Riviera Maya

I'll tell you the thing about being on the coast near Cancun. The days are wonderful, but the nights get you hooked.

I'm not talking about parties or anything like that. I'm too far away from the city for that nonsense. I was just down on the beach at my hotel, the only person there. It was like a movie. No sounds except the natural. No light. It was the most peaceful hour I've spent in a long time, maybe my life.

The travel today was rough. The festivities at the Cancun airport alone took 2 hours. Now that I'm here, it seems like a breeze.

I'm really looking forward to this trip. . I felt a switch flip last week, and I'm expecting some really good scores. Either way, I'm living the dream.

Luke

Qualifiers are Hard

Not just the playing part, but the gigantic loss you feel every time you miss.  It's tough.  It's like losing a playoff when you don't make it.  Crushing.

I played really solid today.  I didn't get anything going until making birdie on 15 and 16.  That put me at -2 with a par 5 remaining.  Pretty good shape.  Disaster struck on 17.

17 is an island green par three, 170 yards.  The pin was in the back (178), so I pulled an 8 iron, trying to hit it in the middle of the green.  I hit it right at the pin, landing pin high, bouncing over the green into the water.  That hurt.  Really bad.  I had to drop at 103 yards, didn't get it up and down, made double.  I ended up with a 72, while 70 was going to advance.

It was a weird feeling at the end of the round.  I was pissed off at the near miss.  It's really frustrating not getting through qualifiers.  But my game was better today than it has been all year.  I made a confident, aggressive swing on every shot.  A few bad breaks cost me, but I really played well.

I think I've been trying to guide the ball around.  I made it a point to make a really confident swing on every shot, and it paid off today.  I didn't have anything resembling a "big miss."  That is a very good sign, as the "big miss" has been a major drain on my game lately.

Mixed feelings today.  Major downer, but there are some positives.

Luke

Casa Grande and Me

I got in a practice round this morning. The course is good. There's a whole lot of room, which is a bit different from most of the desert courses down here. The fairways are perfect, but the greens are a bit on the slow side. Scores will probably be pretty low, depending on the wind.

My game feels pretty solid. I hit a few loose shots today, but nothing severe. I drove the ball better than I have been, and I don't feel like there is a big miss lurking on every shot. I feel better about the game this week, so I'm looking forward to getting hot again.

On the way home from the course I stopped by the Casa Grande National monument and saw me some 14th century ruins. Pretty cool.

(I don't think the big structure covering the ruins has been around since the 1300's. Too much steel, but I may be wrong :)

Luke

Qualifier

This Wednesday is the "local" qualifier for the US Open. I'll be in Mexico for Utah's real "local" qualifier, so I'm down south of Phoenix this week. Big plus ---- WEATHER. I haven't had a chance to check the forecast, but it was in the low 90s today. Much better than it has been in Salt Lake, and I love the heat. It just feels more like golf in the heat. Not sure why that is, but that's how I feel.

The drive down here didn't seem too bad. It's been a couple months since I made a 10+ hour drive, but it didn't seem hard or long. I've got two satellite radios going these days, so there was no lack of entertainment.

I've really been getting pumped the last week or so to play golf. I hit the heat this afternoon, and I got really pumped. I can't wait to get to the course tomorrow.

We're playing in a small town I didn't even know about. I basically lived in Phoenix in 2006, but I never ran across this course or town. Poston Butte GC in Florence, AZ. 84 players for 7 spots. The successful qualifiers move on to one of the sectional qualifiers in a couple weeks.

Practice round early tomorrow.

Luke Swilor

Home until...

I struggled with my ball-striking last week in Mazatlan.  It is very frustrating because I putted as good as I ever have.  Hitting 15 greens over two days isn't going to cut it though.

So I'm in the states for a couple weeks before heading back down to Mexico for a couple more Canadian Tour events.  I've got the US Open qualifier next week, so I'm always up for that.  I didn't get to play last year, as I was down in Mexico for four weeks straight.  It's nice to get a break this year, as traveling down there can be tough.

