Rocky Mountain High

[Sunset a block from my house]

Things at home have been good! I got back to Colorado after a long 9 hours back from Kansas City. Since then, I have been enjoying the benefits of home: own bed, home cooked meals, my favorite people, etc.! I have been practicing a ton. Yesterday I played 27 holes. I have been giving some lessons, which is so much fun. I love it.

On Sunday, I leave for Colorado Springs for the US Open Sectional at the Broadmoor East Course - Site of the 2011 US Women's Open. I have a practice round on Sunday then the tournament starts Monday. I'm really excited for this because it is a marathon 36-hole qualifier. Only the tough survive! I tee off at 7:10a and 1:10p. If you are in the area feel free to come out and watch!!

After that, I will be heading back home that night and resting up for the HealthONE Colorado Women's Open which starts on Wednesday, June 2. I am teeing off at 8:40a on Wednesday and 1:40p on Thursday. Come out and support!! It's one of two tournaments I will be in Colorado for so it's always nice to have local support!

Soggy Weekend & What Is Ahead

This weekend wasn't the most favorable. We played on Friday without any weather. I can't say that it went very well. I had a great start after 8 holes but had some trouble on holes 9-11. After that I battled back but got some bad breaks. After the round I was pretty frustrated so I identified the mistakes and worked on them a bit. That's all you can do.

On Saturday, we woke up to a mist. Warmed up in the mist and started in the mist. For two holes we had no rain but it started back up on our third. I pride myself in playing well in tough conditions because everyone just complains about the weather. It's kind of amazing to me in tournaments when people do complain. It's something we can't control and you just have to fight harder to get those birdies. We played eight holes in a steady borderline downpour until they called us off the golf course. Some girls withdrew during the rain delay. I was standing on #9 tee box and really wondering if I was going to have to tee off in casual water. There was no place to take relief on the highest thing around! The fairways were underwater as well as the bunkers.

Saturday's round was eventually cancelled and we were sent home to dry off. I didn't realize just how wet I was until I got home. My socks, shoes, rainsuit, three towels were just soaked. In that weather, you are trying to keep everything dry but sometimes you just can't. Thank goodness for FootJoy rain gloves. They work only when they are soaking wet so if a player didn't have those, I don't know how they hung on to the club!

We were scheduled to resume play on Sunday at 7:30am. I got out there and warmed up and it was supposed to rain again that day so I was prepared. No rain during the warm up but it started misting as we were getting ready to go out. Another delay. This time they came back at 7:45 and said they were going to cut after 18 holes, meaning top-70 and ties advance to the second and final round. Not me. That is always frustrating when you are playing well and so many people are going down the leader board but that's the way it goes! Every round needs to be everything you have just in case something like this happens.

I left for Colorado shortly after the news of the cut. Enjoyed a nice 9 hour drive home. In the middle of Kansas on I-70, I saw three of my good friends from home; IN THE CAR. It was so crazy and so we stopped to get gas and chat.

The traveling aspect of the tour is so much fun. I have never had such a long adventure by myself but loved every second.

For the next two weeks I will be doing some tuning up and re-focusing. It will be nice to have mom cook some meals and hang out with the family in addition to really working hard on my game. This isn't a hard game, just have to go out there and play. Working off some of the rust has helped and I am excited for my "Colorado-swing". I will be playing in the US Open Sectional Qualifier at the Broadmoor to get to Oakmont CC in Pennsylvania. That is May 31st teeing it at 7:10am and 1:10 [36 hole qualifier]. After that I will have a "day-off" probably practicing at Green Valley Ranch to get ready for the HealthONE Colorado Open, June 2-4 one of my favorite events of the year!

A Day Off

Another storm rolled in last night around the time I was going to bed. I had probably been asleep for thirty minutes and in came the winds, thunder and lightning! Not gonna lie, it was so scary. It was dead quite when I went to sleep then all of a sudden it felt like we were in the middle of a tornado. After about forty minutes of that madness it quieted down and I fell back asleep.

Unfortunately, that storm had dumped 1-2" of rain on the golf course and it has left us with an untimely day off. The course/practice facilities are closed all day today. I will probably head to the gym and get in a good stretch and stay loose. Perhaps Julie and I will see a movie or head to a nearby golf course that isn't closed. Whatever we do, it sucks to have a day off when we are ready to fine-tune for tomorrow's round. That's part of the job! And always a possibility when you play in Tornado Alley!

Just gotta roll with it...

What I am reading: Swinging From My Heels: Confessions of an LPGA Star by Christina Kim and Alan Shipnuk

The Perfect Storm

I am alive and well in Leawood, Kansas! It was quite the journey to get here though. I left Ft. Worth, TX around 10am on Monday. Good thing I left early, because I was driving through Oklahoma and the south eastern corner of Kansas where a huge super cell was coming in that night. My dad helped me with the weather while I was in the car. We originally thought it would be better if I stayed in Norman, OK with a friend over night and let the storm pass. It looked to be a bad one. Instead, I continued on not hitting any weather at all until about 30min outside my destination. As I was leaving the Tulsa area, the radio said there were tornadoes all over the place touching down. Little did I know that Norman, OK was getting a beast of a storm as well. My friend said a tornado went right down the street flipping cars. Thank goodness I didn't end up staying there! I should have picked her up and taken her with me! 

