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Post by donpawley on Dec 8, 2014 18:06:53 GMT -5
So you have just stepped of the course on R6 and achieved 1 under for the tour. How do you feel Q School went for you?
Overall performed better than expected. On practice I was 20 plus over par so just shows how it can all come together when the chips are down.
What was your low light of the tour?
I felt I let Copper Creek get the better of me. I took a plus 6 there and thought that was the start of the rot. Bounced back with a 1 under in the Desert where everything just clicked. Thankfully momentum carried into the final 2 rounds.
And your highlight?
My target for Q School was to play around par. I knew I had it in the bag. Hole 14 on Crawford and I was back to 1 over for the tour. Approach shot on the 15th landed hard on the green and stopped within an inch of the hole. I went crazy looking for a fan or something then remembered Q School is played behind closed doors! Back to even after knocking the birdie in I then chipped in after hitting through the back on the 16th for back to back birds. Par on the last 2 holes saw me achieve an amazing 1 under for the tour.
Do you think you have done enough for a tour card?
I would love a PGA Tour card but reality is I will scrap in if I do. Perhaps Web.com is more my level as I continue to develop as a golfer. I would be happy to keep playing scratch out there and having those fist pumping moments of a birdie to break par once or twice a round than the expectation of hitting one every hole.
You do know the prize money is better on the PGA Tour don't you?
Who said I was in it for the money!
Cheers. Off to the 19th!
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skrec
Weekend Golfer
Posts: 116
TGCT Name: Chris Gollain
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Post by skrec on Dec 8, 2014 22:10:03 GMT -5
Chris Gollain, stepping off the 18th green at Kodiak Reserve after posting a second consecutive round in the mid to high 60's
How are you feeling heading into the final round of your Q-school?
Feeling good after bouncing back the last two days after a frustrating round at Copper Creek, quite confident that the worst is over and the last round at Crawford Mines will provide a little relief from the previous three
•What was the highlight of your tournament so far?
getting through Kodiak and Son Gaul at a combined 7 under especially after Copper Creek handed me a 74
•What was the low-light of your round/tournament?
My round at Copper Creek (74) which included me striking the pin on a par 3 sending my ball flying to the left of the green into a depression in the ground 20 yds away, pulled out the LW and proceeded to hit the pin again and have the ball roll back to my feet, I reset aimed a little left of the pin but pushed my shot back to the right and bang off the stick again luckily the ball did not roll back down into the depression so I was able to chip and get the ball on the ground on my next shot but by then the damage was done and a double bogey 5 was on the scorecard on a fairly easy par 3.
•What did you think of the courses so far?
So far so good. a good mix of tough and easy but man were those last 3 days a grind Copper through Kodiak not much room for error there just happy to get through those 3 under par and keep myself around the 150 mark on the leaderboard. The word is there's birdies to be had at Crawford Mines so hopefully I can find my share of those tomorrow. What do you think about how the leaderboard is looking so far?
There's some great players out there, I mean really great players. It's hard to keep your focus out there playing against some of these guys they are just so good some of they shots they pull off turn you from a golfer to a fan in the gallery leaving you in awe. Also nice to see my fellow Canadians lighting it up out there. I've been watching Scott Doyley play for awhile and that guy is just impressive and smart as a whip. I think a lot of Canadian kids coming up really try to model their game off his and he's becoming a major influence for Canadian golf along with the other great Canadian players like Adam Birch, Steve Lilico, and Scott Wildman looks like the Canadian contingent will be quite strong on tour.
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Post by woodie2727 on Dec 9, 2014 0:15:20 GMT -5
Mark Wood appears to be headed to the press tent after a very solid 6 under 66 here at Son Gaul Mark how have you been playing through your first 4 rounds of Q-School? It's really been kind of up and down. Started off with what I felt was a disappointing 1 under at mt yeti. I followed that up with a respectable 6 under at whispering river although I felt I left a few shots out there. I played my third round in 8-14 mph winds at Cooper creek. That course is tough in calm winds and I just made too many mistakes there that cost me some strokes. I could of used some suntan lotion I was on the beach so much. I finished that round up with a two over. Coming off that round I was pretty disappointed with my performance especially knowing there were a couple of tough courses up next.