Ball-striking will come around.  It always does.  I just need to dig it out of the ground.

Luke

Back to Mexico

I've left the country. It never seems normal, but I've made my way back to Mexico. Mazatlan, to be exact. It's not my first time this year, but there's still a culture shock. Last year was a completely new experience, and I was stuck down here for a month. This year I know a bit more of what's going on, and I'm going to enjoy every minute. The weather is wonderful, and I'm hitting the ball well. I'm going to have a blast.

No good last week. I was hitting the ball fairly well, but I really struggled with the greens. California poa has always been tough for me. It's just so bumpy in spots, and I start to lose the trust of my reads. Anyhow, I'm over that.

I had a decent weekend, though. I got to go to the minor league hockey playoffs in Stockton. Then on Sunday I made my way to Oakland for an A's game. It's always fun to see new parks, and the A's routed the Royals.

I'll try to keep you posted. If not, scores are at cantour.com.

Luke

Today was one of those rounds. I hit it pretty good, I hit some good putts. Nothing wanted to go in. It was a very frustrating round, but I hung in there, and didn't let it get out of control.

Scores were low. My 71 wasn't close to good enough, so I have some work to do tomorrow.

Time for bed.

Luke

Stockton

My favorite basketball player of all time is without a doubt John Stockton.  I wore the number 12 throughout my little league career for that reason.  He was (probably still is) the man.  So, it seems like a good time to get my first win, as I'm in the city of Stockton, CA.

I played here last year, and one of the keys to the course is to keep it out of the rough.  It's deep, but worse, it's gnarly.  Different types of grasses growing in different directions tends to lead to some horrendous lies.  I've had some good practice sessions, and my driver has begun to feel really good.  Good sign.

Through two events, I've been lucky to have some good caddies, too.  It becomes a bit of a crap shoot when you don't have a steady caddie, so that's another good sign for the week.

I managed to get my US 1040 off in the mail yesterday.  Now I just have to deal with the Canadian Tax return.  I should be getting some money back from them, though!

Fairways and greens

Luke Swilor

Starting Point

Today was a battle.  I've been having such a hard time off the tee, and it caught up to me.  I didn't make the putts I needed to either.

I was a little nervous on the first tee.  The first tee shot and the last putt are always the toughest shots of the day.  I hit a really good one down one, though.  All I was thinking was "this is my turn."  I completely misjudged my second, and made bogey.  Oh no.

But I hung in there.  I had it to one under through ten.  I was actually in really good shape.  The course was getting crispy, and anything under par was a solid score.

I three putted 11 for bogey.  Then I made a really good birdie on 12.  Then I hit a couple bad drives and bogied 13 and 14.  Wasteful.

It seemed like everything that went right yesterday went wrong today.  I had quite a few putts today that should have gone in, but didn't.  I didn't go out expecting to shoot another 63, but I played better than 74.  That's golf, though, and I'm still happy with my overall performance over the weekend.

My driving is the one part of my game that need extra attention.  I putted good, I wedged it good, and I hit my irons good.  I just wasn't in good position off the tee enough times this week.  It feels good to throw the low score of the week at them, though.

Decent start.  Next week I'm throwing it all at them.

Luke

Good Number

I spent all day yesterday wondering whether I was going to make the cut.  I did, barely.

This morning golf just felt easy.  I got a good swing thought working on the range, which is always nice.  Then I hit three good shots on 1, making birdie.  Then I got hot, making birdie on 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, 12,14, and 15.  I made a good 6 foot putt for par on 17, and that's how you shoot 63.

My game feels good, a little inconsistent off the tee, but everything else has been solid.  I'm hitting really good iron shots, and I've been able to save some strokes with my wedges.  When I putt good (like today, unlike yesterday), I'm shooting good scores.

It feels really good to get over the hump and shoot a really good score.  I've had good rounds, but it's been a long while since I've gotten out there and blistered the course.  It's really fun.

Another good one tomorrow.

Luke