I arrived safely and the storm came in later that night. All we got were heavy rains and high winds. Nothing too bad. The course was very soggy yesterday; cart path only. 

The golf course is beautiful. Mature trees and lush, dense, US Open rough compliment every hole. The greens are rolling nicely but have a lot of sneaky breaks in them. They are very undulating with swails on every inch of them.

I played yesterday with Miriam Nagl from Germany who had been on the LPGA tour for the last 5 years. We had fun playing 9 then I played the back by myself. The back nine is quite a test. It will be key this week to keep focused, hydrated and dry to play those last holes well. 

We had another big storm come in last night around 3am. I woke up to strobe lights lighting up the room with very loud thunder. Gotta love being in Tornado Alley!! The course was even more soggy than yesterday. We aren't getting any roll out there which some girls really need. I played 18 today with my good friend Julie Wells and Sydney Cox. We played in about 4 hours staying dry, thank goodness. It has been chilly and overcast all day and hoping for storms only at night, if at all. 

Tomorrow I am practicing in the mid-morning and playing a late practice round with some girls from Florida. I won't be playing too many holes just gonna get some more practice on that back nine. 

I tee it at 1pm on Friday for the first round.

Kansas City

-Population: 2 million

-Elevation: 910ft.

-BBQ capital of the world.

-Big Irish presence in the culture.

-A scene in the movie Bruno was filmed in the historic Hotel Phillips downtown.

-Lewis & Clark surveyed the land in hopes of settling a fort by the Missouri river running between Kansas City, MO and Kansas City, KS. [Independence, MO was a supply town for people traveling the Oregon Trail, which is on the east side of Kansas City, MO].

My Mom in the News!

Look at my mom making it big!! The tour did a really cool thing for Mother's Day since not many of us will actually see our mother's on their big day. Here is the link to the website. It is a fabulous idea!
Don't worry dad, Father's Day is right around the corner!!

"Mom, here's to you! For driving me home through the night from golf tournaments. For learning the ins and outs of my passion. For yelling on the 18th hole at Loveland Golf Course, "Nice eagle!" even though it was a birdie. For being my biggest cheerleader and greatest motivator. For keeping me centered and balanced. For consoling me through tough rounds and sharing the joy and excitement through my greatest triumphs. Mom, it's you who has helped me get here more than anyone. You are the reason I succeed. You are a big reason why I will continue to succeed. You are priceless in every way to me and there is no one who could possibly fill your shoes. Thank you for everything. I love you so much!"

Ft. Worth , TX

I have been here during my 'off' week. We wrapped up in San Antonio and I drove up to Ft. Worth on Sunday. I have been staying with an old friend and we have had a blast together!

I have had the chance to play some awesome courses here: Shady Oaks Country Club--  home course of the legend Ben Hogan; Mira Vista Country Club-- home to the 2004 US Girls Junior Amateur Championship and Fossil Creek Golf Club-- where Tiger Woods evidentally filmed a Nike commerical trying to hit it on the green in one on a par four with a lake on the right. Members tell me he took six takes to get it on. I played Fossil Creek with comedian Carl LaBove, who is hilarious by the way. We are probably going to play there tomorrow too. There is nothing better than a great golf course with great company!

I have been catching some workouts here and there. The other day I ran some mileage down the Trinity River which is to the north of Colonial CC so I tried to sneak a peak. Looks awesome. The PGA tournament is there in two weeks.

Other than that, its been pretty relaxing. However, my golf excursions usually take all day so by that time I'm tired anyway! Ft. Worth has been a really cool place to explore and hang out. It is really laid back but still has a little Texas twang. :)

I'll be packing up here on Monday and moving on up to Kansas City where our tournament week will start on Tuesday. Tournament is Friday - Sunday. After that, its a 10 hour trek back home for some regrouping and more touranments.

Thanks for checking in!

Texas Hill Country Classic: Day 2

Today didn't start off the best. My front nine I was battling a little bit of nerves and trying to get comfortable out there. I missed some putts early and did my best to stay patient. It is really a thinkers golf course and you have to execute the right shot at the right time. If not, you could be left with a tall order for par. I finally shook whatever was buggin me on #11 and started playing some golf! I made some pars, but struggled to come back with some birdies. I had a lot of chances like I did yesterday on my back, the real front, nine but they just weren't dropping. I made some clutch up and downs coming down the stretch. Overall, I played 27 good holes. I was only +1 in those 27 holes. I am happy about that. Last week, I had only 9 good holes to really look at and say I played well. Golf is all about consistency and I find myself improving every week. It's important to keep perspective and realize this is only my second professional tournament on a new tour. Things are different but I find myself adapting quite well and overall it has been great. It's just another baby step in the right direction. Can't ask for more than that. Baby steps are usually the start to a great leap.

I have a week off then back at it in Leawood, Kansas.

{Laura Bavaird and I before our 2nd round}