I have some really interesting tournaments coming up!! I travel to Venezuela this saturday, to play the World Golf Cup Qualifier, which gives 3 spots for the top countries in the Tournament. I travel with Alvaro Pinedo, who is having a great year so far. He is ranked 3rd in the Colombian Tour this year. The World Cup is Nov 27-30, in China.
I also will be traveling to Europe, Spain to be more specific, for the European Tour Q-School, Second Stage. It will be held in Cadiz, Spain Nov 5-8 and then Final Stage starts Nov 13.
Those 2 tournaments will determine where I will be playing in 2009!
I will keep you posted!!
Monday, September 29, 2008
Summer Recap
After my Europe trip, I returned to action in Venezuela, for the Tres Diamantes Open, from TLA. I played ok, didn't score well and finished 16th, after they cancelled the final round. Then I traveled to Manizales Open, where I finished 4th with -12 (68-69-68-71).
I went to Brazil, for a tournament of the Mercedez Champions tour, finishing 14th with +3 in the Itaghanga Golf Club of Rio de Janeiro.
It was back to the Colombian Tour, with the Cafetero strech coming back. It's a series of tournaments during the summer that are close together to travel. After Brazil, I was able to put in a solid week finishing 6th (69-73-71-66=-1) in the Armenia Open (event I won as an Amateur) and the week after I had a really disappointing week in Pereira, where I shot 75-67-70-74=+2. I had my game dialled in that week, I just couldn't score.
Right before the Colombian Open was the Militar Open. There were 85 pros, with only 15 plus ties making it to the weekend. I shot 71-70=-3 and missed the cut by 2 strokes. I played solid, just make some minor mistakes and ended up missing the cut.
At the Colombian Open, we found a course with a really hard setup. Firm greens, long rough and small fairways. The course suffered a lot because of excesive rain, so we had to play with lift-clean-and-place on the fairway. I shot 71-69-71-72=+3 and finished T9th, finishing top-10 for the second year in a row.
After the Colombian Open, I've played 7 tournaments in a row, with only 2 worth mentioning. I finished 4th at LlanoGrande Open, with a score of -8 (70-70-71-69) and a 12th place at the TLA Venezuela Open, with scores of 69-66-73-70=-2.
I'm nursing a bad left wrist, looking forward to my fall events, which are relly exciting!!
I went to Brazil, for a tournament of the Mercedez Champions tour, finishing 14th with +3 in the Itaghanga Golf Club of Rio de Janeiro.
It was back to the Colombian Tour, with the Cafetero strech coming back. It's a series of tournaments during the summer that are close together to travel. After Brazil, I was able to put in a solid week finishing 6th (69-73-71-66=-1) in the Armenia Open (event I won as an Amateur) and the week after I had a really disappointing week in Pereira, where I shot 75-67-70-74=+2. I had my game dialled in that week, I just couldn't score.
Right before the Colombian Open was the Militar Open. There were 85 pros, with only 15 plus ties making it to the weekend. I shot 71-70=-3 and missed the cut by 2 strokes. I played solid, just make some minor mistakes and ended up missing the cut.
At the Colombian Open, we found a course with a really hard setup. Firm greens, long rough and small fairways. The course suffered a lot because of excesive rain, so we had to play with lift-clean-and-place on the fairway. I shot 71-69-71-72=+3 and finished T9th, finishing top-10 for the second year in a row.
After the Colombian Open, I've played 7 tournaments in a row, with only 2 worth mentioning. I finished 4th at LlanoGrande Open, with a score of -8 (70-70-71-69) and a 12th place at the TLA Venezuela Open, with scores of 69-66-73-70=-2.
I'm nursing a bad left wrist, looking forward to my fall events, which are relly exciting!!
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
NEWS UPDATE!!!
Hey Guys!! I've been bad with keeping up to date my blog and I apologize for it. It's been a crazy summer, filled with travel, tournaments and success. I'll start where I left off last, with my trip to Europe and Africa (France and Morocco).
France and Morocco: That trip was a great experience. It was tought to play in France, because of the weather, the jetlag and the language. The course was relatively short, but it played pretty long. It was humid, soft, cold and sea level, so the 6400yds played much, MUCH longer. I got to see some great players and I realized what I needed to work on. I shot 74-74 and missed the cutt by 4 strokes, with a horrible +4 on the back 9 of my second round. But it was a good learning experience, and I took a lot out of it. Morocco was some of the same. Different courses setup, good players, tough conditions, food, travel and some more...
It was a really eye opening experience, which confirmed that I'm on the right track and that I have what it takes to make it on a big Tour.
France and Morocco: That trip was a great experience. It was tought to play in France, because of the weather, the jetlag and the language. The course was relatively short, but it played pretty long. It was humid, soft, cold and sea level, so the 6400yds played much, MUCH longer. I got to see some great players and I realized what I needed to work on. I shot 74-74 and missed the cutt by 4 strokes, with a horrible +4 on the back 9 of my second round. But it was a good learning experience, and I took a lot out of it. Morocco was some of the same. Different courses setup, good players, tough conditions, food, travel and some more...
It was a really eye opening experience, which confirmed that I'm on the right track and that I have what it takes to make it on a big Tour.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Good News!
Hey guys! I just received some great news from the Challenge Tour. After finishing T5th on the last event, I earned a spot on the next event, France. I wrote to the Tour asking about a monday qualy for the Morocco event, since I'm flying half way around the world to play 1 event, I would like to play at least two. The Tour wrote back and I got and invitation to play in Morocco!!!!
I will be traveling this coming friday and I will be on the road (In Europe!) for two weeks. I will try my best to keep you updated, but you can also get info at www.europeantour.com
Cheers!
I will be traveling this coming friday and I will be on the road (In Europe!) for two weeks. I will try my best to keep you updated, but you can also get info at www.europeantour.com
Cheers!
Monday, April 14, 2008
Club Colombia Masters
I'm happy to report that I finished Tied for 5th in last week's Challenge/TLA Event, the Club Colombia Master, held in Bogota Country Club.
I shot 72-67-70-68 (-7) playing solid golf, on a course that didn't allow many good scores.
First round the course was playing tough, with semi-firm greens and really fast. I would say that they were rolling around 13. I didn't play great, but I was able to fight my way through the course, ending with only a +1, right on the cut line.
Second round was a little different, I felt better with my swing, I made some putts early and had a great -4, to move up to T23rd. The course was playing considerably softer and easier than Thursday because of some light rain that fell the night before, but the afternoon rounds (like mine) were pretty tough because the wind picked up and we got some cold rain. I was fortunate enough that I finished my round and they closed the course and had everybody finish the next morning.
Moving day was tough again. I struggled with my swing a bit and my ball striking was off... way off... My swing changes have taken the left side out of the equation, but my misses now are to the right. I was able to hold my round at even par until 18, a reacheable par 5 where I hit a good drive and left myself a 4 iron on to the green. I 2-putted for a birdie and a nice -1.
