Following the TVA Credit Union Invitational we headed straight to Miami to play the Miami Intercollegiate on the beautiful Red Tiger Golf Course at Trump National Doral Miami. The course is very open and boasts water hazards on 15 of the 18 holes. High winds made you really have to trust your golf swing because you were sometimes starting the golf ball over the water and letting the crosswind bring it back. Unfortunately, on the practice day prior to the tournament, the club face of my 3 wood cracked and caved in. Taylormade will send me a new one free of charge, but I had to play the next two tournaments without one of my favourite clubs. Scores of 72, 71 and 72 on a converted par 70 put me in a tie for 13th for the week. Twice I had to fight back from being +5 early and finished at +2 for the rounds which I saw as a positive.
The following weekend we headed back to Florida, this time to Rio Pinar Golf Club just outside of Orlando. The golf club was a former PGA Tour Event holder and prominently tree-lined. I started reasonably with a 73 and 75 on the first day to place me in the top 20. With a low round overdue I went into the final with high expectations, but being on the road for three weeks in a row took its toll and I stumbled to a 77. That put me in 32nd position in a field of 100. It was especially tough juggling my "old" swing and the new moves I am working on at the moment. I hadn't had any real time to work on it due to the previous two tournaments. Nevertheless, I learnt a lot that week, for instance, that however much one might want to integrate new things, one should play the tournaments with what one knows and then continue to work on technique after the tournament. Congratulations to my teammate Jordan Doull for getting his first college win at the McDonough Cup!
We now head into the off-season which gives me time to work on my technique, getting more used to the different playing conditions in the U.S. and work on my fitness. I look forward to hard work and being ready for the first tournament next spring!
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