Learning From the Best

There's a saying that if you want to be the best, you have to learn from the best.  The Cambodian Classic was my second event of my rookie season on the Asian Tour.  This time, I unfortunately missed the cut by one stroke after what I thought was a gutsy come back shooting 2 under 70 on the second day to get it back to even par for the tournament.  The cut landed at -1 and so I was on the outside, looking in. Hoping, wishing I could play 2 more rounds on the weekend with players on the Asian Tour caliber.  I knew I was getting better, I knew I could do it, I knew I belonged.  With 3 days to go in Cambodia and no flight changes available, I figured that those positive feelings would soon turn into feeling sorry for myself if I didn't accept what had just happened.

Instead, I came up with a contingency plan to work on my game the next two days.  Angkor Golf course built by Faldo is a gem in Siem Reap.  The practice facilities such as the driving range, short game area, and putting are outstanding. Having access to these the next two days, I thought, 'what an opportunity'!  During those two days, I practiced in the mornings then in my curious nature, walked the back nine with the final groups to see what those guys were doing that I didn't do.  It was an eye opener as I got to watch them under the gun.  I observed their game and how they handled the different situations.

What stood out? Well, its not like they struck it any better, but being on their games, I must say they struck it more consistently. Also, from the elite players in the final pairings, I saw their demeanor. They knack for simply playing the game without thought.  From the body language, the mindset I witnessed was like knocking the ball closer and closer until the ball found the hotel.  That's how it looked, as if no unnecessary distraction came across them.  Also, there were leaderboards everywhere on every hole.  But it didn't seem like they cared to study it.  They were solely focused on doing what they could. To play their ball and get it in the hole.

I cheered fellow Filipino Elmer Salvador on as he gave a valiant effort to win only to come up short in the playoff after David Lipsky, a Northwestern graduate who I played college golf with, knocked a chip in for birdie on the first playoff hole.  I got a first hand look of seeing them in contention down the stretch.  It was a weekend turned into a fruitful practice session and an observation from the best of the week.

Angkor Wat Tour of the Temples

On Saturday, March 17, 2012, my friend Koh Deng Shan and I decided to go together to see the Angkor Wat Temples that many around the world have been raving about.  It is the top tourist destination in Cambodia.  We waited 'till our 7th day in Siem Reap to go to the temples since our first priority was to play the golf tournament, while almost every other tourist I would imagine would go on their very first day.

Transportation is easy.  Via Tuktuk of course.  From Siem Reap where all the hotels are, it takes approximately 15 minutes to get to Angkor Wat, where the cluster of temples are located.  Its like a disney land where the attractions are the temples.  There are several of them so you'll need some transportation from one to the next.  The Tuktuk driver charged $15 to take us to and from our hotel and wait drop us off and wait for us at each temple we choose to go to.  What a deal right?  Like our personal chauffeur for the afternoon.

Pictures are best in the afternoon before sunset and luckily, that's the time we went.  Funny thing is, we went to these temples not knowing any of the history of them.  Despite that, we reveled in the structure's architecture and sheer size of these foundations.  Definitely reminiscent of La Sagrada Familie in Barcelona, the Egyptian pyramids, or the Coliseum in Rome.  Like many grand structures in history, you come to wonder how much man power was used to build them.  Certainly the Angkor Wat Temples are a Cambodian Masterpiece worth visiting.

For a detailed explanation of the history and significance of the Angkor Wat temples, you may visit this page of the Wikipedia site: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angkor_Wat

Below are the pictures of our visit:

Asian Tour Handa Cambodian Classic 1st and 2nd Round

           After getting two practice rounds in the days prior, I was ready to tee it up for what would be my 3^rd Asian Tour event and first outside the Philippines.  Once you have played these events a few times, its easier to get used to the atmosphere and feel comfortable.  Having the last tee time of the day at 1:40pm, there was a lot of time in the day before teeing off so I used that time wisely and got to the course 3 hours before teeing it up to stretch, go to the physiotherapist, eat by loading up on carbs, and warm up the short game and full swing.  When it was time to tee it up on the 1^st hole, I was both physically and mentally prepared.

