The last couple of weeks have seen a slight improvement in my scoring pattern. There’s a way to go still but we’re moving in the right direction.
Five of my last eight rounds have been in the 60s, giving me a tied-12th finish in Canada and tied-26th at last week’s Bridgestone. Listen, I want to win golf tournaments, but these results show me enough to make me feel optimistic that we can have a better final third of the season.
Obviously the motivation is extremely strong this week for the final major championship of the year at Valhalla. I played both the previous two PGA’s here – tied-61st in 1996 and tied-34th in 2000. It’s good to be back. I love Nicklaus golf courses; Valhalla is always in unbelievable shape and the PGA of America sets it up very nicely. You’ve got to hit it long and drive the ball well, play the game through the air and try to stay out of the juicy rough. It’s a tough test, but if you play well you can really score around here.
We arrived on Sunday straight from the Bridgestone, which gives me time to pace my preparations and not cram each day. The build-up to these major championships is all about feeling like you can get yourself ready, but at the same time not overdoing it, especially in the hot and humid weather that we’re going to experience this week in Louisville. It’s lovely though. Living in Florida now we’re accustomed to the heat!
And I’ve got a nice draw the first couple of rounds, teeing off at 8.05 on Thursday and 1.15 on Friday with a couple of youngsters, Rickie Fowler and Victor Dubuisson. I’m looking forward to it. The Adams XTD irons, we’ve got those just right now, and the YES! putter is feeling good. We could really do something this week.
Okay, that’s it for now. It’s Monday morning here as I post this report and we’re just getting ready to leave our rental home and go get a first proper look at the golf course.
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