Golf Channel Am Tour - National Championship Round 1

Wow what a tough first day. I had some great playing partners today, but for some reason I just couldn’t really get anything going. I played at St. Johns Golf and Country Club located between St. Augustine and Jacksonville, FL. The day started off with an early morning adventure and when I mean early I mean early. I got up at 4:00am to be ready and waiting for my friends by the car at 5:15am. We drove to the golf course and had a great breakfast and when 7am rolled around we made our way to the driving range and got ready for our round. Coming into nationals I wasn’t that confident with my driver and I worked with the new head pro at my club on keeping my lower body stable at impact and making sure I rotate my upper body through the shot. I only had a few hours to practice the drills he taught me, but it seemed like I wouldn’t have a problem once I got to Florida.

Today I had about 45 min to warm-up, so I mainly stayed on the range and worked on my swing. I didn’t know which game would show up today, so I didn’t expect much from my round, but I didn’t expect to shoot 102. I only hit 5 or 6 fairways, had 7 holes where I 3 putted, and some how I hit my 3 wood further than my driver. There was a point where all I could do was just laugh at my game. I made so many stupid mistakes today that it just became comical. After my round I had lunch with a group of friends and then hit the range for an hour and worked on my putting for about 30 min. I drove back to the hotel emotionally exhausted from the round, but thankfully hanging out with friends and one mojito later made it all go away.

Every night during nationals there is a player’s party where are the tour players meet up and you can view everyone’s scores and just moan and groan about your round. While I was there I overheard a few people talking about auditions for the next Golf Channel Am Tour commercial which made me really excited. Every time I watch those commercials I always get so angry because they never show women! There are a ton of women who play on the tour, granted not as many as men, but never the less we should be included in the tour’s advertising and marketing materials considering how fast women’s golf is growing. So, I walked over to the room where the auditions were being held and signed up! When they called my name I was really nervous, just because I had never really done anything like this before, and I wanted to be a good representative of the women on the tour. Once they started filming it all just happened so naturally. They just asked me to state my name, where I was from, my handicap, how long I had been on the tour, and a few other simple questions. It was a fun experience and hopefully I will make it on TV or in one of the promos for the website. I will keep you posted if I find out any more info.

Well, it is time for me to get things together for tomorrow. I tee of at 1:30 at the World Golf Village

The World Golf Hall of Fame is here so hopefully I will find some time to look around before or after my round. I can’t wait to see what happens tomorrow. I think I just might leave my driver in my bag and tee off with my 3 wood. At least I will always be in the fairway. :) Ta ta for now!

Women's Net Amateur - Day 2

Hi everyone,
I woke up this morning wishing I was more refreshed, but it felt like a bunch of frat boys decided to take a trip to Monterey and stay at my hotel last night. Oh well what can you do. My main focus for warm-up today is getting comfortable with my putting stroke. If I can feel comfortable with my set-up, then I will make more putts. Here is the website again if anyone wants to see where I stand going into today. Being T7 puts me in a good position. I don't think the leaders can shoot the same score as they did yesterday and I know I can play better and if I make more putts than yesterday then I should be in good shape. Ok off to warm-up. Wish me luck!

Women’s net Amateur Day 1

Today was so much fun. This was my first time playing in the Women’s Net Am and I had a blast. The two women I played with were really nice which made for a fun round of golf. The greens were really fast today which I am normally not afraid of, but the fact that the practice putting green was so slow it was hard to get use to the fast pace which lead to a very frustrating putting day. I three putted at least four times from short distances. Even though I was a bit unlucky today with my putting I just didn’t feel comfortable enough with the speed to be aggressive. The good side to my round is that all my shots from tee to green were really solid and I am happy that I decided to put my old clubs in the bag. Of course once this tournament ends I will continue to work on perfecting my swing with my new clubs, but for now my old clubs are working just fine. Well, today was a really really long day. Here is the website will all the score for my flight. Wish me luck tomorrow!

It feels great to be back!

Hi Everyone,
I am sorry I haven't been updating my blog for what seems like ages, but I have been taking a break to prepare for the GMAT. For those of you outside of the U.S. the GMAT is the entrance exam to business school. I haven't talked much about this, and sadly I will have to elaborate on this topic later as I am sitting at Porter's Grill at Poppy Hills having a quick breakfast and then I am off to play in the Northern California Women's Net Amateur Tournament! I am really excited and for those of you who have been following my tweets you would know that I recently got a new set of Muira golf clubs. I have been working hard to get use to them for this tournament, but when I played a practice round earlier this week I wasn't as comfortable with my clubs as I wanted to be. Poppy Hills is a great course. The greens are fast and you really have to think your way through the golf course and I didn't want to think my way through the course AND worry about my swing AND worry about my new clubs. So for this tournament I put my TaylorMade CGB Max Irons back in the bag and hopefully all will be well. Check back later for a post round post!

100th Blog Post!!!! Special post for KBell Socks!!!

Hi everyone, I can't believe it has been so long since my last post. But, to make it up to you I have a special post for you. Since this will be my 100th post I have decided to write about these awesome pair of socks I got from KBell Sock. I found them online and they have great golf decals and a great Breast Cancer Awareness line which dedicates a portion of the proceed to Breast Cancer Awareness Research. The socks are really comfortable, thin but not too thin, high enough so they won't roll down when I wear them, but they are short enough so they won't show when I wear shorts or a skirt. When I get home I will post pics of the ones I got and they have some awesome one of a kind sock for my wedges! They are really cute. They have some great socks for men and women, so check them out and let me know what you think!