Final round started great, I birdied 1, 4, 5 and 8 to get up to 3rd place. I lost some momentum on #9 where I threeputted from 55 feet. I bogeyed #13 to fall back to -6, but I was able to hold my round together, making some nice par saves. I got to 18 where I hit a good drive that trickled into the first cut. I was 234yds from the pin, with some cross wind. I hit a perfect 4 iron that ended up 27 feet from the cup for eagle. I rolled a beauty of a putt and stopped an inch short. I tapped in for birdie and a solid 68. I moved up from T16th to a T5th.
With this finished I accomplished a few things. I was tied as the best Colombian with Alvaro Pinedo, earning an invitation to play a Challenge Tour Event in Belgium. I also earned a spot in the next Challenge Tour event in France, next week. I'm working on getting my visa and I will be playing in Europe.
Also, right now I'm T42nd on the Order of Merit for the Challenge tour, with 2 events remaining before the June 1st cut, which awards full cards to the top 3 players inside the top 40 without status, so that is my goal, to play my way into a full exempt card in the next couple of weeks.
That is all for now... I will be posting some pics from the tournament.
Cheers!
I shot 72-67-70-68 (-7) playing solid golf, on a course that didn't allow many good scores.
First round the course was playing tough, with semi-firm greens and really fast. I would say that they were rolling around 13. I didn't play great, but I was able to fight my way through the course, ending with only a +1, right on the cut line.
Second round was a little different, I felt better with my swing, I made some putts early and had a great -4, to move up to T23rd. The course was playing considerably softer and easier than Thursday because of some light rain that fell the night before, but the afternoon rounds (like mine) were pretty tough because the wind picked up and we got some cold rain. I was fortunate enough that I finished my round and they closed the course and had everybody finish the next morning.
Moving day was tough again. I struggled with my swing a bit and my ball striking was off... way off... My swing changes have taken the left side out of the equation, but my misses now are to the right. I was able to hold my round at even par until 18, a reacheable par 5 where I hit a good drive and left myself a 4 iron on to the green. I 2-putted for a birdie and a nice -1.
Final round started great, I birdied 1, 4, 5 and 8 to get up to 3rd place. I lost some momentum on #9 where I threeputted from 55 feet. I bogeyed #13 to fall back to -6, but I was able to hold my round together, making some nice par saves. I got to 18 where I hit a good drive that trickled into the first cut. I was 234yds from the pin, with some cross wind. I hit a perfect 4 iron that ended up 27 feet from the cup for eagle. I rolled a beauty of a putt and stopped an inch short. I tapped in for birdie and a solid 68. I moved up from T16th to a T5th.
With this finished I accomplished a few things. I was tied as the best Colombian with Alvaro Pinedo, earning an invitation to play a Challenge Tour Event in Belgium. I also earned a spot in the next Challenge Tour event in France, next week. I'm working on getting my visa and I will be playing in Europe.
Also, right now I'm T42nd on the Order of Merit for the Challenge tour, with 2 events remaining before the June 1st cut, which awards full cards to the top 3 players inside the top 40 without status, so that is my goal, to play my way into a full exempt card in the next couple of weeks.
That is all for now... I will be posting some pics from the tournament.
Cheers!
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Challenge Tour Update!!!
Hey guys!! I came back from my Argentina trip a little sad because I missed both cuts, but overall it was a good experience. I got to travel, see what it's like to play on a big tour and play tought courses with tournament setup. I got to see really good players and I realized that I'm not far off! It just takes practice and confidence. Everybody has a bad week and a good week.
Right now I'm playing the Club Colombia Masters, another Challenge Tour/TLA event. I've shot 72-67-70 (-4) and I'm T16th place. One more round to go.
I will update tomorrow or you can follow it at www.tourdelasamericas.com or www.europeantour.com
Cheers!
Right now I'm playing the Club Colombia Masters, another Challenge Tour/TLA event. I've shot 72-67-70 (-4) and I'm T16th place. One more round to go.
I will update tomorrow or you can follow it at www.tourdelasamericas.com or www.europeantour.com
Cheers!
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Cordoba Open
I'm here in Cordoba...
The course is not too long, but it's pretty tight and some really well positioned trees. The greens are bermuda and they are in ok shape. Pretty slow going uphill and fast going downhill down grain...
Here are some pics from the first 2 days of practice. http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2053690&l=29599&id=46104209
Enjoy!
The course is not too long, but it's pretty tight and some really well positioned trees. The greens are bermuda and they are in ok shape. Pretty slow going uphill and fast going downhill down grain...
Here are some pics from the first 2 days of practice. http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2053690&l=29599&id=46104209
Enjoy!
Monday, March 24, 2008
TLA Season!
After finishing Second (69, 69, 69, 69 -12) at TLA Qschool, I earned the right to play a few extra tournaments. I'm currently down in Argentina, I flew in last night and I'm getting ready for the Cordoba Open, a TLA event, but also a Challenge Tour event also.
I will be updating my blog or you can check the official websites. Info can be found at www.tourdelasamericas.com or www.europeantour.com
Cheers!
I will be updating my blog or you can check the official websites. Info can be found at www.tourdelasamericas.com or www.europeantour.com
Cheers!
Monday, February 25, 2008
Carmel Open
I finished with another top 10 in the Carmel Open. I shot 68-70-70-69 (-3) on the short par 70 course. I played solid golf, but I lacked some luck in this tournament. The course was wet and the greens had a weird combination, soft and fast, so my ProV1Xs were spinning back too much. Really hard to control distance, because the ball was backing up as much as 40 feet on some greens.
I finished 8th, good solid tournament. I improved my score from last year by 17 strokes!! I shot +14 last year on the same course and almost identical conditions. Not bad at all!
I'm much more solid with overall game and I will have a chance to put it to the test next week when I travel to Weston, Florida, to play in the Tour de las Americas (TLA) Qschool. My first tournament in the US since I moved back to Colombia! I will keep you posted!! Cheers!
I finished 8th, good solid tournament. I improved my score from last year by 17 strokes!! I shot +14 last year on the same course and almost identical conditions. Not bad at all!
I'm much more solid with overall game and I will have a chance to put it to the test next week when I travel to Weston, Florida, to play in the Tour de las Americas (TLA) Qschool. My first tournament in the US since I moved back to Colombia! I will keep you posted!! Cheers!
Monday, February 18, 2008
2008 season is finally here!
I just got back from my first tournament of the year and I'm quite pleased with my results! I shot 71-75-67-70 (-5) to finish tied for fourth.
The tournament was the National Pro Championship, held at Peñon Resort. The course is almost at sea level (only 288 meters, around 950 feet), plays 7020 yards long with a 74.1 rating and a 130 slope. This means that it is a pretty hard course. The back 9 is one of the hardest of the country, having really long and tight par 3's. It is a good ball striking test, the only downfall for that course is that the greens are really slow and grainy, making it hard to chip and putt.
Fist round I played ok, didn't hit the ball too good but i made a bunch of putts. I had 27 putts. Second round was tough... I just couldn't get anything going and couldn't make anything that day. I ended up with 34 putts...
Third round was a completly different story! I chipped in on #2, birdied #3, #5 and #8 on the front for a 32, then I chipped in again on #11, birdied #12 and #13. I was -7 thru 13 holes with chance to tie or break the course record! Unfortunately, i lost my concentration and finished with 2 bogeys in the last 3 holes, for a 67 (-5). My college coach would have been very mad with that round!
