Final Round ASU Karsten Course - All American Tour

2nd Again.

I finally finished off a round. Thanks to a good finish over the last 5 holes I snuck passed a few players and managed to finish the event alone in 2nd place on 3 under after shooting 67. Unfortunately I played similar golf to the last two days, and was unable to challenge the leader, but I am happy with 2nd as realistically I had no chance to catch the leader. I finished 5 shots behind. My highlight of the round today was making a birdie 2 on hole 16. In the other two rounds I made two double bogies. I guess I got my revenge on the hole, providing the 3 shot difference in my scores comparing my first two rounds.

Interesting stats for the event. I played the Par 3s +6, Par 4s -4, and Par 5s -5 (only 2 par 5s each round). With improvements on my driving and par 3 performance, I would had definitely contended to win.

Today I only hit 7 Fairways, 12 Greens and had 26 Putts. Good thing my short game was sharp this week, and made up for most of the bad shots I hit.

My round consisted of 5 birdies (holes 4,8,14,16 and 17) and 2 bogies (holes 7, and 12).

Results can be found on this link.

http://www.all-americantour.com/leagues/golf_leaderboard.cfm?clientid=4367&leagueid=14731&seasonnum=2010

My next event begins on the 7th of December - 9th December at Wigwam Golf Resort (Gold Course)

I will keep you posted during that event.

Thomas

Day 2 ASU Karsten Course - All American Tour

Today was very similar to yesterday. I shot 70 again, and made another silly double bogey on 16 again. I did drive the ball slightly better today but missed a lot of putts from 10-20 feet which would had been nice to see a couple drop. I had 30 Putts today, but still only hit 8 fairways, and 14 greens. My birdies came on holes 4,8,15 and 17, my bogies came on 5 and 12 and double bogey on 16. The course was set up shorter with easier pins, which made the course play a lot easier. I got lapped by the leaders, as the leader shot 66,63 to be 11 under for 2 rounds. I am Tied 3rd with one round to play, 5 shots behind second place, so hopefully I can put a complete round together tomorrow to at least challenge 2nd.

Results can be found here

http://www.all-americantour.com/leagues/golf_leaderboard.cfm?clientid=4367&leagueid=14731&seasonnum=2010

I forgot to congratulate Victor Almstrom a teammate of mine at The University of Minnesota for making it through to the final stage of European QSchool. I would also like to wish Clayton Rask good luck at the Final Stage of QSchool for The PGA Tour, the first day is today and hopefully he can make it through.

Thomas

Day 1 ASU Karsten Course - All American Tour

Today was a long day, Firstly there was an hour delay due to frost, sitting around in the clubhouse is not that fun. I was glad to finally play, even though it was a cold morning.

My timing with my swing was a bit off today. I struggled with my driving, but luckily I was able to scramble my way around the course to post a respectable score. I only managed to hit 6 fairways out of 14, and 10 greens, but my short game kept me in contention only having 26 putts. Unfortunately I made a double bogey 5 on 16 a tough par 3, after playing extra safe, because of a tough pin location but my ball ended up in an awful lie. My round consisted of 3 bogies (holes 3,7, 18) one double bogey (16) and five birdies (holes 8,12,13,14,17).

In the end of the day I am in Tied 3rd with an even par 70, 4 shots behind the leader.

Results for the event can be followed on this link.

http://www.all-americantour.com/leagues/golf_leaderboard.cfm?clientid=4367&leagueid=14731&seasonnum=2010

Later in the afternoon I went to Tonto Verde a course I practice at in Scottsdale to work on my driving, and routine. The short practice session was needed, and I really feel that I have found my swing again. I also played a quick five holes, and spend some time putting on the putting course. I feel my putting has improved dramatically by turning my putting sessions into fun games and attempting challenging putts with better mindset, rather than just grinding on the putting green trying to create confidence by holing easy putts. I have noticed that my longer putts have better chances of going in and I hole more long putts. Putting should be a fun part of the game, not just a chore.

Thomas

Q School Disappointment, Arizona, and All American Golf Tour

Hello All

It has been quite a while since I have updated everyone on my professional golf career.

The last time I updated this blog was during PGA Tour Qschool. I apologize for not updating you on my qschool result, I really wanted to get over thinking about what happened and move onto the future. To keep it simple I hit the ball great, but had 34-36 putts per round. The cause was my ability to adapt to and read bermuda greens. I have never been a big fan of bermuda greens, and as I do not have a full time caddie really had no idea how to read the grain and slope. The next time I hope I have a caddie and can trust their read, as my read and speed was so far off. It was a good experience a

nd most 1st time golfers don't make it through, there is always next year. It was just frustrating considering how well the rest of my game has been.

At the end of October I shifted down to Scottsdale, Arizona for the winter. I have my own apartment for a 6 month lease that ends in the end of April. I will then move back to Minneapolis at that time. I love it down here, every day is sunny, little wind, and a decent temperature.