Cristie Kerr teams up with Kwiat

KWIAT AND TOP WOMEN’S GOLFER CRISTIE KERR ANNOUNCE
YEAR-LONG PARTNERSHIP TO SUPPORT BREAST CANCER RESEARCH

Kwiat and Kerr design limited-edition collection to benefit “Birdies for Breast Cancer”


NEW YORK, NY (December 19, 2009)— New York-based diamond brand Kwiat has
partnered with renowned women’s golfer, Cristie Kerr, to design an exclusive collection to benefit “Birdies for Breast Cancer,” Kerr’s foundation committed to increasing breast cancer awareness. The partnership officially launches with the start of the Wendy’s Challenge at the Rio Secco Golf Club in Las Vegas on December 19, 2009, and will continue through 2010.

“Kerr is an extraordinary example of someone unwavering in her commitment to excellence, not only professionally but personally,” said Greg Kwiat,Chief Financial
Officer. “Like Kerr, personal passions inform professional aspirations at Kwiat. As a century-old, family-owned business, Kwiat’s industry growth has always mirrored the personal ambitions of each new generation—it’s been an organic partnership from the
start.”

The Birdies for Breast Cancer Collection is inspired by Kwiat’s Signature Platinum Star Collection, and includes a pair of delicate, diamond-drop earrings as well as a pendant of the same design. Invoking the charitable connection, both pieces are set in 18-carat pink gold and accented with a pink sapphire. Kerr will wear both pieces on tour throughout 2010. “I am delighted to have Kwiat join us in our mission to raise funds and awareness for breast cancer,” said Cristie Kerr. “The earrings and the pendant they created are truly stunning. Our hope is that these subtle pieces will serve as a reminder of those we have lost to the disease, and represent our hope for the future.”




Following Wendy’s Challenge, the collection will debut to the public in January 2010
with a launch event at Kwiat’s Madison Avenue flagship boutique, supported by a robust online campaign on both Kwiat.com and Kerr’s personal Web site. From there it will be made available at Kwiat Las Vegas, as well as all other Kwiat retailers nationwide. 10% of all proceeds will go directly to benefit Birdies for Breast Cancer.

About Kwiat
Founded in 1907, Kwiat, the New York based diamond jewelry company has a century of experience in the diamond industry and a reputation as one of the world’s leading
diamond and diamond jewelry companies. Kwiat is dedicated to exceptional craftsmanship and sets the standard for brilliance. Kwiat. Simply Brilliant.

About Birdies for Breast Cancer
Founded in 2003, Birdies for Breast Cancer is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that
focuses its efforts on breast health awareness and raising money for breast cancer research. Cristie Kerr founded the organization after her mother, Linda Kerr, was
diagnosed with the disease. Cristie donates $50 for every birdie and $100 for every
eagle she makes on tour. Individuals can make direct donations by visiting
cristiekerrgolf.com

Golf Channel Amateur Tour National Championship - Round 2

I started my round at 7:18 am at SilverRock Resort on hole 10. Had a good short warm up, but felt good enough about my game and round from yesterday that I felt I could still post a good enough score to make the cut. I played a practice round at SilverRock on Sunday and played well on the front but had bad memories on the back, but I was determined to not let that round get in my head and just focus on what I had to do. I got to the tee box, greeted my playing partners, and we were ready to go. All marshalls for the Golf Channel National Championship are tour directors from across the country who come and officiate the tournament. For each group they tell which tees will be played during the round as well as the local rules and how to abide by them. This morning the marshall told our group that we would be playing from the white tees. I looked at him and ask if I was also playing from the white tees. He looked at me and said, “Yes. The women in the Hogan flight play from the whites.” I proceeded to tell him that I was not playing in the Hogan flight and that I was in Jones. He said, “You are still playing from the white.” I continued to questions him and he continued to assure me that I was playing from the white tees. I took my score card wished my playing partners good luck and off we went. I hit my first tee shot of the day in the water on the right and ended up with a six on the first hole. I calmed myself and brushed it off. It felt like the entire day was full of ups and downs. Bad swings would sneak in and out of my round as well as the good and bad scores. I reached the turn and told myself that I could turn my game around and still have a decent score. A marshall was at hole #1 (my #10) and as I prepared to hit my shot the marshall told me that I was playing from the wrong tee box. I let my playing partners play first while I spoke with the marshall. He radioed in asking if the women were playing from the whites and he told me that the Marshall from that morning had a “Senior Moment” and he made a mistake. He continued to tell me that I had to continue my round playing the whites or else I would be disqualified. At that point because I was already mentally exhausted it took all I had to not break down and cry. I took a deep breath, stepped up to the tee box and bombed one down the fairway. I tried to stay patient and focus on the rest of my round. I only had two pars and two boggies the entire day. That partnered with a 7,8,9 and an 11 left me with a 57 on the front (starting on hole 10) and a 53 on the back.


Looking back on my scores for the past few days in relation to the rest of the field I am devastated. I haven’t shot scores like that in a long time and I know that I and my swing are better than what I have been showing. But, at the same time the scores that are in the lead are in the low 80’s. I have only broken 90 once and have come close a few times in the past few months. The Jones bracket is for handicaps between 16 - 19. Technically our scores should be in the high 80’s if it goes according to our handicap. I don’t think we are flighted fairly and the Golf Channel needs to do a better job at watching the handicaps and making it fair.

One thing I can take away from today is how well I handled my emotions through such a crazy round. A cut is made after three rounds and my game plan for tomorrow is to shoot at every flag, be aggressive on every hole, and continue to play fearless golf. I have nothing to loose tomorrow and everything to gain. Time for a good nights rest.