Tell us about today's round Well for some reason I don't mind son Gaul in fact I enjoy it and it sets up nicely for my game. The key is getting the flat stick working on those 15 to 20 footers. I started the round with a bogey on number 2 and struggled early in the round burning edges with the putter. I really got my round started around the turn with birds on 8,9 and 10. I hit some approaches that were within gimme range and also made a few of those 20 footers. I struggled late with the big dog but got in the clubhouse with what I felt was a well earned 66. I did feel the conditions couldn't have been better for me with light winds all day. I believe that leaves me with an 11 under through 4 rounds of this grind. I'm interested to get out there and see where I stand on the leaderboard. I think this round should move me up the board but it's hard to tell. There are a lot of great players out here.
How do you like your chances of making the tour? I hate to think that far ahead but think I'm in pretty good shape right now. I still have a real test at Kodiak but if I can get through there somewhere around par I'll be happy. I think 15-20 under is still attainable and should get me on one of the big tours. I'm just looking to keep playing and see where the chips fall.
Thanks for the questions guys but I need to Hit the range and putting green and then I'm off to the next stop at Kodiak.
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Post by Brighttail on Dec 9, 2014 12:04:00 GMT -5
So you just played Kodiak how was it?
Am I allowed to say it was a clusterf**k? No? Okay...it didn't go so well. When I went out and practiced this morning there was a light breeze, by the afternoon I think hurricane Diane had washed ashore as winds were consistently in excess of 14MPH. Shots I was comfortable in hitting were suddenly being swept out into parts of the course I never knew existed. To say I took the scenic tour of the course is an understatement to say the least. I had a few redeeming moments, after going two over after three holes. A great chip in for par on 9, a near hole out from the fairway on 10 and for the first time hitting the behemoth par 5 on the back nine in two, for a tap in birde highlighted my round. Unfortunately there was just too much scrambling. The -5 I was looking for never even came close to materializing as by hole 15 I was happy to score even par. Even then when I was even through 17 and hit two nice approach shots, my third shot trampolined like so many other shots to these greens and put me 30 yards from the pin. My normally handy and ever-so-trusted flop shot also failed to hold and i was left off the green chipping for par. End round 73. If i never see Kodiak again in my career, it will be too soon. If it comes up during the tour I think I'm going to schedule a vacation during that time. Thank you all for coming out to see this debacle .. I hope it was entertaining.
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Post by Knock25Out on Dec 9, 2014 13:31:05 GMT -5
How do you feel about your Q-school chances after the fourth round score postings? Well after a dreaded 75 on Son Gual, I have fallen to -1, and t-248th. Hopefully my next two slightly under par rounds will boost me away from the cut line a little bit but it should make for some excellent drama for me. Thank you for your time, if you will excuse me, I need to grab a cold one, or ten.
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Post by billybudd0623 on Dec 9, 2014 13:36:50 GMT -5
Bill Owensby limps toward the press tent as he has finished his final round of Q-School.
How are you feeling heading into the final round of your Q-school? Finished Q-school at +18 after a 75 at Crawford. Disappointed. Had a triple bogey and a double bogey today.( I hit a full wedge shot when I thought I was chipping! Really stupid.)
What was the low-light of your round/tournament? The 82 at Son Gual wrecked my score. Maybe we could throw out the high and low rounds and take the four in the middle?
What did you think of the courses so far? OK,except the few unfair greens that are impossible for this old man.
What do you think about how the leaderboard is looking so far? Well, with regards to me, at the beginning of the tournament, I was assuming that I was a lock for the Champions Tour and that may be where I'm heading. Where else does a 65 year old belong anyway!!
Just gotta say that this has been fun and a shout out to the organizers!
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Post by Jeff Botkin on Dec 9, 2014 18:33:36 GMT -5
Hello Jeff, You just posted a disappointing 77(+5) at Kodiak please sit down an answer a few questions.
How did you feel about the course? The course was nice, the fairways were generous however there way no possible way to hold the greens. If I hit anything higher than a PW then I could not stop the ball.
How are you feeling heading into the final round of your Q-school?
I feel a little disappointed after my last round at Kodiak. However, if I can go somewhat low on Crawford Mines I think should be able to secure a European Tour Card.
•What was the highlight of your tournament so far?
