When it comes to tournament golf, it’s the tail end of the season for me here in the Pacific Northwest. It sure goes by fast, but here we are. It feels like I was just at the practice green in the spring, ready for the new year, and now it’s late October. I’ve recently played a couple of events to round out the season. With a potential start for the LA Roses in the Grass League in December, this was the final push for individual stroke play tournaments. After gaining a number of experiences this season, it’s another chance to implement what I’ve learned heading into the Pro Shop Open and Wine Valley Amateur.
Pro Shop Open
This wasn’t your usual event, but a special one with the team from work at Pro Shop Inc. We played Ballyowen in Hamburg, New Jersey. With all the pre-tournament talk about who would shoot what, I knew it was still golf—the game demands your attention in the present, not on past or future shots. Playing a course for the first time, I stuck to the plan of “keeping the ball in front of you.” If there was a calculated risk, I made sure there was plenty of room in case of an errant shot.
For my game that day, I started with some pars, then made back-to-back birdies on the 3rd and 4th holes. From there, I managed more pars while sprinkling in a couple more birdies—including some up-and-downs on par 5s and a 20-footer on a par 4. Heading to the 18th hole at five under par, the drive called for something more in play rather than an aggressive approach. I took one calculated risk with the driver. The hole played about 400 yards, and I wanted to carry the bunkers on the right. The tee shot didn’t quite require it, but I wanted to hit driver and have a wedge in, especially on the final hole of the one-day tournament and my last hole out east. A slight block to the right sent the ball sailing. A marshal told us the ball hit the cart path and ended up in a bunker 60 yards short of the green. Not much sand in the bunker, and unable to manage that, I finished with a double bogey. I ended up at three under par, which was good for medalist honors. I was happy to play a course for the first time and make five birdies. I was also pleased with how I played the right shots into greens—not being too aggressive or beating myself up if I didn’t hit it close. This is a hard game, after all.
Wine Valley Amateur
This tournament was held over the weekend at Wine Valley Golf Club in Walla Walla, Washington. The weather was phenomenal and the course was a stout test. I think superintendent Tyler Daniels was scouting hole locations for upcoming US Open Sectional Qualifying! The course was playing firm and fast. We battled some wind on day one, but it didn’t stick around as the forecast called for. For example, one of my best shots was a 7-iron from 142 yards—a club I usually use from 185-190 yards. I shot 69 in the opening round with an eagle, five birdies, and five bogeys. Three three-putts plagued me, along with a failed up-and-down from greenside. It was a true “Wine-Valley’d” moment as my ball was near the edge of the bunker and I had to choke down halfway on the steel. Technically, it was a good bogey, as things can turn at any moment at WV. Three under par was leading after the first day.
Day two was Sunday, and I had just a one-shot lead. Jeff Neher, Evan Johnson, and I were all in the mix. Jeff made a sweet eagle on the 3rd hole, and Evan kept plugging away. At the turn, I was three under par; Jeff was a few under as well. I bogeyed 13 and 14, while Jeff birdied 13 and made par on 14. We were tied on the 15th tee. We both birdied the par-five 15th. On the 16th, a slight mishit and Jeff’s ball caught one of the slopes in front of the green, sending it farther down. I hit one of my best shots of the day—a pitching wedge that ended up a couple of feet above the hole. That hole saw a two-shot swing with a bogey and a birdie.
With a two-shot lead heading to 17, I hit a good drive down the middle. That was important for me, as earlier in the round my misses had been out to the right—a tendency of not swinging all the way through. It was something I noticed at the Four-Ball Qualifier earlier in the month. Focusing on my swing thoughts—“width and tempo”—I swung through and found the fairway. I wanted a free swing, not guiding it. My wedge landed five feet above the hole, which was a nice surprise as it landed just past pin high and caught a slope. Jeff hit a great shot and just burned the edge on his birdie putt. He narrowly missed several putts and still had a great round. I made the birdie putt as I just got the ball rolling—these greens were fast and firm.
Now with a three-shot lead on 18 and first on the tee box, I reminded myself again about “width and tempo.” I hit driver, but with a slight pull. Fortunately, it wasn’t too far left, and with some adrenaline and a slight down breeze, I carried it 340 yards down the hill. It hit a slope and bounded forward, leaving me 148 yards to the back flag—the furthest I’ve ever been on 18 in over ten years playing Wine Valley. Jeff got his second shot in front of the green, and I hit my approach pin high but far left. I had a 50-footer with two tiers. If you go too long, it’s into the bunker. I got the ball rolling to the top part of the ridge and it rolled down five feet short. I was very pleased with that putt given the circumstances. Jeff made a great up-and-down for birdie. I rolled my birdie putt for a chance at four birdies in a row to finish, but it veered off and I tapped in for par. The victory was secured. I knew I was in the lead, but the course demands that you focus on playing the right way, not the scoreboard. Any shot at Wine Valley can turn into a story at the 19th hole—with disaster included.
Jeff and I had a great match and really kept the pedal down. We combined for eight birdies on the back nine, each making four.
It’s a special feeling to win the Wine Valley Amateur. It’s one of my favorite courses and a special place in Pacific Northwest golf. The results were a culmination of tournaments played this year, from stroke play events to one-day qualifiers. Overall, I kept a level head and focused on my mental game, sticking to my swing thoughts and concentrating on the shot at hand. It’s the old cliché, but it was really cool to actually do it instead of just talking about what I should have done!
