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

PGT Del Monte 2nd Round

Written: August 18, 2011

            Having a late tee time on the first day meant I would have an early tee time today.  I got up at 4:30am to get ready for the 6:40am tee time.  Despite the even par round yesterday, there were still some thoughts of the cut line lingering in my head.  The projected cut from looking at the scores in day one would fall unusually low for Philippine Golf Tour standards at around 2 or 3 over par.  However, one thing I’ve learned about thinking of the cut line during the second round, it only introduces fear.  Instead, the better perspective is to visualize yourself trying to make a move on the leaders.  Asking myself, “what must I do to catch the leaders?” rather than “what must I shoot to make the cut?” has really helped me play more fearless golf.

            Must this round be explained more than a recap of statistics?  Basically, all day I kept climbing deeper and deeper into the red numbers.  13/14 fairways hit and 14/18 greens hit and 28 putts.  It was just a matter of hitting the fairway, hitting the green, and seeing if the birdie putt would fall in the hole.  With six birdies, putts did fall into the hole.  On the practice range warming up this morning, it helped build confidence in myself knowing that I was hitting it really straight and really solid, which was night and day from last week’s scrambling effort.  I said to myself, “wouldn’t it be nice if I hit all the 18 greens today?” That thought stayed in my mind all day.  Setting the bar high but having acceptance if you didn’t reach it was the recipe for success today.

            Tonight, it’s just Mars and I in the house since Baste, Andres, Miguel and his dad left for Manila already.  Tomorrow, game time again and it would be ideal to bring the same game and attitude as today.

Between rounds, we got to check out the longest zipline in Asia. 840m long!

PGT Del Monte 1st Round

Written: August 17, 2011

            The tee time for the 1^st round would be the 2^nd wave.  Because of the later tee time, I was again able to sleep soundly and get more than 9 hours of rest for the second straight night in a row.  Boy does it feel good when your body is telling you that it’s rested and ready to go.

            With the slightest of lower back pains still lingering, I made sure to employ the routine stretches as well as several more that I found online which if done religiously as noted, it could help relieve the pain.  But once I got to the range and started hitting balls long and straight, any thought of pain went away.  You see, for golfers and athletes, pain only comes when they start playing bad but when their performance is good, they never think one bit of the pain.  It’s more of a mental thing really.

            I had a good pairing with Mars Pucay and Eddie Salvador at 10:40am to start at the back nine.  Slow to start off the round, I posted two bogeys in the first  six holes offset by only one birdie.  Once I got things squared away, I made just one bogey and two birdies in the final twelve holes for an up and down but pretty steady for the most part even par round of 72.  The regained confidence in the ball striking is looking promising while the putting stroke remains flawless.  If at one point they all start firing at all cylinders, then watch out! Tomorrow, teeing off at 6:40am.

Road Trip to Cagayan De Oro

Written: August 15, 2011

            With the following week’s tournament being in Cagayan, a lot of the pros and myself decided not to go back to Manila and instead take the road trip to Cagayan.  The tournament will be held in Del Monte Golf Club, home of several local pros including the legend Frankie Minoza.  Once finishing the tournament in Davao on Friday, myself, TonTon, the other pros and amateurs all stayed together one more evening in FTC hotel. This time, in the P188 per person a night hotel. Yeah folks, that’s less than $5! Albeit we were sandwiched in a 16 person room, it did the job that night for the next day, Chuck, Brent, Alex, and I would be off to Cagayan.

            Very fortunate in this aspect was Chuck who had a pickup truck lent by his uncle in Davao for him to use.  The 6 hour trip was long and grueling.  Up and over and side winding the mountains on treacherous and bumpy terrain.  Like sardines in the backseat with our handcarries on our laps the entire trip since there was no space in the truck, we all knew this was still much better than taking the public transportation bus.