It's looking like my -5 at Yeti was the highlight because the avg scores were not as low as I thought
•What was the low-light of your round/tournament?
Definitely the 77 at Kodiak, just hurt..... Could not get the ball close enough to score.
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Post by Doyley on Dec 9, 2014 18:56:38 GMT -5
Hello Jeff, You just posted a disappointing 77(+5) at Kodiak please sit down an answer a few questions. How did you feel about the course?The course was nice, the fairways were generous however there way no possible way to hold the greens. If I hit anything higher than a PW then I could not stop the ball. How are you feeling heading into the final round of your Q-school?
I feel a little disappointed after my last round at Kodiak. However, if I can go somewhat low on Crawford Mines I think should be able to secure a European Tour Card. •What was the highlight of your tournament so far?
It's looking like my -5 at Yeti was the highlight because the avg scores were not as low as I thought •What was the low-light of your round/tournament?
Definitely the 77 at Kodiak, just hurt..... Could not get the ball close enough to score. Thanks for posting Jeff, why not join in on the fun and become a member on the forums!
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Post by Oblong on Dec 9, 2014 21:46:59 GMT -5
Round 4 - Son Gual - 73 (+1), -12 overall
Going into Round 4 at Son Gual your play thus far had far exceeded your expectations, how do you feel now? Today's round brought me back to earth. I had taken a 4 day layoff from golf and having not played Son Gaal before I thought it wise to have a practice round after hearing all the stories of this course. Shot a -3 in practice and felt I could go even lower.
Bet you wish you had foregone your practice round, huh? You know it. Started round that counted by going bogey-bogey and my Achilles heel in my short game wouldn't allow me to right the ship. After 3 rounds of missing putts on the low side I was now 2nd guessing and pushed 5 birdie opportunities on the high side.
Any highlights to speak of? Only that I didn't blow up after some wayward drives and easy missed putts. Right to the end, for example, I kept my cool on the long par 5 18th when I hit into the rough off the tee and then sliced my layup into a bunker. Sitting 110 yards out with a 60-90% lie and having to cross water could have led to disaster. I stuck to my conservative play and clubbed up to a 9 iron to make sure I wouldn't plink one and have my 1st double-bogey at Q-School...I thankfully got a good piece of the ball, flew the green, up-n-down for par. That was a scary moment!
Any advice for those who haven't played Son Gual yet? My conservative play proved to be worse than my aggressive style that worked well in my practice round...There are birdies to be had but you must get FIR's and GIR's to do so. Otherwise it will be a long day on the course like I had today.
Kodiak is next, how do you like your chances? I have shot a -3 in a previous play, I'll be happy to just hold my ground at par keep alive my potential to squeak out a PGA Tour card. Nevertheless, I'm just enjoying the friendly banter and see I have potential to improve my play if I would spend more time out on the links. Best of luck to all!
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jomaykas
Caddy
Posts: 31
TGCT Name: Dennis Porter
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Post by jomaykas on Dec 10, 2014 2:06:08 GMT -5
+39 after r6. If this was RL then this is probably how I would left the course. My club bag contents would have been placed on the scales at the very nearest scrap yard then their redemption value would have been spent behind the very nearest bar I would have then gone and slept off my depression awoke the next day, had a trip down to my local golf store purchased a new set of clubs then the rest would be a kind of Groundhog day.Golf hey its only a game but it's the great game.
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Post by jtrippuk on Dec 10, 2014 4:33:18 GMT -5
Hi Dave, heard you had a bad tour, & a pretty bad last round at Crawford Mines
"No comment"
So what happened
"No comment"
Also heard you wrapped one of your wedges round a tree in frustration
"Listen pal, I've got another & it'll go round your neck pretty easy"
Ok, anything else you'd like to share with the readers
"Where's the bar"
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Rhaegar99
Weekend Golfer
Posts: 75
TGCT Name: David Chism
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Post by Rhaegar99 on Dec 10, 2014 12:51:05 GMT -5
What was the highlight of your round/tournament?
Sipping on a whisky and diet coke while playing
What was the low-light of your round/tournament?
Getting to the end of the third round, looking at my score, and thinking maybe I was having too much fun
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Post by Brighttail on Dec 10, 2014 12:51:18 GMT -5
So you just finished your 6th practice round at Crawford Mines, how do you feel this course stacks up to the others?
