U.S. Open Round 1

Today was a good start to the U.S. Open – I was certainly pleased with my round today. 

I actually wouldn’t say my game was on completely, but it was certainly moving in the right direction. My short game was really what held me in there today. I chipped well and I putted extremely well. I made a number of good length putts and even when I did miss, I was usually right at the hole. 

Of course you need a good short game to win any major. I learned that at the Masters. So I’m happy to see that I have that part of my game going well this week. 

Today I had a stretch of holes from about 10 through 14 that were as solid as I’ve had in a while. I made a good par at 10, hit a great drive at 11 that took a strange bounce in the fairway that led to a bogey, then made three straight birdies. 

On 16, I think you could say that was a bonus, but I’ll take it. I hit my shot over the back of the green and had to play a difficult wedge shot. I actually thought the best I could do was to get it to about 10 feet and I didn’t want to get cute and leave it in the rough and have the same shot. But I didn’t expect it to hit the pin and drop in. You need those sorts of things to happen if you want to contend at a U.S. Open. 

All the work I put in with Mike Wilson last week really seems like it’s paying off. I have to say that it’s tough to take everything we’ve been working on and put it into play in the middle of a U.S. Open, but I’m trying to bridge the gap. This is a difficult test and to be able to trust what we’ve been working on in these conditions isn’t easy, but I will say that at times, it felt really good today. I still expect some of the old swing to creep in there the rest of the way but I know I’m moving in the right direction,

Playing on Pebble Beach is a great advantage to me, I feel. I really feel confident out here, having played so well in the past. And because I’ve played here so often, I know the lines, know my targets – there’s less to learn, although the conditions are certainly different this week than when we play here in February.

 And competing in a U.S. Open is something I really like. I love the grind, the way you have to focus so hard on every shot. I feel like that’s something I do well and I enjoy it so maybe that’s why I’ve played well in these events in the past. 

Hopefully, I can continue to play as I did today.

As always, thanks for your support.

Mike