Hello, golfers:
My tournament season for 2009 ended when I finished in the top 25 on the PGA Nationwide Tour money list after the Nationwide Tour Championship on Oct. 25 in Charleston, S.C. But that doesn’t mean that I’m done with golf events for the rest of the year!
I had the privilege of receiving an invitation to the Callaway Golf Pebble Beach Invitational on Nov. 17-22 at gorgeous Pebble Beach in California. It was the first time I was ever invited to this event, and I hope it won’t be the last. It’s a great event.
There were 60 pros in the event, and each one is paired with four amateurs for the first three days of the tournament. We played at the amazing Del Monte, Spyglass Hill and Pebble Beach courses. It’s similar to the AT&T at Pebble, but instead of playing Poppy Hills, you play Del Monte.
The Callaway organizers really take good care of you. They bring you out, pay all of your expenses and give you a little guaranteed money. You’re entertaining amateurs, drinking lots of nice wine, eating some good food. And you’re at Pebble Beach. So it’s definitely nice.
Earning my PGA TOUR card for 2010 by finishing in the Top 25 on the money list this year on the Nationwide Tour definitely helped me get an invitation to this event. If I didn’t make the top 25, I would have been in the second stage of PGA TOUR School the same weekend!
I didn’t play with any big-name celebrities at the Callaway, but it still was a lot of fun. Most of the guys are fairly well off, so I got some good stock tips! I got to know quite a few of the guys. It was a great week, a phenomenal week. The weather was good for all but one day. It was very relaxing.
Sometimes people wonder if I’m always concentrating on my tournament game every time I’m on the course, even in a fun event like this. Well, not really. My main job for the first three days of this event was to have fun with the amateurs. It’s hard to get focused in an event like this because you’re talking with guys, helping them find their balls in the weeds and more!
But the final day of the Callaway is pros only. So your mind shifts gears into tournament mode quickly. It’s not easy to flick the switch to that tournament feel after three lighthearted days, seeing the sights and all that, but I pulled it off. Sunday really felt like a golf tournament. My nerves kicked in, and I got after it.
Playing at Pebble always is a thrill. It doesn’t matter how many times you’ve played there; it’s still a special place every time you walk on that course. It’s a lot like going to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for a race. It’s hallowed ground, a place you always remember.
The elements are so different all the time at Pebble. One day it might be sunny, 65 degrees and zero wind, and the next day it might be 52 degrees, raining sideways and blowing 30 or 40. You think, “How did this happen?” When it’s 65 and perfect at Pebble, you can score. You can really play. When it’s the other way, it’s just hang on for dear life and try to get under 80 somehow. Those greens are so small, and with the wind and weather, it just chews you up.
It was a great trip. I wish my wife could go, but we’re preparing for a relaxing trip this month to Europe. It would have been too tough to get babysitters for two out-of-town trips that close together!
I have no more golf events before I head out on the PGA TOUR in early January, but that doesn’t mean I’m not busy! As I said, my wife and I are going to Europe for 10 days for a nice vacation. Then I’m going to the Colts-Jacksonville game (Go Colts!) on Dec. 17-18 and play a couple of days at TPC Sawgrass while I’m there. Then it will be Christmas with our daughters and family when we return, and I’m going to sneak in some duck hunting in Arkansas for a couple of days with my wife’s cousin before heading out on tour.
In January, I’m heading out to Phoenix and then going to Hawaii. Hopefully I’ll get in the Sony in Hawaii. I should. My gut feeling is that I’ll get in. If I finish in the top 10, I might get in the Bob Hope the next week. Then I’ll play San Diego, Pebble Beach and the event in Cancun, Mexico. I’m going to try to qualify for the L.A. Open, too.
I must admit, I’m liking the ZIP codes of the PGA TOUR stops. San Diego, Hawaii, Pebble, Cancun. Not bad!
Thanks for reading my blog this year. I appreciate all of your support!
Craig
Hello, golfers:
I have great news to report. I had a great day Sunday, Oct. 25 and gutted it out to finish 22nd on the Nationwide Tour money list. I earned my card for the PGA TOUR next year!
I shot a 66 and was the low round of the day at the Nationwide Tour Championship at the Daniel Island Club in Charleston, S.C. I birdied the last two holes to finish seventh in the event.
