time to move forward with some new perspective and better habit-forming.

Here is how the last week breaks down by the numbers:

I played 36 holes of golf. My 2 round totals, as mentioned above, were 79 77. Each round was played on a different course so that comes to a total of 15 over par. I hit 46% of the fairways in regulation, 47% of the greens in regulation, and after missing a green I was able to save par 37% of the time. Rough across all accounts. It’s not shown by these stats, but my short game and putting were a strength in this performance. I didn’t have any 3 putts and I felt a sense of peace and confidence while putting (which is a very different feeling than the nerves and uncertainty on the greens like the last few events). My short game was also sharp and I could clearly see my practice of 50 yards and in paying off in my performance. The real problem was that I couldn’t get myself within 50 yards of the green. I was constantly in the rough or trees off the tee with no option to advance the ball onto or near the green. These shots, including some penalties, added up fast as I compounded mistakes trying to force good results instead of letting my best performance come through. Compounded mistakes led to frustration and stress which is unfortunately not the formula for good performance.

By the end of the second round, the leader was at 12 under par and the cut was 2 under. To make the cut, I would have needed to shave 17 strokes off my total. I can easily find 17 strokes that didn’t need to happen. The two triples I made and the two doubles already equate for 10 unnecessary shots. I can think of 7 pars I should have been able to make just with some better recovery play (none of which were on the holes I made triples or doubles) and 4 birdie opportunities within an 8 ft range that I missed. Put all that together and I make up 21 shots that I can realistically say I should have been able to make up. That's not even taking away all of the bogeys I made. To get to the leader, I was 27 shots behind him after 2 rounds. If I count the 21 shots I just found unnecessary, that still puts me 6 behind and those 6 shots are the skill level I am working towards. So whether all of this seems unrealistic or way out of my reach to anyone, I don’t feel that way. I know I am a great player and I know I am capable of achieving what I have set out to accomplish. It’s still going to take a lot of work to improve and to start performing at my true skill level in competition but I am well on my way and I am willing to put in the hours. I am just wanting to point out what the performance difference looks like between me and the leader. We are playing the same game though and I know I am capable of playing at the winning level if I just keep at it.

The finances of the week looked like this. I spent $950 to enter the tournament, $380 for 3 nights in a hotel (dog fee included), $135 on food and snacks (between me and my fiancee), and $58 on gas. All of that comes to a total of about $1,523. I did not make the cut, so I did not make any money and the week was an expense of $1,523.

Moving on from this event I have a great sense of motivation and determination. The results of the week were disappointing, but I do have positive things to take away and I know I can learn from my experience and be a better player from now on. I am going to set some new goals about systems and habits instead of numbers and results. Achieving these new goals will display a commitment to the process and a better perspective along my journey. Follow my Instagram and subscribe to this blog to keep up with my progress! I am not sharing all of this info for self-promotion, but instead to provide insight and inspire someone else who has a big dream and the fire to chase it!