Web.com Monday Qualifier: Rivercut Golf Course, Springfield, MO

• Posted on Grant
• in My Journey, Tournament Recap
• on July 27, 2018
• Comments Off on Web.com Monday Qualifier: Rivercut Golf Course, Springfield, MO

Overview:  It was a nice day with the temperature about 90 degrees and 15 mile per hour wind. I teed off at 12pm and the greens were soft and a little slow. Rivercut is a great course that has water hazards in play on about 10 of the holes. The fairways were zoysia and the greens were bent grass.

I needed to be in the top 6 to advance into the tournament. Even though I didn’t advance I am encouraged with how I played, and know it will lead to better rounds in the future. I was feeling a long pause at the top of my backswing and also was really clearing my mind between shots. Between shots, I relaxed and focused on letting thoughts go out of my mind as fast as they came in, so that I didn’t dwell on the past or the future.

Highlites:

#1. Driver down the middle and then lob wedge from 60 yards to the back of the green. From there I made a 25 foot putt for birdie.

#4. I hit 4-iron off the tee and then hit lob wedge from 94 yards to 5 feet and made the putt for birdie.

#5. 3-hybrid off the tee and then 3-hybrid again to the left side of the green from 250 yards. I hit a lob shot over a bunker to 3 feet and made the putt for birdie.

#6. Driver into the right rough. Then I mis-hit my 3-wood down the middle of the fairway to 40 yards from the flag. Lob wedge from there to two feet for birdie.

#14. Driver down the middle of the fairway. Then pitching wedge from 135 up the hill to 2 feet for birdie.

Learning Opportunities:

On Holes 10, 17 and 18 I missed the tee shot right because I was gripping the club too tight and aimed too far away from the trouble on the left. So I will relax more in those pressure situations in the future and really commit to a good target. Also, on hole 12 I picked the wrong target into the green and then missed my spot and my ball spun 50 feet away from the hole which led to a three putt.

Positives: I never got in trouble off the tee even though there were a lot of tough tee shots. It is the best ball-striking I’ve had yet in a high pressure situation. Also, I said “in and out” to myself whenever a thought would come into my head about what my score was. I did not worry about my score, I just focused on hitting it where I was aiming on every shot. My goal was to just hit every shot solid and let the score take care of itself.

Areas to improve: I left three downhill putts short that would have gone in had I hit them slightly harder. When the greens are slow, I won’t be so cautious on those putts in the future.