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