            With the winds much stronger in the afternoon than in the morning, it was just an element you had to deal with.  This led to a few missed greens on the edges, which for the most part I was able to save par.  The only mishaps came on hole two after a three-putt then on hole five after hitting the driver into the fairway bunker.  Two over through nine holes.  Despite the slow start, I reminded myself that there was a lot of golf left to be played and patience will allow for the good golf to show itself.

            On the back nine, I started hitting it better and had more chances for birdies.  However, I failed to convert any through fifteen holes and already dropped to three over par after a bogey on 15.  Hole 16 was the only birdie of the day after I had my wedge from 120 yards to six feet.  Getting back to two over, I finished there for a 74 total.

            The next day, I had a morning tee time.  I was up for the challenge knowing there was some ground to make up.  I figured the cut would be at around even par, if not, 1 under par would definitely be safe.  First hole, I hit my drive into the fairway bunker.  Left with 180 yards and a big lip in front of the ball, I could only pop it out. After a mediocre 50 yard pitch to 15 feet, I made the putt and saved par.  The scrambling save gave me some confidence that things could go my way that day.  Surely, they did.  Birdie on 13, the 4^th hole of the day then another birdie on 15, the 6^th hole of the day got me right back at even par for the tournament.  A successful par saving attempt on the 8^th hole from 35 yards away in the bunker, and things were looking good.

            After that however, the putter cooled off.  With one bogey on the back nine offset by only one tap in birdie on the 14^th, the solid ball striking round gave me a lot of tap-ins for par.  End result, two under 70 for a total of even par 144.  At the time, it was inside the top 65 cut line but as scores were showing up on live scoring, guys were just going lower and lower until even par ended up tied 69^th place and out of the weekend.  It was a good run and certainly both the mental and the physical aspects of my game are getting better.  I would have loved to play the weekend but still, I felt appreciative of the opportunity and the added confidence that my game is headed the right direction.

           Here were the end results of the event: http://www.asiantour.com/result.aspx?rnd_caption=Final%20Results%20and%20Earnings&rnd_event=20111024870792463064#

Sights and Life in Siem Reap, Cambodia

Three days living in the city of Siem Reap, Cambodia, I'd like to share my experiences so far. If it weren't for getting a call from the Asian Tour a few days prior to the event, I wouldnt have made it to this new city.  Luckily, I got off the reserve list and booked a ticket immediately from Kuala Lumpur to Siem Reap on Air Asia. 

Upon arrival, the airport was small and looked like only a few flights landed daily. Getting off the airplane and walking down the tarmac, the simple looking airport with its Cambodian architecture seemed quite new.

Driving from the airport to the city, there's only one main road. Along this strip are surprisingly several hotels, classy and resorty I must say, lined up one after the other.  I later learned that the main road we were traveling on wasn't even cemented two years ago. As for the row of hotels, they were just being built then. With the endless choices of hotels, Siem Reap accommodates travelers of kinds and budgets. The host hotel the Asian Tour recommended was a 5-star, $75 a night rate.  I followed the Malaysian caddies who showed me an alternative just down the road for $10 a night. Wifi, air conditioning, hot water, cable tv. Knowing that I would be staying here for 7 nights, I took the option. 

It seems like Siem Reap quickly and recently transformed itself into a tourist destination.  You'll see a lot of middle aged Europeans in their sleeveless shirts both men and women who don't seem to know they have a shower in their hotel room. You can also spot out the occasional American that walks around with a backpack as if they're going to climb Mount Everest.  As for the Asians, there aren't as many tourists apart from the obvious ones with the cameras, but perhaps it's because they blend in more. Like it was said that I looked Cambodian. 

Walking around the city in the evenings, there are countless restaurants serving anything from local dishes, exotic local dishes like crocodile meat, Indian, Italian, and American food. Meals are as cheap as they come in Asia. You'll get a quality meal at a descent restaurant for $5.  It's best to try a new restaurant every time you dine. 

