1st Stage Dayton Nevada here I come

So I drove up to Dayton Nevada today from Newbury park this morning, just about a 7 and 1/2 hour drive. Not to bad though, it could have been a lot worse. I am really excited for the tournament to get underway, I have practice rounds for the next two days and then on Tuesday is when the tourney starts. I have been working hard in the past couple of weeks to really get my game kicking on all cylinders. Things are looking good with the game, just at that point where I want it to get underway.

I just realized that I never posted anything from the Hooters Tour "Tour Championship", I guess that's because I didn't make the cut (booo). Very frustrating tournament, I shoot 71 (-1) in the first round which puts me tied for 30th ( or something around that), whatever in real good shape to make the cut, the top 60 and ties. Then on Friday day two I get of to a good start making pars on the first 4 holes and then making an eagle on the par 5 5th hole, two under on the day, three under on the tourney. Don't know what happened, but I know it was a mental slip, I finished the front nine double, par, bogey, bogey to shoot 2 over after being 2 under through 5. Even still I am very much in this tourney to make the cut, I just have to keep my head in the game and stay away from the big numbers. That is exactly what I didn't do. I go par, par, eight, eight. Not really what I was looking for. THREE balls out of bounds in two hole, how ridiculous is that, I was about to shoot myself after that happened. Needless to say I finished the round shooting 83 to really make sure that I missed the cut.

Things are much better now, both on the mental side and in the swing. All I had the chance to do today was a little chipping and putting, but I feel good and confident that all the hard work and practice that I put in is going to pay off in the end. I am very fortunate to be staying on the golf course with some family friends that live here. I know how great is that, thank you Lord. Not only is it nice to be in a house for the week but it also saves me about two hundred dollars. I will do my best to keep you posted, I know I have been totally slacking in the past couple of weeks, but I, I have no excuse, but I will post a couple of times this week to keep you updated. You can also find the scores on the internet at www.pgatour.com/qschool Please pray for me that I would trust in the Lord and lean fully on him all the time, especially in the hard times. Also that I would be a light in this dark world, sharing the gospel with the people that God puts in my path. Take care and God Bless.

Joe

PGA Tour First Stage Qualifier Info

I found out today that I will be playing at Dayton Valley Golf Club in Dayton Valley, Nevada. The tournament will be held October 24th-27th. I am excited about what is coming up, the Tour Championship for the Hooters Tour Starts in two days. So I have a couple of big tournaments coming up and I feel that I am playing the best golf of my life. I have been talking a lot with my dad about how important it is to be mentally strong and not only that but be mentally positive. I have been working hard to get in a good frame of mind out there on the course, not getting mad at myself, not talking down on myself when I hit a bad shot, but more trying to be my own caddie mentally. I am really excited about where my golf game is going in all areas. My swing has improved so much in the past year since I have been working with Jerome (My swing coach), also my mental game is continueing to improve with the help of my dad (My Mental coach). The Lord has been so faithful to me, I thank Him for everything that has happened this year and give him all the glory, for without Him I could not have done any of this. Please keep me in your prayers and keep checking my blog for updates and results for the upcoming tournaments.

PGA Tour Prequalifing Results

Hello everyone, I don't think that I could be in a better mood right now. I am sitting in the airport and my flight just got delayed, but you know what, it doesn't bother me because yesterday I made it through the Pre-Qualifier for the PGA Tour. I shot (-5) in my last two rounds to make it by one shot. I finished the four round tournament at (-2) 286 in 36th place, 42 players from the field made it through to the next round. Had it not been for my putter I would not have made it through. I was doing my stats this morning and realized how good I really did putt. I had 29 putts the first round, 27 putts the second round, 25 putts the third round, and 25 putts the fourth round. That is an average of 26.5 putts per round, that is awesome-my best putting performance ever and to do it here at the qualifier was incredible. My four rounds were 74, 73, 68, 71. Another amazing stat that shows both the good and the bad is that I made 22 birdies for the four rounds, that's more than 5 birdies a round. The reason why that shows the bad is you realize how many mistakes I made by only shooting (-2) with 22 birdies. I mad 4 double bogies and 1 triple bogey, those I need to get rid of if I want to make it through the next stage. I am just about to get on the plane and head to Atlanta to play in the tour championship for the Hooters Tour. Please be praying for me and checking my blog for updates. Thank you for your interest.

At Home Working on the Game

I finally made it home from a long year traveling out on the Hooters Tour. I have decided to skip the last three tournaments on the Tour to come home and prepare for Q-School. That's right I am going to Q-School this year for the first time. I am really excited about what is happening for the rest of the year. I am working hard on my swing with my coach, playing and practicing every day, working out getting my fitness level up to the standard that it needs to be. I have scheduled a Golden State Tour event on the 14th and 15th of Sept. At the Norman Course at PGA West. Then the Pre-qualifying for Q-School is near Houston, Texas on the 26th-29th. I also have the Tour Championship for the Hooters Tour in Atlanta, GA during the first week of October. That is what I have on the schedule for right now, but I am planning on getting more tournaments for the rest of the year. I will continue to keep this blog updated on results and scheduled tournaments. Thank you for your continued support and prayer. I have a lot of decisions on what to do for the next year so please pray for me.

