Hello again, Hoosiers!
The grind of Q-School (PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament) is a lot of pressure and built upon nerves!
Going into the second stage of Q-School, I had just previously played seven PGA Tour events in a row! I was wore out and burnt out on golf and a little disappointed at where I finished on the money list, having to go to second stage and not straight to Q-School finals. Nonetheless, finals could get me a ticket back to the PGA Tour with a top-25 finish!
I chose the Hombre golf course in Panama City Beach, Fla., where four years ago I got through and went to finals to secure my fully exempt status on the Nationwide Tour. Having a lot of knowledge and experience on the course was a huge asset to me.
Going into the final round, I found myself needing to shoot 1-under par to make it to finals. A great start to the front nine left me needing basically to par out on the back nine to comfortably get through. The fatigue and nerves started to creep in after eight straight weeks of golf, though, and a bogey here and a bogey there caused me to just miss by two shots.
Your body and mind are umbeleivably important to be coinciding together to have success in golf. Knowing I could play well enough just wasn’t good enough, as my body had taken a toll and was ready to take some time off an do some deer hunting!
Thanks to all who tuned in for my blogs this season! Hopefully you have learned a little more about me and life out on Tour. Feel free to write in with any concerns or comments, as well as questions.
You can follow my progress next year on the Nationwide Tour!
Good day…
CC
Hello golf fans…
Last weekend was the final week of the season, at the Walt Disney Resort! Last opportunity to win, finish in the top 125, finish in the top 150 or just make another consistent seventh cut in a row.
Coming into the week, I was feeling very confident about my game and the chance at hand. I actually had played the Magnolia and Palm golf courses back when I was a junior playing in an AJGA tournament. Other than Pebble Beach and these two courses, the year has brought totally new courses to my eye.
Off to a disappointing start, the opening round led to a 2-over-par round. Playing the easier of the two courses the next day at the Palm, I had good vibes of playing well enough to make the cut. A solid round of 5-under 67, but two shots shy of playing on the weekend.
This year was a great year and also a disappointing year of not keeping my PGA Tour card for 2009. Off to second stage of Q-school to earn my way back to the finals and another chance at getting back to the PGA Tour.
Thanks to everyone tuning in these past seven weeks to learn more about me and follow my progress this season!
Good day…
CC
Hello again Hoosiers, golfers and race fans!
This week, I was playing in Palm Coast, Fla., at the Ginn Sur Mer Championship at the Conservatory Resort Course. The golf course was only about 3 years old but definitely had some grown-up teeth! The course yardage was about 7,700 yards from the tips! The weather was brutal all week, with blustery winds out of the north at about 20 to 30 miles per hour each and every day.
Going into Thursday’s morning round, my expectations were not very high based on the length of the course. This golf course was truly a “bombers paradise,” for sure! The greens were huge and very undulated on all sides. A solid and surprising start on Thursday ended with a 2-over-par score, which I thought was not too shabby for the conditions of the day.
Day 2 was one of the best rounds of the year! A 3-under-par 69 put me at 1-under for the tournament and in nice shape for the weekend, with another consistent cut made. Each and every shot required total focus, concentration and balance due to the heavy winds. I knew if I could just keep hitting fairways and greens, I was going to be in good shape.
Round three was another fantastic score of 2-under par! Three-under par was above my expectations for this golf course heading into Sunday’s final round in 10th position.
Sunday was another windy day, as usual! I knew if I could hang in there at even par or better, I was going to be able to hold my position or even be in the hunt on the back nine with a couple under on the front. Two bogeys on the front nine put me at 2-under and losing ground. A solid, bogey-free back nine with some birdies is just what I needed!
Going into the 18th hole, after a lengthy weather delay, I needed to make a birdie to have my best finish of the year. A perfect tee shot set up my second to a dicey layup for my third and final approach. I pulled my second into the drink and was forced to drop on the side of a hill to play my fourth. Not looking to good at this point!
I had 130 yards to the hole into the wind for my fourth shot and needed to get it close enough to save par. I left it way short at about 53 feet below the hole.
At this point, the weather was not cooperating, and the rules officials were about to blow the siren again, which would be the last thing I need. The hole was set atop a plateau, with 4 feet of break from left to right. When I got up to the green and saw what work I had left for par, I first said to myself was, “This is gonna be a tough two-putt for bogey!” I lined it up, gave it a whack and off it went up the hill and around the bend to find the bottom of the cup! The crowd went wild and a huge sigh of relief was let go by me!
