I know many of you have been anxiously waiting for an update on the US Open qualifier Ron competed in on the 12th. While he actually had a very good round of golf, he unfortunately did not make it in the top 7 spots…which is what was needed to continue on to the Sectional Qualifier.
Disappointing…yes. Learning experience…YES! Motivation for the next event…YES YES YES!!!
Some really valuable lessons came out of this:
- First, we learned that walking the courses is so much better than riding in golf carts. There are several reasons for this including not getting stiff between holes, having ample time to discuss the next shot and strategy, and most importantly, it kept us mentally in-tune and relaxed. I have to say that even though Ron did not qualify, his mental presence was fantastic during this round.
- Another lesson learned was trusting the shot 100% and knowing we can count on his abilities to hit precisely where he needs to. That may sound simple, but it’s not. For those of us who are just hackers, striving to break 100 and just have a lot of ‘fun’ on the course, we hope we can hit our irons in the general vicinity where we need to and stay in play. For a Professional Golfer, there is no doubt what distance each club is going, that the ball can be worked to fade, draw, cut, flop, run-out, spin back, land soft, (and many other options too)…that’s his job…and he has refined his skills to perform that job. The kicker is the mental space and making sure that’s working in unison with the rest of his body. Not letting a doubt or altered thought creep into his mind during a golf shot has allowed Ron to advance his game even more.
- When the pressure is on…jokes ease the tension! We knew this…afterall, we are constantly joking and messing with each other during practice rounds, but until this tournament, we’ve stayed more rigid during events. Well…lightbulb…staying relaxed keeps the game fun and the attitudes positive! We had the good fortune of being paired with a very cool guy who joined in on the joking, along with his caddie, toward the end of the round. It’s always such a pleasure to pair up with fun people on Tour!
- People quit…Ron will NEVER be one of them! One of the guys in the pairing (it was all 3-player pairings for this event), withdrew after 9 holes…ouch. Now granted, there is some rule about being banned from PGA events if you shoot over a certain score and maybe this guy felt he was in jeopardy going into the back 9. Regardless, having a fellow golfer withdraw mid-round actually does impact the other people he was golfing with. Ron managed to block that out and continue playing well.
So what’s next on the agenda? Fundraising and mini Tour! There is a 3-day event here in Arizona, at the end of the month that would be a great opportunity for him. There’s decent money to be made in 3-day events and again, great experience and exposure for future touring. As always, thanks for your continued support and stay tuned for more exciting golf news!
Caddie Stories 