The Final Stretch

These last two weeks have been a little bit of a struggle for me. It has been very frustrating because it feels that my game is close to putting up some great scores, but I am just making too many mistakes each round. I missed both cuts in the last two tournaments a number of great holes, but then making bogies and doubles on the other holes. I am excited to come home take a little break from golf, I have played the last 7 weeks in a row with no break. That sounds great to a lot of you (which it did to me at the beginning of the year), but I didn't realize how hard it is and how much it takes out of you. I am tired and ready for a break, but as soon as that break is over it is time to work hard on my game and prepare for Q-school. Josh and kevin are going to be driving home with me, flying out to Nashville where I will be meeting them to start our adventure home. We are planning on taking about 6 days to drive home, turning it into a road trip instead of a burden on my shoulders. They will be coming out on Wednesday the 30th and we should be home by Tuesday the 5th. Thank you so much for your support and your prayer this year. During the off season of the Hooters tour I will be playing golf at home in Newbury Park and in tournaments in Southern California. I will continue to post and keep people updated on results and future tournaments to come. Please pray for a safe trip home for the three of us. Thank you.

Thought I did this over a week ago

I am very sorry I really thought that I had posted this message that I am about to write about a week ago, but I guess it didn't make it. Going back two weeks ago I finally made the cut at the Pearle River Resort Classic. The second round had been delayed to Saturday so as soon as I finished I had about an hour until I had to tee it up again for the third round. With all the confidence that I had from a good finish in the second round I got off to a hot start making birdie on the first hole followed by 4 pars and another birdie. Back to five under for the tournament, I was feeling really good about my game and my mental approach. I finished the front nine making two bogies to shot even par on the front nine. Then I started out the back nine bogey, par, bogey, so now I am 2 over with 6 holes to go. I finished the nine with three birdies in a row, two pars and a bogey to finish at even par for the round. The fourth round did not go very well. It seemed as if all parts of my game were down a level. My driver was poor, my irons were not accurate, my chipping was bad, and I struggled with my putter. I ended up shooting 77 to finish the tournament at (+2) 290, which put my in a tie for 45th place. Even though I struggled on the weekend I am still happy with my overall performance and I am thrilled to say that I made my first cut in a professional tournament.

Finally, I Did It!!!

Finally, at last I made a cut. I am so excited right now I can't really contain myself. I feel so relieved to get that heavy burdon on not making a cut off my chest. I started out this tournament with a bang, the first round I came out firing shooting a 67 (-5) which put me in third place at the end of day one. The round went a little something like this, I started out on the par 5 10th hole where I hit a great first drive of the day right down the middle of the fairway. I hit my three wood for my second shot and hit it right on the green giving me a putt for eagle. I barely missed my eagle putt giving me a tap in Birdie on the first hole. What a good way to start. I made a par on the next three holes and then made birdie on the 14th hole (my 5th hole) to go two under for the day. I made par on the next two holes and then on the par 5 17th I got the break of the day. I pull hooked my drive heading into trouble, but it hit a tree and bounced back into the rough. I felt so relieved when I saw my ball bouncing back into play. I layed up with a 7 iron leaving myself 90 yards to the hole, I hit a little lob wedge in there to 5 feet behind the hole. I made that putt to go 3 under for the round. I made an easy par on the next hole to finish the nine at 3 under. On the first hole (which is my 10th hole) my tee shot landed in the fairway and rolled into the rough by 2 inches. I get up to my ball and there is a huge glob of mud right on the back of the ball, right were the club makes contact with the ball. I tried not to make it bother me and I hit my shot, missing the green long and right of the pin made it for a difficult up and down. I hit a good chip shot that left me with a 15 footer for par, which I barely missed making my first bogie of the day, back to 2 under on the day. Now after that I had to do some pep talking to myself to get me motivated not to be satisfied with 2 under par. I teed it up on the next hole and ripped a drive right down the middle. It was a par five leaving me with 240 yards for my second shot, I hit my two iron just short of the green then chipped it up and made the putt for birdie. I then birdied the next hole and the next hole for three in a row to get to 5 under for the day. I finished the round with 5 straight pars nearly missing birdie on every one. The second round was just as exciting coming down the stretch. I will just tell you about the end. Anyway I was really struggling for the first part of the round, feeling very nervous, trying to do everything I did in the first round and it felt like nothing was going right. I was 5 over par through 11 holes, all the way back to even par for the tournament with 7 holes to play when they blow the horn for inclement weather, and thank the Lord that they did because things were not going well. They ended up not starting play until this morning, Saturday, at 8:30. So I had time to recoop, regain my focus and come back out the next day determined to play well. So I came out this morning playing the 12th hole, pared 12 and 13, then I birdied 14, 15, pared 16, birdied 17 and pared 18 to shoot 1 under on the back and 74 (+2) for the second round. Three under par for the tournament, not only did I make the cut, but I was tied for 21st place with two rounds to play.

A good week off

Last week after the tournament in Miami, Oklahoma (Pronounced Miama) we had a week off that I decided to go down to Birmingham, Alabama where my friend Holt lives. I didn't play very well in Miama, missing the cut by a number of shots, I was eager to have a good week off from tournament golf to work on the game. It was a really good week, my friend Holt is a member at a great course named Greystone. This place has two great golf courses and a great practice facility and the course was generous enough to only charge me a cart fee to play out there with him. Needless to say it was a great week of practicing and playing, I was able to really hone in on my swing and work on my short game. All this practice gave me a tone of confidence to go into this week in Philadelphia, Mississippi.