Final round was fun, because I was close to the final group and there were a lot of people watching the tournament. I've really gotten my game to where I can perform under the toughtest pressure. That is when I play my best! I shot a solid 70 (-2) to climb 4 spots and T-4th.
Diego Vanegas won, with a total of -15. He played solid golf.
Here is the link to the final results. http://www.federacioncolombianadegolf.com/noticia.php?nt=21923
There is a picture of my on this page, from the tournament. http://www.federacioncolombianadegolf.com/noticia.php?nt=21891
Some more pics:
http://wichita.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2051672&l=299e0&id=46104209
I will be in action again this week here in Bogota, at Carmel Open. I will keep you updated!
The tournament was the National Pro Championship, held at Peñon Resort. The course is almost at sea level (only 288 meters, around 950 feet), plays 7020 yards long with a 74.1 rating and a 130 slope. This means that it is a pretty hard course. The back 9 is one of the hardest of the country, having really long and tight par 3's. It is a good ball striking test, the only downfall for that course is that the greens are really slow and grainy, making it hard to chip and putt.
Fist round I played ok, didn't hit the ball too good but i made a bunch of putts. I had 27 putts. Second round was tough... I just couldn't get anything going and couldn't make anything that day. I ended up with 34 putts...
Third round was a completly different story! I chipped in on #2, birdied #3, #5 and #8 on the front for a 32, then I chipped in again on #11, birdied #12 and #13. I was -7 thru 13 holes with chance to tie or break the course record! Unfortunately, i lost my concentration and finished with 2 bogeys in the last 3 holes, for a 67 (-5). My college coach would have been very mad with that round!
Final round was fun, because I was close to the final group and there were a lot of people watching the tournament. I've really gotten my game to where I can perform under the toughtest pressure. That is when I play my best! I shot a solid 70 (-2) to climb 4 spots and T-4th.
Diego Vanegas won, with a total of -15. He played solid golf.
Here is the link to the final results. http://www.federacioncolombianadegolf.com/noticia.php?nt=21923
There is a picture of my on this page, from the tournament. http://www.federacioncolombianadegolf.com/noticia.php?nt=21891
Some more pics:
http://wichita.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2051672&l=299e0&id=46104209
I will be in action again this week here in Bogota, at Carmel Open. I will keep you updated!
2007 Recap
Well, 2007 was a good year for me. I won two tournaments, had 2 top-10 the Majors, had a few top-5 and finished the year ranked 13th. I played well on my last 3 tournaments, 2 in Barranquilla and the National Match Play tournament.
At the Master, I finished 7th, unfortunately I blew my chances of winning with a round of 43 on the front nine saturday, but it was blowing around 40mph and the average score that day was around 77 or 78. Good solid top 10.
At Caujaral Open, I shot 77-75 and made the cut, before moving up with 2 solid 70 (-2) on the weekend, finishing 13th. Good comeback!
I lost on the second round to the runner up, Angel Romero. He played solid golf and was -4 through 16 holes and I was around par, so he beat me 3/2.
After my December tournaments, I took some time off to recharge my batteries and work on my swing, to get ready for 2008. I will update my swing, with some minor changes...
At the Master, I finished 7th, unfortunately I blew my chances of winning with a round of 43 on the front nine saturday, but it was blowing around 40mph and the average score that day was around 77 or 78. Good solid top 10.
At Caujaral Open, I shot 77-75 and made the cut, before moving up with 2 solid 70 (-2) on the weekend, finishing 13th. Good comeback!
I lost on the second round to the runner up, Angel Romero. He played solid golf and was -4 through 16 holes and I was around par, so he beat me 3/2.
After my December tournaments, I took some time off to recharge my batteries and work on my swing, to get ready for 2008. I will update my swing, with some minor changes...
Monday, November 26, 2007
Time Off!!
After my Win, I traveled to Cali, to play 2 tournaments... I was supposed to catch my flight right after my final round at the Nogal Open, but unfortunately I had a problem with my car leaving the golf course and I missed my flight. I had to fly the next morning, giving me no time to relax before teeing off. It was a Pro-Am tournament, and I was very tired to play well... It was a fun tournament, specially the Alternate shot day.
The week after, I played the Shalom Open. Shalom is a short 9-hole course, but is VERY tight. I think is the tightest course I have ever played! If you are stripping your shots, you can go low there, but as easy you can shoot over par. I shot 76-74 and missed the cut, only the third one this season.
Following my Cali trip, I took some much needed time off, about 2 weeks. I needed it to recharge my batteries for December, which is again heavy with tournaments. I leave 1 week from today for the Colombian Master (Dec. 6-9), then Caujaral Open (Dec. 13-16) both in Barranquilla, and the National Match Play tournament, hosted by the Colombian PGA (Dec. 19-23).
I've been working on my swing this past few weeks, with great improvement! I think my Coach nailed it with a little drill to work on my shoulder plane, which was slightly off on the top of the backswing. I've been hitting the ball really well with my short irons. I will try to tape my swing this week and post it.
Also, I'm having a little equipment change for this tournament. Usually, I play the New Cobra Pro S or D, but for Barranquilla (Sea level, lots of wind in December) I will be going back to my Cobra 400 Tour 8.5* Vista Pro shaft. I hit that really low and with low spin, so is perfect for a windy day.
I will try to keep you updated about my tournaments!!
The week after, I played the Shalom Open. Shalom is a short 9-hole course, but is VERY tight. I think is the tightest course I have ever played! If you are stripping your shots, you can go low there, but as easy you can shoot over par. I shot 76-74 and missed the cut, only the third one this season.
Following my Cali trip, I took some much needed time off, about 2 weeks. I needed it to recharge my batteries for December, which is again heavy with tournaments. I leave 1 week from today for the Colombian Master (Dec. 6-9), then Caujaral Open (Dec. 13-16) both in Barranquilla, and the National Match Play tournament, hosted by the Colombian PGA (Dec. 19-23).
I've been working on my swing this past few weeks, with great improvement! I think my Coach nailed it with a little drill to work on my shoulder plane, which was slightly off on the top of the backswing. I've been hitting the ball really well with my short irons. I will try to tape my swing this week and post it.
Also, I'm having a little equipment change for this tournament. Usually, I play the New Cobra Pro S or D, but for Barranquilla (Sea level, lots of wind in December) I will be going back to my Cobra 400 Tour 8.5* Vista Pro shaft. I hit that really low and with low spin, so is perfect for a windy day.
I will try to keep you updated about my tournaments!!
Monday, October 15, 2007
Nogal Open
I finished the tournament on friday (October 12th), since it was a tue-fri open. 72 holes at the golf course I grew up playing, with one of the best fields of the year. Except for Camilo Villegas, I would say that all the best Colombian Pros were there. Coincidentally, it was one of the bigest purses of the year so far also.
I struck the ball beautifully this week, hitting 67% of the fairways, 90% of the greens and shotting a career low 273 (-15), for my FIRST PRO OPEN WIN!!! I shot rounds of 69, 71, 64 and 69. Here are the stats for this week!
Click HERE for pics of that week, more to come! (Link is fixed now!!)
