July Update

It's time for an update on my last couple months! 

​As usual, life on tour has been a roller coaster. Back in April my game was feeling great, and I was chomping at the bit to get started in Hawaii. I ended up missing the cut by a stroke after battling a cold during the first and second rounds. Golf can be a game of momentum, and it felt as if Hawaii was the start of a downward spiral. I really struggled two weeks later in San Francisco and again at the next stop in Dallas. 

I’ve had plenty of times like these in my career by now, but honestly, it's always difficult. I was down and frustrated, but there was only one thing to do: just keep swimming. As they say, the only way out is through.

I took a few days after Dallas to go hiking in northern Arizona with my boyfriend. This cleared my head and got me back to seeing the world from a brighter perspective. When I returned to the golf course I decided to rekindle the flame with an old putter, the center-shafted Odyssey Versa. Right away I played a Cactus Tour event and a US Open Qualifier, and although I didn’t nab wins, I did start making birdies again. My LPGA status worsened after the first reshuffle, so I had unexpected time off to visit Boise and partake in a Crucial by Micron sales event. Spending time with the wonderful people from Crucial who have supported me the last two years was a great silver lining and the beginning of a shift in momentum. ​

Lake Merced GC, site of the LPGA Mediheal Championship, is my new favorite LPGA tour stop. My friend Demi Runas (above) obviously agrees.

Fossil Creek in Strawberry, Arizona: refreshing for mind and body!

Things continued to look up when I arrived in Ann Arbor, Michigan for the LPGA Volvik Championship. I saw what felt like a thousand feet of putts go in the first 27 holes. The honeymoon phase with the new putter didn’t last forever, though, and it cooled down on the weekend. However, finally making a cut and playing a full four rounds gave my confidence a major boost. I'd gotten the monkey off my back.

In reality, my golf game wasn’t that far off during the first three events. I placed a lot of imagined and unnecessary pressure on the Hawaii tournament just because I had waited so long to play. Instead of finding the positives and moving forward, I dwelled on the failure. Focusing on the ‘coulda, woulda, shouldas' is mentally and physically draining. When all you see is what you’ve done wrong, mistakes and bad luck seem to keep appearing. In hindsight, I realize I have more control over those momentum swings than it feels like in the moment. 

I packed my bags on June 3rd for a long stretch on the road. I started with a strong showing in Atlantic City at the LPGA Safeway Classic, shooting 69-72-67 to finish T-36th. Here was a week where I actually controlled my emotions! An early double bogey and some missed opportunities throughout the three rounds could have gotten me down, but I stayed patient and was rewarded with my best finish thus far of 2018. ​

I was lucky to have Scott and Wendy Bradshaw and Patrick Lucas as my pro-am partners and cheerleaders all week in Atlantic City, NJ. This game has introduced me to so many great people.

I played more solid golf at the LPGA Meijer Classic in Grand Rapids, but shooting 70-74 was not enough to make the cut. From Grand Rapids, I drove north to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan for one of my favorite Symetra events: the Island Resort Championship. A couple bad swings hurt the overall score, but once again, my game wasn’t far off.

While the LPGA played their third major of the year without me in the field, I took advantage of my proximity to Minneapolis to visit my sister and her family. I enjoyed quality time with my precious niece, Elizabeth, and spent many hours practicing at Hazeltine National. ​

I can't stop staring at the Pictured Rocks on Lake Superior.

I had the pleasure of stopping to play the Mammoth Dunes course at Sand Valley in Wisconsin while en route to Minneapolis. I would highly recommend adding Sand Valley to any golfer's list of stay and play destinations.

Elizabeth is still working on hitting the golf ball instead of chewing on it, but she has already mastered the art of looking fabulous in a cap.

The next LPGA stops were Green Bay and Toledo. I unfortunately racked up two more missed cuts. Like I found last summer, six consecutive weeks on the road is beyond my limits. While I feel strong physically, aspects of my swing and short game get off track when I don’t have guidance from a coach for so long. I also found myself running on a very short emotional fuse despite my best efforts to stay patient and positive. I feel like my niece when it is past her nap time. Please, I’m cranky, somebody just put me in (my own) bed! 

…after just one more week on the road, that is. LPGA player Olafia Kristinsdottir is hosting a pro-am in her home country of Iceland on July 18, and I couldn’t resist the opportunity to see this bucket list destination. Upon return from Iceland, I will have three full weeks off to recharge my batteries at home before hitting the homestretch of domestic events in mid-August. 

I definitely won’t let this tired stretch of golf turn into negative momentum like I did earlier in the summer. I know I can play better than my recent scores, and each week has been a valuable learning experience regardless of the outcome. 

Thank you to everyone who has been a part of the ride! 

I have stayed with some wonderful host families the last six weeks. These generous people make life on the road so much more enjoyable. Thank you to Rusty and Mary K Bishop in Green Bay for hosting us over the 4th of July!

Who has two thumbs and loves to eat better-than-prime meat? Snake River Farms gets the official stamp of approval from travel buddies Brianna Do and Caroline Inglis. The SRF grilling package was perfect for a backyard BBQ with our host family.

I'm smiling because of all my great sponsors: Thank you to Bette & Court/ Sport Haley for the great clothes, Imperial Hats for the cool Idaho cap, and FootJoy for the colored glove to pull it all together.