The common mode of transportation around the city, which basically consists of the one main road is via motorcycle or Tuktuk, a modified motorcycle with a carriage in the back for luggage or more individuals.  Around the touristy area, the locals speak English but make sure you bargain the price not only for transportation, but for everything else as well. 

Oh and I forgot to mention, there's no need to change your dollars. Talk about a currency being pegged to the U.S. dollar, literally. That's because the cash that is used for transactions in Siem Reap is the U.S. dollar. 

I saved touring the place for what its known for, the Angkor Wat Temples for the last day. I'll let you know how that goes in a different blog entry. This exotic Asian country is definitely a must see for those travel enthusiasts out there. So there you have it, a dose of Cambodian life in the tourist friendly city of Siem Reap.

'Till next time, so long! 

Getting off the flight via Air Asia, Kuala Lumpur

The famous tourist street lined with restaurants and bars.

One of their specialties, curry

Night markets everywhere

Mode of transporation, the Tuktuk

Asian Tour Cambodia 2nd Practice Round Day

Today was another fun day on the course. I woke up and walked from my hotel to the host hotel, where the shuttle service was. about a 1km walk on the main road. along the way, I stopped to eat some brunch at a Cambodian restaurant. Chicken curry and fried rice.

Upon reaching the host hotel, off to the course from there.  I talked to the Champs spikes guy who was offering to change spikes, which I gladly accepted. These new spikes have long legs and resemble a spider. According to Paul, the Champs spikes rep, PGA Tour players change their spikes normally every 4 weeks. Last time I had it changed? Never since getting the shoe a year and a half ago. Good thing is, I'll feel the most difference. And I did! Great traction!

Hanging out on the range, I also said hello to the Callaway rep who first told me via email a few days before the event that he had packed up and didn't bring any 2-ball putters.  But he called me that time and said he had one extra that a tour player didn't want. It was the exact same 2-ball putter that I like, the original except with a brand new insert, a Metal-X insert is what they call it. Couldn't have been happier.

Then when it was time to tee it up, I played with Temyo Murakami and Bank Vongvanij who was making the turn to play 9 holes with us.  A friend of mine since our junior golf days in Florida, we got to talk about a lot of stuff from our experiences in the U.S. to where it has brought us now. With his career accomplishments and recent ones on the Asian Tour, 2 top tens in his first two starts, I definitely wanted to see what game he got.  Descent ball striker, nothing to wow you but straight enough. Then good around the greens as well as his putting. Inspiring to know, I personally felt I had everything he had.

It was dinner shortly afterwards upon putting the stuff in the hotel room. A good potato chicken curry meal and spicy friend rice with mixed vegetables with a sprite of course so you don't use their tap water. All for less than $5.

Now at the hotel room, 1:15pm tee time tomorrow, about to call it the night. Goodnight!

Kony 2012 YouTube Video: My Take

            Two days ago, I came across this video on Facebook recommended to me by a friend.  The 30 minute video features a warlord from Uganda who has ruled the criminal activities and has allegedly been recruiting boys to his army for years.  The video's intention is to put a spotlight on this man not to glorify him but to raise awareness on the atrocities he has committed to thousands.  According to the international criminal court, he is number one on its criminal list.

            The maker of the video seems to have a good grasp of democracy that if enough support is gathered, the almighty powerful U.S. government can do something about it and intervene.  The video I must say is quite inspirational and very persuasive in swaying the public to rally for the cause of taking Kony to justice.

            But when you look at what the maker of the video is proposing, he wants the masses to rally and ask the U.S. government to send troops to Uganda to find and stop Kony.  Ironic because likely they are the same group that has been pushing for the war of Afghanistan and Iraq to stop.  Another article also points out that the last time the United States went for a manhunt, it lasted for over a decade.

            No doubt Joseph Kony is the man to stop, but how verifiable are the facts that are said on the video? As the other article notes, I would rather push for strengthening the International Criminal Court and involve the United Nations in the movement rather than asking the United States to intervene and be the 'savior' as it always wants it to be.  Walk with caution U.S.A.  

