How Close Am I to Something Great????......

I have heard some of your grumblings. A few have been face to face but most come second or third hand. "What is wrong with Blake? He needs to get in gear....Does he realize the season is almost half-way over? Do you think he will keep his card?" While I appreciate the concern, one thing is for sure.....I will be fine. Regardless of how things look to those of you at home on shot tracker, my golf game is headed in the right direction. In fact, it is miles ahead of where I was last year. I am better from tee to green in all aspects of the game and my comfort level out here is very relaxed. Believe me, I am well aware of how I stand on both the Money List and the FedEx Cup Race. However, those numbers are just numbers and can change in a blink of an eye. I am one good finish away from having those grumbles turn into something more positive. Like I said earlier, I am very grateful for the concern and support but things are much better than they appear. I am continuing to work hard and I am extremely confident that GREAT things are on the horizon.

With that said, I know what the last two weeks have looked like from the PGA Tour website....two more made cuts but unfortunately two more mediocre finishes. Both are certainly true and I was definitely disappointed with both of my results. However, when I sit down and look at the bigger picture, it certainly tells a different story. In San Antonio, I was 7th in Driving Accuracy, 9th in Putts per Round, and 31st in Putts per Green in Regulation. My Greens in Regulation were a little higher than normal (59th) but I barely missed a ton of greens by a foot or two. In fact, I putted from off the green probably more times than I chipped! My T30 mediocre finish was, in large part, a result of one lousy hole. During Friday's round I misjudged the wind on a long par 3 over water. After two untimely gusts, I walked off the green with a crowd pleasing 7. This one hole derailed any chance I had of making a run for the title. However, just to let you know how close I was to a great finish...a PAR on this hole and my T30 finish now becomes a T9!! Last week in Hilton Head, I was 9th in Driving Accuracy, 30th in Greens in Regulation, 17th in Putts per Round, and 11th in Putts per Green in Regulation. Not bad. Once again, I burned the lips all week and didn't score as well as I should have. Regardless, I entered Sunday's round in a respectable 24th place and in a position where a great round would leap frog up the leader board. In fact, the eventual winner, Brandt Snedeker, started the day only 7 places in front of me. Unfortunately, I woke up Sunday with a body that didn't want to cooperate and I was limited in what I could do. I struggled to make a fluid and unrestricted swing and my score showed this battle. I finished the day with a score of 73 which plummeted down the ranks. To put it in perspective, if I had just shot one under par on both nine's Sunday morning, my T46 finish now becomes T14. And believe me, that is certainly not asking a lot!

So you see, things are better than they appear. I am very, very close to playing GREAT. Maybe this week in New Orleans is my week. If not, I will try again the following week in Charlotte, and then in Jacksonville, and so on until my goals are reached and the grumblings of concern cease.

On a brighter note, today is my sweet little girl Libby's first birthday. We celebrated her birthday last Saturday in Hilton Head amongst several family members and friends. I cannot believe how fast the last 365 days have raced on by. She has brought so much joy to our family and I couldn't be more proud of her and Jake. They, along with Beth, are the reason I am here, the reason I work hard, and the reason I never give up. I approach each day as my last and I refuse to let mediocrity win. I wake up each morning knowing that even though I play a game for a living, I am truly fighting for the well-being of my family. That is why I am so hard on myself and I expect the best. However, regardless of how things turn out each week, I know there are three people at home who are anxious for my return. And to me, that means more than anything in the world.