I am fortunate enough that I have two courses to play and practice at down here at no cost. I will be practicing out at Vista Verde, and Tonto Verde. All the courses down here are desert courses, so far I like it a lot, and it has helped me with my driving accuracy. Basically if you dont keep it on the fairway your in the desert, which is mostly like being out of bounds unless your lucky enough to get a shot.

There will be two main mini tours I will be playing in while I am in Arizona. The All-American Tour, and Gateway Tour.

So Far I have played in two All-American Tour Events, where I have finished 4th, and 2nd. Unfortunately I was leading by 4 shots with 5 holes to play when I finished 2nd, and two bad shots on the two par 3's into the desert lead to two double bogies, and losing by one shot. The last two tournaments there has only been 20 players in each, therefore there is not as much to be made, but now that qschool is now into its final stages there should be more players to make the purses bigger.

My next event starts on the 30th Nov- 2nd Dec.

Results, Stats, Events and News for the All-American Tour can be found on this website.

http://www.all-americantour.com/

For those of you following my progress from back in New Zealand I will be back in the country from the 23rd December till 14th of January for Christmas. I look forward to catching up with as may of you as I can while I am at home.

I will update this blog more regularly as I play in these mini tour events.

Thomas

PGA Tour Q-School 1st Stage - Lantana Golf Club

Hello All.

I have been assigned to Lantana Golf Club for the next stage of Qschool. Lantana is just outside of Dallas, Texas.

I will be leaving Minneapolis tomorrow morning, and will be driving to Texas which is about a 14 hour drive. It will be a long road trip. I will have two days of practice at the course before the competition begins.

The competition dates are from October 26-29 and you can follow my progress on this link.

http://pgatq.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/pgatq10/event/pgatq1015/index.htm

I will have most of my belongings with me for the trip as I will be heading from Texas to Scottsdale, Arizona for the winter months. Another 15 hour drive! I have found an apartment in Scottsdale and will be residing there for 6 months as Minnesota is way too cold during the Winter. I have a couple of Tours to play on in Arizona during the winter months as a back up if Q-School is not a success this year.

I will keep you updated during my progress at the stage in Lantana

Thomas

Advanced! PGA Tour Pre-Qualifier Result

Hi All.

Although I was not happy with my putting performance for all four rounds I managed to sneak through the Pre-Qualifier for Q-School.

All four rounds were plagued with missed short putts, and miss reading most of my putts.

I shot scores of 74 72 72 69 to finish Tied 38th. The top 42 players and ties advanced through this stage. I made it through right on the number. After the first round I was in 57th place, 54th after round two, and 55th after round three. If there is one positive I can take from this performance, it was my ability to stay patient and believe in myself. In my final round I started off with three bogies in a row. Considering I was already well above the mark to advance I just kept reminding myself to stay patient keep giving yourself opportunities, the putts will drop if you commit to the shot. I made three crucial putts in the last 9 holes, they were not very long but they were important and If I did not commit to the process to give the ball a chance to go in I would not have had a chance on advancing. It also took pressure off the rest of my game. I played basically flawless golf my last 14 holes in the last round once I got out of my own way. I shot 31 on my last 9 holes, getting up and down out of the bunker on the last hole to advance.

In the end all that matters is that I advanced, and I know that when the putts start dropping I will shot some really low numbers.

I have about 5 weeks to work on my game, which will be nice to assess my last few weeks and focus in on my weaknesses, and continue to maintain my strengths in my game.

I will find out where my next site will be for the next stage in the beginning of October.

Thomas

Pre-Q School PGA Tour

Some of you may know that I will be attempting Q School for the PGA Tour. I begin my first stage in Lincoln, Nebraska at Yankee Hill Golf Club on Tuesday. I will have two practice days leading up to the first round on Tuesday to prepare.

Here is the link for my pre-qualifying stage.

http://pgatq.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/pgatq10/event/pgatq103/index.htm

For Those of you that don't know much about how Q school works I will give a brief outline.

Pre-Q Stage - Mostly players that have recently turned professional and do not have any status on the PGA, Nationwide, Canadian or Australasian Tours. 6 sites.

1st Stage - 12 sites - Top 25-30 players at each site get through to the 2nd Stage.

2nd Stage - 6 sites - Top 25 players at each site get through to the final stage and join other Nationwide and PGA Tour Players.

Final Stage - 1 site - The Top 25 players get full conditional status on the PGA Tour. The remaining players get full conditional status of the Nationwide Tour. As the position they finish drops, their status drops.

Thomas

Dakota Tour Championship

Hello

It has been a few days since updating my blog. I apologize for taking so long to update you all on my golf progress.