Crawford Mines is my type of course...well placed bunkers, reasonable fairways and greens that can hold a well struck ball. Unlike some of the other courses that required you to often play short of the green and 'hope' that you'd get a good bounce onto the green, Crawford allows you to stick your shots and use the contours of the greens to your advantage. Many of the greens are smaller or at least the area where the pin is placed has a small landing area. This then requires true target golf, which can be difficult in high winds. Add to that the elevation changes and you have a challenge. Just about every green out there has anywhere between a 1/2 to 2 club elevation change, so you really have to be on your game.
Sounds like you are enjoying yourself, are there any other surprises?
And if that wasn't enough, the greens offer their own unique challenges as there are very few flat spots on them. So even if you are great at target golf, if your putting is sub-par, you are going to be settling for a lot of pars, which to me is how golf is supposed to be. There is an adequate amount of risk/reward holes. You have long par fours where the safe bet is to play for the center of the green or you can go for it by aiming for a small peninsula green. If you stick it, easy birdie, if you miss by just a bit you are in a gully and looking at bogey or worse. There are a couple of true birde holes and a wonderful ending Par 5 which can be played a number of ways to give you a chance at an eagle. After playing at Copper Creek and Kodiak, this course is a welcome change.
Can you give us an example of a particular hole that has some of these qualities?
#3 is the perfect example. You first shot is to an elevated fairway with a large hill as your target. If you have any type of headwind, you aren't going to make it to the top of the hill. The green is now below you, so not only are you shooting blind into a headwind, but the hole slightly doglegs to the right bringing in a large into play that you have to shoot over. The landing area around the pin is no larger than 10 yards in diameter and if you don't hit it perfectly, you are rolling off in most directions to a collection area. Hit the green and stick, good chance at birde. Miss and go into a collection area, you are scrambling for par. I love this hole.
So how have your scores been in your practice rounds?
I have shot as good as -10 and as worse as +1.
That is quite the spread, any reason as to why?
If I had to point out to a single reason it would be putting. Regardless of the winds I usually can give myself a reasonable birde opportunity on most holes, so it comes down to if the putts are falling. Some times you are in sync with the course and other times everything seems to be lipping out. To me this is the best of the 6 courses I have played. It has a bit of everything and is probably the fairest course there is without crossing that line towards ridiculous. Kudos to the course designer and the tour committee for including this course. I'll let you know how I do when I play my official round.
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Post by thrangar on Dec 10, 2014 13:12:19 GMT -5
What was the low-light of your round/tournament? Sipping on a whisky and diet coke while playing What was the low-light of your round/tournament? Getting to the end of the third round, looking at my score, and thinking maybe I was having too much fun I think the whisky and d coke explains the confusion of this post. Just out of curiosity, what was the HIGH light of your round?
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Post by hoosier404 on Dec 10, 2014 21:46:32 GMT -5
Well just finished my 5th round which was the Kodiak course. After a practice round yesterday where I shot +12 my hopes were dim. I decided to try another practice round today with my caddy taking notes and after chipping in 2 of the first six holes and being at -2 I told my caddy lets go for it.
So off to the first tee we went with some hope in the air and confidence in the bag. Unfortunately, as life usually does practice is well practice and when you get to that first tee that counts somehow the clubs feel like sticks that you have never touched before.
Bogeys on holes 2 and 4 left me wondering if I could pull it together long enough to save this round. Than the highlights came just in time with birdies on 5&6. Hole 7 produced another bogey followed up with a birdie on 11. At this point at even par I was feeling good and even thinking maybe this is the day I shoot under par on this tough course.
Coming to hole 14, a par 3 downhiller with water on the right, I knew I wanted to stay left and take the water out of play. I had hit the water in my practice round. I set up to stay left, but pulled the iron just enough that it kicked off the front of the green side hill. A missed 18 footer for bogey by an inch really hurt and I went to +2 for the round which is where I finished.
Sitting at -5 now through 5 rounds based on the leader board through 4 rounds make me believe that I will be under the gun in round six to make the top 250.
As my caddy and I drank away my sorrows at the 19th hole, I thought what a way to make a living playing a game which is such a rush.
Good Luck to everyone !
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