September update

Hi all,

Been back in the States for a couple of days now so I've had time to re-adjust.

I had a lovely 2 week break back home, was great to see family and friends. Could have maybe done with another week, but with 1st stage of Q School around the corner I had to get back into my routine and be fully focused on the task in hand.

I was assigned my first choice for the next stage so I will be playing at The Standard Club, Johns Creek, Georgia. (just outside of Atlanta) on the 7-10 October. Really looking forward to getting underway and kicking off the last portion of the year.

All that is left for me this year is Q School and the final Million Dollar Series event in Hilton Head (December 3-6). Some big opportunities await....

Plenty of work to be done between now and the 7th October.

Will update in a couple of weeks.

Thanks again for following.

Lee

Web.com tour Pre Qualifying - Sacramento CA

I have an hour or so to kill at the airport here in Sacramento, so I thought I would post a summary of the event this week.

This week was the beginning of Qualifying School for me. Because of a slight mix up with dates I had to come all the way to Sacramento, California for the preliminary stage of Q School. With a small field (73) the top 36 players would advance to the First Stage.

Yolo Fliers Club was the host of the 3 rounds. A nice course just outside Sacramento. Tight with quite a few doglegs and nice smooth greens. The rough this week was pretty penal so a premium on straightness off the tee.

Round 1 included 4 birdies and 3 bogeys. I stumbled a bit on the back 9 (3 bogeys in my last 5 holes) but nevertheless was in decent position heading into round 2. I had only 27 putts in round 1, I seem to thrive on 'bentgrass' greens and I made the most of it. 71 (-1)

Round 2 was very steady indeed. I made 15 pars, 2 birdies and a bogey at the last. I didn't hit many fairways, but again relied on my creativity from tough spots and short game when I needed. After 2 rounds I was t12 on the leaderboard. 71 again

Round 3 was all about staying in the present moment. It's easy to start thinking 'Ok I have a bit of a cushion inside the qualifying mark'...but that can easily lead to defensive golf and you cannot ever score well with that mindset. I started with a birdie at the first but then 2 bogeys and a double in my next 4 holes and I found myself over-par for the tournament, a bit out of the blue. After having a little word with myself 'stay in the present, one shot at a time etc etc' I managed to hit 2 great shots into the 6th which would lead to a birdie. A nice wedge into the 9th set up a birdie and I felt like I was back on track again. The back 9 was more solid stuff. 7 pars and birdies at 11 & 15 added up to another 71! I was very pleased at the way I salvaged the round, playing my last 13 in -4.

I ended the week t13th and earned my spot into the next round. Sites will be announced toward the end of the month. Very excited to get to the next stage.

Thanks for following. Will update in a couple of weeks.

River Hills

This week was the first Million Dollar Championship series event at River Hills, just 20 mins up the road from where I live.

A very tricky course, which puts a premium on accuracy and sharpness around the greens. Unfortunately I had neither this week..

I started off with a very strange shot; a hook out of bounds with my tee shot. I have hit hundreds of good opening tee shots so it was nothing to do with nerves. Anyway, I tried to regroup quickly but my for the first 3 holes I couldn't stop the lefts. Somehow I managed to straighten it out, and with a couple of birdie/bogey exchanges I turned at 2 over par (not disastrous).

Then on the 1st (my 10th) I got to the green with a 10 footer for par, when I addressed the ball, the ball moved in to a tiny indentation. I immediately called the penalty on myself, and without making a stroke I was all of a sudden putting for bogey. I missed that and walked to the next tee scratching my head.

The rest of the 9 was steady, until I got to the 8th and hit another tee shot left and out of bounds. I ended up with a 77 with 4 sixes on the card.

Today, for the second round I started off poorly again. I missed both par 3 greens and played them in +3. I then bogeyed the 8th from the fairway bunker. It wasn't until I got to the back 9 before I started to play some decent golf. 9 straight pars ensued, with holing a single putt.

Overall a very disappointing week. This was the start of a big 2-week stretch for me and it's not the start I wanted. It's the poorest I have played in a while but, I am confident I can get back on track right away. I'll have a rest from golf tomorrow and then be ready to get back into practice this weekend.

I head to Sacramento, California on Monday for pre-qualifying. Really looking forward to it.

Lee

update

Hello everyone, thought I would send an update even though I haven't had a tournament since my last post.

My wrist seems to be fine at the moment, I have been able to play for about a week pain-free. Not sure what caused it but I'll continue to treat with caution.

The first Million Dollar Championship series starts next Wednesday at River Hills Country Club, Lake Wylie, SC. I actually popped over there this morning to get an early practice round under my belt. The course is not long but tricky, pretty much all about keeping it in play from the tee and having good short game. I will probably only hit 3 or 4 drivers per round which is very unusual for courses in the U.S!