Words cannot describe the sense of achievement and pride I have for my finish. My back was really against the wall today, and I came through in a clutch situation. It is one of the best rounds I’ve ever played, with the amount of pressure that was there.
I am really excited about the upcoming year and looking forward to playing on the PGA TOUR. Thanks for tuning into the IMS Web site and pgatour.com. Stay patient and make them all!
Craig Bowden
Hello, golfers:
I’ve got a big week this week. Really big. I’m in the Nationwide Tour Championship at the Daniel Island Club in Charleston, S.C. at the Daniel Island Club.
This is quite the predicament I’ve put myself into. I’m 24th on the money list, and the top 25 get their PGA TOUR cards for next year. I’m about $10,000 ahead of No. 26 on the list, Scott Gardiner.
I am very optimistic about the week along with being very excited. I fell like all aspects of my game are in check and my attitude is good, so it should be a good week.
I feel like a top-15 finish will get the job done. Everyone stay tuned to the Internet and The Golf Channel as they will be covering the tournament live all day and every day through Sunday. Thanks for all of your support, and good luck with your games.
Craig Bowden
Note: Follow Craig live online all week by clicking here. The Golf Channel will televise the event from 2-4:3o p.m. (ET) Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Hello, golfers:
Last week I played in Chattanooga, Tenn., at Black Creek Country Club and didn’t fare so well. We had some of the worst weather of the year. We had about 3.5 inches of rain, and that did not bode well for old CB. I didn’t play well in just about every aspect of the game, especially putting. I have had such a great putting year this season.
I am in Miami playing in the Miccosukee Classic, which I won in 2003, so I have really good memories and great vibes. I saw my old instructor the past couple of days, and I am feeling really good about my game.
I am looking forward to this week, because there is so much on the line: a PGA TOUR card!
Good luck to all of you, and have a great week.
Craig Bowden
Hello, golfers:
I almost had them last weekend in California.
I thought this was going to be my week. It didn’t work how I’d wanted it to, but it was still a good week.
I finished sixth in the Saboba Classic at The Country Club at Saboba Springs in San Jacinto, Calif., making $34,000. I finally moved into the top 25 on the money list. The top 25 at the end of the Nationwide Tour season earn automatic promotion to the PGA TOUR.
On Sunday, I had a stretch of bad holes, number 11 through 15. I played them 5-over and was not a happy camper.
I am looking forward to the next couple of weeks and finally sewing up my card on the PGA TOUR for next year. I am playing in the Chattanooga Classic this week at Black Creek Country Club in Chattanooga, Tenn.
Thanks for watching and your continued support. Over and out.
CB
Note: Follow Craig online all four rounds from Chattanooga by clicking here.
Hello, everyone:
Last week, I was in Midland, Texas, for the WNB Golf Classic. I missed the cut by one shot, but a ton of really good things happened.
The first thing was I found a great swing thought, and it is going to work. We are always looking for little swing key or thoughts, and I found a really good one.
I missed the cut by one single stroke, and that really hurts. This week will be much better.
The only good thing about missing the cut was that I was able to go to Phoenix and watch our beloved Colts. Great game and loud, too. I didn’t make many friends sitting in the Cardinal crowds and yelling, “Go, Peyton!”
This week the Nationwide Tour is in San Jacinto, Calif., for the Saboba Classic at The Country Club at Saboba Springs. It is a million-dollar event, with a $180,000 winner’s purse. If I can have a first-, second- or third-place finish, I think that will get me back on the PGA Tour next year.
My game is good, and I feel great about where I am on the money list. I’m 31st, and the top 25 make it back on the PGA Tour.
Hope everyone has a great week, and knock ‘em in…
CB
Note: Click here to follow Craig online from California this weekend!
Last Sunday was definitely a time for perspective after the Utah Championship in Sandy, Utah.
I led the tournament after two rounds. And I was just two shots out of the lead, in third place, entering the final round Sunday. My game was really feeling good, as it has for the last few weeks. But the weather changed considerably Sunday, with 25-mph winds on the first nine holes and lighter winds on my final nine holes. My chances for victory blew away with those breezes, as I shot a final-round 74 and tied for 10th overall.
Obviously, I didn’t feel like I got the job done on Sunday. I was disappointed, but it was a good feeling to be in that position to win again.
There are plenty of encouraging signs as I head to Boise, Idaho, this week for the Albertson’s Boise Open.
