Lakeland Week 2 & book recommendation

Hi everyone,



After a relaxing weekend in Tampa (and taking in a Neil Diamond concert and a Tampa Bay Lightning game!) I teed it up at Imperial Lakes Country Club in a SunCoast tour event.



We were greeted with record low temperatures and windy conditions the first round (brrrr...). After a two over 38 on the front nine I limped in with 42 on the back to shoot 80. The wind over the last 4 holes produced 4 bogeys on my card. I knew I struck the ball too well that day, despite the conditions, to shoot a round that high. I was a bit fired up and ready for a comeback the next day.



Well, the next day was a comeback and I was able to harness my fire about my 1st round finish into a positive outcome. After a 1 over steady front nine (6 pars, 1 birdie, 2 bogeys) I finished with a one under 34 on the back. Highlights included birdies on 2 of my last 4 holes (a little revenge after the previous day's finish). An even par 72 put me in the mix for the final round.

I had a great pairing for the final round and had the opportunity to play with a solid Futures tour player and a current LPGA player and former US Women's Amateur Champion. My short game seemed to elude me, after being so strong the first 2 days, and I found myself 4 over after 14 holes. I was really hanging in there but two bogeys and one double bogey over the last 4 holes found me at 8 over par, 80.

It was really a good week for me. I feel like both rounds of 80 were the worst I could have shot and I learned so much from the experience this week. My ball striking over the past 4 events has improved dramatically; I am very pleased with my progress. Oh, and I did make a check which was great! You can check out full results by clicking here. I am excited and ready for Futures Qualifying this coming week!

I will be resting and doing some preparation over this weekend. You can follow results this week (we begin play on election day) at the Duramed Futures Tour website.

I wanted to share with you a book recommendation. I recently had the opportunity to re-connect with a college teammate, Bob Smiley. He is the author of a new book about Tiger Woods called Follow The Roar. Bob followed Tiger every hole of the 2008 season hoping to glean some wisdom from his play. The release date for the book is November 11th. Check it out!

Thanks for reading. More from Futures tour qualifying next week!

Mary