PGT Del Monte Final Round

Written: August 19, 2011

            For the third and final round of the tournament, I was paired up with heavyweights Jhonnel Ababa and Angelo Que, a pairing I was very much looking forward to. After taking it low with yesterday’s 68, my confidence was saying that the 5 shot deficit didn’t seem too far a reach.  If things fell in the right place and if I would be able to post a round in the mid 60’s, then things could get interesting.  But my main focus for the day was Bob Rotella’s advice prior to the round, which was to stay as patient as you could ever be for the entire round and not let anything upset or bother you.  It was simple advice but a powerful tool indeed necessary to playing one’s best.

            With all of us tied at 4 under for the tournament, we teed it up at 7:20am with the leaders at 9 under par teeing off a few groups behind.  Taking the feeling of confidence and calmness to the first tee, my ball found the smack middle of the tight first hole.  From there, I was off and running as I rolled in a 6 foot birdie putt on the first hole and a 7 foot par putt on the 2^nd hole.  With another good par save from the bunker on the 6^th hole, things were looking good.  I turned in two under par after getting up and down from the bunker on the par 5 9^th for birdie.

            On the back nine, I continued to hit quality shots but the putts just kept sliding by.  All the putts were well struck and put on a good line but the breaks of the game just denied several from lipping in rather than out.  I could count 7 putts from 10-30 feet on the back nine that had such a good chance at going in the hole.  In the end, I finished the back nine with a 1 over par 37 for a total score of 1 under 71.  The 3 day total (72-68-71), 5 under par was good for a tie for 7^th place.  I left with no regrets and grateful for living another day’s challenge.  For the 4^th tournament in a row, I’ve been no worse than 12^th place.  Consistent play thanks to solid ball striking and reliable putting but by no means perfect.  That’s the beauty of it.  Finishing well doesn’t entail perfect golf as I once perceived it to be.  What I have figured out is that accepting mistakes throughout a round and letting go as quickly as possible really goes a long way at placing well in tournaments. 

            Two tournaments down and two tournaments left in this four week in a row stretch.  It’s back to Manila tonight then off to the Asian Developmental Tour event in Taipei on Tuesday.  Stay tuned!

Final results