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