My game is really feeling solid. I’ve been putting it very, very nicely. The putter has felt very good in my hands. I’m making my short putts. I’m getting the ball up and down when I need to. I’m hitting my irons nice. Everything is just jelling now.
I hope I can hoist some crystal here soon. I’m giving myself some chances here now, and I’m going to close the deal here now soon.
I’ve got six more chances this year on the Nationwide Tour, about a quarter of the season to go. Obviously, I’m playing well. So I’m excited about the finishing stretch.
It’s also good for my mind that we have a tournament this week. I’m already looking forward to a great weekend in Boise, which will help me forget about the disappointment in Utah. Last weekend is hindsight. It’s over. There’s nothing I can do about it. I’m just trying to learn from my mistakes, trying to put those into perspective.
Speaking of perspective, my disappointment on the course last Sunday is pretty meaningless in the grand scheme of things. I’ve had a couple of losses in my life here lately. I lost a good friend of mine, a sponsor of mine, last Wednesday from Bedford, Ind. His name was Dave Elliott. He was a big part of my career, getting me started financially. And then Mel Simon passed away last night. He was a sponsor of mine for about six years, too.
Obviously, I want to play well and do what I need to do, but friends and family are the most important things in our lives.
On to Boise. Keep it in the fairways and make ‘em all!
CB
Note: Click here to follow Craig online Thursday through Sunday in Boise! The Golf Channel also will televise the tournament in Boise at 6:30 p.m. (ET) Thursday through Saturday and at 7 p.m. Sunday.
Last week I was in Scranton, Pa., playing in the Northeast Pennsylvania Classic at Elmhurst Country Club.
Once again, the weather was terrible most of the week, with heavy rains and wind. I just barely made the cut at even par.
But I had a great weekend with scores of 66 and 65. I finished in a tie for 13th place and made $9,000. It was a successful week, especially making the cut on the nose and kickin’ butt on the weekend.
My game is good but not exactly where I want it. I’m taking this next week off and going on vacation. The Nationwide Tour is going to Leon, Mexico. I really feel good about the last seven events; something really special is going to happen.
Keep it in play,
CB
Last week I was in Overland Park, Kan., for the Christmas in October Classic at Nicklaus Golf Course at LionsGate. It was a new event to us this year, so no one had any type of course knowledge. It was a Jack Nicklaus-designed course and one of his better ones, in my opinion.
The week started off extremely wet, with 4-plus inches of rain on Monday and Tuesday. I’m a short hitter and don’t like the rain because it made the course play really long and tough. I had a pretty good week, despite all of the rain. I finished 16th at 10-under par with a final-round 66.
As I keep saying, I feel really good about my game. Something really good is going to happen soon. It all comes down to putting all the pieces together for four straight days. I’m really close to that.
Stay tuned to the pgatour.com Web site to follow the Nationwide Tour. Keep’em in the fairway and knock’em in.
Craig
Note: Follow Craig this weekend in the Northeast Pennsylvania Classic by clicking here.
Hello, golfers:
I had a fun and interesting time last week. I took my oldest daughter, Quinley, with me to Springfield, Mo., where I played in a Pro-Am at the Nationwide Tour’s Price Cutter Championship. We had a great time together!
Quinley is 4 years old and can be very trying sometimes. But we made the best of it. I really enjoyed having her along with me. The tournament offered day care for the players’ children. I am very thankful for that. If it weren’t for the day care, I would not have been able to do it. We swam and played at a local pizza hangout over the weekend. It was a lot of work, but it was well worth it to be able to spend some quality time with my daughter.
My game was really good at the beginning of last week. Before going to Springfield, I played in a local tournament at the Bloomington Country Club called the Yogi’s. I shot a 62, which is one of my best rounds ever. Then on Wednesday, I played in the Pro-Am in Springfield and shot a 62 again. Those were definitely the best two rounds, back to back, that I’ve ever shot.
I played decent the first two days of the tournament in Springfield, and then it was a nightmare on Saturday. I had nothing in the tank. It felt like I had never played golf before in my life. I came back on Sunday with a 69 and felt OK about it overall. I ended up finishing tied for 40th.
I know that I’m going to win soon. Hopefully, it will be sooner and not later.
Keep it in the fairways and make ‘em all!
CB
Note: Click here to follow Craig’s scores this weekend in the PGA Nationwide Tour event at Overland Park, Kan.