Time to catch up

I'm sorry that I haven't posted in a while, but my internet reception was poor in Blythville, Arkansas. Things have been frustrating lately, both with golf and then not being able to find someone to stay in the motor home. I would much rather have someone staying with me to offset the costs, but also to help with the loneliness. I played really well of the tee in both rounds, but I struggled with my irons making it very difficult for me to score well. I shot 74 the first round and then shot 76 my second round for a total of 150 to miss the cut again!!! Well aside from golf this last weekend I was able to visit a EVFree church in Springfield, Missouri which was much needed. It has been difficult for me to get to church out here, not knowing were to go or if I would be able to park the R.V. close by. Please keep in your prayers that I would grow closer to God being out here and that I would put my trust in Him in every part of my life.

Down by the Bayou in Louisiana

Sunrise, thursday morning in Shreveport Louisiana, the day was looking bright for some good golf. I started with a great morning to go with the awesome sunrise. I just started to have a stirct pregame routine that includes half an hour set aside to prepare spiritually; reading the bible, praying and meditating. After my pregame routine I felt great, ready to go out and conqure the course. I got off to a good start, 1 under through the first 3 holes, but then really lost it making 5 bogies in the next 6 holes to shoot 40(+4) on the front nine. Pretty discouraged, but keeping my head up and trying to keep my concentration sharp I started the back nine attempting to get myself back in the tournament. Again like the front nine I was 1 under through the first three holes of the back nine to put me 3 over total for the first round. As the same as the front nine I finished the back nine very poorly, with two double bogies and a three putt bogie to shoot 40 on the back nine. Oh yeah I forgot to mention that the heat index was about 105, a very high humitidy rate, I was so exausted and dissapointed and frustrated by the end of the round that I sat in the club house for about an hour and a half doing nothing but watching TV. After getting some energy back I went out to the practice tee and worked on my game. The next day I didn't tee off until 1:21 PM, where the heat felt even worse because there was very little breeze. Since I wrote so much already I will give you the highlights of the second round. I shot 73 which I am very happy about coming back after shooting 80 the first round, but it wasn't a round that had 17 pars and 1 bogie. I start off the round with a double bogie, but finished that nine with 5 birdies and a bogie to shoot 2 under par. Then birdied the first hole on the back to get to three under, then for the last 7 holes I had 4 straight bogies between 2 pars on each side of the bogies. Even though looking at it as a whole I am happy to shot 1 over par, but you can understand why I was very frustrated by the end of the round. To make 6 birdies on your round and finish at 1 over par is not very fun, but again I keep proving to myself that I have the talent to play at this level. I played six straight holes in the middle of my round at 5 under par going birdie, birdie, par, birdie, birdie, birdie. Next we head up to Byltheville, Arkansas ( In the middle of nowhere) for the next tourney. Please keep praying for me, for that is one thing I am always in need of.

The Latest results from Greenville

The years second major for the NGA Hooters tour was hosted at Brook Valley Country Club in Greenville, North Carolina. The course was interesting to say the least, greens were not as good as the last couple tournaments we have played, but to truly presented a challenge. Scores were higher this week because of the difficult and bumpy greens. For the first round I hit the ball solid all the way around the course hitting 13 greens in regulation and hitting 11 of 14 fairways, but I only got up and down 1 out of 5 times and three putted twice. To upset all of those bogies I had four birdies that brought my total score to 74(+2), which puts my one shot above the cut line after the first day. So I figured I go out there the second round and shoot an even par round and I will be there for the weekend. My second round started out steady by making pars on the first 4 holes missing a 6-foot birdie putt on the 4th hole. I then made bogey on the next hole because of a poor tee shot, and double on the next hole because of another poor tee shot. I was frustrated, but I know that I can come back from this. I made par on the next hole, then preceded to hit the ball to the front fringe in two shots on the par 5. When I failed to get up and down there I started to feel the heat, time is running out, there are only ten holes left with only two par 5's left. The ninth hole is a 225 yard par three over water, I hit my tee shot pin high on the right fringe when the pin is on the left side of the green. Again I failed to get up and down from the fringe to make bogey to shot 4 over par on my front nine. I made a bogey on my tenth hole, things were not looking to good, but I never gave up. The next hole is a par 5, I hit driver then 6 iron to the middle of the green 25 feet away from the pin. I two putted for a birdie to get back to four over for the round. I made par on the next three holes and then birdied the par 5 15th hole to get to 3 over on the day. Then I made a bogey on the next hole to go back to 4 over and finished par, par to shot 76(+4) on the day. For the two day total I shot 150(+6) to miss the cut by 4 shots. One of these tournaments coming up I am going to break through this funk and make a cut. I am very close, but I just can't seem to finish it off in the second round. I feel that once I figure it out the flood gates will open and I will start making a bunch of cuts. Keep praying for me as it is tough out here for me spiritually, but with God's help anything is possible. I will be flying home on Monday night so please pray for safe travels as I drive the motor home by myself to Nashville, TN and then fly home from there. I will see some of you soon.

