Heading to Myrtle Beach

Made it through my first Conway Invitational this past weekend.  I might be biased, but I thought it was a first class event.  I want to thank the rest of the staff for all their hard work and help in making the event special, not only for me, but hopefully for all that played in it as well.  Congratulations to Howard Polk and Marv Wenger for outlasting the other 130 players and finishing on top!  I have to admit that the shot Mr. Wenger hit in the chip-off on the 1^st hole, I think even Luke Donald would have been impressed!

Next up for me (and I am actually on an airplane right now) is a tournament I will be competing in.  I am on my way to Myrtle Beach, SC for the 2014 Club Professional National Championship.  There are 312 PGA Professionals competing in the event from around the country, with the ultimate goal of finishing in the top 20 and punching a ticket to the PGA Championship this year at Valhalla.  All 312 players will compete Sunday and Monday with the field being cut to the top 90 after 2 rounds.  Those 90 will then play two more rounds Tuesday and Wednesday with the hopes of finishing in the top 20 !  This is truly a special event and considered a major for the club professionals.  Look for myself and all the other competitors on The Golf Channel throughout the week!

This is my fifth time competing in this event and each time is just as special as the one before.  Each year brings new and different memories, but all of them are good regardless of how the golf might be.  In 2008, I remember having my brother and wife with me in Georgia.  That year was my best finish and I remember getting back to the junior golfers at Glen Oak and one of them telling me, “I saw you on TV, but they said you weren’t doing too good!”  I guess it was great to be on TV, but I have to admit they were right as my fourth round that year wasn’t great.  2010 we were in French Lick, IN and our crew had expanded a bit.  My dad had now taken over as caddy, and we had a 2 month old with us!  Didn’t matter how well I did on the course that year, but just the fact that I was able to come back to the room and see my beautiful daughter made it special.  2011 took us to Hershey, PA and again the whole family was along.  Not great golf, but definitely great chocolate!  My last memory of this event is one of my best, as in 2012 my dad and I were in Monterey, CA.  During the 2^nd round of the event, I had a double eagle 2 on the par 5 10^th hole.  It was quite possibly a once in a lifetime shot and it was made even better to be able to share the memory with my dad.

18th Hole at The Dunes Resort, Myrtle Beach

The question now is what will 2014 bring.  I look forward to getting out on the course and finding out.  Tomorrow will be a quick start to the week as we will be heading out for a practice round on both courses.  My main goal tomorrow is to just get out and take a few swings and see the courses.  When playing practice rounds I don't worry too much about how I hit it or where I hit it, but just want to see the course.  I always try and spend a little extra time on and around the greens to get adjusted to the different conditions of the area.

I take great pride in being able to represent Conway Farms in this national event, and want to thank the entire membership for giving me the opportunity to play.  I will be updating my blog throughout the week as to how I am preparing for the event, and then as the tournament goes on, how I am playing in the event.  Please feel free to follow along online at www.pga.com/nationalchampionship where they have live scoring, write-ups on both courses, and all the participants in the event. 

I look forward to sharing this year’s event with all of you and producing some more memories.  Then, hopefully doing it all again at Valhalla for the PGA Championship!

"Hit the shot you know you can hit, not the one you think you should"              -Dr. Bob Rotella