Avg Score 18 Holes: 68.3
Avg Score Front Nine: 34.3
Avg Score Back Nine: 34
Fairways: 35/52 (67%)
Fairways Front Nine: 15/24 (63%)
Fairways Back Nine: 20/28 (71%)
Greens: 65/72 (90%)
Greens Front Nine: 33/36 (92%)
Greens Back Nine: 32/36 (89%)
Avg Putts 18 Holes: 33.25
Avg Putts: 1.85
Avg Putts Front Nine: 1.92
Avg Putts Back Nine: 1.78
Avg Putts Per Green in Regulation: 1.91
Avg Putts Per Green Non-Reg: 1.29
Zero Putts: 0 (0%)
One Putts: 18 (25%)
Two Putts: 48 (67%)
Three or More Putts: 6 (8%)
Sand Saves: 1/2 (50%)
Non-Sand Saves: 4/5 (80%)
Total Saves: 5/7 (71%)
Hole in Ones: 0 (0%)
Double Eagles: 0 (0%)
Eagles: 4 (6%)
Birdies: 17 (24%)
Pars: 43 (60%)
Bogeys: 6 (8%)
Double Bogeys: 2 (3%)
Triple Bogeys: 0 (0%)
Others: 0 (0%)
Par 3 Avg Score: 3.3
Par 4 Avg Score: 3.91
Par 5 Avg Score: 4.1
Par 3 Green in Regulation: 16/20 (80%)
Par 4 Green in Regulation: 29/32 (91%)
Par 5 Green in Regulation: 20/20 (100%)
I struck the ball beautifully this week, hitting 67% of the fairways, 90% of the greens and shotting a career low 273 (-15), for my FIRST PRO OPEN WIN!!! I shot rounds of 69, 71, 64 and 69. Here are the stats for this week!
Click HERE for pics of that week, more to come! (Link is fixed now!!)
Avg Score 18 Holes: 68.3
Avg Score Front Nine: 34.3
Avg Score Back Nine: 34
Fairways: 35/52 (67%)
Fairways Front Nine: 15/24 (63%)
Fairways Back Nine: 20/28 (71%)
Greens: 65/72 (90%)
Greens Front Nine: 33/36 (92%)
Greens Back Nine: 32/36 (89%)
Avg Putts 18 Holes: 33.25
Avg Putts: 1.85
Avg Putts Front Nine: 1.92
Avg Putts Back Nine: 1.78
Avg Putts Per Green in Regulation: 1.91
Avg Putts Per Green Non-Reg: 1.29
Zero Putts: 0 (0%)
One Putts: 18 (25%)
Two Putts: 48 (67%)
Three or More Putts: 6 (8%)
Sand Saves: 1/2 (50%)
Non-Sand Saves: 4/5 (80%)
Total Saves: 5/7 (71%)
Hole in Ones: 0 (0%)
Double Eagles: 0 (0%)
Eagles: 4 (6%)
Birdies: 17 (24%)
Pars: 43 (60%)
Bogeys: 6 (8%)
Double Bogeys: 2 (3%)
Triple Bogeys: 0 (0%)
Others: 0 (0%)
Par 3 Avg Score: 3.3
Par 4 Avg Score: 3.91
Par 5 Avg Score: 4.1
Par 3 Green in Regulation: 16/20 (80%)
Par 4 Green in Regulation: 29/32 (91%)
Par 5 Green in Regulation: 20/20 (100%)
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Country Club Tournament
I'm finally done with my 7 tournaments in a row, and let me tell you, I don't think I will be doing that again anytime soon! It just takes too much of a toll on my body and mind to play that many tournaments back to back.
This last tournament was a little more relaxed, because it was an invitational tournament for 36 pros (18 players and 18 instructors). The 18 couples had guaranteed money and we had a drawing on Wednesday to find out who your partner was. I drew Pedro Russi, who is Maria Jose Uribe's instructor, the girl that won the US Women's Amateur this year. He caddied for her in that tournament and he was a great amateur player himself, before turning pro and deciding to teach instead of play.
We played 3 different styles: Best Ball, Canadian Foursome and Aggregate Score on the last day. First day we had a good day, we made 6 birdies, but we both three putted from 6-8 feet on a par 4 to make a best ball 6, and then we bogey the par 5 18th to finish at -3, 4 of the lead. It was unfortunate, because we should have taken advantage of that round. It felt like we left a quite a few strokes out there.
Second day we shot 74 (+2) Canadian foursome (best tee shot, alternate shot from there). Again, we didn't play bad, but we just didn't capitalize on good opportunities and we made some silly bogeys.
Last day, I figured something out with my ball striking. On my 3rd hole (#12) I made was 183 out and I hit a pefect 8 iron to about 10 feet, with perfect hit, perfect trayectory, perfect line and perfect distance. I felt something different there and I kept it thru the whole round. Unfortunatedly, I made a triple 8 on hole 18 and ended up shooting +4 for the round. Pedro shot 79, and we finished 14th/18 groups.
I don't have any tournaments until October 9th, when I play a PGA Colombia Tournament, which has a pretty good purse and it will be hosted by San Andres Golf Club, where I grew up playing at. Now I will work on my swing for a couple of weeks with my swing coach Jorge Mesa. I feel like there are some things loose on my swing that I need to work on. I will keep you guys updated!!
Feel free to write comments, its been a while since someone commented anything!!
Cheers
This last tournament was a little more relaxed, because it was an invitational tournament for 36 pros (18 players and 18 instructors). The 18 couples had guaranteed money and we had a drawing on Wednesday to find out who your partner was. I drew Pedro Russi, who is Maria Jose Uribe's instructor, the girl that won the US Women's Amateur this year. He caddied for her in that tournament and he was a great amateur player himself, before turning pro and deciding to teach instead of play.
We played 3 different styles: Best Ball, Canadian Foursome and Aggregate Score on the last day. First day we had a good day, we made 6 birdies, but we both three putted from 6-8 feet on a par 4 to make a best ball 6, and then we bogey the par 5 18th to finish at -3, 4 of the lead. It was unfortunate, because we should have taken advantage of that round. It felt like we left a quite a few strokes out there.
Second day we shot 74 (+2) Canadian foursome (best tee shot, alternate shot from there). Again, we didn't play bad, but we just didn't capitalize on good opportunities and we made some silly bogeys.
Last day, I figured something out with my ball striking. On my 3rd hole (#12) I made was 183 out and I hit a pefect 8 iron to about 10 feet, with perfect hit, perfect trayectory, perfect line and perfect distance. I felt something different there and I kept it thru the whole round. Unfortunatedly, I made a triple 8 on hole 18 and ended up shooting +4 for the round. Pedro shot 79, and we finished 14th/18 groups.
I don't have any tournaments until October 9th, when I play a PGA Colombia Tournament, which has a pretty good purse and it will be hosted by San Andres Golf Club, where I grew up playing at. Now I will work on my swing for a couple of weeks with my swing coach Jorge Mesa. I feel like there are some things loose on my swing that I need to work on. I will keep you guys updated!!
Feel free to write comments, its been a while since someone commented anything!!
