Path to Professional Golf: July 7th 2015 Update
Two months into the professional golf quest, and I’m enjoying every minute of the process. Sure, there are ups-and-downs, but spending each day at the course working toward goals is simply amazing. It’s been a hot month in Charlotte. With temperature hovering near 100 degrees for the better part of the June, we’ve made a significant investment in SPF50 sunscreen!
Scores have continued to improve overall, both in practice and tournament play. My best June round was a 6-under 66 at Raintree CC. Although it was in a practice round, it represents the progress being made and it’s one of my best scores in the last several years.
June-July 7th Update
1) North Carolina State Open Championship – (The Club at Irish Creek, Kannapolis, NC) – In early June I competed in the state open, a field consisting of 155 club professionals and amateurs. On day 1, after a steady start I birdied the 12th & 13th holes to move to 2-under on the round, before a storm rolled-in and delayed play for an hour.
After the delay, a mis-club on a par 3 and a few lip outs left me with a less than ideal finish and a round of 72 (+1) to open the tournament. Day 2 was my best ball striking day and another round of 72 left me at +2 total, inside the cut line of +4. The third and final round I struggled a bit from tee-to-green, but managed a 71, leaving me at +2 for the week and in a tie for 34th.
2) Rice Planters Amateur Qualifier – (Snee Farm CC, Mount Pleasant, SC) – A few mid-round bogeys left me +3 through 15 holes. Knowing I needed to make something happen, I managed birdies on holes 16 & 18, resulting in a round of 73. Despite my efforts, I fell one shot shy of the 72 needed to qualify for the tournament.
3) Carolinas Amateur Qualifier – (Mimosa Hills CC, Morgantown, NC) – A sloppy start left me +2 through 4 holes, but solid play for the remainder of the day resulted in a 1-under 71 and a successful qualifying for the tournament. I’ll be competing in the Carolinas Amateur Championship on July 9-12 at Greensboro CC (Farm Course).
4) U.S. Amateur Qualifier – (Columbia CC, Columbia, SC) – I entered the 36-hole qualifier feeling good about my game, having strung together a few under par rounds. Surprisingly though, I had one of those “off” days where I struggled to find fairways and had trouble holing putts on the grainy bermuda greens. The result was disappointing rounds of 76-78.
Although the scores were two of my highest in the last two months, I was pleased with the way I grinded until the last putt dropped, despite my struggles throughout.
Today I’m off to Greensboro, NC for a practice round in advance of the Carolinas Amateur Championship the remainder of the week. Next week I head to Pennsylvania for a week to defend the Williamsport CC Invitational Championship – a two-man match play tournament in my hometown of Williamsport, PA.
I’ll maintain my Amateur status for the month of July.