Greenville, North Carolina

This week we are in Greenville, North Carolina playing at Brook Valley Country club. I have had the chance to play two practice rounds at this course and feel I am ready to take it on tomorrow. I am really starting to hit my irons and driver good to go along with my steady putting. We have a two week break after this tournament, which I would like to go into having made my first cut of the year. I feel that I can play well at this course and really contend here. After this tournament I will drive to Nashville, TN where I will fly home for the two week break. Nashville is just about the half way point from this tournament and the first tournament after the break so that is how I came up with that. For any of you who want to see me or hang out with me while I am home, please contact me either by email or commenting on here or by calling my cell phone. I would love to see a lot of friends while I am home, I will be home from June 27th through July 7th.

Finally, a town big enough

I am truly sorry to all of you who follow my blog, I have been trying to post for the past week and a half but have not been able to get any Internet reception. I am finally in a town where I can use the internet. Well the past two weeks have been up and down. Two weeks ago in Statesville, NC I played the best tournament of the year, but still missing the cut shooting 144 even par for the two rounds. The first round I shot 70(-2), my best single round score of the year, with 5 birdies and an eagle to follow that up with a 74 in the second round to miss the cut by 3 shots. Much closer though, it feels nice to get a round under par and to also have a two round score at even par. Things definatly seem to be improving. This last week was not so good though, I was feeling really good about the week, excited to play and see how I could improve on the week before. I was going along nicely just one over par through my first eight holes and then I made a 9 on a par four, (+5) on one hole, not very good. Needless to say I then tried to get a little more aggressive on the back nine to make up for the loss and bogied the next hole and then made a triple bogie on the hole after that. At the end of the first round I finished at 10 over par 82 being 9 over par on three straight holes. The next round I just tried to relax and see what I could do, again I was playing pretty good, 1 over through 13 holes but then finished the last 5 holes double bogie, double bogie, par, par, double bogie to shoot 79 (+7). Not anywhere close to what I was hoping for after the good performance the week before. I am working hard on my game, practicing everyday trying to get closer to the ultimate goal.

U.S. Open Sectional Qualifier Results

Well you won't be watching me on T.V. playing in the U.S. Open. I failed to qualify in the sectional qualifier today at Woodmont Country Club in Rockville Maryland. Although I didn't make it was a very valuable experience. I learned a lot about my game and about what it takes to make it to the next level. I ended up shooting 73, 77 for a total of 150. I left before all the scores came in, but when I left the leader was at 136 (-8) and there was a group of guys at 140 (-4), so it looks like it will take 4 to 5 under to have made it. I was fortunate enough to be paired with Omar Uresti, who is on the PGA Tour right now, so I got to see up close how he plays and what he does different so I can learn from him. I will be leaving early tomorrow morning to drive to Statesville, North Carolina for my next Hooters tour event. I am excited about the steps that I am taking in improving my game. I will post after the next event to let you know how I did. Oh and Kiki thanks for hint, I didn't really know who I was until you let me know.

The Great City of New York

After spending the week just outside of Pittsburgh Steve, Mike (steve's brother), Jan (pronounced Yan, he is from Germany), and myself decided that for the break that we had in the tour that we should take the motor home to New York City. So we packed up our things after we all missed the cut and headed out for New York. It took us about 7 hours to drive from Pittsburgh to NY in our gas guzzling beast, going at our slow but steady pace of 68 miles per hour. We never actually drove the motor home into NY, we thought it wouldn't be such a great idea, so we found a RV park just across the Hudson river in Jersey City, NJ. We had so much fun traveling around the city going to all the tourist hot spots, doing everything that you are supposed to do for you first trip to NY. Everyday we would hop on the PATH train in Jersey City and take it into Manhattan were we would take the subway where ever we wanted to go. We went all over the city to Central Park, Time Square, Union Square, 5th Ave., WTC ground zero, Financial district, Wall street, Broadway, went to see a musical on Broadway, went to the top of the Empire State Building, all this great stuff. One thing that I am disappointed that we didn't go do is go see the statue of liberty, but I really like the city, and hope to go back there many times. I just wanted to also show you guys a couple of the pictures I took and one that my friend Jan took of me while we were having fun changing the settings on our camera in Time Square. We are down in Maryland, just north of D.C., waiting and preparing for my Sectional Qualifier that is in this area this coming Monday. The tournament is in Rockville, MD at Woodmont Country Club. I am really excited because my dad is flying out here to caddy for me during the tournament. This is a tough qualifier for one it is 36 holes in one day, and secondly out of 51 players close to ten of them are PGA Tour players and they are only taking 4 guys to the U.S. Open from here. It is going to be tough, but I think that I can do it. I know that I have the ability to compete with these guys up at this level and I am going to start showing it. Please be praying for me that I would trust in the Lord and not try to do this on my own strength, but that I would rely on him and glorify him with my golf. Thank you for your prayer and support.

