update through the Tampa Futures event

Hi Friends,

*Note...I did not add the pictures yet..coming soon*

I learned a few days before the Tampa Futures event that I had gained a spot in the field! Yippee! I drove north and west from Port St. Lucie on Tuesday, March 14th to begin my week. It was a challenging week characterized by rain delays and a windswept golf course. If you watched the Saturday coverage of the PGA Tour event at Bay Hill that will give you an idea of the conditions we played in.

The week began on Tuesday with a mandatory player meeting where we learned about "branding" ourselves. It was interesting and informational session about how to gain sponsors based on our personalities and character traits. It was also announced that just a day earlier one of the players who had graduated to the LPGA tour from the Futures Tour, Meaghan Francella, had just beat Annika in a playoff in Mexico! What a testimony to the competitiveness of our tour. Needless to say, I am soaking up every minute of my experiences, even if the results are not quite what I am expecting.

On Tuesday evening we had a required "Meet the Pros party." I have included a few pictures from the evening. The first picture is of my friend Nicole Mytyk (on left) and a fellow player Christine Boucher. Nicole is a close friend from my days in Gainesville. It was wonderful to see her and catch up that evening as she recently moved to Sarasota to accept a job with....Christine is a Canadian player who I shared housing with in Lakeland. We had a great time meeting some of the sponsors for the event and enjoying some good food. As you can see Chik Fil-A was a sponsor of the event and I was lucky enough to get my picture taken with their famous cow.

I played two practice rounds one with my friend Yu-jin Bang...and another with fellow Nutmeg state resident, Lynn Valentine. I had a late tee time for Friday's first round so after practice and workout on Thursday I enjoyed a movie, dinner and relaxed by reading magazines and drinking coffee (decaf of course!) at a local Barnes and Noble.

A morning rain delay on Friday march 16th pushed my 2pm tee time to after 3pm. It was an eventful round, trying to navigate the winds. To give you an idea of how gusty it was I had an interesting situation happen to me on the 4th hole. After teeing up my ball, taking a practice swing and setting up to hit my drive, I was mid-downswing and my ball fell off the tee. I could not stop my downswing and I hit the ball while it was falling off the tee. That had never happened to me before! Good news was there was no penalty (I stumped the rules official and she had to take some time to find the rule...check out 11-2 if you are a rules nut) but I had to play the ball as it lies. I hit the par 4 in 3, hoping to make a 15 footer or so to save par but walked away with bogey.

Because of our late start we were rushing to finish 18 before dark. The rule on tour is that as long as one person has teed off before they blow the horn for darkness you can finish the hole if you choose (and if your fellow competitors want to quit and you want to keep going, that is ok too). Well, we were on 17 and one girl had putt out and we were urging her to get her driver and go to the 18th tee. Unfortunately, she was not quick enough so we returned early Saturday morning to play one hole at 8:15 and begin our second round at 9:33am. I enjoyed a quick dinner with my housing host, Linda Smith, and headed for bed to rest before a long day on Saturday.

Saturday March 17 was still windy but my results were a bit better. I finished strong with 2 over par on the back 9 with a nice birdie on the 15th and lipped out a chip for birdie on 16. The two days were "just hang in there" demanding conditions so I was glad to end on a positive note. Rounds of 85-80 didn't make the cut so I headed home Sunday morning.

I have had a productive week of practice in Jacksonville (March 19-24th) and have enjoyed visiting with my aunt who flew down for a visit. I am headed to Orlando tomorrow to play golf with my cousin, Eddie Moan and prepare to play in a Ladies Tournament Series event at Deer Island . Looking forward to a good week!

Some advice that I received from a trusted friend who is a very good amateur golfer is that *most* players make their living in a few strong finishes during a given season. A few top ten's, a top five, etc. Certainly, I aspire to play well consistently but it is important to find a way to find positives in an off week.

I will keep you posted!

