We're here.
My sister Jamee and I made the five hour drive to Grand Junction, and we're ready to compete on Friday in the Rocky Mountain Qualifier.
We arrived in enough time to get in a practice round the day before and feel comfortable in the area and on the fairways. Hopefully it pays off.
I was surprised to find that every hole is a par three. No par fours or par fives where you have multiple shots to get it right. Every stroke counts, but even more so when par is 54. If you have a bad tee shot, you're praying your recovery shot gets in a decent position to save par. Obviously with a par four, you have one more shot to save a hole if need be.
They will move some of the tee boxes further than what we played, but even today it was challenging.
I finished nine over par with no birdies.
While most of the holes are long for par threes, another challenge the course presents is the length of grass. The fairways are kept short and the ball can roll quite aways before coming to a stop. The rough, on the other hand, is thicker than I'm accustomed to playing in, which really slows the ball down. Adjusting to both circumstances took some getting used to, but I feel that playing a round helped us get a better feel.
Some holes are also very narrow. On the right you'll have tall, dead grass and weeds and on the left there will be trees to avoid with only 30 feet in between. Granted, not every hole is like that, but one hole can make the difference between qualifying and a going home empty handed.
I feel I can be successful and qualify. Today my shots off the box were a bit rushed and my focus wasn't where it needed to be. Tomorrow will have a completely different feel and focus to it, and I hope to thrive on that.
It's going to be challenging. That's for sure, but I feel that I'm up to it. Leading up to the tournament, I played five rounds in five days to build up my rhythm. I was struggling for a bit, but during my last round before coming to Colorado, I shot six under par and recorded my third ace of the season. That was great to boost my confidence and it couldn't have happened at a better time.
Unlike my experience in Idaho, I'm going to get plenty of rest the night before the tournament . . . assuming I can get to sleep.
The hotel we're staying in is . . . interesting. It was built in 1908, and it doesn't appear any updates have been done in 30 to 40 years. We have no control over the air conditioner and it's hot. Hopefully it will cool down in the night and I'll be able to sleep comfortably.
With that said, it's time to get some rest.
Well, try.