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4MnpzG5Sqc

ADT Impian Masters 1st and 2nd Round

          Playing the first ADT event of the year in Malaysia, I was more than ready to tee it up after a month of preparation in the Philippines doing mostly short game and a lot of physical fitness.  With ample knowledge gained from a practice round the day prior, I had the confidence to play the layout.  Front nine, and off to a solid 2 under start.  Then on the back 9, I had one hiccup double bogey on the 16^th but bounced back nicely with a kick in birdie on the last to finish the round under par.

            The following day, off to another solid start after going one under through 9 holes that included one eagle on a par 5.  On the back nine, the only mishap was a double bogey on the 14^th after hitting it out of bounds on the tee shot.  During that moment playing the remaining holes which we quite challenging, it would be easy to lose hope and be out of sorts. But I held it together for the final 4 holes. I made three gutsy pars on 15, 16, and 18.  The birdie try came on the par 5 17^th where I left myself with a 6 footer.  A perfect putt that was under-read and made a dive left and lipped out. 

            The 71-73 even par total while not perfect, I thought would make the cut on the number.  The cut, top 50 out of the 144 field, turned out to be 1 under par.  That was a bit of a heart break because whenever you travel and come to any tournament, its your intention to play all 4 rounds not only to cash in a check but to simply play golf for the fun of it.

            A shot short this time but a bittersweet moment since I got word that same day that I was into the field for next week’s Asian Tour event in Cambodia! After our 2^nd round, Ryan, Chuck and I would go out for dinner with our caddies who were just as bummed out as we were.  The good thing is, you’ll always get to have another tournament to look forward to.  Taking the positives of the solid shots and putts I made especially down the stretch will definitely benefit for next week’s event in Cambodia.
           Time to keep plugging along!  Learning each step of the way.
Scores through two rounds: http://www.asiantour.com/adt_news.aspx?sid=20120309523919753859

ADT Impian Masters Pre-Round

            I’m joyful, happy, and excited to be here in Kuala Lumpur alongside Chuck Hong and Ryan Lam. Really, are those the best adjectives that I could come up with to describe my feelings about traveling to Malaysia and playing the first Asian Developmental Tour event of the year? Literarily speaking, perhaps not, but those adjectives sure are spot on.

            We left Manila via Cebu Pacific last night with a 9pm flight then were greeted in the Kuala Lumpur airport by Liong, my Malaysian caddy who caddied for me in Thailand and his friend.  Its always great to have locals as your friends who can speak the language and take you around.  They literally took care of us as we rode with them from the airport to the hotel to the golf course.  That would be our routine for the rest of the week.

            A big help from Liong was that he knew the course too since he caddied for a player at last year’s event.  Chuck, Ryan, and I went around to check out the course that afternoon and got a good feel of the undulations, slopes and yardages. 

If there’s one thing I forgot to pack, it’s my rain suit! It rains a lot around here at this time of the year according to Liong, in the afternoons in particular.  Looking forward to a fun week ahead! Tee time tomorrow, 9:30am.

The Player Caddy Relationship

Many of the successful professional golfers say that the caddy-player relationship is vital to their success.  The caddy plays a much bigger role than one would initially imagine.  The description of a caddy's job is to carry the player's bag.  However, once you really get into competition and know what it means to have a good caddy, then you'll figure out the intangibles a caddy has to offer.

During my days as a junior and collegiate golfer, playing without a caddy was the norm and the rule.  When I moved to the Philippines back in 2010 and with all the courses having caddies, it was something I quickly got used.  Having your bag carried around for you was a relief physically but then I started to notice how I played even better when I had a good caddy on the bag who would be alert, give the right yardage and reads on the green.

Two months ago when going to play the Final Stage of the Asian Tour event in Thailand, Ryan introduced me to a caddy who flew from Malaysia.  He was looking for a player for that week since his player who played on the first stage of qualifying didn’t make it past.  So I accepted and figured from the relatively little experience I’ve had of using professional caddies, that any advantage you can get, you take it.