I ended up tied for 12th, with the biggest check ever for me on the PGA Tour!!!
The moral of this story is: Never underestimate your ability to play great golf on a course that doesn’t fit your eye or ability! Stay positive, never give up and keep grinding away at it!
Good day…
CC
This week’s event was in Scottsdale, Ariz., and the average temperature was 92. Too hot for me. I shot a solid bogey-free round of 67 the first day and was confident going into Friday’s round. The second round brought similar hot conditions, which led to a round of 68. The cut fell at 1 under so I comfortably was in control of my game heading into the weekend. Saturday’s round brought great weather to go low; I shot 66 for the day which put me in a tie for 11th place heading into the final day. On Sunday I was playing in the 4th to final group with Arron Oberholser and Y.E. Yang. I didn’t get off to as good of start as I would’ve liked. Sunday’s round didn’t exactly meet my expectations … I shot 76. I’m looking forward to putting myself into a great position next Sunday at Palm Coast, Fla. Thanks for tuning in. Good day … CC
Hello again golf fans!
I played last week in the Justin Timberlake Shriners for Childrens Hospital Open in the city that never sleeps — Las Vegas!
The weather was a bit on the hot side for me, but nonetheless very consistent and perfect golfing weather. The golf course at the TPC in Summerlin was yielding very low scores for the week. The cut fell at 6-under par! I can’t remember a tournament all year long that the cut has been that low! With driveable par 4’s and all par 5’s reachable in two, the golf course had plenty of birdie opportunities.
I saw Justin Timberlake on Monday in the pro-am paired up with none other than John Daly, of course. Watched Justin hit some shots on the range and was very amused at the number of “hossle rockets” and “chili peppers” he was hitting up Lee Janzen’s rear! Butch Harmon had his hands full with this kid, for sure!
Thursday’s round for me was filled with lots of birdies, bogeys and an eagle in there somewhere. A 66 and setting right on the cut line once again! Day two was similar to the first with birdies, bogeys and yes, another eagle! A round of 70 put me clear of the cut number by two shots.
Shacking up at the Luxor for the week was a fun and interesting experience! Got into the elevator to head up to my room Sunday night, and I almost fell down due to the slant of the pyramid-style hotel! Thought I saw Elvis mingling around the casino a time or two, but they were fake! Went to the “Bodies Exhibit” at the Luxor to check out dead bodies and what makes us tick inside.
Had a sweet Audi SUV for the week that was rockin’ Elvis tunes on Sirius 13! Saw an improv comedy show on Friday night that was hilarious!
Missing home with the cool 50- and 60-degree temps, the leaves changing colors and deer season, for sure! Off to Scottsdale for next week and then Florida for two more tournaments for the conclusion of the 2008 season on tour.
Wish me luck and stay tuned for more stories of the grind!
Good day…
CC
Hello again golf fans!
Top 20, baby…!!!
Last week in San Antonio was a great week for many reasons. Another made cut, another solid finish and best of all, got paired with Justin Leonard on Sunday!
The first round brought me a steady round of 5-under 65, not putting me behind the 8-ball after the first round. Day 2 brought total opposite winds and total opposite play for me, as well. The first day was very poor from tee to green but made a ton of putts. The second day was solid from tee to green but made nothing, which resulted in a 3-over 73.
The cut fell at 1 under par, which put me toward the back of the pack, but a solid weekend could bump me up the leaderboard, for sure. The golf course had a lot of elevation off the tee shots, which made the course play relatively short. Birdies were definitely out there if your tee ball was positioned properly and putts were executed on the tough Bermuda grass greens.
Saturday’s round felt awesome, as my all-around game was very consistent and was effortless! Another 65 put me back in the mix for an interesting Sunday finish.
The final round tee times were set: Justin Leonard and I. The 10th-ranked player in the world and the best player to date that I have ever played golf with!
The nerves brought back memories of standing on the tee at the final round of the 2006 U.S. Open! Leonard piped one down the dogleg right, long par-5, and the crowd is obviously on his side. Next on the tee is yours truly, and I can’t get the tee in the ground fast enough. A few deep breaths, and I smoked it up the right side and clipped Justin by 3 yards! WOW … glad that’s over with!
