Recap of the PGT Mimosa Tournament

Written: November 13, 2010

            A day after the ICTSI Philippine Pro Golf Tournament in Pampanga, I am now back in Manila.  I wasn’t able to write a daily blog during this tournament because prior to leaving, my computer’s keyboard started acting up. The letters “L” and “O” weren’t functioning basically rendering my computer useless for any typing activities. 

So here’s a quick recap of the 5-day trip to Clark Airbase, Pampanga that began on Monday, November 8.  Stretching over 7,400 yards, the Mimosa was one of the longest tournament courses I have ever played.  There is no par 5 that you can reach in 2 and it seems like all the par 4’s are over 450 yards long.  Getting a feel for the course was challenging in the first two days of practice.  The greens were slow and bumpy and simply getting used to hitting mid to long irons on every hole was a workout. 

However, as day 1 came around on Wednesday, I was all set and ready to go.  As I recall, I got out of the gates nicely with an up and down for par from 50 yards away, then proceeded to sink a birdie putt from off the green on the par 3 2^nd.  With solid ball striking, the front 9 would turn out to be a breeze as I shot even par.  The back 9 was a different story. I would continue to hit the ball well, but the scoring wasn’t there.  A final score of 76, and I knew much was left out there.  With the difficulty of the course, Chuck Hong led the way among our team shooting a solid 72 and sat at 2^nd place overall. 

Since we were a big group, the dinners with the team throughout this tournament were a lot of fun.  It was as if we had a party every night.  Every evening, we’d try these new restaurants the locals recommended in the area.  It was pretty much always Filipino food but different kinds in each restaurant.  The guys especially enjoyed the places where they had karaoke as KongKong (Ebarra) and PongPong (Zanie Boy) would entertain us with their talented voices.  One afternoon, I also got to spend it with Xandrea

On day 2, I got up hungry for some revenge against the course and since I was striking the ball extremely well, it was only a matter of time before the results would come.  As it turned out, the driver was superb for the day but I still had to scramble my way around the greens on many occasions to save par.  At the end of the day, the scorecard looked pretty. Just one bogey and 2 birdies, including one on the last hole.  A round of 71 was one of the best of the day, moving me up into the top 10 and five shots off leader Marvin Dumandan, my playing partner for the first two days.

On Friday, the third and final round of the tournament, I had my work cut out for me.  Scores among the pros were bunched up as usual and in the race for the amateur title, there were about 5 players within 3 shots of the lead including myself.  With another solid start out of the gates, I shot an even par front nine, which included my personal highlight, a 25 foot par putt that I rolled in on hole number 9.  Sometimes, it’s the par putts that mean more to keep the momentum going and that was certainly the case.  By the time the back nine rolled around, it was a two horse race between Clyde and I for low amateur honors.  I thought this battle would have gone down the wire until Clyde made a big hiccup on the par 5 13^th when he attempted to go for the green.  By the end of the hole, he would put three in the water and walk off with an 11.  At that point, I held a lead but hard charging Jerson Balasabas was attempting to make a move.  What I am most proud of was that I held my ground through the finishing holes.

It was an unfamiliar position I was in walking up the 18^th green with so many people and my teammates looking on.  Once I put my shot on the green, I was left with a 70 foot putt for birdie.  No gimme.  After leaving that putt short by 9 feet, I hard my work cut out.  At that point, trust, point, and shoot was my mentality.  It was almost a numbing feeling trying to finish out this round.  Once that ball left the putter face, the next thing I saw was the ball drop in the hole.  Soon afterwards, I released a big fist pump not as a sign of relief, but as a sign to myself that man, “I did it!”

This tournament was certainly a big step in my career.  The combination of my game coming together and the mental strength that I brought along… Man, what an amazing feeling that was… 2 over in three rounds may not seem like a good score but based on the conditions we played in all three days and how the course was set up, it was quite the performance.  Winning low amateur honors was one thing but taking home 2^nd place overall among the pros was even more exciting.  I would have taken home P92,500 or over $2,000 had I been a pro.  Myself, along with eventual winner Marvin Dumandan, who I played with during the first two rounds shared some laughter and pictures with our trophies at the end of the day.

Team Dinners every night

Hito

Me, Tonyt, Chuck

Marvin and I, and Tonyt

Golf can be difficult, mind-boggling, and heartbreaking at times but on the flipside, when you taste success the way I did today, you’ll realize that all that sacrifice, tears, and sweat are worth every bit of it.  Happy Birthday Mom (Nov 12) and Pa (Nov 10).  I dedicate this to you two and for everything you have done, thank you isn’t enough.

Mizuno Dream Cup

Written: November 5, 2010

            The story for the day: Chuck, Justin, and I are sent by Coach Nestor to Sherwood to play the Mizuno Dream Cup.  This tournament is advertised as the road to the Open Championship (The British Open).  Wait a second, did they say the Open Championship? Yes, exactly. They tell us amateurs that we have a chance to play the event!

Here’s how it works.  Locally, you’ll have to play a two stage qualifying process.  A player must play the pre-qualifying stage at one of the following 5 sites.  Then from each site, 5 players advance to the final qualifying tournament to be held sometime in February, 2011 in Orchard.  Whoever wins there gets an all expenses paid for trip to Japan to play the Japan amateur tournament or something like that.  If you play well enough, presumably, you probably have to win the tournament, then you get to play the Mizuno Japan pro event.  Then from there, you’ll have to place in the top 3 among all the pros to get to play the Open Championship!

Man, what a long road right? At least I got off to the right start.  I shot a 74 that qualified me for the final stage of qualifying.  Its really not much of a round to be talked about. Nothing happened. Just a blah 74 against blah competition.  In fact, Justin, Chuck, and I all qualified and took three of the five spots.  A successful day and some good bonding with the guys as we all took one car there and back.  That’s it! Check the pictures out.

I forgot my golf shoes! I had to play with these Ryan Moore-ish shoes

Chuck, getting interviewed as the Champ, shot 71

The flyer

Mercedes Benz Tour Indonesia Final Round

Written: October 30, 2010

We’re back in the hotel now after long day.  It’s odd to be staying in the hotel even after the tournament has been completed.  Usually, packing the bags and checking out of the hotel prior to the final round is the norm in order to rush and catch the afternoon flight after the round.  This time, it was more relaxing.  In fact, our flight tomorrow is in the evening, taking the red eye connecting in Singapore then arriving in the Philippines Monday early morning.