Cheers
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Farallones Open
Farallones is the 6th tournament in a row, and I can tell that I'm tired! I did not have a good week at all, my ball striking was non existent but I scrambled ok. First round I shot +3, -3 for a Even Par round. Second round was better, I was -1 thru 10 holes, when I got to the par 6 11th hole, yeah, a PAR 6, playing 710 yards. Really, is not a hard par 6, you can get there easy in 3, but it has a really narrow fairway. Anyway, I was 175 yds out, tried to punch a 7 iron and clunked it in the water hazard in front of the green, ending up with a bogey 7 (it felt like a double). My group got into an argument with a Marshall and I lost my focus, finishing with 3 bogeys in the last 4 holes to barely make the cut on the number!
The weekend was a disaster! I knew I wasn't hitting the ball well, but I was trying really hard to score, but my putter didn't want to cooperate. I think I missed around 15 putts from inside 7 feet, which I usually make.
My mind was out of it and I took 2 days off, completly off from golf. I went to the gym, I streched and I slept, that was pretty much it. I felt more relaxed today as I played the practice round for the Country Club Invitational, a Pro-Pro event that starts on Friday. I shot a nice 65 (-6) on the same course that I played the Challenge tour event in February, but obviously the set up is not nearly as hard. I will update this week!
The weekend was a disaster! I knew I wasn't hitting the ball well, but I was trying really hard to score, but my putter didn't want to cooperate. I think I missed around 15 putts from inside 7 feet, which I usually make.
My mind was out of it and I took 2 days off, completly off from golf. I went to the gym, I streched and I slept, that was pretty much it. I felt more relaxed today as I played the practice round for the Country Club Invitational, a Pro-Pro event that starts on Friday. I shot a nice 65 (-6) on the same course that I played the Challenge tour event in February, but obviously the set up is not nearly as hard. I will update this week!
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Arrayanes Open
I'm playing the Arrayanes Open this week in Bogota, so I'll be able to post after each round.
I wasn't able to play a practice round on Tuesday, so today I had to go by memory and my caddie. This is another course that I haven't played in a long time, over 8 years I would say. It is a short course with some really fast greens.
I currently stand tied for 7th place. I've shot 71-69-73 (-3). Three good rounds, first round started with 2 bogeys and ended up under par, second round was pretty solid with 4 birdies and 1 bogey, hitting 17 greens in regulation, but today I started bogey, bogey, birdie, birdie and had a triple bogey 7 on the par 4 7th, that featured a nasty four-putt, but I was able to bring it back to +1 for the day with a good 34 (-2) on the back 9. I'm 6 strokes back with one round to go! Time to make that Sunday charge that I have stored from last week!
Final Round Report!
I started the final round tied for 7th place with -3 and I knew that I needed a few birdies just to keep up with the guys, because with greens that roll this good is easy to make lots of birdies if you get on a roll. I talk to one of the tournament officials and he said that the greens were rolling at 12.5 on the stimp in the morning and they would probably roll around 13 in the afternoon.
I just couldn't start on the first two holes... Two short par 4's, but they got the best of me! I pared the first and then made a bogey on #2, quickly recovering with a birdie on #3. After five solid pars, I got to #9, a reachable par 5. I missed my drive right and got lucky and it stayed out of the water hazard. I had to layup to 130, where I made a strategic mistake and ended up hitting the ball in the left bunker, short siding myself. I made a good bogey and ended up +1 (37)for the front.
While I was walking to #10 tee box I looked at the leaderboard and saw that I was being passed by a lot of players and I knew that I had some ground to make up. I missed a good birdie opportunity (7ft birdie putt) on the par 5 10th. On the par 3 11th, I had 206 to the pin, and I played a beautiful high fade with my 6 iron that landed 3 feet from the pin and just rolled off the green, leaving me with a about a 12 footer for birdie that I went on to make. I then got on a roll making a 35 footer on #12 and two putting for birdie on #13. I had some good par saves on 14, 15, 16 and 17. On 18, my approach landed 10 feet short of the cup and rolled just missing the cup, stopping about 10 feet past the pin (firm and fast greens). I took a peek at the leaderboard while walking to the green and I saw that I stood in 8th place and I needed to make that birdie. I rolled it perfectly capping off a perfect 32 (-4) on the back to finish strong. Some of the players that were playing behind me bogeyed some holes coming in and I finished T5th, 1 stroke off third and two strokes off 2nd.
It was a pretty good tournament over all; I only made 1 mistake (a triple bogey on the third round) and I'm pretty comfortable with my swing. I was able to finish strong, showing me that I can keep my focus coming down the strech. Thats something I was lacking this year, keeping me from finishing higher. I made a lot more birdies on the weekend, which was another stat that I was keeping track of. In Pereira and Pueblo Viejo, I only made like 3 birdies on the weekend and still managed to finish top 5, but without birdies is really hard to win tournaments. My putting was very solid and it is improving. I had 28 and 26 putts on the weekend, which will always keep your scores low (I putted like a friend of mine, right Mr. Blaske?).
I have 3 more tournaments coming up, 3 straight weeks again!
Here is the link for the Final Results: http://www.clublosarrayanes.com.co/www/resources/adg_profesionales.pdf
I wasn't able to play a practice round on Tuesday, so today I had to go by memory and my caddie. This is another course that I haven't played in a long time, over 8 years I would say. It is a short course with some really fast greens.
I currently stand tied for 7th place. I've shot 71-69-73 (-3). Three good rounds, first round started with 2 bogeys and ended up under par, second round was pretty solid with 4 birdies and 1 bogey, hitting 17 greens in regulation, but today I started bogey, bogey, birdie, birdie and had a triple bogey 7 on the par 4 7th, that featured a nasty four-putt, but I was able to bring it back to +1 for the day with a good 34 (-2) on the back 9. I'm 6 strokes back with one round to go! Time to make that Sunday charge that I have stored from last week!
Final Round Report!
I started the final round tied for 7th place with -3 and I knew that I needed a few birdies just to keep up with the guys, because with greens that roll this good is easy to make lots of birdies if you get on a roll. I talk to one of the tournament officials and he said that the greens were rolling at 12.5 on the stimp in the morning and they would probably roll around 13 in the afternoon.
I just couldn't start on the first two holes... Two short par 4's, but they got the best of me! I pared the first and then made a bogey on #2, quickly recovering with a birdie on #3. After five solid pars, I got to #9, a reachable par 5. I missed my drive right and got lucky and it stayed out of the water hazard. I had to layup to 130, where I made a strategic mistake and ended up hitting the ball in the left bunker, short siding myself. I made a good bogey and ended up +1 (37)for the front.
While I was walking to #10 tee box I looked at the leaderboard and saw that I was being passed by a lot of players and I knew that I had some ground to make up. I missed a good birdie opportunity (7ft birdie putt) on the par 5 10th. On the par 3 11th, I had 206 to the pin, and I played a beautiful high fade with my 6 iron that landed 3 feet from the pin and just rolled off the green, leaving me with a about a 12 footer for birdie that I went on to make. I then got on a roll making a 35 footer on #12 and two putting for birdie on #13. I had some good par saves on 14, 15, 16 and 17. On 18, my approach landed 10 feet short of the cup and rolled just missing the cup, stopping about 10 feet past the pin (firm and fast greens). I took a peek at the leaderboard while walking to the green and I saw that I stood in 8th place and I needed to make that birdie. I rolled it perfectly capping off a perfect 32 (-4) on the back to finish strong. Some of the players that were playing behind me bogeyed some holes coming in and I finished T5th, 1 stroke off third and two strokes off 2nd.
