ASEAN Laos Final Round

May 6, 2012

            Final round it was the conclusion of the first ever professional event in Laos. The ASEAN Tour Luang Prabang Open.  Starting the day pretty far off the leaders, at 42^nd place, this round was used more to get some confidence for upcoming events.  Like the previous rounds, this round was riddled with animation as I traded bogeys and birdies back and forth.  The putting, which is the strength of my game, was on and off while the ball striking was the same.  Overall, I had 5 bogeys and 4 birdies highlighted by a final hole birdie from 35 feet away.

            A finish of 43^rd place.  However, it’s always a positive to make the cut and get to play 4 tournament rounds of golf.  One more night in Laos then we all head to Bangkok in the morning.  From Bangkok, we part ways as the guys play the Singha Pattaya Open while I carry on and take a connecting flight to Taipei for the Taiwan Technology Cup which boasts a $330,000 purse for a local event.  Luckily, they invited some Asian Tour members.

            Thanks to the guys for a fun week of traveling! Journey continues.

ASEAN Laos 3rd Round

May 5, 2012

Well, today if I focus on the positives, I hit the driver extremely well. Long and straight. Yet from the middle of the fairway, where I had approach shots into the green, I couldn't quite find the green. Consequently, I was trying to save par a couple times but 5 times, I made bogey.  When the bogies pile up, well, there's no chance for under par. At least there were three birdies sprinkled in there.

That's how it goes. You do some things well, you do some things poorly and they all add up to this game called golf.  The beauty of it is the challenge. So after getting a quick lunch, I set off to the range along with Quino, Glenn, and Jet who came to practice as well. We practiced mostly ball striking on the range the entire afternoon and I figured out stuff. Little swing mechanics that work and of course, you can't overlook the repetition. So despite the 40th or so position, I'm quite optimistic about tomorrow's round to see what it brings.

Three rounds of 75-73-74.  Looking forward to making something happen tomorrow!

ASEAN Laos 2 Rounds Done

May 4, 2012

            Well folks, two competitive rounds are in the books here in Luang Prabang, the site of the first professional event in Laos.  The course was surprisingly long playing over 7,300 yards.  Four birdies yesterday during the first round enroute to a 75 due to two double bogeys to finish the round.  44^th place. 

Then today, I played a little better shooting 73.  I’m quite pleased with the way I struck the ball from tee to green but I sure left a lot of shots out there.  Still, another cut made and only half way through the tournament which means with two rounds to go, there’s time to make up ground and continue to build on the confidence from recent weeks.

Hello Laos!

May 2, 2012

            Touchdown Luang Prabang! At around noon this morning, we made the trip from Bangkok to Luang Prabang. It looks to be an exciting week. It’s great to be part of this history of Laos hosting their first professional event.  Who knows how this course will look like.  It’s always a thrill to check out a new course.  All we know now is that it’s scorching hot! More pictures and more updates to follow!

PGT Sherwood Recap

May 2, 2012

            For the week of April 25-28, the Philippine Golf Tour goes to Sherwood Golf Club for the tour’s first “major”.  Well, the big majors of the ICTSI sponsored circuit were in the beginning of the year with the Razon Invitational in January then the Philippine Open in February.  The Sherwood event however, would be the first official “major” of the PGT season as it boasts a P2.5 million purse compared to the regular P1 million purse on the local tour.

            From experience at last year’s Sherwood event, I remember it to be a championship course.  It’s a long course and in select holes, tight.  Basically, it’s a ball-strikers course.  In stark contrast with last week’s short, hilly, tight Camp John Hay which required precision wedge and putting.  Sherwood would test that as well as your long game.  Nonetheless, I had a lot of momentum from the 2^nd place showing the previous week in Baguio.

            However, golf once again shows how unpredictable a game this is.  Granted the greens were running at an ultra quick 12.5-13 on the stimp meter but the putting just wasn’t there for the week.  Whenever some kind of momentum was made, I would give it right back with either some unfortunate event or a bad swing.  I safely made the cut with a 74-74 that put me in the top 20.  For the last two days, I wouldn’t gain much ground as I shot 76-74 to finish 19^th place.

            There are still positives to take out of this week.  My patience was tested in each of those 4 days with the punches that I was being thrown yet for the most part, I remained calm and didn’t get hung up on those humps.  At least consistency is improving wherein I can still scramble around and be relatively close to the top despite a less than perfect game. 

Thanks to my host family for the week, Tito John Anunuevo for accommodating me into his gorgeous Ayala Alabang mansion.  We sure had a great time together along with his 6-year-old son Juan.  More to come in the following weeks. Two tournaments down and two to go in this 4 week stretch.  Next adventure: Luang Prabang, Laos for the ASEAN Tour event.

PGT Baguio and that Magical 59

May 1, 2012

            Where to begin this story? The last 2 weeks have been quite eventful. If I may go straight to the highlight, it would be without a doubt, that magical day on the course on April 19, 2012.  It was the second round of the Philippine Golf Tour event in Baguio’s Camp John Hay golf course.  Talk about a sizzling round: 10 birdies and just one bogey to finish with a 9 under par 59.  That was the course record.  Three birdies to start off the round and three birdies to end the round including that memorable final birdie.  15 feet, down-hiller for birdie knowing that it was for a 59.  When that went in, what an absolute rush of emotions that was.  Finding the zone, staying there throughout the round and playing the closest to what would be described as perfect golf, a cloud 9 feeling.  With that round, it propelled me to the outright lead at -13 and two shots clear of 2^nd placer Marvin Dumandan.

            I knew it would be a battle heading into the final round.  First time with the lead but the good thing was that it wouldn’t be my first time playing in the final pairing as a pro.  The experience from a couple month ago playing alongside Juvic Pagunsan and Elmer would prove to be valuable in tackling the final pairing atmosphere once again.  Although I did get off to a hot eagle start, I wasn’t quite able to sustain the momentum as I wound up the day with a 1 over par bagging a solo 2^nd place finish.

            Not much disappointment really.  All smiles and a sense of accomplishment knowing that my game, with the help of coaches and loved ones, is moving the right direction.  Prior to this tournament, my game had been looking solid but it has become more of a mental challenge.  Apart from making a cut and finishing 17^th in Splendido, I had missed 3 other cuts on the Asian Tour.  Twice missing a cut by a shot and the other time by two shots.  Deep down, I knew my game was there but I couldn’t ignore the fact that still, they were missed cuts.  But that’s the beauty of the game.  Golf throws you curveballs and while you want complete control of what happens, you simply must come to a realization that you must instead accept whatever happens.

            I’m entirely grateful for my best finish so far on the Philippine Golf Tour.  A 59, a 2^nd place, and to enjoy Baguio was a week I would not forget.  Not much time to relax cuz Sherwood next week for a PGT major, here we come!

The 6+ hour drive

Hole 1

Pro-Am Partners

Awarding

Nice job Marvin