On the final round, I began the day at 9 over par for the tournament. 78-70-77.  As far as catching anyone or finishing a certain place, it wasn’t much of my concern.  All I wanted was to put together a solid round that I know I’m capable of.  I figured, wherever you play and in whatever competition, shooting under par is all there is to it.  You don’t have to worry about what tournament you’re playing, how hard the course is, or how good the players you’re competing against.  Keep in mind that as long as you shoot under par, you’ll be just fine. 

7:50 tee time today beginning once again on the back nine.  I never quite made it to get front nine tee time ever since they paired by score.  Today, I had ample time to warm up as I worked through the bag beginning with wedges, irons, woods, then the driver.  In order to battle the over drawing shots I’ve had all week, I made sure to get on my left side as I transitioned to the downswing.  That allowed the club path to square up more easily and produce more descending blow on the irons rather than picking it.  After I figured that out, I was ready to go.  A couple putts to get the speed and I walked over to the tenth tee.

            Highlights on the front nine include an almost impossible up and down after short siding myself on the long par 4 11^th.  Then on 14, after hitting my 6 iron over the green from 180 yards just on the fringe, I drained the curling left to right downhill putt for birdie from 40 feet away.  The next hole and two solid swings later, I was faced with a downhill 20 footer with about 2 feet of break.  Well, I read the putt perfectly, stroked it perfectly and it rolled in as if the ball had a magnet to the hole.  2 under through 6.  Then on 7, the 210 yard par 3, I flushed a solid 4 iron that ended 5 feet from the pin.  Right center up the hill, and drained that for a 3^rd birdie in a row.  I was definitely riding on my momentum in the rare moments when golf seems to be easy.  On 17, driver and a 3 wood gamble but I pushed it into the bunker 50 yards away from the hole.  Best way I learned to play that type of shot is by thinning a 9 iron as if you were hitting a bump and run.  I clipped it perfectly and the ball rolled 25 feet past the hole.  Extremely downhill putt and a bit too cautious left me with another 4 feet for par downhill.  Another tap and hope type of putt, turned out the left edge allowance was perfect.  On 18, I hit my 3 wood in the rough leaving myself with 170 yards.  Expecting a flier, I played a 7 iron but it turned out the opposite and the rough grabbed the club.  For my 3^rd, I still had 37 yards left.  That pitch shot, I put to 7 feet and from there, drained the putt for par.  Yes! 3 under front nine and things were looking good.

            On the closing 9, I had 3 bogeys and one birdie on the par 3 4^th hole when I holed a 30 footer.  I regret bogeying the 2 par 5’s holes 1 and 7.  On hole 1, I made bogey from being just around the green for my 3^rd shot but flubbed the shot that was in a muddy, into the grain lie and on 7, I had 80 yards for my 3^rd but flew the green leaving myself with no chance to save par.  As much as I wanted to stay positive, I walked off those holes feeling like such a dummy giving a low round away.  I was however, able to save par on the long par 4 6^th from 30 yards away and a good putt from 8 feet as well as a good par on the 215 yard 8^th hole as I hit my ball on the green and cleaned up my 2 putt from 8 feet again.  A 3 under first nine and 2 over back nine still finished with an under par round.  Overall, I was pleased with how I finished with a strong round.

            Afterwards, there was a lunch buffet for the players in the area overlooking the final hole.  We watched the Filipino players and the leaders finish up.  It was pretty exciting to watch one of the Thai players eagle the 17^th and sink a birdie the 18^th to force a playoff.  I didn’t stay to watch the playoff so I instead went back to the lounge to grab some internet.  Coach Cassius finally put a good round together, a 5 under 67 to finish at 2 under for the tournament and a big move to 17^th place.  Once he got his cash earnings, we boarded the bus back to the hotel.

            On the bus ride, I sat beside Juvic and we had a long conversation about a bunch of things.  He told me his story about playing the Asian Tour Q-school as an amateur then making it through.  On his first year as a pro, he made a couple of cuts to rank higher in the mid-season reshuffle which got him a place in the lucrative Singapore Open.  There, he made the cut again for about $25,000 to secure his card for the year.  On the year’s final event, the UBS Hong Kong Classic, he was an alternate but was lucky to get a call on the last minute to play.  That was his big break as he played four solid rounds to finish second and pick up more than $300,000.  The following year, he told me how he won his first event in Indonesia going head to head with Lee Westwood in the final two rounds.  Since 2006, he’s been a steady figure on the Asian Tour.  Like a little brother, I was listening to his stories and thinking, “wow, that’s so cool.” Juvic told me that playing Q-school this January is a good move and who knows, I might just be following in his footsteps.

            A lot of hard work ahead, but I know it can pay off in big ways.  Playing tournament golf, specifically pro tournament golf is the best way to accelerate the learning process.  I’m so grateful that I got an opportunity this week to play against these guys.  The whole experience has been a blast, certainly one to remember.  Next stop, the PGT in Mimosa in a week and a half.  ‘till then, so long!

Gallery Surrounding the 18th Green

Sop Buntot, my favorite in Indonesia

All packed up and ready to fly home

Mercedes Benz Tour Indonesia 3rd Round

Written: October 29, 2010

            Greetings! I’m writing this from the lounge area in the clubhouse.  Taking a break from my post round practice session.  Not many pros here practice after the round.  Juvic the other day told me that most of the players on the ASEAN Tour pack their bags and head back to the hotel after their rounds but its completely different on the Asian Tour where you’ll see almost everyone on the range or putting green after.  Today, it was Rory Hie, who happens to be quite a star here in Indonesia, and myself hitting balls on the range.  We got to chat about our amateur and junior golf days in the U.S. and about other things too.  He’s one of the few foreign players that you can have a normal conversation with without having to pretend like you’re speaking slow and simple English to a baby.  Haha, perhaps that sounds a little too mean, but that’s how it is.  Anyway, you get used to it.