For Q School I will be travelling to Sacramento, CA for pre-stage. There was a slight mess up with the dates hence having to travel but it has been resolved now. Looking forward to getting out there for a change in scenery and to advance to first stage.

For those who didn't know I will be in England from 7-21 September for a short break to see friends and family. It has been a hectic summer and this will be a welcome break. Before I look ahead to the conclusion of my season.

Stay tuned for an update after the River Hills championship.

Cheers

Wyndham Monday Qualifier and weekend

Hello everyone,

Unfortunately this blog post does not have any good news!

This Saturday, I 'tweaked' my left wrist during practice. Not sure how, but I hit a lot of bunker shots before I got to the range and either that, wear and tear, or my workout sessions have had something to do with it. I have felt similar pain before so I'm hoping this will pass and be nothing too serious. I have iced it frequently since then, along with some pills to prevent inflammation.

Iron shots hurt more than anything else, or little flop shots around the green when the wrist is hinged up after impact.

I was debating whether to withdraw from my Monday qualifier but after feeling just discomfort and no pain on Sunday afternoon I decided I would have a go. I strapped my wrist with tape, but after the first couple of iron shots went right, I took it off. All day I felt like I just couldn't square the clubface through impact, and although I made seemingly every putt I looked at, I struggled to hit the fairways and greens.

I fought the whole day and after being +5 through 13, I managed to finish up +2 (73) for the day thanks to some great putting. 26 putts in total.

So, I have contacted the Egolf tour and they have let me withdraw from this weeks event. I don't feel I can compete with such discomfort in my left wrist/hand this week. I will take a week to rest and ice it everyday and just hope that it's nothing too serious.

I have some big events coming up at the end of the month and early September. I will do everything I can to assure I am ready to go for those.

This is a real blow because I have been hitting a good patch of form and really fancied getting into the Wyndham this week. I'll remain positive and use this time to recoup and make sure I am ready for the rest of the season and keep the momentum going.

I will update at the end of the week.

Thanks for following

Wyndham Championship pre - qualifier

Just a short blog update to summarise the Wyndham Pre-Qualifier yesterday at Bermuda Run Country Club, Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

I shot 68 (-3) and finished tied for 7th out of 153 competitors.

I played very nicely all day, mostly making 'stress-free' pars and the occasional birdie. My only bogey came at the par 4 2nd hole after a poor drive but hit the ball great otherwise. Finishing with a birdie was a nice touch and a big boost going into the final qualifier on Monday.

Stats for the day:

8/14 fairways (couple just off though, so not a fair reflection)
14/18 greens in regulation
29 putts
2/5 up and downs

Feeling confident going into Monday. One round for a chance to play in the Wyndham Championship, exciting! For those who don't know, Sergio won the event 2 years ago. Great tournament, in Greensboro at Sedgefield Country Club.

Not getting ahead of myself, one shot at a time and we will see where it puts me. I have a good feeling at the moment, so why not?!

Stay tuned for updates.

Cheers,
Lee

Spring Creek Classic

Hello followers!

Last week I played The Spring Creek Classic, just outside of Charlottesville, Virginia. Lovely part of the state. Beautiful golf course with past bent-grass greens (my cup of tea). The weather was fine for the first 2 days and then just like England for the final day (steady rain all day)!

I shot 71, 70, 75. I played pretty well for the week, still slightly struggling to find my A-game off the tee but overall encouraged by my showing, especially short game and wedges.

Some highlights of the week;

• 1st round, 2nd hole of the tournament, 563 yard par 5 - holed out a sand wedge from 95 yards for eagle!
• 1st round, 5th hole of the tournament, holed out from greenside bunker!
• 2nd round, 18th hole (9th of the day) 561 yard par 5 - holed out a sand wedge from 83 yards for another eagle!

I couldn't miss with my wedges! 3 hole-outs very enjoyable indeed..

The week didn't end the way I wanted to, 2 errant tee shots cost me double-bogeys, so +4 on the back 9 dropped me all the way back to level par for the championship and a tie for 30th position. Disappointing end but an encouraging week and another cheque made. I will have to improve my long game slightly if I want to have a chance at competing to win one of these events. The short game is right there.

Stats for the week:

Fairways: 62%
Greens in regulation: 65%
Up and down: 65%
Putts per round: 29.3

Next event will be the Wyndham Championship Pre-Qualifier this Thursday. If I make it through that I will play again on Monday for a chance to get in to the tournament. Exciting week.

Thanks for following, below is a pic from the golf course in Virginia. Spring Creek