The Tarheel Tour (Rock Hill) event this week was shortened to 36 holes (no cut) due to poor weather the first day, and I shot 153 for my 2 rounds. I was +8 after 7 holes and played fairly well thereafter. The good news is I made my first check as a professional!! $250 may not seem like much, but to me it has significance because it is my first check as a pro, and I kept competing down the stretch to earn at least something. I remember reading Jack Nicklaus "Golf My Way", and him writing that his first check was something like $118! These are the things that I am learning to build upon, and will be tougher and better down the road. As an aside, I had vowed to not cut my hair until I made a check, and must admit it was getting a little scruffy. Barrett and Toddy Jr. were certainly rooting a little harder for their Dad as well, being somewhat embarrassed by the major "hat head" Pops has been sporting!

We leave tomorrow for Sanctuary Cove, a new Fred Couples design near Brunswick GA. and my first Sunbelt Seniors (pros 47+) event. Our son Stephen is going along to keep me company. The next week is the Atlanta Hooters event, and I have an all star cast of caddies lined up to tote the bag. Brian (Dead Head) Petersen and Reggie Blackburn have graciously agreed to caddy for me, and it will be fun. Both those guys will certainly keep me loose!

To be continued after the Sunbelt event...

Well, I have just returned from Hilton Head and the Tarheel Tour match play event. I am beginning to see signs of my game improving, and my confidence is higher than it has been. I shot 72 in the qualifier with 5 birdies, and putted better than of late. I lost my first match 3&1, played fairly well, and just got beat. The good news is that I can take some positives from this event and build on it for the future, which is more than I have been able to say after most of my previous events!!

I am off until March 21st, and am looking forward to some rest and home-time. Ann Howell will be home from Chapel Hill for spring break, and I am looking forward to catching up with her in person instead of on the phone. Everybody else is doing well, including Steph and our pending new little one. Amazing stuff!

At the time of this posting I am back home in Winston-Salem for a few days before going to Hilton Head for the Tarheel Tour Matchplay Championship. Parts of my game at this point are in disarray, but others are strong. The last 2 tournaments I have hit the ball well in spurts, particularly my driving, and my putting has been fairly good. It seems that I have been leaving myself in bad spots when I miss greens, and have not been able to make par, and my scores reflect it. My course management in medal play tournaments is continuing to evolve, and it will get better. I was watching ESPN this week in the hotel, and Bobby Knight was telling his players that in order to taste success you first have to experience failure, and I know exactly what he was talking about!

My trip to Guatemala was great, even though my scores were not. A friend from Winston, Gary Hennessey went along and he was a life saver in many ways. Gary's Spanish was pretty good and he got us around fairly easily. I am thankful to have a buddy who wanted to spend a week there with me. San Isidro CC was fantastic, perhaps in the top 10 of courses I have played. The views of Guatemala City and the volcanoes were fantastic, and the greens were about the fastest I have ever putted. If you got on the wrong side of the hole, making par was difficult. Nine over par made the cut, and the winning score was one under (-1). I played the first two rounds with John "Jumbo" Elliott a professional who has played on the PGA Tour 5 times. He hits it a ton, and I learned some things from his that will be beneficial down the road.

Upon returning from Guatemala I played in a Tarheel Tour event in Charleston, and also failed to make the cut. I believe I am in need of some rest, and after having played 7 tournaments in 2 months my mind and body are tired. After Hilton Head I am off for about 2 weeks, and the rest will serve me well. It will also give me some time to practice, something I have not really done as much as necessary.

It may sound like I am a little discouraged, but I am really not. I wish I was scoring more consistently, and I know that will come. So much of what I am doing is new, and there have been many adjustments over these first 60 days. Traveling and being away from my family, adjusting to competing at a higher level, and managing your mental focus (both on and off the course), are things I am working on to be more competitive. I am seeing some improvement but I have a long way to go.

One thing I am going to do is change my schedule slightly to include more Sunbelt Senior Tour events. This tour is for guys 47 and older, and the tournaments are set up as 54 hole events with no cut (just like the Champions Tour).The next few weeks shape up as follows:

March 6-10 Tarheel Match Play
March 21-23 Tarheel - Rock Hill
March 27-29 Sunbelt Senior - St. Simons Island
April 3-9 Hooters - Atlanta
April 10-16 Hooters - Auburn, Alabama
April 19-21 Sunbelt Senior - Braselton, GA.
April 25-27 Sunbelt Senior - LaGrange, GA.

Thanks to all for your continued encouragement and support. Keep it in the fairway and on the green!