            This morning, I got up at the usual 4:50am and had breakfast in the lobby before waiting to catch the 5:30am bus.  The problem was, the bus never showed.  All of us players were piling up in the waiting area in which a bus should come every 15 minutes.  Instead, the organizers handed us some cash to pay for taxis.  Jay, Mars, Gene, and I took the taxi ride over to the course.  The swing felt a bit funny on the range this morning.  In shots that would feel perfectly solid and normal, I would look up and see a sweep hooking ball flight.  I countered by relying on my trusty swing thought, which is to feel like I’m taking the club down the line rather than dropping it inside.  Through the first 8 holes, I kept the swing in tact, made one or two good par saves for 8 pars in a row.  On 9, I hooked a 3 wood off the tee into the deep rough, advanced the ball about a 120 yards and left myself with 50 yards. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get up and down from there costing me my first bogey.  For the next five holes, I continued to make pars.  One was a good up and down for par after pushing what should be a simple 165 yard 7 iron into the lip of a bunker.  On hole 6, 470 yard par 4, playing the toughest this tournament, I hit a solid drive to the left center of the fairway.  Ball below my stance on the second shot from 205 yards, I pulled a 4 iron thinking that even if I can’t get it to the green, I’ll leave it just short in prime position for an up and down.  As I was taking a few practice swings, the wind started picking up into my face.  I stuck with my decision to hit the 4 iron.  My tempo felt good but I came out of it. A push fade in the middle of the creek.  There were many shots that I miss hit throughout this tournament but this one cost the most.  As much as I wish I could have had that shot back, that’s golf and you have to move on.  Dropping from about 130 yards left for my 4^th in the rough, the sticky grass grabbed landing short of the hole and in the bunker.  The bunker shot didn’t even make the green but I still managed an up and down for triple.  

Then on the 7^th, as calm as I could possibly be, I stood up on the tee and swung a solid driver down the right center but the wind kept it from drawing back. The ball ended up landing in the flat bunker but the ball so unfortunately rolled as close as could be to the 1 inch lip leaving me with no shot but a 20 yard play out.  With 240 to the green, I hit a 3 wood just short but couldn’t save my par.  5 over par with two to play.

            I credit my caddy Wulan for helping me stay upbeat through those holes.  We managed to par the last two holes that were into the wind with 3 solid swings. A hybrid on the 215-yard par 3 and a drive and a 5 iron from 185 on the 440 yard last hole.  Immediately after signing the scorecard, I hit the range to get a better feel for my swing.  Now, I’m taking a break but I’ll walk over to the putting green right after.  Still contemplating if I should get a massage in the locker room before taking one of the buses back.  We’ll see.

            I still haven’t lost sight of the big picture.  Every little experience, every round, and every tournament is part of the process. 23 shots away, Juvic looks to be so far ahead in that process, but I’ve seen what he does and I know I’ll get there.  I’m continuing to enjoy the ride and I’m ready face whatever comes. 

My caddy Wulan

Mercedes Benz Tour Indonesia 2nd Round

Written: October 28, 2010

            It always comes down to putting, doesn’t it?  Today, I managed to drop a couple putts from that critical 6 to 12 foot range.  It’s not like I made every putt out there.  My patience was tested early when a few putts of mine were rolled right on its intended line only for the ball to lip out.  But I remained positive and continued to hit quality shots.  My first nine, 10-18 since I started on the back, consisted of 3 bogeys, 3 pars, and 3 birdies.  The scorecard may have looked erratic because every short-range putt for birdie, I’d make it and every time I attempted to get up and down and make that 8 footer for par, I’d narrowly miss.  Nonetheless, I was pleased with an opening 9 of even par.

            On the first, my 10^th of the day, came the 4^th birdie.  Driver, 3 wood, then a chip to a foot for a tap in birdie.  But then a clumsy bogey from the middle of the fairway from 165 yards on 3 after hitting my 8 iron fat from the soft muddy lie brought it back to even.  Birdie on the 5^th hole after I stuck an 8 iron from 155 yards to 4 feet.  On the 6^th, 470 yard par 4 into the wind, I had 200 yards for my second shot, so I pulled out a 4iron.  Chunked it again, big time off the soft, into the grain lie.  Had 60 yards for my third, which I put to 15 feet and made par the hard way.  On 7, driver, hybrid, then a 70 yard wedge shot 5 feet past the hole set up my 6^th birdie off the day.  I calmly drained the downhill putt that I barely tapped, which meant 4 birdies on par 5’s for the day.  On 17, a quick hook off a 4 iron from 210 left me 47 yards away.  Then, with a 15 footer left for par, I drained it to remain 2 under for the day.  The final hole was a pedestrian par: hit the fairway, hit the green and two putt completing an 8 shot improvement from yesterday’s 78.

            In the last three tournaments I’ve played here in Asia, the second round is where I’ve found most success.  69 in the PGT event in Northwoods, 70 in the Canlubang Amateur, and 70 here today.  That’s what you call taking advantage of moving day.  To make note, the second round success is not just a recent trend, it has been a thing of mine since my junior golf days.  It must be about being more settled into the environment, to the course, and seeing where the bar is set based from the competitor’s scores.  I just have to figure out how to channel that energy to the first rounds of tournaments.

            Even though I wasn’t happy with my four bogeys, I was extremely pleased with the final result of 2 under 70.  Looking at the leaderboard, that score was in the top 10 for the day, which shows that I can really give these pros a fight straight up.  When I walked into the clubhouse, it was a nice feeling when the fellow Filipino pros gave me pats on the back with compliments about putting together a nice comeback. 

Apart from the swing and the short game, its about toughness and confidence.  As each tournament round passes by, I continue to feel like I’m headed in the right direction, which now I’m beginning to realize is even more pleasing to me than what scores I’m shooting.  If you read my previous day’s blog, you might have noticed my optimism and confidence despite that 78.  It’s all about perspective, willingness to accept whatever challenge comes, and being strong enough to handle any test that may come (like when you’re 7 over through 8 holes on the first round).

After the round, Coach Cassius, Dante, and I had another fun and relaxing afternoon back in the hotel then pounded again on the hotel dinner buffet.  Now, I’m back in the room and ready to sleep.  It feels like we’ve been here forever and we still have a couple more days to go. I love it!