It was a pretty good tournament over all; I only made 1 mistake (a triple bogey on the third round) and I'm pretty comfortable with my swing. I was able to finish strong, showing me that I can keep my focus coming down the strech. Thats something I was lacking this year, keeping me from finishing higher. I made a lot more birdies on the weekend, which was another stat that I was keeping track of. In Pereira and Pueblo Viejo, I only made like 3 birdies on the weekend and still managed to finish top 5, but without birdies is really hard to win tournaments. My putting was very solid and it is improving. I had 28 and 26 putts on the weekend, which will always keep your scores low (I putted like a friend of mine, right Mr. Blaske?).
I have 3 more tournaments coming up, 3 straight weeks again!
Here is the link for the Final Results: http://www.clublosarrayanes.com.co/www/resources/adg_profesionales.pdf
Barranca and Medellin
I was out of town for 2 weeks playing in two courses that were new to me. Well, Barranca was completely new to me, and I didn't remember much about Medellin's Llanogrande course. I played there 10 years ago, so I didn't remember many holes.
Barranca Golf Course was built in the 1940's by Oil Companies that worked in the region. Its only a 9 hole course that is not in the best shape, but it has a pretty interesting design. The greens were Japanese Bermuda, a really weird type of grass, that someti
mes grabs and sometimes releases and they roll around 4 on the stimp! (REALLY SLOW) Unfortunately, it was a mud hole this year (see attached cell phone pic). It was hard to find dry land on the fairways and the ball plugged most of the time. I've never played in those conditions, but it was different and fun at the same time. First round (Saturday) I was -3 after 12 holes, when the round got called off due to darkness. I started early on Sunday, but my fortune was turning... On the 14th hole, I hit a drive down the middle and my ball plugged and we couldn't find it, so I had to take a double and things went downhill from there. I ended up with a 73 (+1) for the day. The afternoon was really hot and humid, turning the round into a torture... Needless to say, I didn't do my best to shoot 74 (+2). Monday was a completely different story, I was hanging in there my whole round and ended up with 2 birdies in my last 3 holes for a 71 (-1). My +2 total was good enough for 8th place. It was a new and interesting experience to me!
Medellin (UPDATED)...
The course in Medellin, called LlanoGrande, is a pretty nice design with some really good finishing holes. It played around 7,000 yards, and it was fairly long since it was pretty wet. The downside to the course is that it has 3 types of greens, bent, bermuda and mix, so is hard to get used to the speed. The first 2 days were pretty uneventful, filled with missed putts and a little of bad ball striking on Friday. I shot 75-78 with 34 and 32 putts. Saturday was a good day, I shot 70 (-2) and moved to 16th place, last on the money, so I figured that with a good Sunday round I could probably reach another Top 10. Sunday started off well with birdies on holes 2, 7, 10 and 13, but on hole 14 the rain started and it didn't stop! I was -4 after 14 holes and play got cancelled for the day!!! After talking with some of my fellow pros, I figured that I stood in 9th or 10th place the way my round was going, but the tournament got shortened to 54 holes, so I was last on the money. Not bad for a bad week! Too bad I couldn't finish my Sunday charge, but it left me a good feeling for the upcoming weeks
Barranca Golf Course was built in the 1940's by Oil Companies that worked in the region. Its only a 9 hole course that is not in the best shape, but it has a pretty interesting design. The greens were Japanese Bermuda, a really weird type of grass, that someti
mes grabs and sometimes releases and they roll around 4 on the stimp! (REALLY SLOW) Unfortunately, it was a mud hole this year (see attached cell phone pic). It was hard to find dry land on the fairways and the ball plugged most of the time. I've never played in those conditions, but it was different and fun at the same time. First round (Saturday) I was -3 after 12 holes, when the round got called off due to darkness. I started early on Sunday, but my fortune was turning... On the 14th hole, I hit a drive down the middle and my ball plugged and we couldn't find it, so I had to take a double and things went downhill from there. I ended up with a 73 (+1) for the day. The afternoon was really hot and humid, turning the round into a torture... Needless to say, I didn't do my best to shoot 74 (+2). Monday was a completely different story, I was hanging in there my whole round and ended up with 2 birdies in my last 3 holes for a 71 (-1). My +2 total was good enough for 8th place. It was a new and interesting experience to me!Medellin (UPDATED)...
The course in Medellin, called LlanoGrande, is a pretty nice design with some really good finishing holes. It played around 7,000 yards, and it was fairly long since it was pretty wet. The downside to the course is that it has 3 types of greens, bent, bermuda and mix, so is hard to get used to the speed. The first 2 days were pretty uneventful, filled with missed putts and a little of bad ball striking on Friday. I shot 75-78 with 34 and 32 putts. Saturday was a good day, I shot 70 (-2) and moved to 16th place, last on the money, so I figured that with a good Sunday round I could probably reach another Top 10. Sunday started off well with birdies on holes 2, 7, 10 and 13, but on hole 14 the rain started and it didn't stop! I was -4 after 14 holes and play got cancelled for the day!!! After talking with some of my fellow pros, I figured that I stood in 9th or 10th place the way my round was going, but the tournament got shortened to 54 holes, so I was last on the money. Not bad for a bad week! Too bad I couldn't finish my Sunday charge, but it left me a good feeling for the upcoming weeks
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Pueblo Viejo Open
Last week was Pueblo Viejo Open, my home course. I've been playing there since March and I really enjoy the Club, the people and the course. Of course I wanted to play well in front of my home crowd and everybody was rooting for me, so it was a little more added pressure for this tournament.
First round started off pretty good with a easy birdie on #1, then followed with birdies on #4, #5 and #7 for a 32 (-4) in the front. After two good pars on #10 and 11, I birdied #12 to move to -5. #13 is a long dog-leg left par 5 with OB left and water right on both the tee shot and the second shot. I hit a good drive that rolled just a little too far and got on the first cut, where I got a really good (or bad??) lie. The ball was sitting perfectly on top of the grass with a footprint behind it. The ball was sitting up about 1" above the grass. I tried to hit my hybrid, but it was sitting up too high, so I caught it on the top part of the club and it jumped high and to the right, where it clipped a tree and went into the water. I ended up with bogey there. I followed it with 3 straight pars to settle down and I birdied #17 and 18 with two good putts, for a 34 (-2) on the back. I shot 66 (-6) and I was in second place behind the eventual winner, Oswaldo Villada, that shot a flawless 64. I felt pretty good with my game after hitting 15 greens, hitting 79% of the fairways and adding only 28 putts to my score. Here is the link to the first round stats ( http://www.mygolfdomain.com/member.php?member=1964&which=view_round&round=4869 )
I started two shots back and I was on the final group on Friday, and I knew I had to get a good round in to be in contention for the weekend. I birdied the first hole again, then bogeyed #3, and came back with birdies on #4, 7 and 9 to finish -3 in the front. I played well the back 9, but I wasn't lucky with my putts, I hit some really good putts that just didn't go in. I had 9 straight pars for a 69 (-3). After the second round, I found myself tied with Villada for the lead at -9. http://www.mygolfdomain.com/member.php?member=1964&which=view_round&round=4874
Saturday and Sunday were pretty uneventful for me. I only had 2 birdies and an eagle for both days and my putting lacked touch and luck. I hit some really good putts that didn't go in and I hit some bad putts that also missed the hole. I had 3 bogeys, a birdie and an eagle on Saturday for an Even par 72. After Saturday, I was only one shot back of the lead, held by Alvaro Pinedo at -10 (Saturday stats: http://www.mygolfdomain.com/member.php?member=1964&which=view_round&round=4897 )
My Sunday round started quite awful. I started my day with a 3 putt double bogey on the first hole and just never got anything going after that. I had some really good par saves, but none for birdie. I only birdied the 7th hole and had 2 more bogeys for a +3. I tried to hang in there, but my game (or mind?) wasn't up to it. It was a good experience, because even though I didn't play my best, I never gave up and I fought until the last hole. I wan't nervous to be playing in the final group the last day, it felt right to be up there in the leaderboard. (Sunday stats: http://www.mygolfdomain.com/member.php?member=1964&which=view_round&round=4914 )
I finished tied for 5th, and even though it wasn't what I was looking for, it was a great experience to be close to the lead and hold my own for 3 days. Now I know that I belong up there in the leaderboard and that is not a fluke to play well. I know I can win out here and it is just a matter of time, patience and hard work that will take me there.
