Missed Cut By 1 In Dallas

It was an interesting week for the first event on the Dallas/Fort Worth Gateway Summer Series. Coming off the dissapointing finish in Florida I was looking forward to getting back on the course. Unfortunately do to a massive thunderstorm on Tuesday I wasn't able to play a practice round. I wasn't as comfortable on the course during the first round as I would have liked to be. I continued to hit the ball great for both rounds but lacked comfort with the course and a lot of good putts that wouldn't drop. Hopefully I can continue to carry my good ball striking over to the first Desert Summer Event next week at McCormick Ranch Golf Club. Thanks for checking in, I will be in touch soon
Matt

Heartbreak in Florida

Going into the week I probably would have accepted a top ten finish at the Tour Championship. Unfortunately I had a great chance to win and collapsed on the back nine. I was leading the tournament with 10 holes to play and playing some of the best golf of my life. The course was extremely difficult with hazards left and right on almost every shot. I navigated my way through the hazards without a mistake for the first 63 holes. The last 9 holes however weren't so kind. I pulled a hybrid into a pond going for the par 5 10th hole with my second shot that lead to a double bogey. I then blocked two consecutive tee shots out of bounds on the par 5 13th hole that lead to a devastating 9. I really don't know what to say about the collapse other than it happens. I played great to give myself a chance for the win on the back nine and didn't come through. Hopefully I can store this one away in the learning experience category and take away how well I played the first 3 and a half rounds. The more times I can knock on the door of a victory the closer it gets to becoming a reality. I had a great opportunity to learn from playing in the final pairing the last 2 rounds and sleeping on the 36 hole lead. It was fun to be in contention again, even if it didn't go our way this time.
I am now in Dallas getting ready to play in the first Dallas/Fort Worth Gateway Tour event that begins tomorrow. I will update the site after I get back to Arizona Friday night. Thanks again for checking in and I will be in touch soon
Matt

Spring Season Ends With Made Cut

It was a rather forgettable week at the Golf Club of Estrella. I never got comfortable on the greens and the frustration kept building the entire tournament. I hit a lot of good putts that had a chance and then would dart across the hole at the last second. My swing continued to feel comfortable and I was able to hit a few shots that I didn't have earlier this year. My short game was the exciting part of the week. I didn't miss an up and down chipping the entire tournament. I haven't accomplished that in several years, it feels great to have that part of the game back.

I am looking forward to a relaxing week off before I jet off for a two week tournament trip. I will first be flying to West Palm Beach, Florida for US Open Qualifying and the Gateway Tour Spring Series Championship. I will then fly from Florida to Dallas to play in the first Gateway Dallas/Fort Worth Summer Series event. I am excited to get the opportunity to take my game on the road and test myself out of the desert. I am continuing to build on my game and get better each passing week. I am looking forward to the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead in the next weeks and months. Thanks for checking in on the website. I hope everyone is having a great spring. I will be in touch soon with updates from Florida.
Matt

Final Round 65

This week was a roller coaster. I played solid for the first 32 holes of the tournament and then finished the second round with a bogey and double bogey on 15 and 17. I left the course thinking I had missed the cut because of my finish only to find out later I snuck in on the number. The final round was one of the best rounds I have played since my hot stretch last summer. A bogey free 7 under 65 was good enough to move from a tie for 48th to a tie for 17th and a much better check. I hit the ball well but the putter was the difference today. I had just 24 putts in the final round. It really feels good to finally finish off a good round and post my best score of 2008. Hopefully this round will be a springboard to great things the rest of the year. We will be back in action next week at the Golf Club of Estrella. I will keep you posted after the end of the tournament. Thanks for stopping by the site and have a great weekend.

Matt