10th Place Finish In Arizona Open

The Arizona Open is one of my favorite tournaments of the year. I played very solid for three rounds but just couldn't put together that one low round I needed to be in contention. I hit the ball as well as I have all year and my chipping was the best its been in years. I putted solid but just burned the edge too many times to go low. I am very excited about the shape of my game going into the Tour Championship and Q-School. I am looking forward to getting back to the Midwest and playing a home game for the biggest purse of the year. Thanks again for checking in and I will be in touch before the Tour Championship Oct. 10-13.

Matt

Next Up: Arizona Open

The AT&T Arizona Open is being played this year at the Golf Club Scottsdale, September 20-22. To follow the tournament results go to: http://www.southwest.pga.com/ and click on the AZ Open logo.

Gateway Summer Series ends with T42

A disappointing finish to an otherwise great summer. I never got comfortable this week and my play was pretty uninspired. I have had my fill of desert golf for the summer and am looking forward to playing in some different conditions at the Tour Championship and Q-School. Desert golf courses all seem to play the same way and it is easy to get bored and lose focus week after week. I am very excited about the huge strides I have made in my game this year as compared to last. I am definitely a better player and feel like this is the year to move on to the next level. I will be playing my first stage of Q-School at the same site as last year in Lantana, Texas. It will be nice to get to a Q-School course knowing exactly what is ahead of me and what to expect. The Tour Championship in Des Moines at the Legacy Golf Club will be a great warm up to first stage. We will be playing for the largest purse of the year with 79 players in a four round tournament. I am excited to get to play a full tournament back in the midwest and not too far from home. I will be spending a day next week in Dallas working on my short game with Pat O'Brien, the putting instructor to this year's Masters Champion, Zach Johnson. I really think Pat will be able to help me get my short game back to being the strength of my game. A great putter will always have a place to play on the PGA Tour. Thanks for checking in and following my play this summer. It is always a great feeling to know that I've got the best support group behind me every time I tee it up. I will be in touch again soon

Matt

Solid Play Leads to Top 5 Finish

A final round 70 was good enough to jump up 4 spots to a tie for 5th and a $5,691.00 paycheck. This is the 5th Top 5 finish in the last 8 events of the summer series and was good enough to jump up to 5th on the money list. It was nice to play a course where a 2 under round of 70 was good enough to move up the leaderboard instead of getting passed by half the field. The Chiricahua course at Desert Mountain Golf Club is a tough test with thick desert rock and brush left and right of every hole. Missing grass with a shot was an instant double bogey or higher. I wasn't able to avoid making double bogeys but I did make enough birdies to offset those mistakes. I am pleased with the way my swing felt for the first time in a couple of weeks. I am looking forward to the last Gateway event next week and getting ready for the Tour Championship in Des Moines, October 10-13. The Tour Championship will have a $400,000 purse with a 1st place check of $65,000. This will be a great warm up for Q-school that will start a few weeks later.
Thanks for checking in, I will post again after the completion of next week's event. To follow the scoring, stats or to check out the money list go to: http://www.thegatewaytour.com/
Matt