I leave tomorrow for a 3 day tournament in Barranca and then travel again to Medellin for another 72 hole tournament. I will play 4 weeks in a row again. I will try to keep updates, but it might be hard from Barranca. Until then, cheers!
First round started off pretty good with a easy birdie on #1, then followed with birdies on #4, #5 and #7 for a 32 (-4) in the front. After two good pars on #10 and 11, I birdied #12 to move to -5. #13 is a long dog-leg left par 5 with OB left and water right on both the tee shot and the second shot. I hit a good drive that rolled just a little too far and got on the first cut, where I got a really good (or bad??) lie. The ball was sitting perfectly on top of the grass with a footprint behind it. The ball was sitting up about 1" above the grass. I tried to hit my hybrid, but it was sitting up too high, so I caught it on the top part of the club and it jumped high and to the right, where it clipped a tree and went into the water. I ended up with bogey there. I followed it with 3 straight pars to settle down and I birdied #17 and 18 with two good putts, for a 34 (-2) on the back. I shot 66 (-6) and I was in second place behind the eventual winner, Oswaldo Villada, that shot a flawless 64. I felt pretty good with my game after hitting 15 greens, hitting 79% of the fairways and adding only 28 putts to my score. Here is the link to the first round stats ( http://www.mygolfdomain.com/member.php?member=1964&which=view_round&round=4869 )
I started two shots back and I was on the final group on Friday, and I knew I had to get a good round in to be in contention for the weekend. I birdied the first hole again, then bogeyed #3, and came back with birdies on #4, 7 and 9 to finish -3 in the front. I played well the back 9, but I wasn't lucky with my putts, I hit some really good putts that just didn't go in. I had 9 straight pars for a 69 (-3). After the second round, I found myself tied with Villada for the lead at -9. http://www.mygolfdomain.com/member.php?member=1964&which=view_round&round=4874
Saturday and Sunday were pretty uneventful for me. I only had 2 birdies and an eagle for both days and my putting lacked touch and luck. I hit some really good putts that didn't go in and I hit some bad putts that also missed the hole. I had 3 bogeys, a birdie and an eagle on Saturday for an Even par 72. After Saturday, I was only one shot back of the lead, held by Alvaro Pinedo at -10 (Saturday stats: http://www.mygolfdomain.com/member.php?member=1964&which=view_round&round=4897 )
My Sunday round started quite awful. I started my day with a 3 putt double bogey on the first hole and just never got anything going after that. I had some really good par saves, but none for birdie. I only birdied the 7th hole and had 2 more bogeys for a +3. I tried to hang in there, but my game (or mind?) wasn't up to it. It was a good experience, because even though I didn't play my best, I never gave up and I fought until the last hole. I wan't nervous to be playing in the final group the last day, it felt right to be up there in the leaderboard. (Sunday stats: http://www.mygolfdomain.com/member.php?member=1964&which=view_round&round=4914 )
I finished tied for 5th, and even though it wasn't what I was looking for, it was a great experience to be close to the lead and hold my own for 3 days. Now I know that I belong up there in the leaderboard and that is not a fluke to play well. I know I can win out here and it is just a matter of time, patience and hard work that will take me there.
I leave tomorrow for a 3 day tournament in Barranca and then travel again to Medellin for another 72 hole tournament. I will play 4 weeks in a row again. I will try to keep updates, but it might be hard from Barranca. Until then, cheers!
Sunday, August 12, 2007
2 Tournament Review
Well, I've been slacking with my writing, but I'll try to write more often... Since the Colombian Open, I've played 3 tournaments (Rodeo Open, Militar Open and Pueblo Viejo Open). On this post I will only review 2 of them, I'll make another post for the Pueblo Viejo Open, my home course.
The first was Rodeo Open, in Medellin. I've never played that course before and besides the greens, it was pretty playable, with some tough tee shots and some blind shots. I was surprised to find a hilly course right next to the airport. Now, the greens.. mmmm what can I say... Stupid is the first thing that comes to mind, but I think that might be a little too much, but they were hilly and fast!!! How about the pin placements? I have the right word... STUPID!! They were close to unplayable!! Some pin placements were only 4 feet away from the edge and some were almost impossible to two-putt!! I shot 76-74-80-83... I had 38 putts on saturday and I consider myself a good putter!! Gustavo Mendoza shot a flawless 65 on saturday to win the tournament by 9 or 10 strokes. It's one of the most impressive rounds of golf I've ever heard of. The areas on the greens where you had to place (place, not land) your ball was usually 12 feet wide by 12 feet long, otherwise, you couldn't two-putt, or you had to make a 20 footer to par the hole. Needless to say, I didn't enjoy that setup too much... I made the cut by 6 strokes and then finished last of the guys that made the cut, in 19th place.
The second tournament was the Militar Open. I've played this Open about 10 or 12 times. It is a must every year and I played it every summer while I was in College. Is a fairly short course with fast and hilly greens and they have the same pin placements every year. The back 9 has Out-of-Bounds left on every hole, so if hook is your shot, this place is a nightmare!! I shot 69-73-73-76 to finished tied for 15th. I played pretty good, but unfortunately, the third day I hit one of those nightmare hook shots on hole 14 for a double-bogey 7 on a par 5 to top a little bogey-double-double run that killed my momentum. I was -5 at the moment, only 3 strokes back and by the end of the day I was at -1, 7 strokes back. I should have been only 2 strokes back at -6. The last day I tried too hard and luckily finished with an Eagle on the last hole to get in the money (t-15th). But I learned from that and moved on to Pueblo Viejo Open.
