21 May 2014 - Qualifying for MD Open and MD Amateur at Joint Base Andrews AFB Golf Course

I pulled it off today with less than stellar play... I qualified for the Maryland Open (July 14-16 at Lakewood CC) and MD Amateur (June 5-8 at Baltimore CC)

Unlike the other 3 MD Open's I have qualified for in years past I'm disappointed. First time I qualified in 2007 at Rattlewood I shot +5 and was excited.  Same situation in 2010 qualifier at Andrews AFB and 2011 at the University of Maryland with +4, I was excited.  This time?  Correct! Disappointed. This +4 should have been EVEN or much better.  Mental mistakes on holes 2, 6, 7, 10, 17 cost me bogey's that should have been avoided. Poor decisions on 1 and 18 cost me birdie opportunities.

The Good, The Bad and the Ugly

GOOD: With all the UGLY listed below I shot +4. Putting didn't save me, hitting shots when needed did.

1. I was nervous but stroked the opening Tee Shot at my target
2. Still on my 2nd hole I hit a flare into the trees on the right side.  However, I hit a clutch 7 iron 3/4 punch to 8 feet from the flag under trees from the right side. <sadly under read the break>
3. Great speed on the greens aside from my 15th hole three putt (hole 6).  16 of 18 holes where I had a leave it was short.
4. I chipped pretty well in several clutch moments to keep streaks going. Twice I nearly chipped in for birdie
5. I figured out why I hit several hook drives and corrected on course (hands were too low)
6. I played quickly, no penalty strokes, no sand traps and no lost balls
7. I managed emotions well and didn't let anything get me down
8. Interacted with playing partners, looked for balls, talked to my wife (she caddied for me) and didn't get distracted
9. How about that putt 
1. on 17 to save par.  Perfect roll just didn't turn into the hole but it peeked
2. on 8 for birdie to get to +3... just needed one extra roll to drop
3. on 3 for birdie
4. on 2 for par
5. on 1 from the fringe for par!
10. That 195 yard 5 iron showed me I have alot of stored distance.  Not a hard swing and I flew the 185 yard flag to the back of the green - should have been tight or even in the hole.

BAD: Green Reading and Speed For Birdie Putts

1. I had 7 birdie opportunities inside 15 feet and converted ONE!  
1. Two of those were from ~6 feet
2. Two of the 12 footers were due to poor approaches on Par 5's
3. Several burned edges
4. The key was the 5 footer on my 18th hole... needed it to get to +3 and guarantee qualifying and I under read the break

UGLY: Mental Game

1. 1st hole of the competition with the ball below my feet I took dead aim instead of 15 feet left of the hole.  Ended up 15 feet RIGHT of the hole.  Easily could have been a birdie putt I ened up with a chip and putt and what?  Bogey'ed the 1st.  
2. How about the 11th hole (my second) where I flaired my drive to the right
3. The hook drive on hole 17 (hole 8 for me).  Then I hit the provisional under a bush... good thing I didn't need that.
4. The 4 hybrid where I tried to fade the ball to the green from 218 when I clearly decided NO FADES.  I made the right choice to not try and clear the trees but the fade was more of a block toward the trees.  It cleared but ticked a limb (lucky) and still finished near the green
5. The chip from in front of green on 18 (my 9th green) wasn't to the right to use the slope leaving me 12 feet (i.e. be on the high side and the ball wil roll toward the hole not the low side or the break will roll the ball AWAY from the hole)
6. Wow - that low pull 2H on 2 got lucky and filtered to the end of the  tree line with a clear shot to the green from dirt lie
7. Worse - trying to hit a 58 degree wedge from the dirt and you  delofted the face flying the green from 93 yards.  Under a pine tree for a poor 6 iron bump into the hill
8. On 6 I got so wrapped up in the line I barely hit the ball leaving 6 feet for par
9. 7 I felt the wind come up and should have reset to a different shot.  Instead I slacked on the downswing and hung back, pulling to the left of the green and making bogey