Last week I was fortunate enough to play in the Arizona Open over at Superstition Mountain Golf Club (8/5-8/7). Unfortunately I missed the cut by 2 but even though I didn’t have “it” that week, I battled and did my best to grind out the 2 rounds to stay in it until the very end

Round 1 8:20 AM Tee Time: So heading into the week I wasn’t hitting the ball particularly well so I knew I didn’t have my “stuff” heading into the week but believed I could hang in there and find a way to make the cut. Fast forward to Monday morning, teeing off hole 10 (double tee, double wave) I knew I just needed to be committed to the shot at hand and do my best all day. Through hole 15 (my 6th hole of the day) I had managed to get to -2 with a combination of 6 foot par saves, a hot putter and getting up and down from just about anywhere.

I was feeling good but knew I had to stay very focused because the game was in an unusual spot. I compare it to someone walking a tight rope, everything is in fragile balance. Lean too much one way, you know how to compensate the other way to try and find that balance again and at some point it will become too hard to compensate. That moment arrived on holes 16-18. I pulled my ball into the hazard on 16; made bogey, 3 putted 17 and made a mess of the 18th hole only to be saved by a 40 foot par save to make the turn at even par 36.

Standing on 1 tee (10th hole) I knew I was still in good shape but I needed to get the train back on the tracks. The balance shifted back into my favor, through 13 holes I had battled back to -2 again. Then just like the first 9, the balance swung the other way, now not in my favor. I then proceeded to make a bogey on the 14th (5th) hole from a 155 yards out in light rough, missing a near tap in on the 16th (7th) hole that lead to another bogey and being unable to get up and down from a green side bunker on the 18th (9th). After it was all said and done I had finished with a 73, 1 over par. I would tee it up again the next day at 1:05 so I had time to try and find something for tomorrow.

Round 2 1:05 PM Tee Time: I had went to the range last night, earlier this morning and now warming up 45 minutes before I tee off for round 2. In each range session I had since yesterday’s round, I had hit the ball much better and felt confident we could not only make the cut but get into position to contend in the final round. Stepping up to the first tee I was ready to get back into the mix, through 4 holes I had managed to get it -1 for the day (even for the tournament). The balance was there but it was rough to keep it there. In a blink of an eye I made bogeys on 5 and 6 and was now +1 for the day +2 for the tournament (3 strokes outside the cut line). I knew there was still a lot of golf to play, it was just a matter of catching the “hot streak” that could take me inside the cut line. I had to stay patient and continue to grind out each shot until that streak came. Fast forward to the 9th hole and 3 incredible up and downs later, I made the turn at even par 36. Birdie-par-par, now 2 back from the cut line.

I had done more of the same through 14 holes, managed to get up and down, made the best of bad shots and now sat -1 for the day, even for the tournament and 1 shot back from the cut line. I was walking the tight rope pretty tight, grinding out every shot and still waiting for “the streak”. Unfortunately it never came, a late 3 putt and an inability to hit it solid down the stretch to give myself a chance led to a even par 36 on the back 9. 36-36; 72 even par for round 2. 1 over for the tournament, 2 shots outside the cut line. 22/36 greens hit, 13/28 fairways hit, and 57 putts for two rounds. Slightly below average stats.

It was rough, but I wasn’t frustrated as much as I thought. I knew my ball striking wasn’t there heading into the event so what else was I to expect come tournament day? It wouldn’t magically flip over night even with my valiant effort to try and find something in between rounds.

I’ve always been good mentally to grind out rounds even when they’re not going my way because what’s the point of mailing it in and giving up? I’ve already paid hundreds to play in this event, I’ve already invested time to get ready for this event, so I may as well give it my all and do my best to make the most of what I have.

I hit 22 greens for 2 days, 11 each day and still managed to have 7 birdies, almost a 3rd of the greens I hit resulted in a birdie, a good sign. However, the 14 greens I missed I got up and down for par 10/14 times. Not bad, but when you combined that with 4 three putts that’s what gets you having 8 bogeys, finishing over par and missing a cut.

When I was on, I played like I know how, but when I was off, it made it that much harder to climb back up. I learned a lot about myself as I always do, but the big thing I can pass along is mental toughness. No matter if it’s golf or life and things aren’t quite going how you want or expect, stay the course, keep a level head and do your best to keep a positive attitude. The results will turn out better then if you mailed it in, got overly emotional and mentally checked out.