The second round of the Quicksilver Classic A week later

I am sorry for the delay on my blog. The second round at Quicksilver golf club was an interseting couple of days. On friday the assigned second round of the tournament ended up getting rained out. I started my round and finished 5 holes when the siren went off to warn us of Lightning in the area. We then proceeded to get off the golf course and wait in the club house for almost 3 hours with the rules officals only giving us updates every 30 minuets. When the rained stoped they sent us back out to play around 5:30 in the evening, we finally arived at our hole that we left off on. We all hit our drives for the next hole and are walking down the fairway when we hear the siren blow again. One more time we have to get off the golf course becasuse of dangerous weather. Once we get to the clubhouse the rain really starts to come down, it is flooding the greens, there are rivers going down the fairways and finally by this time the suspended play until the following morning. With all that going on I got off to a horrible start for my second round, I was 4 over par through 5 holes. (not good) But I was still optomistic because scores were high so far in the second round so it looked like the cut line was going to be around 2 over par. So I came out the next morning with confidence ready to go out and play some good golf and make the cut. Needless to say that didn't happen as I was hoping for. I finished the front nine par, boggie, par, boggie to shoot 6 over on my front nine. Again I was still optomistic because I know I have the ability to play at a level that could get me to where I needed to be to make the cut. By the end of the second round, that finished on Saturday I made no birdies. I finished the back nine of my round with 9 straight pars to shoot 78, a two day total of 150. I missed the cut by only 3 strokes. I am keeping my chin up though, I am excited to see what is going to happen the rest of the year, I still continue to see improvement in my game and I see my self breaking though at one of these tournaments real soon.

1st Round of the Quicksilver Golf Classic

The first round of the tourney is all over and right now I am tied for 39th place after shooting a even par 72. The round started off under a steady rain that stayed with me until the 5th hole. I was going really well playing at 1 under par through 11 holes, when I ran into some problems at the 12th hole. After my tee shot I had about 50 yards into the green in a fairway bunker, which is not the shot that I was looking for. For my second shot I proceded to hit the ball about 80 yards instead of 50 and almost hit it out of bounds. When I finally found my ball I was in a world of trouble, I was short sided with a limited back swing and a bad lie. I tried to do the best that I could with what I had to work with, I hit the ball about half way between the green and where I was still leaving myself a difficult up and down for a boggie. I hit a so-so flop shot up on the green to about 12 feet, but missed the putt and made double boggie. I had a good bounce back making a birdie on the next hole and then finished off the round with 5 straight pars to shoot even par for the day. Now I just have to go out there tommorow and play the way I know I can play and make the cut, not only that but put myself in contention. To answer your question Jeff I play the next qualifier on monday June 5th In Rockville, Maryland. I will update tomorrow when the round is over, which should be around 8:00 eastern. My tee time is at 1:42 so be praying for me. Thank you

Back on the Road, Time to update

It's time to get back into the swing of things by updating everyone on everything that is going on. Well the plan was for me to fly home during the two week break then fly back for the tournament in Chicago. God had other plans for me and for my family, while I was home my grandfather, Pa, passed away to go home and be with our Lord, because of this change in plans I stayed home in Newbury Park for another week and missed the tournament in Chicago. It was a great time at home spending time with my family and friends, and because of the funeral I was able to see family that I have not seen in a long time. Now I am back on the road, back playing golf everyday preparing for tournaments and sharping my game for the long run. Last week the tour was in South Bend, Indiana, the home of Notre Dame, the real one for those of you who don't know I went to Notre Dame De Namur univ. which we called the fake Notre Dame. The weather was not very kind to us, it was cold and windy just about the whole tournament, with it raining on us a couple of times. Unfortunatly I missed the cut there, I had a good first round shooting 73(+1), but then I followed it up by shooting 78(+6) to miss the cut by 7 strokes. We stayed around that area for the rest of the weekend becasue I had my U.S. Open local qualifier the monday after the hooters tour tournament. The Qualifier was at South Bend Country Club, it was an old school type of course not long, but narrow with small greens that were very fast and deep rough all around the course. There were 70 players in the field and they were only taking 5 to the next level of qualifier with a large majority of these players being hooters tour players. I came out that morning ready to play, not knowing what it would take to make it I just told myself to not care about that and just play your best. I got off to a great start making birdie on my first hole, then making great par saves on holes two and three. Then I chipped in for birdie on the fourth hole and made birdie on the par 5 5th hole. 3 under par through 5 holes, what a great start. I made par on 6 and 7, but then I three putted 8 for boggie and 3 putted 9 from the fringe for another boggie to shot 1 under on the front nine. I made yet another boggie on the tenth hole to go all the way back to even par for the round, from there I made one birdie and one boggie and 6 pars to finish the round at even par. At the end of the round I didn't think that what I shot was going to make it. I go to the score board, which is where we turn in our scorecards and saw that there was only one score on the board that was better than mine with half the field up on the board. Then I had to sit around for another hour and a half to wait for the rest of the field to come in to see if I made or not. It was a nerve racking hour and a half I will tell you that much. When it was all said and done I tied for 2nd place only loosing by one shot to the winner. I was so excited I couldn't contain myself, after I played that day I had to drive the motorhome by myself to pittsburg, but I had no problem doing the 7 hour drive becasue I couldn't stop thinking about all the possibilities that might arise out of this. I mean if I make it throught the next qualifier I will be playing in the U.S. Open., thats a major on the PGA Tour. So now I am in Midway, Pennselvania getting ready to play in the next Hooters Tour event at quicksilver Country Club. I am really excited to see what is going to happen this week after the qualifier I feel very confident about my game and can't wait to start this tourney. I will be better about keeping my blog updated for everyone. I love hearing from you guys and keeping in contact with you. Feel free to email, post comments or call me any time.

