California Country Club

Humble & Hungry

Showed up at the California Country Club on Sunday for my practice round. I went through my warm up routine and got locked into my process. After all of the experience I received at the Long Beach Open, I was very aware of what I needed to focus on to find my process. Needless to say I was extremely hungry to post a low round.

I arrived at the course on Monday morning, well rested and confident in my process. I walked onto the first tee fully committed to my process. I proceeded to post a 1 under round at the score of 71 for the day. Finishing in 4th place for the Tournament.

On my drive home I was able to re-play my round and access how committed I was to my process throughout the entirety of the day. I was committed to my process about 60% of the time. Moving forward with this information, I am now able to see where I need to make the improvements in my game.

This Tournament was a great confidence builder for me as I am now able to approach my tournament this week with a very humble and hungry attitude. I am excited for my next 8 events this year as I continue to grow as a Professional Athlete.

Long Beach Open

Headed to the Long Beach Open ready to take on the world, or so I thought…

Rewind 1 week:

After playing some of my best golf at my home course, and making a Hole in 1 on the Par 3 #6. I was very confident about my game and the time I was putting in to purposeful practice. I got locked into a belief that I had finally found the magic recipe to playing great golf. Because of this belief I was subconsciously locked into, I did not take the practice round seriously. I went on to shoot 75 the first day and 82 the second day. Some of the worst golf I have played in a long time. Golf is hard. There is no way to get around this one simple truth, it is arguably one of the hardest sports in the world.

On my drive back to the hotel after the second round I was almost in shock at what had just transpired. I sat down in my hotel room and went shot by shot through my round, processing through each one of my thoughts and the different decisions I had made throughout the round. It took me around 30 minutes to realize that I had approached the tournament completely incorrect. I then proceeded to pull the positives from the two rounds and lock in the steps I would take to better prepare for the next tournament, which was in 2 days.

As I reflected on the Long Beach Open and breathed in what had happened, I was quickly able to breathe out and realize that this was just the learning experience I needed to get my mental game locked in and ready for the upcoming events. Moving forward I am confident that my new found tournament preparation process will help me positivity influence the outcome!

Monarch Dunes Championship

Golf is a mental game….

Day 1: Going into my second tournament of the season, I was in the winning mood. Driving to the course on Wednesday morning at 6 A.M, I had already won the tournament in my head. I went through my warm up routine and then headed to the putting green. Stepped up onto the first tee and ripped my opening tee shot right down the center of the fairway. Walked into the next shot ready to hit one tight and have a tap in birdie on the first hole. after a rough stretch of hole from 1-14, I ended up birdying 2 of my last 4 holes with a near hole out eagle on the 15th hole. This gave me a lot of positive thoughts going into the second round.

Day 2: After a long day on the course and a lot of gained experience, I had a more realistic perspective of what I needed to work on to be able to play my best golf (so I thought). I then proceeded to try and shoot a crazy low number to make up for my first round and got completely lost in the arbitrary numbers. After the 16th hole I was mentally checked out and was ready to be finished for the day. Finished up a few shots better than the first round and remained positive, looking forward to the final round. Later that night I received a phone call from a close friend and solid golfer. We talked about my mental game and the things I was trying to make happen. After an hour on the phone we agreed that my ability to play the game was not the problem. We soon discovered that the approach I was taking into each shot was from a very timid position. Which if you have met me is nothing like my personality! I redesigned my process and went to sleep that night confident and relaxed.

Day 3: I woke up the last day with an aggressive and positive mindset. When I got out of my car at the course my entire demeanor had changed. I walked with a clear and direct purpose. After warming up I headed to the first tee ready to walk into each shot and focus on following my new process. I went on to shoot my lowest round of the tournament which was 9 shots better than my first round. This was/is a huge stepping stone for me and my professional career. I am very excited for my season this year as I continue to pursue my passion to play at the highest professional level on the PGA Tour.