Monday, July 16, 2007
Colombian Open
I flew back from Pereira on Monday night (it was a Fri-Mon tournament), arriving at my house around 11pm and then I went to play my first practice round for the Open on Tuesday morning. The greens were rolling around 11 on Tuesday, and were fairly firm. To my surprise, the long rough I'd seen the months prior the tournament was gone in some parts due to lack of water or morning freeze. Still, the course had sharp teeth and you needed good luck in the rough to even have a chance of advancing your ball a few yards.
On Wednesday I played the pro-am and played pretty decent and shot a +4. By Wednesday afternoon the greens were rolling close to 12 and it was hard to stop the ball on the green.
Thursday: I started my day on the 10th tee at 12:30 (with a 11:35 tee time) after a long delay. I pared my first 10 holes, bogeyed 2 and 3, birdied 5, double 7 and bogeyed 9 for a round of 76 (+4) and tied for 25th, right on the cutline. I played a solid round, except for a couple of holes where I lost my concentration and hit poor shots. I wasn't satisfied with my round because I played a lot better than a +4 but over all it wasn't a bad start. The course was playing harder than most expected and there were only a couple of scores under par. The leader was at -2. The greens (the course biggest defense) were rolling around 12 or 12.5 on the stimp. The afternoon was playing considerably harder than in the morning, since the wind picked up and the greens dried up pretty quick!
Friday started early, with a 7:27 tee time on the 1st tee. I started with a birdie and then proceeded to bogey #2 and double #3. I was at +6 for the tournament and worried about the cutline! I settled down and shot an 38 (+2) on the front. I got it going on the back 9 with 3 birdies, 5 pars and only one bogey for a 34 (-2) on the back, for a total of 72 (E). After the morning wave, I moved from 25 to 6th with that round!! As the afternoon went on, I started to see the cutline move up (109 players, only Top 30 and ties made the cut) from +4 to +6, +8 and finally +10!! Gosh I was happy I played in the morning that day! My round kept getting better and better and by the end of the day I was tied for 10th place with +4.
Saturday was a bad day. I didn't have my A game and I missed a really good opportunity to move on the leaderboard. The course was playing really hard that day and the pin locations were close to unfair. If you happen to hit a green on the wrong side of the pin, a good putt would come to rest at least 10 feet from the hole! Some holes the ball wouldn't stop around the cup. The average for the 33 pros that made the cut was 78.84, over 6 strokes on the wrong side of par! I had 3 three-putts and shot 78. All and all, I only lost 1 spot with that round. I was at +10 for the tournament.
Sunday was my big opportunity to play a good round and gain some places. I pared my first 2 holes, birdied 3, pared 4 and 5, missed a short up and down on 6 for a bogey and made a 40 foot sneak on 7. After 2 more pars, I shot a solid 35 (-1) on the front. On the 10th tee, I barely missed the green and drew a bad lie on the fringe, plus a bad club selection led to a double bogey. I kept my cool and decided that I was still in a good spot, since 11 and 12 were birdie holes. Sure enough I birdied both, but I didn't stop there, adding 2 more birdies on 13 and 14. I made a great par save from 60 yds out on 15 and on 16th tee box someone told me that the leader was at +4 for the tournament and I was at +7 then! I hit 3 perfect shots on the par 5 16th and my 7 footer barely missed the cup. I lost my focus a little and finished with 2 bogeys, shooting a final round of 71 (-1) and the second best round of the day by a stroke.
I finished tied in 6th place and felt very close to the top spot... I was 5 strokes of the playoff, but I really felt like I have the game to win out here. I feel that my path is starting to be a little clearer and that I'm going in the right direction!
Well, I think this is enough for now... I travel again this coming Tuesday for another tournament and start another string of 3 tournaments in 4 weeks.
Here is the article for the Colombian Open (there is a pic of me there): http://www.federacioncolombianadegolf.com/noticia.php?nt=20328
Here are the results for the Colombian Open: http://www.federacioncolombianadegolf.com/noticia.php?nt=20324
On Wednesday I played the pro-am and played pretty decent and shot a +4. By Wednesday afternoon the greens were rolling close to 12 and it was hard to stop the ball on the green.
Thursday: I started my day on the 10th tee at 12:30 (with a 11:35 tee time) after a long delay. I pared my first 10 holes, bogeyed 2 and 3, birdied 5, double 7 and bogeyed 9 for a round of 76 (+4) and tied for 25th, right on the cutline. I played a solid round, except for a couple of holes where I lost my concentration and hit poor shots. I wasn't satisfied with my round because I played a lot better than a +4 but over all it wasn't a bad start. The course was playing harder than most expected and there were only a couple of scores under par. The leader was at -2. The greens (the course biggest defense) were rolling around 12 or 12.5 on the stimp. The afternoon was playing considerably harder than in the morning, since the wind picked up and the greens dried up pretty quick!
Friday started early, with a 7:27 tee time on the 1st tee. I started with a birdie and then proceeded to bogey #2 and double #3. I was at +6 for the tournament and worried about the cutline! I settled down and shot an 38 (+2) on the front. I got it going on the back 9 with 3 birdies, 5 pars and only one bogey for a 34 (-2) on the back, for a total of 72 (E). After the morning wave, I moved from 25 to 6th with that round!! As the afternoon went on, I started to see the cutline move up (109 players, only Top 30 and ties made the cut) from +4 to +6, +8 and finally +10!! Gosh I was happy I played in the morning that day! My round kept getting better and better and by the end of the day I was tied for 10th place with +4.
Saturday was a bad day. I didn't have my A game and I missed a really good opportunity to move on the leaderboard. The course was playing really hard that day and the pin locations were close to unfair. If you happen to hit a green on the wrong side of the pin, a good putt would come to rest at least 10 feet from the hole! Some holes the ball wouldn't stop around the cup. The average for the 33 pros that made the cut was 78.84, over 6 strokes on the wrong side of par! I had 3 three-putts and shot 78. All and all, I only lost 1 spot with that round. I was at +10 for the tournament.
Sunday was my big opportunity to play a good round and gain some places. I pared my first 2 holes, birdied 3, pared 4 and 5, missed a short up and down on 6 for a bogey and made a 40 foot sneak on 7. After 2 more pars, I shot a solid 35 (-1) on the front. On the 10th tee, I barely missed the green and drew a bad lie on the fringe, plus a bad club selection led to a double bogey. I kept my cool and decided that I was still in a good spot, since 11 and 12 were birdie holes. Sure enough I birdied both, but I didn't stop there, adding 2 more birdies on 13 and 14. I made a great par save from 60 yds out on 15 and on 16th tee box someone told me that the leader was at +4 for the tournament and I was at +7 then! I hit 3 perfect shots on the par 5 16th and my 7 footer barely missed the cup. I lost my focus a little and finished with 2 bogeys, shooting a final round of 71 (-1) and the second best round of the day by a stroke.
I finished tied in 6th place and felt very close to the top spot... I was 5 strokes of the playoff, but I really felt like I have the game to win out here. I feel that my path is starting to be a little clearer and that I'm going in the right direction!
Well, I think this is enough for now... I travel again this coming Tuesday for another tournament and start another string of 3 tournaments in 4 weeks.
Here is the article for the Colombian Open (there is a pic of me there): http://www.federacioncolombianadegolf.com/noticia.php?nt=20328
Here are the results for the Colombian Open: http://www.federacioncolombianadegolf.com/noticia.php?nt=20324
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