Another missed cut, But I'm coming Home

Hello all, thank you for taking part in my adventure by reading my posts and commenting here on my blog. Today was the second round of the first major of the year. Again I am sorry to inform you that I missed the cut. There was a 2 hour fog delay during the first round play so my tee time was pushed back to 4:00. So you can imagine that I didn't get to finish my round, we finished 13 holes on Thursday and had to come back this morning and finish our first rounds. We had to be at the course and ready to tee off by 8:15, I played my last five holes and then immediately had to turn around and start my second round. I shot a 75(+3) in the first round and shot a 78(+6) in the second round. Man was I tired after the completion of my second round, my last few holes I could feel it getting to me making some bad swings in those last holes. I feel that I am learning more and more about my own game, but also about how to survive out here on tour. I am so close to breaking through to the next stage where I am consistently posting scores under par. I am starting to hit the ball great, hitting more fairways and greens than I ever have before. With some work on my putting during the two weeks off I really feel that I could come back after the break and start playing some good golf. Tomorrow I have the opportunity to do some testing for the USGA at the course where the tournament is at. They will be paying me $100 an hour to hit balls for them with wedges with different grooves out of a couple different lies. After that Steve and I will begin our journey to Chicago where the next event is after a two week break. We will leave tomorrow in the afternoon and try to get as far as we can. I have decided that its been long enough so I will be flying home on Wed. The 26th and be home in Newbury Park for 9 days going back to Chicago on the 5th of May. I would love to see as many of you guys as I can, so please contact me if you would like to see me during my stay at home.

Getting closer, but not there yet

Another missed cut, but one step closer. I am starting to shoot some better scores, bringing me all that much closer to making the cut. This week I shot even par 72 on Thursday (yesterday), which put me tied for 43rd. (by the way the top 60 and ties make the cut) So Friday (earlier today) I gave myself a chance to make the cut by playing well the day before, I ended up shooting a 75 which didn't make the cut. The cut ended up being at -1 for the two days and I finished at +3. So far my best performance this year, although I am still disappointed to have missed the cut, I am excited to see the improvement in my game and the steps I am taking to grow as a better golfer. Next week is the first major of the year in McCormick, South Carolina. I am thrilled to get to the next tournament and try it again. I will be leaving tomorrow morning to do the 5 to 6 hour drive to the next tournament. After this next tournament I have a two week break which I have not figured out what I am going to do. The tour starts back up just outside of Chicago the week of May 8th. I hope everyone has a great Easter weekend celebrating the death and resurrection of Christ Jesus and what he has done for us. Please pray for me for safety on the road and that I would be doing this to honor and glorify God and not myself.

Results from the Royal Lakes Classic

Well again things didn't go as well as I had hoped they would, but I am excited because I am learning from each experience and feel that I will continue to get better with each tournament. I was a little wild off the tee during both rounds, the first round I hit 3 balls out of bounds(which is a two stoke penalty) and also hit 2 balls in the water. That makes it very difficult to shoot a good score, I finished the first round with an 84. The second round I hit 3 balls out of bounds as well, all on the front nine, I then played the back nine at one under to shoot 77. I am disapointed with the end result, but I am realizing that this is a learning experience and that it might take a couple of tournaments before I feel comfortable during the round. Now I am down in Auburn, Alabama preparing for the next tournament. I will post again in a couple of days to inform you on how things are going before the tourney starts. Thanks for your prayers and your support.

It's about time that I posted

I am sorry that it has taken me a while to post after my first tournament, but I was not happy with how I played on friday so I didn't want to post right after and then we were on the road for two days. Now we are here in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina living the life during our off week. We have been here hanging out with a friend, Corey, that we met on the tour. He lives in Myrtle Beach when he is not on the road. We have been playing or practicing golf almost every day, just what I needed after my last tournament. Ohh yeah I forgot to tell you how I played in the second round. I didn't forget I just don't really want to tell anyone, but I will tell all of you. I ended up shooting 88. I could give you all kinds of excuses of why I played so horrible, but I just really struggled out there. I was never able adapt to the cold windy weather in the morning,I couldn't get loose and enable myself to relax out there. I got off to a really bad start with making triple boggie on the first hole and then preceding to lose a ball on the both of the next two holes. Anyways that's enough of talking about that, I am really excited about this next week because of all the practice I have put in this week. My putting feels like I am about to have a break through and start making everything, my irons are really coming in strong helping me to hit a high number of greens in regulation. We leave tomorrow morning (friday) for Flowery Branch, Georgia, its just outside Atlanta. I would like to stay here a little longer, but I am ready to get to the course and start practicing on it. Anyways we have to leave tomorrow because Steve has to monday qualify for the tourney. It is going to be fun on monday, because I am going to caddy for steve during his qualifier. Please pray for a safe drive tomorrow and that my walk with God would continue to be strong throughout the year.

