Wednesday, February 27: The last week of my European extravaganza has not gotten off the the hottest of starts. Here in Spain, the weather the last couple of days has not cooperated. With very low temperatures for this area and the wind feeling like I am back in Dublin, I thought I would be right at home. But instead I made a couple of mental errors over the last four holes and went from having a great round in wintery Spain to being an outsider looking in heading into the final round of stroke play qualifying.
Here are some of the gory details: I shot a +6 on my back nine that included an 8 and two 6s on holes that I just didn't need to play the way I did. I finished with an 80 (+7) on a day when only eight players shot par (73) or better. The ending left a bad taste in my mouth. Despite having to take the rain gear off and put it back on a few times, plus wind gusts that made the ball oscillate on the greens, the conditions were not the problem today. The problem was staying patient and realizing that it was a tough day for everyone. Golf is one of those games where you don't own it. I wish it was, because I would give anything to own it....but that's why we all love it. Golf is hitting that perfect shot once or twice a round and asking yourself, 'Why can't I repeat that?'
I started reading the book "Seven Days in Utopia" on this trip and at first I thought to myself 'Oh, what can a book teach me about the game that I can't learn for myself?' But I've found myself looking between the lines and past what is actually on the paper and thinking about my own situations in the game. Sometimes it helps to hear what other people have to say and remind myself that it is just a game and in order to succeed you have to have fun! That is something I lacked today.
Tomorrow is a new day, and I am in Spain, a country that some people get to see but others only wish they could. I am experiencing a once-in-a lifetime opportunity by coming over to play in these championships. I guess it takes a bad round or sometimes even failure to realize how fortunate I am! Tomorrow is the day and there is nothing to lose in the position that I am in. The La Manga Club is a strategic stroke play course and a perfect match play course (I hope to find out). The top 32 make match play and the seeds go out the window, it's one on one and all I have to do is get in!
