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.