First Round of the PGM Classic at Perdido Bay

To be honest with you I wasn't as nervous as I thought that I might be when I thought about the moment of my first tee shot of a Hooters tour tournament. I had no trouble falling to sleep last night, woke up this morning had breakfast, drove the motor home over to the course and relaxed for a little while. My tee time was 11:54, so there was no hurry for me to get out to the course. I generally like to get to the course about an hour ahead of my tee time to warm up and get ready for the round. Since Steve didn't qualify for the tournament he caddied for me (we have an agreement with each other that if one of us is in the tournament and the other isn't that the other will caddy for the one that is in) which was really nice to not have to worry about carrying my bag and becoming fatigued at the end of the round. The first hole is a short hole, about 360 yards, dogleg to the right which I decided to tee off with my 3 iron. I hit a great first tee shot, which is always a great way to start off your round, down the middle of the fairway about 127 yards from the pin. I ended up hitting the green and two putting for a par on the first hole. Then I was off, I had the first hole out of the way now I was on the golf course, where I belong much more comfortable than on the practice tee before the round. I ended up even par after the front nine with 7 pars 1 boggie and 1 birdie. On the back nine I had 5 pars 3 boggies and 1 birdie to shoot 2 over par. That puts me at 74 (+2) for the first round, right now I am tied for 77th out of 149 players. The cut, which is after the second round, is the top 60 players and ties. At the end of the first round I am 2 strokes off of the top 60 and ties, so I know what I need to do for tomorrow as far as what score I need to shoot. My tee time tomorrow is in the morning at 7:24 am, so please pray for me that I would continue to look to God for guidance and wisdom and that I would honor and glorify Him in my golf. I will post again tomorrow after my round. If you are eager to see how I played you can look on the Hooters tour website; they have the scores there on the home page down the right column. You can find a link to the Hooters tour website just to the right of this post. I should be finished around 12:30 central time.

I got good news and I got great news

I got in to the tournament this week, I am so happy for the opportunity to play at this golf course in the actual tournament. I played a practice round today checking out the greens in detail, hitting shots from all around the greens, it was great. Oh and the great news is that I got a phone call from the home office of the hooters tour and was told that I am in the next three tournaments. Apperently they didn't have enough players signed up for the next series of events so they looked to the ranking numbers in order to fill spots for the tournaments, and because of that I don't have to monday qualify again for the rest of the year. This is great because it really takes a lot of pressure of my game to have to try to monday qualify just to get in, now I can prepare myself for the tournament without having to be worried about the qualifier. Thank you for all your prayer and support. I can feel God working in my life and I am excited to see what there is for me in the future.

2nd Monday Qualifier Results

Hello everyone I am sorry to inform you that I did not qualify for the tournament. The conditions were very tough today, the wind was a constant 20-25 mph with tough pin placements makes for high scores. I shot 77 and only missed it by 3 shots. There were only two scores under par and they were both only 1 under. Although I did not make the Monday Qualifier, I still have a chance to make it into the tournament because of withdrawls. The ranking number that I was given after my play in the ranking school is the reason that I have a chance to get in. The tour director called me and told me that he would let me know tomorrow if there is room for me in the tournament. So lets hope that there will be room for me. I really feel that I could play well in this tournament if I was given a chance. I have been having a lot of fun hanging out with other guys on the tour doing things outside of golf, like watching movies, playing video games, and going out to dinner. I LOVE hearing from you guys so always feel free to make comments, or send me emails, or give me a call on my cell phone. I will post again tomorrow to let you know if I got into the tournament.

Everyone's able to post

I am just informing you guys that I changed the setting to where now you can comment on my blog without having to subscribe to anything. Please make sure that you write your name down at the end so I know who is leaving the comments. Feel free to comment on any my posts and as much as you want. This is a great way for me to keep in contact with everyone.

Monday Qualifier Results

Yesterday was a great day of practice preparing for the big day, the Monday Qualifier. Steve and I got to the course yesterday just after 12:30 and spent most of the afternoon putting and chipping. Out practicing we ran into friends that we met at our ranking school, which is just down the road, that we ended up playing with in our practice round in the afternoon. We had a blast playing with these guys especially one of them, J.R. He is a good old country boy that know how to make you laugh. Monday morning came before I knew it, I woke up got ready walked out of the motorhome right on to the driving range (It was so cool being able to stay on sight and wake up in the morning and walk out onto the golf course). Well here's the news I ended up shooting 75 (+3) and did not make the monday qualifier. My round had its ups and downs, I started out 1 under for the first 4 holes, then on both 5 and 6 I missed two short putts for par so I went back to even then to one over par after 6. I made a par on seven and then made two more boggies to finish up the front nine at 3 over par. Starting up the back nine I made par on 10,11,12, and 13. Hole 14 is a 580 yard par 5 into the wind, I felt like I needed to get something going if I was going to have any chance to make it into the tournament, so I really focused on making a birdie on this hole. I hit a good drive down the right side of the fairway to give me a good angle into the green, I was about 260 yards out for my second shot into the wind and uphill. I felt that if I hit my three wood really good I could get it onto the green, so I set up and just nailed it. I hit a high little draw that flew onto the green and ended up about 25 feet away from the hole, I couldn't have drawn it up any better than that. Now that set me up for an eagle chance that would really help me out. My putt was right to left and up a ridge, I saw the line and committed to the line and put a good stroke on it and it went in the hole. My first eagle as a professional golfer, and not only that but it was on a really long hole that most people can't even reach the green in two let alone make eagle. After that my round brought me back to where I started the back nine, I boggied the 15, birdied the 16, doubled the 17, and made par on the 18. Currently steve and I are at an R.V. resort just outside Ocala on our way to Pensicola, Florida where the next tournament is. We are planning on being there by friday to get ready for the next monday qualifier. It is always great to hear from you guys so you can either post comments or email me at joelarson24@yahoo.com or you can always call me on my cell phone.

