I left Austin Friday Night with my friend Mark, headed for San Antonio to play in the 36-hole San Antonio Open Saturday and Sunday. Both of us had worked a long day, all day Friday and had high hopes for the weekend. Despite not finding a lot of time for practice leading up to the event, I found myself as confident as I had been since turning professional. I felt the layout suited my game, as it didn't really allow a lot of room for long drives, and forced approaches from the 150-175 yard range.
The first round started slowly, with 8 pars. I broke the string of pars the bad way with a bogey on #9. I failed to get it back until 13, with a birdie on the par 5. I made par on every hole on the way in for an even par 72 that included 16 pars. I had only hit 11 greens, and although I missed some good opportunities, I certainly got away with a few mistakes as well. I felt I was capable of a better score but with higher winds looming for the final round I didn't know what to expect.
The final round started similarly, even par through 4, then a birdie on 5 followed by a great par saver on 6. I finished the front 9 at one under par, then that's when I turned it on. Birdies on 10, 12, and 13 got me to 4 under par for the round and the tournament. Unfortunately, a couple of bad swings down the stretch led to a couple of bogies, and the birdie train had stopped. I had to settle for a 2 under par 70, and a total of 142 for the tournament.
As it turns out, that total was good for 6th place alone, and 3rd place among the pros. That came with my largest paycheck as a professional golfer, and now that I think about it, of my life. It's a good feeling for now, but an even better feeling knowing that there is still so much room for improvement. Now I face another off-season, but unlike last year, that ended in disappointment after missing moving on at Q School by a single shot, I ended this year on a bit of a high note. Now there's a few months where I can address some minor swing issues and make plans for 2012.
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Glad to hear your not returning to amateur golf. Really think you should work on getting out of your own way as well. Thinking about your trip to NH, you need to not necessarily be easier on yourself or not show your emotion but believe in your process. As much as I dislike Zach Johnson if you watched him battle Tiger today you will see he never pulled the trigger until he was fully engulfed into the shot. I think you have the tools, you putt well enough, and continue to trust, work harder, and get someone good on the bag the sky might be the limit. I'm behind ya pards. You helped me believe in myself this year to a level I didn't think I could and I hope you can do it for yourself!
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