:: April 10
:: 29 APRIL 2010
After 2 weeks off I was really looking forward to heading to New Orleans for The Zurich Classic. It is a really fun town and I have always very much enjoy the tournament there. On Tuesday night we had a great evening at The Manning’s House, Archie Manning's and his wife Olivia hosted us for dinner and they had their sons Peyton and Eli there as well. The Manning’s are probably one of the most famous families in America or certainly one of the most famous sporting families in America. Archie was a great New Orleans Saints football player and Eli and Peyton are current players and certainly very famous, so it was great to meet them and hangout. On Wednesday night we had a function at Emeril’s restaurant and once again Emeril’s is a famous chef here in America and he is very big in the New Orleans area so it was lovely to eat in his restaurant. On the Thursday night there was a party for the player’s which was very well attended and was a fun evening.
The week started off with great weather and then unfortunately we had some storms roll in Friday afternoon and Saturday that really caused chaos with the tournament, it was amazing that we ended up finishing on time on Sunday. In terms of my golf I was a little disappointed with my finish. There were so many positive things that happened in the week that I can’t believe I finished 43rd. I really drove the ball well, I was tied 2nd in driving accuracy, 16th in driving distance, I was pretty decent in greens in regulation and my scrambling was also good. The weird thing was that I just couldn’t make a putt. My putting was OK, I didn’t miss anything from short range I just wasn’t holing the 8-20 foot birdie range which was what really cost me a good finish. Over all lots of good stuff happened with my game. I felt really patient and as if the 2 weeks off had freshened me up mentally and that I was dealing with my adversity really well on the golf course.
New Orleans was a positive week, something to build on. I have got a week now to work on my short game. The greens at The Players Championship are going to be relatively similar to the greens I faced in New Orleans. The good news is that the practise putting green here at Lake Nona also has Bermuda grass which is the same as what I will be playing next week. I am really prepping for the TPC now, I have been excited about it for a long time and I have a feeling that it is going to be a good week.
Justin.
:: 20 APRIL 2010
Missing the Masters was a bitter sweet feeling. Obviously I would have loved to have been in Augusta but missing it gave me the opportunity to take 2 weeks off which I felt was very much needed. I went to the Bahamas during the first week off and spent 5 days down there and had a fantastic time. I then got back to Orlando and started practising and really working out hard in the gym so I feel refreshed and raring to go. I am excited about going to New Orleans it really is a great town, lots of good food and a golf course that I think I can do really well on.
The only unknown for me this week is that my caddie has been caught up in the whole volcanic dust issues in Europe so has not been able to make the journey out to the states. I have one of his friends, someone who has been recommended to me to do the job. Sometimes having someone new on the bag for a week is a recipe for success.
That’s the plan. I heading out there refreshed and prepared to have a great week.
Justin.
:: 7 APRIL 2010
My goal going to Houston was to win the tournament to qualify for the Masters. I felt tired after Bay Hill and I knew that to play my best golf at Houston I had to make sure I was 100% rested and ready to play. I think I did a good job of that over the week end and I came out and got off to a great start, I was 4 under through 9 holes and felt in a good frame of mind after missing the cut at Bay Hill. Unfortunately I did not finish off the round that well on that 1st day and ended up shooting a 2 under par 70.
My goal going into the second round was to move forward, not look at the leader boards and focus on my own game. I did not have a great round of golf, only making 2 birdies and a double boogie on the second left me with a round of 72. My score meant that I went into the week end knowing that I had to shoot 2 very low rounds. The good news was that I felt like I was putting the ball really well. Even though I hadn't made a lot of putts the first 2 days I felt like my stroke was really working well and the greens are so fantastic that if you really get on a hot streak you can make a lot of birdies. I ended up shooting 70 and 70 which were solid scores on a golf course which is tricky. There was a lot of danger out on the course, lots of water and lots of chances to make double boogey, but also a lot of opportunities to make birdies.
All in all I felt like it was a week where I gave it 100%. I am glad I went to play as I would have been feeling pretty guilty sitting at home on my sofa thinking I did not give myself the best shot at qualifying for the Masters. I feel that my 14th place is a sign that my golf is very consistent right now. I think I am going to really benefit from the 2 weeks off that I am about to take. I have played a lot of golf this season and although my golf is in good shape I just haven't felt 100% fresh out there which is what i really need to do to shoot low. This break will allow me to freshen up mentally and hopefully give me that edge that I need to go on and win golf tournaments.
I have had a solid start to the season, it is probably the best start I have had on the PGA tour and hopefully I can go on and build from this through the rest of the year and make sure that I am in all the majors.
That's the goal, I am going to focus on complete rest this week and then get back to working hard on my game next week.
Justin.