We formed a bond right away during the practice rounds and from there, we gave it a great run at getting our fully exempt status on the Asian Tour. His guidance and his knowledge of the game was instrumental.  What an experience it can become when you have not only a good caddy but also a good friend who you can share it all with by your side.

We’ve been friends since and kept in touch through Facebook.  When I told Liong that I will be playing the first Asian Developmental Tour event of the year in his home country in Malaysia, he was delighted to be on the loop again. Given that he has caddied for Asian and European tour players in bigger events, I figured I couldn’t quite compensate him the way those more established players just yet. It was heartwarming to get his message saying that he was more than willing to caddy and reassuring not to worry about his caddy rates.

This was his message: “i will to caddying u...dont worry...i know a lot of that course.dont thinking about the payment..if u placing good money..i hope u can pay me by the percentage..carl..dont worry again about the payment ok..i like to caddying u.i hope we can do some miracle there.i just wait for u..call me if u be here.(kuala lumpur).maybe we can be a winner..dont worry buddy...i'll wait for u there.only u i like to caddy...honestly..!!!”

What a heart-warming message and a show of faith from Liong.  The adventure continues and while we all strive for that end-point success, its important to notice and enjoy every part of the journey to that point.  

Tentative 2012 Golf Schedule

Its been a slow first two months as far as golf goes. I could count them on one hand: Asian Tour Final Stage Qualifying, Razon Invitational, then the Asian Tour Philippine Open.  Soon after however, we're going to go big week in and week out.  It'll be an endurance test.  Then again, the best way to improve is to play competitively.

Thank you ICTSI for all the support! 

Proposed 2012 Tournament Schedule

Tours to be played on this year

• PGT – Philippine Golf Tour
• ASEAN Tour
• ADT – Asian Developmental Tour
• Asian Tour

March 8-11 – ADT Impian Masters, Kuala Lumpur Malaysia

March 14-17 – Asian Tour Cambodian Open

March 22-24 – ASEAN Tour Singha Pattaya, Thailand

March 28-30 – PGT Splendido, Tagaytay

March 29-April 1 – Asian Tour Panasonic Open, Delhi, India

April 4-7 – ADT Johor Classic – Malasyia

April 5-8 – Asian Tour Handa Classic – Singapore

April 18-20 – PGT John Hay, Baguio

April 25-28 – PGT Sherwood Classic*

April 26-29 – ADT Clearwater Masters, Perak, Malaysia

May 3-6 – ASEAN Luang Prabang Laos Open, Laos

May 10-13 – ADT A’Famosa Classic, Malaysia

May 23-25 – PGT Eagleridge

May 30-June 1 – PGT Alabang Ryder Cup

June 6-8 – PGT Eastridge

June 14-17 – Asian Tour Queen’s Cup, Thailand

June 19-22 – PGT Malarayat

June 21-24 – ASEAN Tour Phuket, Thailand

June 27-30 – PGT Southwoods*

June 25-28 – ADT Terangganu Masters – Malaysia

July 5-8 – ADT Taman Dayu Championship, Indonesia

July 5-8 – ASEAN Tour, Malaysia

July 18-20 – PGT Negros Occidental Bacolod

July 25-27 – PGT Iloilo

August 8-10 – PGT Pueblo, Davao

August 15-17 – PGT Rancho Palos Verdes – Cagayan

August 23-26 – ADT Ballantine’s Championship, Taiwan

August 30 – September 2 – ASEAN Singha Esan Open, Thailand

September 4-8 – PGT / ADT Aboitiz Cebu

September 11-15 – PGT / ADT Orchard

September 13-16 – Asian Tour Yeangder C’ship, Taiwan

October 4-7 – ADT Sarawak Classic, Malaysia

October 11-14 – ASEAN Palembang Musi C’ship, Indonesia

October 16-19 – PGT Luisita

October 18-21 – ASEAN Ancora Classic, Jakarta

October 24-26 – PGT Calatagan

November 1-4 – ASEAN Sabah Masters, Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia

November 8-11 – ADT KL Masters, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

November 14-16 – PGT Canlubang

November 21-24 – PGT Wack Wack