T2 at Local US Open Qualifying -- Advance to Sectional Qualifying

A 3 under par 67 and a tie for 2nd place were good enough to advance through US Open local qualifying at Kansas City Country Club. A windy day and tough golf course were the perfect combination for a one day 18 hole qualifier; scores weren't going to be too low and the conditions exposed any weakness in your game. I played very solid all day with 1 eagle, 3 birdies and 2 bogeys. My days at Mozingo and Colbert Hills in the wind payed off as I was able to grind out a few tough birdies and several pars. I will now advance to the sectional qualifying for the US Open on June 4th in Murrieta, California. Sectional qualifying is a one day 36 hole marathon with a couple of passes to compete in the United States Open Championship handed out at the end of the day. I am one step closer to playing in the US Open and reaching my goals of competing against the best players in the world. There will only be a couple of qualifying positions in California so I will need to be on top of my game to advance, I am looking forward to the opportunity.

I have a few more days in Maryville before heading back to Phoenix on the 27th. I hope to see everyone in the next few days. Thanks again for checking in and I will be in touch soon.

Matt

T33 In Last Gateway Spring Series Event

Usually if you shoot 7 under for 3 rounds you feel pretty good about your score. A tie for 33rd and an $1100 check was a little bit of a disappointment. I was under par in all three rounds, 68-71-70, but was missing that one great round that would vault me up the leaderboard. I continued my solid play this week but just couldn't get any momentum in the three rounds. I hit a lot of great putts that I thought should have gone in but the golf course felt much differently. I am very pleased with the state of my game going into the US Open Qualifier at Kansas City Country Club on May 21st. This qualifer is the only event on my schedule until the summer Gateway Series starts June 5th. These last 3 events on the Gateway Tour have probably been the best stretch of golf I have played since I turned professional. I really feel that the lessons I learned last year have been paying off. Mentally I am miles ahead of where I was at this point last year. I look forward to seeing everybody back in the 'Ville while I am home the 17th through the 27th.
Thanks for checking in and I will be in touch soon
Matt

First Top 10 of 2007 in Gateway Event

After sharing the first round lead this week I was able to fight back to a tie for 7th and the first top 10 finish of the year. I played very well this week and was just one solid round short of a top 3 and even a chance to win. I have continued with the momentum I picked up last week after the second round 63. I hit the ball great all week with only a few loose swings in the second round and early in the final round. I was able to put together a solid 2 under back nine to finish the tournament moving up a few spots. I was putting this week with a SeeMore putter for the first time. I was really happy with the way I putted outside of trying to force too many putts in the second round. This is the same putting system that Zach Johnson used to win the Masters. I am excited about the direction that everything is going right now. After a tough start to the year with the USPGT going under I am just happy to have a consistent place to play. I am going to play again next week on the Gateway Tour at Hillcrest Golf Club. This will be the last event I play before US Open Qualifying at Kansas City Country Club on May 21st. I have also secured my schedule for the summer to play full time on the Gateway Tour in all 12 events and then the Tour Championship in Des Moines, Iowa the first week of October. I am excited about the improvements to both my mental and physical game. I am close to being ready to win. I just need to keep putting myself at the top of the leader board as much as possible. Next week is as good a time as any to pick up my first professional win.
Thanks for checking in, I will keep you updated as the tournament goes on next week
Matt

T10 heading into final round at Verrado

I am playing again this week on the Gateway Tour in the event at Raven @ Verrado Golf Club. After sharing the first round lead with a 5 under 67 I slipped into a tie for 10th with a 2 over 74 in round 2. This was the first time I have been leading a tournament on the Gateway Tour. I am still riding a wave of confidence from the 63 in last weeks event. I have put myself in a good position to finish strong and pick up a good finish and check. I will let you know how things finish up tomorrow night. Check out the scores on the Gateway Tour website: http://www.thegatewaytour.com/
Thanks for checking in
Matt