Inconsistent

I got off to a bad start yesterday, and it kind of snowballed from there. A little frustrating, but things are moving in the right direction. I've got some things I'm working on that seem to be paying off. I've got a week at home now, and the weather is supposed to be good. I should be able to really practice at home for the first time in months. I'm looking forward to getting some major work done.

Luke

Comeback?

I've been struggling lately to make a comeback after a bad round to make the cut. I don't know exactly why, but it was hard for me to get fired up and grind the round out when I needed a good one. Today was big for me, because even though I got off to a slow start, I hung in there and hit the shots I needed to hit.

I figured the cut was going to be at even, and I was hovering close to the needed progression all day. Coming in I made some great recoveries for par, all the while waiting for my chance at another birdie. It came on the last hole when I made a twenty foot putt for birdie. Lock it up.

So 69 today. I ended up being one better than the cut, but I thought the putt on the last hole was crucial. I made it, and I'm alive for another day.

I like the pressure I felt today, and how I reacted. I wish it wasn't just for the cut, but that's where my game is at right now. I've been working on a couple of new things for the last 6-7 days, and they seem to be paying off. I think my game is coming along, and it's only a matter of time until I'm in contention in one of these "bigger" tournaments. This week has been a huge boost of confidence, because lately I haven't been able to grind out my rounds. I knew still had it, but this proves it.

Getting back into the swing of things now. A good one tomorrow and I'll still be able to get a good finish out of the week.

Luke

Back on the Gateway Tour

And I battled today. I played ok, but I didn't score well at all. I was in good position on all the par 5's, but made par on all four. That hurts. Then I made a 6 on a 125 yard hole. Brutal.

So I ended up with a 75. It was tough this morning. The wind was blowing pretty hard. Unfortunately it let up quite a bit as we finished. It's the complete opposite of what usually happens, but...

So I need to play decent tomorrow to play Thursday, but I'm not out of this tournament. The low score is 67, so a good one gets me right back in it. And my game is coming. While working on my putting this weekend I ended up with a great "swing" thought. I'm trying to hit up on the ball, and every putt I hit started on line. This is in stark contrast to last week. I'm also driving the ball much better. A few less miscues and I'll post a low one tomorrow.

It's kind of strange these days, but I've played with quite a few former PGA Tour winners. Today I played with Ronnie Black. I believe he won a couple times in the eighties, not 100%, but I think so.

So...I'm playing good tomorrow. We'll see what the rest of the field can do to keep up!

Luke

...too many ellipses in this post..........I'll work on that.

Back in Phoenix

It's been awhile since I posted. I've been running around, working on the game, just a bit busy.

I couldn't get anything to work last week, and missed the cut on the Harmon Tour. I had a good weekend on the course and range, so hopefully I have some things worked out.

I'm back in Phoenix this week. It's been almost two years since I've played any golf down here, and it's nice. The weather is amazing, and the course this week is in great shape.

So, I'll get back to the updates now. If for some reason I don't, the scores are at thegatewaytour.com.

Luke

Harmon Primm Valley Round 1

The greens got me.  Not the slope, not the subtleties.  No, it was the patchy poa on the bent greens.  It was tough, there weren't any gimmies, and I had a couple that just shot off in weird directions.  I'm sure the rest of the field dealt with the same thing, but some of my misses were short (very short).  It's a bit frustrating.

I hit the ball fairly well today.  Not great, but I hit enough good shots to shoot a good score.  My putting cost me.  Even though the greens weren't great, I should have shot a better score.  There was one putt in particular that shouldn't have gone wrong.  I tried to straddle my playing competitors' line, and I missed a really short one.  Like 10 inches.  I haven't done that since I was maybe ten. 

After that I didn't get mad, but I was very disappointed with myself.  I don't do those kinds of things.  I see other people do that and I laugh.  It's just so unnecessary.  At that moment it didn't feel like I was doing something stupid, but I look back on it and I can't believe I did it.  It was a tap in, and for some reason I thought it was better to clean it up than mark it.  Wow.

So, there will be no more of that for quite a long time.  I can make that promise, that's for sure.  There is no practical reason for doing something like that, and hopefully it will serve as a reminder of the fundamentals of golf (which don't include reaching out to hit putts).

My 73 today leaves me in a vulnerable position.  I need a pretty good round tomorrow to play on the "weekend" (Thursday).  The leaders aren't out of reach, though.  66 was low, so a good one will still leave me in good shape.  I feel good about the game, so I'm expecting to shoot a good score.

Luke

Harmon Primm Valley Preview

Got down here last night, played a practice round today.  The course is really fun, and it's a nice break from the desert golf I've been playing.  Much like Shadow Creek, Primm Valley is a bit of an oasis.  Non-desert golf in the middle of the desert.  I like it.

The course sets up good for me.  It's not all that tough, and a bit short, but it offers more of a traditional golf experience.  If you hit a shot offline, you have the chance to recover, unlike a lot of the courses down here.  This is my style of golf.

The greens aren't perfect, but I had a lot less complaints than some have.  They're a bit bumpy, but the good putts still seem to go in.  That's all that counts, and I know I'll make my share.