            We arrived in Cagayan and once again with Chuck’s uncle, another blessing for them to accommodate Brent, Alex, and I for the evening.  Their hospitality included an evening meal and a breakfast the next morning before we took the 30 minute drive to Del Monte Golf Club.  Over the next two days on Sunday and Monday, I’d take practice rounds reunited with Elmer, my caddy a year and a half ago in Bacolod for the PAL Interclub event.

            Last but not least, I have Martin Lorenzo to thank for letting me stay in his gorgeous and humongous house, which is conveniently located on the golf course.  Without this, then you’ll be searching for hotels an hour’s drive away in the city.  Instead, I have a cozy queen size bed, a spacious bathroom and room that includes cable T.V. and a pretty sunrise with a view of the 14^th fairway.

            One more practice round tomorrow and its show time on Wednesday.  For tomorrow, Ryan, Ton, and I hope to find this zipline adventure place which they say is the longest zipline in Asia. Gotta find it and try it if we’re this close! Goodnight

Davao to Cagayan De Oro Road Trip

Chuck, Alex, Brent, and I packed up for the 6 hour journey

Occasional landslides along the way. No biggie

PGT Davao Recap

Written: August 13, 2011

            The week seemed to go by extremely quick so here I am writing my first blog on my trip to Davao.  Like most excursions around the Philippines this year, visiting Davao will be my first time.  Upon arriving at the Davao airport on Monday morning, I was fortunate to hitch a ride with the tournament organizers to go straight to the golf course.  Once there, I located my assigned caddy for the week who happens to be Marvin Dumandan’s brother.

            Playing the course for the first time, I needed a lot of course tips from my caddy on what to hit off the tee, how the fairways and greens slope, and which greens are the firm ones and the soft ones.  Fortunately, I had the opportunity to play with two veterans who happen to claim Apo Golf Club as their home club they grew up on.  Tony Lascuna and Elmer Saban taught me local knowledge of the course and assisted me with all there was to know.  Apart from the two, I was up against many of the pros who come from Davao.  It was imperative that I caught up and got comfortable with the course right away.

            By the way, roommates for the week included Randy Garalde, Ryan Lam, and TonTon Asistio.  We booked our first two nights at a hotel by the course called Hannies Inn.  The succeeding nights, we found a better deal closer to downtown.  Newer and cheaper hotels at the FTC tower, a hotel I would recommend for future travelers to Davao looking for a quality but budget friendly hotel.

            The Pro-Am day on Tuesday was another chance to familiarize myself with the course.  Again, by sheer luck and coincidence, I was paired up with a pro-am partner who I played with in Eastridge Golf Club back in May.  Bien Cerbo, who happens to be the father of a friend of mine back in Manila.  We enjoyed eachother’s company along with two of our other playing partners to the point that they were kind enough to invite my friends and I to dinner that evening. 

            Describing the last three days of the tournament in one word: scramble.  That’s what I kept telling myself on the golf course.  Recovery, recovery, recovery.  Each time my back was against the wall, I somehow came up with a counter attack.  Examples? Well, here’s to list a few:              5 over after the first 7 holes during the first round but I slowly managed to climb out of the deep early hole I dug myself in.  Remaining 5 over through 12, I finished with some fireworks down the stretch by closing with 4 birdies in the last 6 to salvage a gutsy 73. 

            The remaining two days of the tournament were played with less than perfect golf but with a sound mental approach and a gritty putting performance, I was able to overcome the flaws and manage to turn in back to back rounds of even par 72.

            The one over par total of 217 over three rounds landed me into a tie for 12^th place.  Talking with Doc Rotella the day after the tournament and explaining to him how different the tournament felt compared to my other solid finishes in the weeks prior, he explained that there are different ways to get the job done.  Sometimes you play well because of good ball striking and sometimes its with a good short game as it was this week.  Either way, the scorecard doesn’t tell stories.  All it shows are how many strokes it took you to get it in the hole.  And in each week, if you can find a way to get that ball in the hole, well then, you’ll be in business. 

            Next week, off to Cagayan De Oro for the PGT Del Monte Championship.  See ya Davao!