Mercedes Benz Tour Indonesia 1st Round

Written: October 27, 2010

            First round of the four-day tournament began this morning.  5:30am bus then arrived at the golf course at around 6:15am, enough time to eat and warm up for my 7:50 tee time on hole 1.  I did a full warm up session with full swing, bunker, chipping, and putting included.  When it was time to walk over to the first tee, I was sweating profusely not because I was tired in any way but because the Jakarta humid heat was intense.  That weather would continue through the day without a cloud in the sky and very little wind. 

            Among the group, Tonight (his nick name), myself, and some Thailander, was first to play.  It’s a 540 yard par 5 and I’d say there’s a lot of room off the tee despite having an out of bounds on the left and water lining the entire right side.  After hearing my name called to tee off, there I was, staring off at the distance at the large red and white antenna I was aiming at.  At the same time, I began to experience a slight numbing feeling.  I couldn’t discount the fact that this moment was big for me, the beginning of a 72 hole tournament against a hand picked field of experienced Asian touring pros.  As much as you would like to replicate that feeling in practice standing on the first tee of a meaningful tournament, it’s simply impossible.  What you have to do instead is ‘own’ the situation when you get in it.  Think of nothing else but the target and putting on a good smooth swing.  You just have to trust that the swing you have will take that ball where you want it. And that I did.  I flushed my drive straight at the antenna splitting the fairway.  Off and running and I thought from that point, it’s go time!

            However, things quickly turned the other way.  6 over through 6 holes in a flash including a wakeup double bogey on the par 5 first hole with just a 90 yard approach for my third shot.  Both my doubles on hole 1 and 6 were a result of 3-putts from 6 feet away.  Both downhill side hill putts in which I lipped out twice - once for par and once for bogey.  In addition, the two other bogeys were two 5 iron overcooked draws that ended up left of the green in impossible up and down spots since both greens were tilted left to right.  Yet through all that, I remained resilient, kept my head up and kept on going.  Sometimes it’s difficult in those moments to stick with what you’ve got.  You immediately feel like there’s something wrong and that there’s something that needs to be changed.  But I kept playing on. Same routine, same swing thought.  I figured, it can only get better from here. Good breaks are bound to come and putts can’t keep lipping out all the time.  So I remained patient, but the over par streak kept rolling with another bogey on the long 215yard par 3 8^th. 

            Things seemed to turn around on the 9^th when I flushed a solid 7-iron 172yards from the rough dead on line with the pin to about 12 feet.  Despite the miss, I knew I had something going.  On 10, I hit a driver, then a pitching wedge to about 5 feet above the hole.  Extremely quick downhill sidehill putt once again.  The only chance you can make the putt is if you give it a good roll but risk running it by 10 feet or so.  The greens were extremely quick. They were running at about 12.5 on the stimpmeter.  So I stepped up and confidently rolled it in dead center.  Back to 6 over.  Made confident swings and two putt pars until a lip out bogey on 16.  But what I remember most are the last two holes when I made a 10 foot downhill sidehill putt with 3 feet of break and the final hole when I got up and down from the greenside bunker and made a 6 footer for par for a 78.

            I’m quite a ways back from the leader, but I hung in there.  In the afternoon, I got a good practice session with Juvic Pagunsan who shot a low 64 8-under par round and is leading the tournament.  Seeing the way he hits the ball is impressive, but not out of reach.  We’d go back and forth after watching him hit a shot, I’d take a swing a one, and I realized, ‘hey, I’m doing the same stuff he’s doing’.  

Just gotta keep plugging and we’ll see what happens the next 3 days.  The confidence is still there, so don’t worry ya’ll!

Practice Round and Preview of MB Tour Championship

Written: October 26, 2010

            After a solid 9 hours of sleep from 11pm-8am, we all woke up well rested and ready to go. We went down for buffet breakfast in the lobby at 8:30, then we were off to the golf course at the 9:30am shuttle bus to the golf course.  While on the hour long bus ride, I got a glimpse of the Jakarta traffic jams and to my surprise, its actually worse than in Manila.  Eventually, we made it to our destination and once entering the gates of Emeralda Country Club, it looked like a totally different world.  In the 1-kilometer road to the clubhouse, I immediately noticed how everything was manicured.  We were finally there.

            We were directed to the registration desk, got our yardage books, practice round tee times and lounged around in the clubhouse.  While looking at the memorabilia pictures on the wall, Coach Cassius pointed out one of his pictures taken in the late 1990’s alongside greats like Nick Price, Nick Faldo, Jesper Parnevik, and Ernie Els.  Pretty impressive stuff.

Picture I was talking about

            After a few more pictures in the clubhouse and of the views, we made our way to the range. By about 1pm, we got to tee off once the shotgun pro-am had ended.  First thing I noticed on the first hole was that it was a good thing we got yardage books in yards! The whole course was ‘infested’ in meters as distance.  In the tournament, I would be relying on the detailed yardage book they gave us, which is written exactly like the orange Lucas yardage books in the U.S.  It was me, Jerson Balasabas, Cassius Casas, and Dante Becciera that teed off.  Too bad we were only able to play 6 holes before the afternoon rains drenched us out.  Anyway, at least I was able to get a good feel for the course and the speeds of the green which are running at a quick 10-11 on the stimp.  Coach Cassius gave us a rundown of the final holes that we didn’t play and what to look out for.  A 1 and a half hour ride back to the hotel, and it was time to relax again, eat downstairs in the buffet, and back up in the room again. 

There’s one big discovery we made today and that is, there’s internet in our hotel! Rather than going downstairs and paying $10 per hour which we refuse to pay, there’s wifi internet by our window titled “club room”.  While we are unsure where that is in the hotel, we know it works sitting by the window.  The golf clubhouse also has internet so I think I’ll bring my computer with me tomorrow as well.

            All positive attitude for tomorrow. I’m playing with my good buddy Anthony Fernando at 7:50, so that should make it even more fun and relaxing.  Taking the 5:30am shuttle bus to the course.  Going to bed soon but before that, an episode of How I Met Your Mother. 

Follow the live scoring http://aseangolftour.com.sg/

A Post from Jakarta, Indonesia

Written: October 25, 2010

            It’s Monday evening right now and I’m writing this blog from Jakarta, Indonesia!  This trip pushed through last minute as I got word from Coach Cassius on Saturday morning when we played in Southwoods.  What a blessing that was to learn that we were going since a couple days before, Coach Nes and Coach Cassius said that it wasn’t going to happen anymore.  Now, I am super pumped that we’ll be here for the week playing the year’s final Mercedes Benz Championship ASEAN Tour event.  It’s basically the tour championship with the top 60 pros from the money list (plus a few of us amateurs) competing in this 4-day, no cut tournament.

