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!
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