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February 2005
10 February, Costa Rica Open, 1st Round 77 (+6)
It was sunny and windy today and I played pretty solid apart from a couple
of holes. Dropped 5 shots in three holes on front nine including making
a triple bogey on the 5th when my ball kicked off the fairway and ended
up out of bounds. Made double bogey on 16 when I hit a poor tee shot and
had to take a penalty drop to enable me to pitch out of some trees. Course
is tight and pretty short but there are accidents waiting to happen on
virtually every shot. With this wind blowing you can make double bogey
on any hole very easily and if you miss a green on the wrong side the
ball can end up fifty yards away. Hopefully things will improve for tomorrow
and I can make the cut. David
11 February, Costa Rica Open, 2nd Round 72 (+1)
Made the cut on the mark. Birdied 17th to give myself a chance but then
left an 8ft birdie chance at the last short in the jaws which I thought
I would need to play at the weekend but thankfully I was given a reprieve.
Played solid all day just did not take my chances and did not get off
to a great start. Very windy again today. David
12 February, Costa Rica Open, 3rd Round 76 (+5)
It was even windier again today. This time it was gusting which made it
really difficult on a tight tree lined course like this one. I actually
played well but just had a few accidents! Doubled the 2nd when I hit a
perfect second straight over the flag, but the wind died and ball sailed
over the green and out of bounds. Things didn't improve on the 4th where
I made a quad. It is a short par three over water and I hit wedge a little
heavy and it spun back into the water. I then proceeded to hit straight
back into water from the drop zone. Not best pleased. Managed to hit two
further shots in the water but generally pleased with the way I played.
Putted pretty solid as well. Did not hole much but felt I hit a lot of
good putts. No three putts which is a nice change. Considering this week
is the first chance since tour school to practice my putting on a green
I have to be pretty satisfied. Carpet putting obviously has some use although
not sure Ellie is always too happy to find golf balls littered over the
lounge! David
13 February, Costa Rica Open, 4th Round 73 (+2)
Did not play well for most of the round. First time all week that I hit
it poorly. Hung in ok over opening 11 holes, then played solid to finish,
being a couple under for last seven holes. Kept hitting it left in the
trees off the tee which is not ideal on this course. Mainly a result of
playing in really strong winds for 4 days and not really being able to
hit balls. You could only hit a 6 iron max on range with a left to right
gale. I know what the problem is and it's relatively easy to fix, so a
decent practice session in Panama should be enough to sort it. Not a good
week but not a bad week for first time out. Good to know that the work
I have done with my coach Ian Rae over winter is showing signs of progress.
Cheers for now. Not a good weekend for the rugby or Liverpool but you
got to have faith. Until Panama......David
17 February, Panama Masters, 1st Round 74 (+3), 2nd Round 70 (-1),
3rd Round 73 (+2), 4th Round 73 (+2)
On Thursday in the first round I played well on the front and was 2 under-par
after 8 holes thanks to an eagle on 6 and could have or should have been
at least a few shots better. Then I had a run of fives which was just
sloppy golf. Made bogey three times with sand iron in my hand and hit
a couple off loose tee shots on difficult holes which left me no real
chance to save par. Friday I was able to make the third cut in a row I
have made on the mark. Played ok on the front but had a poor iron shot
on the 2nd that cost me a shot then on 7 I had a bad break off the tee
followed by a huge flier with my 2nd that led to a double. Was 6 over-par
in total at that stage and it was not looking at all good. Got things
going by stiffed my tee shot at the next for my first birdie off the tournament.
My wedge play on the back managed to set up some close birdies to give
me a chance. Came to the last and had a 4ft putt for birdie which I correctly
thought was to make the cut. It was identical to the putt I holed at this
event last year to make the weekend also and thankfully I made it again.
4 under for last 11 holes was good to make the cut but need to be doing
it earlier and not putting myself in a hole every week. The third round
was a bit tougher today. I played pretty solid but again struggled to
make birdies. Was level with a few to go including two reachable par 5s
but contrived to make a mess of them. Missed a good chance to shoot a
few under and move up. Feel my game in not getting the reward it might.
Need to stop making a few dumb mistakes and start making more of the key
length putts. The final round was almost identical day to yesterday but
a bit tougher again. Although I moved up I missed a good chance to climb
even higher up the leaderboard. One brain dead moment cost me a double
from 50 yards and again not making birdie putts is hurting me. David
22 February, Abierto Telefonica Moviles de Guatemala 2005
Arrived ok here in Guatemala although my golf clubs still have not. We
are getting some very mixed info from Copa Airlines but hopefully they
should arrive this afternoon. Hopefully! Feeling good for this week and
looking forward to going home too. Big birthday to celebrate when I get
back which should be fantastic. Happy Birthday this week to Alan and Neil,
two of my best friends who are 30! Still clinging on to my twenties for
at least another few days. A few beers to celebrate when I get home! David
Next Month
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