            As much as I wanted to play this event, I wasn’t down about it when just a few days prior, Coach said we weren’t going.  Once he said that, I didn’t dwell on the negative news and instead told myself that there was nothing to worry about.  While it would have been a great opportunity to play the event, I told myself that I would have so many chances in the future to play in such types of tournaments.  So missing out on one despite being so eager to play wasn’t that bad when looking at the bigger picture.  My old self might have seen it differently and would have focused on stuff like, “it’s the last tournament of the season, I won’t get a chance to play one of these for a long time,” “My next event isn’t for another 3 weeks, what am I going to do?” or “they already promised me this tournament, why didn’t it fall through?”  But it’s incredible how things work out sometimes and right now, I feel blessed.  When you’re not desperate and you accept whatever outcome, it’s amazing that it’s those times when you actually end up getting what you want.

            Today, Coach Cassius, Dante, and I met up in the airport at 5am.  All went smooth until they started questioning my U.S. passport again and why my visa was expired.  I explained that it is because I am a dual citizen however my Philippine passport is expired and pending approval.  They were kinda making it difficult saying that I needed to extend my visa and pay a fee of about $150.  After Coach and I tried asking politely if there was anything else they could do, they declined saying that paying in the cashier line was the only option.  So it was time to use the connections. Coach called up some head of immigration guy, passed the phone to the highest ranking officer, then that officer immediately walked over to an employee in a closed counter, a couple whispers later to that employee and I had my passport stamped and cleared.  See? Nothing to it.  Gotta love the Philippines.

            We traveled along with the other pros Murakami, Bibat, Ferdie, 2nyt Fernando, and Gene.  Connected first in Singapore then to Jakarta, Indonesia.  Checked off two countries which I haven’t been to in one day!  Our hotel room is pretty spacious as Coach Cassius, Dante and I comfortably fit.  For merienda and dinner, we ate downstairs in the coffee shop.  In between, I took a four-hour nap.  Now that we’re done with dinner, it’s back to sleep again. Then in the morning, we’re catching the 10:30am bus to check out the golf course for a practice round. Updates to come this week. Only, we don’t have Internet connection. One of the nights I’ll go downstairs and pay for internet in the business center. Goodnight!

In transit from the airport to our Hotel

From from our hotel room

Canlubang Amateur Final Round

Written: October 15, 2010

            Today was the final round of the Canlubang Amateur Open.  I started the day in a tie for 15^th place after a big move with a 2 under 70 in the previous day.  Yesterday’s post round range session really gave assurance that the ball striking was coming around once again.  So with a quick but solid warm up in the morning prior to my 7:40am tee time, I was feeling the most confident about my swing for the first time that week.             

            On the longish par 4 first, I hit a solid drive down the right center and followed it up with a flush 7-iron from 168yards to 20 feet to a back right pin location.  2 putts later and a good start to the round.  The good ball striking made golf much easier than the last couple days as I 2-putted my first four holes.  Then on the 5^th, after a gamble off the tee with a driver on the dog-leg left hole, I was left with only 138 yards to the pin that was placed all the way on the back edge of the green.  This green was sloped severely from back to front, making it difficult to get the ball all the way up there and if you happen to land a bit over the pin, there was no way you could get up and down for par.  I played aggressive once again, taking a 9 iron.  Pouring rain at this point, I took my time and struck a smooth 9-iron that went straight for the pin, landed pin high and settled about 5 feet away.  I sunk the putt for what would be my first and only birdie of the day.

            The rest of the way through, I made a bunch of pars in different ways.  Some by missing good birdie opportunities and some with straightforward up and downs.  The only bogey came on the long par 4 13^th that placed 460 yards.  My pull off the tee left me 200 yards away from the hole but the ball nestled in the deep rough.  Lucky to advance the ball over a hundred yards from there with a pitching wedge, I set myself up with a good chance to save par from 90 yards.  From there, I played a pretty good wedge shot to 12 feet, right of the pin.  An uphill par putt that looked like a ball outside the right, I stroked it perfectly, the ball was taking the break, but in the last minute, the ball stayed straight and glanced the right side of the hole for my only bogey of the day. 

            With five straight pars to finish it off and a solid round of even par 72, I knew it would move me up a bit.  And it did.  I ended in a tie for 10^th out of about 80 players in the field shooting 80-70-72 for a total of 6 over par. That was after being 45^th place through the first round.  Over the last 2 rounds, I made only 2 bogeys. A much better performance after beginning the tournament 9 over through 12 holes. 

            There are times when golf seems to be so much harder than other days.  Unfortunately, that happened to be the first round of the tournament. As much as I wish things would have been different, that’s just how golf is.  The important thing is that I made the most of the situation, kept a positive fight attitude and finished the tournament with 2 respectable rounds. Congrats by the way to Dante who shot an impressive 65 on the last round to vault all the way to 3^rd.

            After the tournament, all of us on the on the team stayed for the awarding that included a buffet, bingo, and raffles.  A time for us to kick back and relax.  Now, I’m back home in Manila for the weekend.  Looking forward to food, family, friends, online updating, and downtime.  Reporting back to training on Monday.  So long!

Scoreboard

Canlubang Amateur 2nd Round

Written: October 14, 2010

            It’s 8:45pm already, long long day and I say that because we’ve been awake since 5am.  I’ll make this recap quick.  An 80 on the first day yesterday left me paired with the rest of the 80’s shooters today, including my teammate Erwin Madrileno for the second earliest tee time of the day at 7:08am.  On the hackers tee, which is #10.  The way the pairings went today was by score.  The latest tee time on hole #1 were the leaders, and the earlier you played, the farther off you were from the lead.  Then the tee times looped around to the 10^th tee.  The best of the worse half of the field teed off first, followed by the last placers teeing off last on 10.  The typical loop tee time.  So there I was, with Erwin and two other Koreans teeing off on the 10^th. 