I've got some solid tournaments the next couple weeks.  I'm looking forward to posting some good scores.

Hoping for NASCAR tickets in Vegas...

Luke

He Got Hot

I ran into a bit of a buzz-saw yesterday.  I didn't play great, but it was close until Clay Ogden birdied the last 5 holes.  That's all she wrote.

68-72 left me alone in second.  Decent week, and my game is coming around.  I need some work on my driving, other than that the game is pretty solid.

Couple days home now.

Luke

Back in St. George

I missed the cut last week in the Harmon event.  I thought birdie on the last would be enough to sneak in once again, but it wasn't.  I didn't play good enough anyway. I've been guiding the ball around again, and I'm working hard to not do that.

Got of to a good start today in the Wasatch Tour event at The Ledges in St. George.  It was definitely one of my better ball striking rounds.  The greens are CRAZY, though, so nobody had a good day with the putter.  They're probably the furthest thing away from classic greens I've ever seen, with so many undulations it is impossible to know the right spot to hit it. 

So, I made birdie on all of the par 5s.  Aside from a couple poor bogies with the putter, the rest of the round was solid too.  -4 68 leaves me two shots clear of the field with one day to go.

I'm getting into contention these days, at least.  I'm starting to get some consistency back, but there's still some work to be done on that front.  All in all, things are going in the right direction.

I like my chances tomorrow.

Luke

Cold

And I mean COLD. When I got to the course it was 36 degrees. There was a 15-20 mph wind, so lets put the wind chill at around 20. COLD.

I was the only guy on the range when I started warming up. I put a little water on my towel, but that didn't work. 5 minutes later I had a towel brick of frozen water. I'm telling you it was cold.

One of my playing competitors didn't make it today, so we went off first as a twosome. Did I mention the greens were frozen? They stayed that way for nine holes. It gets hard to get the ball close to the hole with frozen greens and a hefty wind.

So we played very fast today, finishing more than an hour ahead of the second group. Probably not the best thing when the day was getting warmer by the minute, but I'm about the fastest player out here. When it's my turn to play, I don't dilly dally. I hit it and go.

I missed almost every green today, but as I've said in previous posts, my wedge play is coming around. I hit A LOT of good chips today, keeping my score low enough to stay in contention. A few mistakes led to some bad bogies, but I saved more than I gave away today. 74 leaves me tied for 3rd, 3 shots back. I'll be in the leader group tomorrow, so that's always good.

I don't know why, but this week feels like a big week. I've had a strange feeling that big things are on the way all week. We'll see how it turns out. Either way, I'm ready to play some golf this year. It just feels right.

A good one tomorrow will get me in contention. I'll let you know.

Luke

Scraping Off the Rust

It's a funny transition one's golf game can go through at this time of year with just a few weeks play. Three weeks ago I felt like a bum who had to get lucky to hit good shots. Now I feel like I can hit any shot required, and the shots around the green went from scary to mundane. I wasn't sure if I was going to get any game back (a thought that crosses many of our minds, I'm sure), but now I know I'll be able to pull off shots.

I'm just trying to let everyone know that hope is never lost. I've found this out pretty much every spring, yet it's never easy to have the full belief when you're coming back.

Does anyone actually watch the halftime show?

Lucas

Wild Weather

Luckily, I'm not playing in it. Without a doubt, this has been the worst winter I've seen around here. The storms keep coming every couple days like clockwork.

But I'm a little ways south today. It is SUPER windy and raining, but the snow is north. With a day off today, I can handle the wind.

Lost in a playoff yesterday in the two-day Wasatch Tour event. I didn't really play that well, but I hung in and made a bunch of birdies. If I would have driven the ball better, I would have ran away with it.

I birdied two of my last three to tie Clay Ogden. I made a nerve-wracking 6 footer on the last hole to tie. I hit two solid shots on the first playoff hole to leave about 18 feet. It was a tough putt, though, down a steep slope. Make it or have some work coming back. Well, I didn't make it. I hit the second putt solid, but it broke more than I thought and lipped out. 2nd place.

I feel good about my game. I'm not 100% yet, but I'm making checks and getting into contention. I'm looking forward to hitting my stride.

Harmon tour this week. Off next week.

Luke

Harmon Tour Dragon Ridge Recap

I definitely didn't have my "A" game this week, but I got back in the habit of grinding some rounds out. It was nothing special, but I was able to make the cut and make a check. This is something I wasn't doing towards the end of last year.

I made some mistakes that I shouldn't have, but I didn't let them ruin my rounds. Day 2 was pretty cold and windy, so I knew something around par would let me sneek inside the cut line. I was 3 over with two to play, in a bit of a dire situation. I was able to make two good birdies on 17 and 18, and I made the cut on the number.

Yesterday was another similar round. I never got anything going, just hung in. I think it's important that I hang around and continue to make checks while my game isn't so good. It keeps me afloat, and keeps some sort of confidence in my game. Soon I'll put together some rounds and have a really good finish. It feels closer every day now.

So 9th place this week. I have a little (really little) two day event this weekend in Hurricane, UT, then back to Vegas for one more week of the Harmon Tour. Good scores await!

Luke Swilor