Off to the races as I chip my third shot up to about 10 feet for birdie. Another deep concentrated breath, and the putt falls! I move to 8-under for the tournament and a one-shot lead on my playing partner. I proceed to bogey my next two holes and then birdie my fourth to get back to where I started.
Time to settle down and relax! After nine holes, I found myself 1-over par and losing ground!
A long walk to the 10th tee was just what I needed to collect my thoughts and regroup for a turnaround on the back nine. Birdies on 11 and 12 got me back to red numbers and only one behind Justin. We both proceeded to birdie the 14th, and then he birdied the 15th to take a two-shot lead on me at 11-under for the tournament. We both parred out from there.
As we finished out on 18 and shook hands, he told me to have fun the rest of the year and grind it out and work hard. I said thank you and how much I enjoyed playing the round with him, and also how much of a pleasure it was to watch a world-class player in action and a genuine down-to-Earth guy in person.
Another solid tournament and another cut made! A tie for 19th was more motivation for this week’s event in Las Vegas!
Until next week, thanks for tuning in!
Good day…
CC
Hello Hoosiers and golf fans!
Indiana deer season and cold ‘n rainy golfing weather …
My favorite time of the year has begun! Bow hunting for big whitetails, cool fall temps, the ever-changing colors of leaves and perfect playing conditions on the links!
Last week in Verona, N.Y., was not exactly ideal playing conditions for golf but perfect for hunting. The temperature on average last week at the Turning Stone Resort Championship was about 55 degrees, compounded with rain. Oh, and did I mention hail?
Yes, it hailed on us twice during the second round, causing two delays and tough conditions!! The golf course was already very soft at the start of the week before all of the rain and cold weather. Playing around 7,300 yards actual, the weather made it feel like 8,000!
A solid, even-par start put me comfortably where I wanted to be after day one. Day two brought much tougher conditions, which included wind, hail, rain and upper 40-degree temps. With weather like that, a country boy from Indiana was feeling right at home!
A rallied birdie from 4 feet on the last hole secured my position in the field for the weekend. Saturday’s round was another even-par round, which put me toward the back of the pack. But a comeback on Sunday could vault me up the leader board.
Sunday’s round was just what I had in mind! A very solid and relaxed round of 2-under-par 70 moved me up in a tie for 43rd. All in all, a solid week and five positions moved up the money list!
Good luck in the woods to all my buddies back home and to all the avid bow hunters in search of another “wall hanger!”
P.S.: Any weekly readers of my blogs that have any good hunting grounds that would like to offer permission to hunt, feel free to write in or contact me as I could always use another huntin’ buddy and the possibility of harvesting a monster buck!
Good day…
CC
Hello Hoosiers and golf fans!
My name is Chad Collins, from Cloverdale, Ind., and I am about to give you week-to-week insight on life on the road playing the best tour in the world, the PGA Tour!
I was born in Indy and grew up on the west side near George Washington High School, where my parents graduated from. I lived there until I was 5, and then we moved out of the city into the country, to the small town of Cloverdale, where I reside now. I was born on Sept. 20, 1978 and pretty much had a golf club in my hands since then.
My dad introduced the game to me at a young age and gave me the solid fundamentals needed to hopefully one day become a pro golfer. I played in my first-ever tournament as a kid at Clover Meadows (my home course) around the age of 10 to 12, and won. I went to school at Cloverdale and played on the golf team all four years and had some success, but none at the state championships, unfortunately.
I graduated high school in ‘97 and then went to a small Division III school named Methodist University in North Carolina. I won 18 times throughout my career there along with three NCAA titles. I went on to graduate there in ‘01 and turned pro right away and played the Hooters Tour for three years. My dad was able to travel with me for most of those three years on the mini-tour circuit, and we had two wins in back-to-back years in Savannah, Ga.
I tried Q-school each and every year and finally made it to the finals of Tour school on my fourth attempt and received my full status on the Nationwide Tour for ‘05.
Dad and I teamed up again for most of the year on the Nationwide Tour, where we had an awesome victory in Richmond, Va., my rookie year! I played the Nationwide Tour for three years, finishing 31st my rookie season, 28th the next year and 23rd last year, which was good enough to earn exempt status on the PGA Tour.
So far, the year has gone by fast and not as well as I would like at this point, but I still have six tournaments left to secure my card or win!
Stay tuned into to my weekly blogs each week as I tell my life stories on and off the road, chasing the ultimate golfer’s dream job of playing the “Big Tour!”
Good day…
CC