            The front nine went like this: 5 out of 9 greens in regulation.  Of the 5 holes in which I hit the green, I 2-putted all of them for par.  Off the 4 other greens that I missed, I got up and down once, pitched in twice on back to back holes #11 and #12 from approximately 20 yards, and failed to get up and down on 18.  Not bad, a one under par opening nine.  I believe it’s the first time ever that I’ve holed out on consecutive holes.  That really got me going as it put me at 2 under through the first 3 holes while I was still searching for my swing.

            On the 10^th hole of the day, I was feeling a bit more comfortable.  My proposed swing thought to myself prior to the round had started to prove itself worthy.  It’s a trusty one that I keep going back to when things go astray.  For some reason, when I start losing my ball striking, I would tend to compensate by picking the ball cleanly.  I’d do this as if the turf was my enemy, that if I took a divot, I’d stick my club into the ground and it would get worse.  Well, guess what, it’s the opposite.  The more I picked the ball, the more I was afraid of hitting down on the ball, the more my shots would waver.  In addition, I reminded myself to take the club straight down the line on a path that is not too far inside.  Anyways, it started to click midway through the round as I began to strike it more solidly.  On the 10^th hole, I hit a solid drive, left with 175 yards to the back tier of the green, I stripe a 6 iron to 3 feet for a birdie to go 2 under.  From there, it wasn’t a perfect stretch home but I managed to par out.  Some I would consider good pars with good saves while some were missed opportunities.  Overall, a 10 stroke improvement is something to be proud of.  80-70 for a 6 over 150.  Another good round tomorrow and I just may find myself in the top 10.

            After the round, the girls and us guys went upstairs to enjoy the delicious Canlubang food.  My friend Alex and I shared orders of sizzling bangus and garlic chicken.  Yummy!  Then, we all went to Country Club for an afternoon range session.  After that, half an hour of stretching as worked on flexibility.  To wind down, Brent and a couple of us watched this intriguing movie called “the hole” which I’ll only recommend if you’re the type who enjoys those freaky, suspense movies that include psychotic characters.

Sizzling Bangus and Garlic Chicken for lunch!

Daunting Hole 18 of Canlubang

            Tomorrow, I tee off at 7:40am on yes, hole #1.  First tee time starts at 7:00am.  From there, I can tell that I did good work on moving day.  And, as I mentioned on last night’s blog. An 80 opening round doesn’t mean it’s a lost tournament.  It’s all about perspective and positive thinking.  We’ll see what happens tomorrow. Goodnight!

Canlubang Amateur 1st Round

October 13, 2010

            It was a rough day today folks.  Lets start with the score. I shot an 8 over 80 and consider that a saved round after going 9 over through the first 12 holes.  With pouring rains this morning, I wasn’t able to get much of a warm up in.  Still, I was feeling okay with my game as I walked over to the first tee.  The conditions were wet and soggy.  No roll on the fairways, making the course longer and the rough thicker and nastier.  It was playing more challenging, but still, no excuse to shoot way over par.

It would be difficult to go through the entire round hole per hole.  In a nutshell, I couldn’t seem to find my ball striking today.  I put myself in a lot of tough spots off the tee, only four fairways today, and with the rough so thick; I couldn’t get the ball to the green from those spots.  Missing so many fairways in itself caused most of the bogeys and doubles.

Pouring Rain and yet my teammates still came out to watch

       
    The current leader is at 4 under par, 68, Jobim Carlos, the guy who I tied for low amateur honors last week in the Northwoods PGT event.  While the leader is a bit out of reach at this point, there are still two more rounds to go.  In my mind, catching the lead is not the goal at this point. I’m looking to turn things around tomorrow with my own game.  This tournament is far from lost. I can still take something out of it.

Canlubang Amateur Open Tournament Preview

October 12, 2010

            It’s Tuesday today, October 12, 2010, and a couple days have passed since the completion of the Philippine Golf Tour event in Northwoods.  Over the weekend, I spent most of my time away from the golf scene, aside from the time Jayvie and I went to Villamor for a quick range session on Sunday afternoon.  Quality time with family and good friends over the weekends, that gets me recharged. 

            The last two days, we spent playing practice rounds in Canlubang – North Course, the course we would be playing the tournament on.  The Canlubang Amateur Open begins tomorrow, 54 holes and ends on Friday.  The field consists of about 80 players playing in the Championship division; All of the ICTSI players from both Canlubang and The Country Club are in the field. 

            By now, I have gotten a good feel of the course. It’s a par 72 and playing a little under 7,000 yards so the length is manageable.  Probably the most challenging part of the course is the rough.  It is essential to hit the fairways off the tee, especially in a day like today in which it rained intermittently throughout the round.  The “carabao” rough, which is a very thick strand of grass, much like you would see in lawns in Florida, really grabs the club, taking off considerable distance.  It’s a complete opposite type of rough from last week when playing from the rough actually added yards to your ball.  Other than that, I’m not too worried about this course. 

Giving myself the most chances for birdie by playing a solid tee to green game will be the objective for tomorrow.  The putting stroke looks good as I’m carrying much of the comfort I felt from last week in Northwoods.  This time, I’m hoping I don’t have to rely on my putter too much to bail me out.  Mentally, I intend to stay even keel through the round tomorrow, accept whatever comes my way, and enjoy the challenge.

            Tomorrow, I tee off at 9:50am.  Living only less than 10 minutes away is pretty neat.  Goodnight! Tournament updates to come.

North Course hosted the Canlubang Amateur

Tournament Reflection on Northwoods

October 9, 2010         

            Playing in an event for the first time brings about a unique feeling of excitement to a player.  There’s a lot of adjusted that needs to be made in a short period of time.  How does the course play?  Are the greens considerably quicker in the tournament? What is the competition like?   Where do I drop my bag off once I arrive at the course?  Where is the driving range, does the range fill up in the mornings when everyone warms up?  All those and many more are the little nuances a new player must consciously think about can play against a first time player.  The main focus is to get comfortable right away with the surroundings and be able to play to your potential. 