Mary

Futures update and recent results

Hi friends,

On Tuesday, March 6th I stopped in Orlando on my way to Lakeland to play a Moonlight Tour event at Windermere CC. I placed 3rd with a 77. It was fun as they sped up the greens and tucked the pins in some interesting places. Thanks to the Greenwald's for hosting me for an evening and cooking a wonderful steak dinner!

Following the event at Windermere I traveled to Lakeland and prepared to play in the first Duramed Futures Tour event but was 3rd alternate. The first few events are very popular on tour as many of the players base themselves in Florida so I may be on the fence for the beginning of the season. I am 3rd alternate for the Greater Tampa Duramed Futures Classic and will travel to the site this week, hoping for a few to withdraw. Although I did not get in this week it was very good for me to be in Lakeland to acclimate to playing on tour again. I cannot emphasize enough (and this is something I told my players when I was coaching), being comfortable with the atmosphere is so important.

This is the last week that I will do the "wait and see" plan. There is a new tour simply called the Ladies Tournament Series in the Orlando area that runs three day events with no cuts for a reasonable entry fee. The fields are small but the competition is good so I may sign up for a few of these events if I am still on alternate lists. My former player, Jeehae, won her first professional event on this tour so congratulations to her! You can check out the schedule for more information. I am considering playing the upcoming events at Deer Island, Forest Lake & Errol Estates.

As you can tell the life of a professional golfer is always in fluctuation :). I have learned to go with the flow and simply roll with the changes. I am currently in Port St. Lucie to practice for a few days before I head to Tampa. I will keep you posted on my always changing schedule!

Until next time,

Mary

Running marathons

Hi friends,

Sorry it has taken so long for an update. I hope you enjoy some of the pictures!

I spent a few productive days working on my game at TJ's. We worked hard on my short game and transitioning from mechanics to feel. I have included a picture of the two of us after an afternoon session.

After working with TJ for a few days I drove north to Orlando to prepare for the Florida Women's Open. It was my first three day event post-surgery and I am happy to report that my shoulder reacted well to all the play and practice. My rust showed a bit but it was good to get back into play mode for an event that was more than one day. I shot rounds of 80-79-82. It's a place to start from and I can't wait to play next and improve upon this result. TJ and June also came up for a day to watch and took some great pictures of me on the course. The important thing for TJ was to see how my swing/course management was under pressure. I definitely learned a lot. A friend keeps reminding me that my journey is a MARATHON and not a sprint. I have an exciting season ahead and plenty more golf to play! All the ingredients are in place and soon the results will follow. I have included a picture of great form while teeing off.

I had many "fans" visit me this week. My mom traveled south for a few days along with my friend Jim Turner and my sister in-law parents, Gary and Betsy Calsin. One of the wonderful things about traveling is meeting new friends and get re-acquainted with old ones. THANK YOU for supporting me!

After a few days at home, some rest, and ALOT of needed car maintenance, I am in Orlando again. I will be on the road the next three weeks hopefully doing a lot of competing on the Duramed Futures Tour. I am still an alternate for the Lakeland event next week and the Tampa event the following week but I am high enough on the list that I am permitted to practice. So, I am in "wait and see" mode. In the meantime, I am playing at least one Moonlight Tour event and will keep you posted on my results and wait list status.

In other news I recently learned that Yale has offered me a part-time, 6 month position to become a member of the Yale Golf Course staff. I am excited about my continued relationship with the University and looking forward to working with many of my colleagues at the golf course. I am thankful for the opportunity and think the work I will be doing will only compliment my playing. I will return north sometime in April...hopefully spring will come quickly to New England this year!

I have included an additional picture for your enjoyment. The golf course picture is of Me, TJ, & Jeehae (Yale '06). We had a heated match that day!

I will have news soon about my first Duramed Futures Tour event in Lakeland, Florida and Moonlight Tour results. Check back soon!

Pacing myself for the marathon,

Mary