July 21, 2008
– Hey there, Yellow Jackets!
I am writing to fill everyone in on my summer up to this point. After a disappointing finish to the college season, I was ready to get back into action for the amateur circuit.
My first tournament was the Sunnehanna Amateur where I finished tied for fourth (71-70-67-72), which I considered a pretty good start to the summer.
I only had a week at home before I left for the Northeast Amateur. I had a lackluster tournament there, finishing tied for 32nd (68-72-73-70) with former Yellow Jacket golfer turned business professional Carlton Forrester. I was ready to get back home after that long trip to Rhode Island.
Between tournaments, I lead a pretty “normal life” back home in California where I split my days between the beach, the gym, and “work.” When I say “work,” I’m referring to the golf course, because I am now at the point where I only have one year of amateur golf left. With that in mind, I made a short trip up to Santa Barbara, to work with a golf fitness guru. He came highly recommended by my former teammate, Kevin Larsen, and I’m really looking forward to seeing the benefits from this extra help. In addition, I’ve been putting a considerable amount of time in with my swing coach where we’ve been working to make my senior year the best of all!!
I’ve spent the majority of my time practicing rather than playing this summer in an effort to focus on and strengthen some of the weaknesses in my game. My home club, Mission Viejo Country Club, is renovating the course, so there have only been nine open holes. Honestly, it has gotten boring playing the same nine holes over and over, so I know I’m more productive practicing.
Spending time with friends and going to the beach have been my primary activities that give me balance when I’m not at work. When I first got home, there were some big swells at the beach, so it was nice getting a lot of quality time with my brother Jon, who recently graduated Cum Laude from San Jose State. He surfs and I bodyboard (also known as boogie boarding or sponging). When Jon’s not at the beach he has been looking for a job (finance stuff), so if you have some connections, don’t be shy.
My most recent tournament was the North and South Amateur in Pinehurst, N.C. The U.S. Amateur will be played there in August, and I wanted to get familiar with the courses that they will play (No. 4 and No. 2 – which is the really famous one). I stayed in a condo onsite with my good friend Bo DeHuff and two of his USC (Trojans, not the Chickens) teammates. I was fortunate to have Bo’s younger brother, Robert, caddy for me the entire week as it was hot and muggy. I played well shooting 67-69 on courses 4 and 2 respectively. That earned me co-medalist honors with my condo-mate for the week, Jamie Lovemark, before he beat me in a one-hole playoff. While at the tournament our little group frequented the pool and dined at a great little Italian restaurant not far from our condo. I advanced to the third round of match play where I had a disappointing loss in 20 holes to Kevin O’Connell of UNC.
I am currently back home in Southern California getting ready for my next tournament, which is the Porter Cup in Niagara Falls, N.Y. I plan to stop in Dallas, Texas, on the way back to spend a few days with my Tech teammate, Paul Haley, which should be a nice little getaway.
That’s about it — I hope you’ve enjoyed my mid-summer update!