            

            Looking back on this week, I’m pleased with how I adjusted quickly to the tournament atmosphere and how I focused on my own game.  For the tournament, I wanted to remain in the present, putt and swing freely, and accept whatever comes.  Check! Did that.  Each day, there were little goals I set for myself.  I handled the first round jitters of getting off to a solid start.  Then on the second round, I stayed in the moment, minimized the mistakes, hovered around the cut line throughout but pulled away with a solid finish to clear the cut line by a very comfortable margin.  On the final round, I continued to vault up the leader board with accurate ball striking and a putter that continued to roll them in.  A top 10 in a pro event on my first go, there’s a lot to be satisfied about.  Next Philippine Golf Tour event is scheduled for Mimosa on the second week of November.  Still quite a ways away.  In the meantime, I’ll keep working and take what I’ve learned.  My next tournament will be the Canlubang Amateur next week so ‘till then, take it easy and check back for more entries soon! Thanks for following!

PGT Northwoods, Round 3

October 8, 2010

            Day 3 and the final round of the tournament. Its actually our 5^th day staying in Bulacan since we arrived on Monday to begin the first of two practice rounds.  My early 7:30am tee time meant that we needed to be awake, showered, ready, and packed up by 6:00am.  This type of schedule reminded me of my days at Notre Dame.  On the final round of every tournament, our coach would tell us to pack our bags up in the morning, along with our travel cases, and store it in the van so once we finished the round, we would go straight to the airport to catch our flight.  Packed up and ready to go, we set off for the golf course at about 6:15am.  With a quick breakfast of longanisa in the caddy shack, I went straight to the range to get warmed up.  As much as you would like every range session to go smooth and perfect, this one wasn’t.  A majority of my balls were drawing more than I would like. The good part is, I knew that could be only caused by one thing, that I’m coming too far inside.  Adjustment: once I got to the top of the swing, I thought of bringing the club straight down rather than having it drop inside.

            Tee off was at 7:30am with Erwin and Benjie Magada, who’s one of the more recognizable names on the pro golf tour.  He’s been around for a while, won a bunch of tournaments, and has coached my good friend Jude Eustaquio in his childhood days.

            Hole one, par 5, hit a solid drive down the left center leaving about 235 yards to the pin. With a 19 degree hybrid in hand and the out of bounds stake that sits 5 yards from the edge of the left side of the green, I aimed to the greenside bunker on the right.  I mean, first hole of the last round, all I was looking for was a good look for birdie. And with the hook tendencies on the range, aiming to the greenside bunker was a conservative play.  Sure enough, I pushed about 15 yards right of where I was aiming, ended up catching the bunker, but because of the push, I was on the far right hand side of the bunker, with a  downhill lie, 30 yards from the pin with little green to work with. A skull and its OB, a flub and its definitely in the bunker.  Before I hit, I got the confidence to step up and hit, it came out perfectly ending up 12 feet from the pin for birdie.  The initial read was right edge, up the hill.  But I decided on right inside with  the thought process, “well what if it doesn’t break, then the ball will just hang out to the right and never go in.” Playing the putt inside the hole, I made a good stroke but guess what, it broke in the end as it glanced the left side.  It was a good stroke, but not trusting my initial read cost me. From then on, I told myself, “that’s it. You’re going to keep golf simple, and trust your instincts.” Just as it had worked the past two days.

            Hole 2, 417 yard hole, I was once again conservative off the tee as the fairway narrowed as you drove the ball further with hazard left and a fairway bunker right.  I hooked my tee shot about 20 yards, but because I elected to play the hybrid, I was just fine on the left edge of the rough. With a front hole location 5 paces on and 5 paces from the right, 170 yards to an elevated green, I took a 6 iron, aimed at the center and held the club open at impact. Result, on line, 15 feet short, uphill birdie putt.  Before I hit my putt, my two playing companions were short-sided in the right greenside bunker, that was pretty deep. Benjie went first. Looking at his setup, it was an open faced lob wedge, but the ball was on the back of his stance on his right foot and I thought to myself, how is he going to get this up in the air? Somehow he did and the ball barely cleared the lip, trickled and rolled in the cup for a birdie.  Then it was Erwin’s turn, from the same bunker, an exact replica of the first one and the same result! It went in too!  Then it was my turn, 15 feet from the hole, I would never expect to give it a ball out to the right because the putt looked straight. What was my cheat sheet? A player had recently putt from my position, leaving the ball’s line of putt as the morning due was still present on the green.  A solid putt and the ball broke as expected, in the hole for birdie.  Benjie and Erwin cheered as we all gave each other high fives.

            Okay, I’m already getting a bit tired of writing at this point.  But I’ll finish. Hole 3, 170 yard par 3, pulled a 7 iron that ended up 15 paces on the fringe, hit the first putt too hard since I expected the ball to slow down through the 2 yards of fringe. I left myself with a downhill 5 footer for par which I calmly holed, dead center.

            Hole 4, another conservative play off the tee with a 3 wood on the par 4 430 yard hole.  By the way, I always had the impression that Filipino pros always hit driver no matter what, and that they lacked any type of course management.  This is the impression from playing with a bunch of them.  However, I haven’t really played with the good players like I did today and I realized that they weren’t like the stereotypical grip it and rip it type of Pinoy pro I was used to playing with.  They actually played the course very methodically, playing different clubs off the tee, which is perhaps why they were also scoring pretty well.  Anyway, back to this hole, my 3 wood caught the left center of the fairway. But with 200 yards to the pin, I was blocked off by an overhanging tree. I needed to start it on the right side of the green and draw it back with a 4 iron. I managed to hit a nice draw, a bit too much, but it caught the putting surface, 20 yards from the pin.  Faced with an uphill, downhill putt, I let my “natural ability” as Bob Rotella puts it, feel out the speed of the putt. I ended up hitting a good one that had a chance to go in but rolled 5 feet past the hole. Knowing the come-backer, all I needed to do was put a good stroke and I did. Par.

            Hole 5, solid tee shot, solid hybrid, PW from 116yards up the hill to a back hole location and putting surface you cannot see from the 3^rd shot. I hit a good one, turns out it was pin high, 18 feet from the hole. 2 cups out on the right side and good speed, the putt went in for birdie. 2 under thru 5.

            Hole 6, solid drive on the 390 yard hole, left with 92 yards, lob wedge actually flew past the hole 25 feet. Downhill putt, I gave it a chance to go in, trickled 5 feet past the hole. Gave it right inside. It was a miss read, because the ball stayed straight but went in anyway on the right center for par.