Florida at last

We finally made it to Florida, after a week of driving accross the country and playing golf in Texas we got to our first destination on the tour. The first monday qualifier is only a couple of days away and I am really excited about it. Steve and I have been playing and practicing getting ready for this tourney. I have been waiting for this tournament for a couple of months. We played golf at a country club in Lakeland, Florida this last thursday. Since we are both on a strick budget we have descided not to gamble for money, but in order to keep the rounds competitive we descided to gamble with chores in the motorhome. So far this our third time betting this way and everything is working great. The first round that we did this with I lost and I had to hold the bottom end of the dump. The second round we played I won and steve had to clean the windshield. (that ended up being a true chore) We played a practice round yesterday at Black Bear Golf Club, which is where the first tourney is, just to get a feel for the course. We will probably play it again on sunday to prepare for the qualifier. Tonight we are staying at an R.V. campground about 15 minuets away from the course and let me tell you this is a winner. Steve and I arrived here at 11:30 and have been thouroghly entertained the whole time. We spent the most of the day, believe it or not, at the suffule board courts. We might have found our new game, we had loads of fun playing one on one, but also we played against a couple of seniors that wanted to battle. Steve and I are really good according to them, they said that we could compete with anyone there at the park. (At this R.V park most people stay here for months at a time, you know snowbirds) That made us both feel pretty good about our shuffle board skills. We also took some time to go for a swim in the pool. It was a much needed rest for us after the long drive, we both feel refreshed and ready to play some good golf on Monday. Thank you again for all of your love and support.

Gator Country

Ever since steve and I made it to Florida we have been trying very hard to find a gator and take some pictures. Along the way it has been very fun taking pictures God's great creations down here in Florida. Last thrusday on the golf course we finally found our reptilian friend, lying, waiting for someone to come to close. That was us trying to get a good picture, but we were keeping our distance because we didn't want to lose a hand or a leg or anything at all for that matter. The gator that we took the picture of is much smaller than the one that we saw in the lake, but this one we could get a much closer pic of. Here are just a couple of other neat pics that Steve and I took here in Florida.

Almost there, Driving through the Deep South

We are almost there, to Florida that is, right now we are in Mobile, Alabama. Steve and I have been having a great time on the trip so far. I cannot believe that we've been on the road for a week already. Man how time flies. Yesterday we drove through Louisiana and Mississippi, now that was an experience. Going through New Orleans was so captivating seeing all of destruction caused by the Hurricanes. It was so eire seeing business all boarded up with no one in sight, streets with no activity, nobody living there, trash piles at the end of every street. We can all continue to pray for the people of New Orleans, because they still need a lot of help getting back on their feet. Well we should be at our first destination for the Hooters tour by the end of the night. Now it is time to focus on golf, we are done with the sight seeing now it is time to work.

Louisiana Bayou

For those of you who have not had the pleasure of driving through Louisiana, this is what most of the state looks like, from our perspective. The Louisiana Bayou.

First Round of Golf on the Road

We stopped in San Antonio, Texas to get a little golf in amidst all this driving. It was great to get back out on the course, with this last weekend preparing to leave and then the last three days driving, I was a little rusty. I had to dust of the old clubs since last Friday to do some work and get back on track for what I have set out to do. Our first Monday Qualifier is on the 13th of March, so I need to make sure that my game is in good shape going into that week. We are planning on playing golf again tomorrow in Houstin, I will keep you updated.

Somewhere in Texas

Here we are somewhere in West Texas. Truckin right along in the R.V. leaving the sunset behind us. Everything is going great so far and we are almost half way across the U.S. We are heading into San Antonio to play golf tomorrow, then we will head over to Houstin after that. Thank you for all your prayers, I definatly need them. I will keep you posted about our journey on the road

"The Winnebago" my new home

This is my new home for the next 7 months. I am relieved now that we finally have our moterhome. Everything is starting to finalize for me to leave on this tour. This moterhome is awesome, it has everything you could ever think of in it. It sleeps at least 6, if you double up on the beds, not to mention the floor space. It has a slideout, fridge, microwave, oven, stove, sink, shower, toilet, t.v., satalite dish, back up camera, leveling jacks, 2 a.c. units, generator, solar panel, and plenty of storage. It is everything and more that we were looking for in an R.V.

PGA Tour Qualifier

Tomorrow I play a pre-qualifier for the Monday qualifier for the Nissan Open (a PGA tour event). I am playing at Los Serranos Golf Course in Chino Hills. The top 13 and ties go on to the Monday qual. which is held at Industry Hills this coming monday.

Getting started

Hey I just opened up my own blog to try to keep people informed while I am on my tour. I am going to try to keep it updated with new information and results from golf tournaments and also with pictures as well. I will share the joys and trials of the journey to the PGA tour.