Hi everyone,
I just got back home after playing the final round of the
Egolf Tour Championship earlier today. Had a while to reflect so I thought I
would post my final blog entry of 2014.
The week was a really fun week, I stayed with the same host
family I have for my previous 2 visits to Palmetto Hall, on Hilton Head Island.
I had 3 of my good friend from the tour also staying with me so the vibe for
the week was good. Other than fog delays on the first 3 days the weather was
great, 15-20 Celsius with very little breeze....scoring was going to be lower than
usual on two very demanding courses.
I got off to a slow start in round 1, bogeys at my opening
hole (10th) and the short par 3 13th left me 2 over
through 4 holes. I bounced back well with back to back birdies at 15 & 16
to get back to level par. My short game saved me at the 1st and 2nd
before two sloppy bogeys at the 4th and 5th – back to +2.
I hit my wedge close at the last hole for a tap in birdie and a 73 (+1) to
leave me way down the leaderboard.
Round 2 was better, I got off to a steady start level for
the front 9, so I knew I needed to make a move on the back 9 to have a chance
of making the cut. My first move came at the par 5 10th. After
finding the fairway bunker off the tee, I decided to take a risk and hit my
hybrid over the water from 220 yards. The gamble paid off, 2 putts and I moved
to -1 for the day.
After a bogey at 12, and only managing pars on holes 13-15,
I knew I needed something special over the final 3 (very tough) holes. Somehow
I was able to birdie 16 & 17 and save a really important par on 18 to shoot
70 (-2). Luckily enough I made the cut on the number and so I had a chance to make
a move over the weekend.
Round 3 was looking really good, -3 through 6 holes and I
think I was inside the top 20 at one point. However a double at the 18th
(my 9th) left me -1 at the turn. I played my back 9 solidly but was
unable to add to my birdie tally. 71 (-1)
The final round was an extremely disappointing way to end my
2014 season. I did not have the best warm up session and a series of tee shots
to the right on my front 9 left me struggling for par all too often. I made a
real mess of holes 18, 2 and 3 and was never able to find my rhythm throughout
the round. I finished strong but all in all a 77 (+5) left a sour taste in the
mouth after what was 3 positive days.
Stats for the 4 rounds:
Fairways: 68%
Greens in reg: 63%
Putts per round: 28
Up and Downs: 76%
There are again many positives I can take away from this
season. I have shown signs of playing to the level I want to be at and come
close to making a breakthrough. I have time to assess what areas I need to improve
and my plan to get to the next level. I feel a lot closer than I was last year
and have definitely made a lot of progress.
I’d like to thank everyone for their continued support. It’s
great to have so many people rooting for you to do well and checking the scores
from back home. Thank you all
Looking forward to a great 2015.
Lee