            Hole 7, struck a solid 7 iron from 173 yards to 5 feet. The whole crowd watching the final group seemed to turn around to watch us play since hole 4 was right beside our hole, hole 7.  Straight putt was my read, I hit it firm but the ball still dove left at the end, lipped around the hole 360 degrees and stuck its tongue right at me. I heard the crowd give a loud deep “ooooooo” sound. But I thought, “oh well, I was in the right mindset and hit a good putt.” Tapped in for par and walked off the green as if nothing crazy happened.

            Hole 8, Because I never got too emotional over that putt, almost forgetting about it right the instant I left that green, I believe it helped me hit a solid drive over the bunker in the fairway that is only 15 yards wide at that point with hazard on the right and a flowerbed on the left.  It was a gamble that my other playing partners did not take. They ended up leaving themselves with 210 yards to a tucked hole location while I was simply 135 yards from the pin.  From there, a pitching wedge to about 20 feet and a 2 putt par.

            Hole 9, drove it to the right rough, just about a foot from falling into the bunker.  The lie wasn’t good from 175, a downhill, bare type of rough, sandy under the ball. Chucked a 7 iron the bunker, plugged on the lip. With 25 yards to go, I muscled it with a pitching wedge, rolled up to the tier where the pin was, then rolled back 30 feet away. Judged the par putt well to put it in tap in range for bogey.

            Hole 10, I hit a big drive down the left on a dogleg left hole. I thought it had cleared the bunker, but it didn’t. The carry was 290yards, too much. 140 yards, downwind, I tried to nip a 9 iron, I hit it semi fat, landing short 15 paces on the fringe. Another putt that I used more of my feel than my “analytical brain”, I stroked the putt that had 5 feet of break and two tiers and fringe to go through, ended up a foot away for a tap in par.  

            Hole 11, dog leg right, I hung my drive out to the right, as it ended up catching the fairway bunker. With only 93 yards left and a downhill lie off the soft sand, I elected to play a pitching wedge and hit a semi half ball shot to ensure contact. The ball scooted right close to the bunker, but pin high. With about 15 yards and an awkward ball above my feet stance, I chipped the ball a bit to firmly, going past the hole 9 feet. Left edge putt that had perfect speed, in the hole for par.

            Hole 12, I hit a perfect 6 iron from 185 yards to about 12 feet. Uphill 12 footer with a right edge allowance, in the hole for birdie, 2 under thru 12.

            Hole 13, I hit a drive the same length as Benjie on this par 5.  We had about 245 to the pin, about 230yards to carry the creek in front of the green and with water guarding the right side of the green.  I watched him pull a 3 wood and knock it on the green to 15 feet for eagle.  Gave him the nod and said good shot. But without hesitation, I took the 7 iron out of the bag and stuck with my game plan. I stroked it well leaving myself with 82 yards to the pin.  A smooth lob wedge, I hit it to 18 feet on line past the pin.  With a cup outside the right, I gave it a good stroke and it again went in the hole for birdie. 3 under through 13.  My Zach Johnson style of play on the par 5’s was one of the keys to success this week.  I played the tricky par 5’s bogey free, 7 under par.

Hole 14, creek on the right side of this 440 yard hole, I aimed for the left edge of the fairway, but trying to hit it too hard, I hooked it left. With 190yards left on my second shot, I had to hit it over a tree and onto the green with a pin on the back right. Feeling like it wasn’t enough club, I muscled a 6 iron from the rough. The ball jumped off the lie and landed over the pin, over the back bunker, and ended up going down the hill, settling 5 yards from the water that isn’t even in play, 40 yards away from the pin.  With a difficult lie off the bare Bermuda rough plus soft mushy area, and the back greenside bunker to carry, I wanted to make sure to get it on the green. I took a full swing, and hoped for the best that the ball would pop out well. Good thing I caught it perfectly, not too heavy, but I played it like a bunker shot because the ground was so soft that I took some mud from it. With no spin, the ball hit pin high and settled 35 feet away on the lower tier. Objective again, was to try to make it. The ball had a good chance, I played the speed perfectly and settled to about a foot past the hole. If there are good bogeys, this was one of them. 2 under through 14.

Hole 15, Par 5. Solid drive, solid 3 wood to clear the bunkers. Left myself with 52 yards to the upper tier back pin.  I kinda babied my pitch. It got up to the correct tier but it was about 18 feet short of the pin.  Fortunately, Benjie was about an inch further away on the same line.  He hit a nice putt that went in the hole.  That easily gave me the line and the correct picture.  Right inside up the hill.  When I hit the putt, I was walking to the hole as the ball was halfway to the hole. I knew it was in. And it went in dead center.  Claps followed. 3 under for the round and 5 under for the tournament.

Hole 16, approaching the long 210 yard par 3, up the hill.  I blocked a three iron right into the greenside bunker leaving myself approximately 25 yards from the hole.  With an uphill lie, I elected to play the shot with a pitching wedge to have the ball release to the hole.  However, I caught the shot too heavy leaving myself with about 30 feet for par.  I snuck inside Erwin’s ball on the same line.  He putted first and narrowly missed.  Mine, I basically hit it on the same line with a bit more speed and the ball dropped in again.  Saved par, two to play.

Hole 17, with a bit of indecision off the tee to hit the driver over the corner or to play the conservative line, I chose to play a 4 iron off the tee.  That left me with 145 yards to the hole to a left pin tucked close to the water.  Aiming for the middle of the green, I came out of the shot and leaked it out right.  The chip, about 20 yards, I hit it the way I wanted but it didn’t release like I wanted to. With an 8 footer for par, I putt didn’t break and went passed 4 feet. I made the come-backer for bogey.

Hole 18, I hit a good drive down the right, but it went through the fairway in the deep rough.  125 yards remaining, I played a pitching wedge but because the rough grabbed the club on impact, it opened the face up, shot right and bounced in the hazard.  Good thing I could play it but the best I could do was advance it a couple feet in front of me.  15 yards left from the rough, I played a 60 degree, popped it out to about 5 feet for bogey.  As much as the last couple holes haven’t gone my way, I still remained calm.  I buried that downhill left to right 5 footer dead center for a bogey save and a 1 under 71.  So that’s the recap folks!

Antonio Lascuna in black and Marvin Dumandan in orange went in a playoff  at -10. Eventual winner was Marvin.

Last hole of the tournament

Final scores.