Aug. 28, 2007
ATLANTA – At this point I’ve played 5 professional events, and a couple Monday qualifiers, but none of those resemble what you would consider a “tour event.” No grandstands, no ropes, no scoreboards, no corporate hospitality tents, no caddies, etc. Last week I played in the Canadian Tour’s premier event, the Omnium de Montreal (that’s Montreal Open for all you non-French speakers). It was such an awesome tournament, and had all the amenities, and then some, that thus far had been lacking at the tournaments I’ve been playing. I played a pro-am Monday and Tuesday, complete with delicious post-round lunch and cocktails under a very European Tour-style outdoor tent. Wednesday I took it easy, played nine holes with my caddie, practiced a bit, and then rested up for the start of the tournament.
Read previous editions of Castro’s Summer of Golf
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Third edition
Second edition
First edition
Thursday I was last off, and by the time an afternoon thunderstorm rolled around it was questionable whether we would finish or not. I started slow, even through 8, but then finally got it going on the back. I birdied seven of my last 11, and tapped in on 18 in complete darkness for a solid 65. I hit it SO well that day, hitting all 18 greens and two par 5’s. With an early tee time Friday, fresh greens, and minimal wind, I figured I could post another good score and set myself up for the weekend. Well, the wind blew early, not late, and I didn’t play very well, 73. Saturday the wind was howling all day, probably a good 20 mph steady all day. I hung in there, and even with a stupid double shot even-par 72, which I thought was decent considering the gales. I thought wrong, some guys managed the wind and posted scores well under par, which I thought was darn good playing in that wind. Sunday was calm, and I just couldn’t buy a putt, shot 1-under and posted 7-under 281 for the week, which was good enough for 17th place. I always say how many birdies tells you how good your skill set is for the week, and how many bogeys tells you how sharp your thinking is. Well my thinking was good, because I didn’t make many bogeys over the weekend, but my game was disappointing, only managing to shoot 1-under over the last two days.
Overall I was encouraged. I didn’t play very well, but still managed a decent finish, which tells me I’m on the right track. It was awesome playing in at a real “pro event,” and it really motivated me to keep working hard, it’s nice to be reminded that there is a lot out there to play for.
When I think back on my trip to Montreal, it will be split into two distinct categories, the golf (which I just went through) and everything else, which in the long run will probably be more memorable. I was told that Montreal was an awesome city and that it had the most beautiful girls you’ll find anywhere. Both were an understatement. Downtown is great, lots of shops, stores, restaurants, bars, etc. But the coolest area was definitely Old Montreal, which is like a little slice of Europe. Narrow cobblestone streets, dozens of restaurants, well-dressed people sitting in balcony cafes, art vendors on the streets, a cool courtyard with an ever-present band playing for tips, gorgeous girls speaking French, basically all the things you CAN’T find in the South. Oh, yeah, I forgot to mention that over the 8 days I spent in Montreal, it never got above 75 degrees. If you haven’t already decided to take your next summer vacation to Quebec, I don’t know what I can say to convince you.
Random things that are hard to work into prose:
**I went to a Jewish Softball League game in Montreal to watch my friend Ziggy (of GT Tennis fame). Overall, the pitching was good, the hitting was good, but the fielding was disappointing.
**After the Omnium I went to play a pro-am in Quebec City, they took us up on a bus, put us up in a swank hotel, and we played at Royal Quebec, which was a sweet old course (1876). Quebec City is so cool, very European, the city looks down onto this river, lots of amazing buildings, I was very lucky to get to play in that pro-am and see a great place.
**Francophone/Anglophone discussion is kind of a big deal in Quebec. All the signs are in French, and apparently there are laws ensuring that even if a sign has English on it as well, that the French text is considerably larger than the English. It was hard to get a bead on things in just one week, but I guess I was just surprised that it is such an issue.
**I’d say there are 10 percent as many big SUV’s in Quebec as there are in the U.S.
**Did I mention that it was 72 degrees every day? That was a welcome reprieve from the oppressive heat Atlanta has endured this August.
**I go to sleep every night with a smile on my face knowing that in a few days I’ll be in South Bend watching the Jackets beat on Notre Dame. It’s going to be the best weekend of my life, Chicago, The Miracle Mile, Wrigley on Friday, South Bend Saturday, those t-shirts are spot on, life is good!!!!
I’m home this week practicing, and after Labor Day I’ll be hitting the road for some mini-tour events over the next 6 weeks. Go Jackets!!!!
