Oh, so close!

Hi everyone,

A 5 over par round of 77 put me 5 strokes back of the winner and only one stroke "out of the money." I am taking a disciplined approach and rather than dwelling on that "one or two strokes I would like back" I am focusing on what I have learned this week. 77 in a pressure packed situation is respectable but if I want to contend out here I need to turn a 77 into a one or two over par round. I REALLY learned a lot this week! Here's some of the GOOD from this week:

• Played 3 consistent rounds. Over 54 holes I made only 2 double bogeys. Lots of pars, birdies and a few bogeys.
• Putted solid...28, 30 and 29 putts each round.
• A stat that I have worked hard on is my greens in regulation (GIR). This week I hit a solid 9, 8 & 10 greens. I shot 73 hitting 9 greens so can still score without hitting greens in the double digits.
• What you don't see about the final round is that I had 3 "almost" chip ins. Chips that grazed the hole and ended up tap in distance. My focus used to be getting chips close but my focus in the past few months has changed to "I can realistically give this a chance to go in". This is not a reckless thought but rather one bolstered by confidence.
• Felt like I played agressively and decisively this week. I didn't allow a poor swing (and we all make those!) deter my focus on the next shot.
• Saw that "playing within myself" was rewarded. There were 2 challenging holes (a long par 4 with a sharp dogleg and a visually challenging 2nd shot & a 560 yd par 5 that required all the distance my body can muster). I was even par for 3 days on the par 4 (a hole I am guessing the field averaged at 5 or higher) and an average of 3 over on the par 5 (which was probably average for the field). These holes helped me to trust in my ability to get up and down with my wedges from 20-60 yds. Which I did 3/5 attempts. Not a bad stat!
• Was really pleased with my ball striking particularly with my long irons and my fairway woods...clubs that I at times are a bit more challenging to hit for me.

Here are a few things I am going to work on for next week. What I can do BETTER:

• Wedges...although I was successful in getting up and down from 20-80 yds there were a few that got away from me. Going to work on wedges from different yardages and different situations.
• Playing within myself. There were a few situations that I played a shot or shots that I should have taken a different approach (sometimes I should have been more conservative and sometimes I should have played more agressively). I am going to keep this in mind as I prepare for my next event.

I will be playing in the SunCoast tour's event at Huntington Hills this coming week. You can follow results on their website. For results from this week click here.

Feeling good about things! Will keep you posted!

Mary

2nd round at Eastwood in the books

Hi all,

I shot a 3 over par 75 today in the second round of the SunCoast series event at Eastwood GC. I am tied with two others for the lead going into the final round tomorrow. Check out the story.

Tomorrow will be a fun opportunity!

Mary

newsflash!!!

Hi friends,

I shot a solid one over 73 today (2 under par on the front!) to tie for the 1st round lead of the SunCoast Series event at Eastwood Golf Club. One day down, now focusing on getting it done the next two days!

Check out the story!

Mary

gaining momentum...

Hi everyone,



I just returned from a fruitful two weeks on the road in Connecticut and Canada. I had an opportunity to play in two events-the Connecticut Women's Open and the CN Canadian Tour's event at Sunningdale Golf & Country Club in London, Ontario. It was nice to be back in Connecticut, back at the Yale Golf Course, and to catch up with friends.

I had a mediocre showing at the CT Open. Never really got anything going and shot rounds of 79-84. I was thrilled for my good friend, Lynn Valentine, as she won her first professional title. After a few small adjustments and a few days to work on my game, I headed to Canada to redeem myself.

After a late afternoon practice round on a Saturday, I had the privelege to play in the pro-am the following afternoon. The players who participated helped their pro-am partners with some short game and long game during the hour long clinic and we then headed out onto the course. We played a 9 hole scramble and won a nice prize (not sure if it had to do with our results or the fact there were so many ties they simply drew our names from a hat :).

I really enjoyed the golf course, the beautiful terrain and the temporary relief from the Florida heat. I shot rounds of 79-77 to finish "in the money." Check out the results on the Canadian Tour website. I was very encouraged the 2nd round. After starting out slowly with a bogey, bogey, double bogey start I played the final 15 holes in one over par. Now it's time to eliminate the big numbers and unnecessary bogeys. Definitely moving in the right direction...

I was talking to a friend about my performance and remarked that I feel like a breakthrough is around the corner. It's the combination of results and confidence that only come through experience. I am truly pleased with my ball striking and my short game. Being comfortable and prepared is a powerful combination.

So, here's what's next. I will be competing in Orlando the next three weeks on the SunCoast and Moonlight tours. After that I will head north (via the Amtrak auto train) on June 30th. I plan to play the Futures Tour and some state opens in July and August. Hope to see some of you in places like Bloomfield, CT, Syracuse, NY and Gettysburg, PA. Check out the Futures tour website for dates and courses. Make sure to check with me to ensure I am playing that week as sometimes plans change!

Will keep you posted! Be sure to follow results!

Mary