Last Week I played in the last Dakota Tour Event, The Dakota Tour Championship. I was happy to finish in the Top 10 once again although it was a very frustrating week with my putter. Once again I hit the ball great, but couldn't get the ball to drop. The greens were super fast, and luckily I was pretty good with my return putts but I missed countless putts from 6-15 feet in length. However a positive I can take from the event was my ball striking, I'm very happy how well I am driving, and hitting my iron shots. I can't wait till those putts start to drop.

I finished tied 10th, with scores of 74, 68, 70 on a much longer golf course.

Results can be found here.

http://dakotastour.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/dakotastour10/event/dakotastour1018/contest/4/leaderboard.htm

I hope all is well with everyone, and I hope for the best to my friends and family who have been effected by the Earthquake in Christchurch.

Thomas

Last Couple of Weeks

Hello

Firstly I apologize for not updating over the last couple of weeks, I'm sure you want to know how I have been going. I have been busy moving out of my apartment in Minneapolis, practicing traveling and playing in a couple of events.

The event I played in last week was in Minot, North Dakota. To sum up this tournament I struggled very badly with my putting shooting 79 (39 Putts) 68 (32 Putts) and 70 (33 Putts) I missed the final round cut because of my poor putting.

I just finished my last event today in Fargo, North Dakota. I had to qualify for the event on Monday which was a success. I shot 68, 66 in the first two rounds, and was Tied 1st going into the final round. However I had a terrible start making a triple bogey 7 on my third hole after trying to play too conservative, and then bogeying my next two holes which put me completely out of contention. I shot 76 in windy conditions but I am very upset that I could not challenge for first place after putting myself into contention. One bonus is I putted better this week, and I'm feeling confident with my game so hopefully this week is my week. I still managed to finish 4th alone this week, so I am happy with the turn around after missing the cut last week.

Results can be found here:

http://dakotastour.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/dakotastour10/event/dakotastour1016/contest/1/leaderboard.htm

I play in a one day pro-am tomorrow in Milbank, South Dakota, and then drive down to Sioux City, Iowa that night to prepare for the Dakota Tour Championship on the 1st and 2nd of Sept.

Both events can be followed here:

http://dakotastour.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/dakotastour10/schedule/index.htm

Thomas

Arrowhead Pro-Am

Its been a while since I have updated you all on my golf.

I spent 10 days just practicing and focusing on my game after my last tournament in Marshall, before heading to Rapid City, South Dakota last Wednesday. I had mixed results in the Arrowhead tournament. My first round I shot 71 I did not putt very well but hit the ball relatively well to still allow me to score ok. The second round I shot 65 it was nice to finally shoot a few under as I had not been shooting low scores that I was providing myself opportunities with thanks to my ball striking. I made the cut and left myself in position to contend. My final round however was a disaster. I hot the ball very well and give myself opportunities for birdies basically on every hole. My putting however was a disaster, my putting display was one of the worst ever considering how close I was hitting it, and I became very frustrated that I was not holing anything. I shot 75 due to frustration, and no confidence. Once again it was another tournament I was left wondering what could had been. This time I hit the ball very well and did not capitalize on it. Luckily I know what was causing my frustration, and I am looking forward to play well in my next tournament.

I am back in Minneapolis to practice before leaving for my next tournament in Minot, North Dakota on Wednesday morning. The tournament starts on Thursday through Sunday.

Results can be followed on this link

http://dakotastour.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/dakotastour10/event/dakotastour1014/index.htm

Thomas

Marshall

I just finished competing in Marshall, Minnesota. I feel that my game is close, but I still have a lot of things to work on. In Marshall I shot 69-72-69 (3 under). Although I was not too pleased with the way I played in the last 3 days I managed to still shoot scores to keep myself in contention. I have to continue to remind myself that golf is not a game of perfect.

In my first round I had two bogies and 4 birdies for 69, In my second round I had my first double bogie as a pro. I did not manage to get up and down from 25 feet form the hole, and then continued to 3 putt. That was my second hole of the day, I managed to grind out a 72 in very hot and windy conditions. In the third round I had my first eagle as a pro, ironically again on my second hole of the day, Isn’t it funny how golf works sometimes. I played solid and was 4 under through 9 holes, which brought me back into contention to win, however I bogied my 10^th and 11^th holes after missing two 6 foot putts. I could only finish with 7 straight pars to finish with 69. I was frustrated that I could not keep my round going, however I did move up a few spots to finish Tied 5^th for the tournament.

The results can be found here.

http://dakotastour.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/dakotastour10/event/dakotastour108/contest/1/leaderboard.htm

After assessing my game, and schedule I have decided to not travel to Wichita for the Monday qualifier for the Nationwide Tour. I have been doing a lot of driving and playing golf over the last 3 weeks and feel that a rushed 10 hour drive from Minneapolis, to then play a practice round and then compete on Monday is just a little too much. I feel that I need to work hard on my game over the next couple of weeks before I play in the more major Dakota tour events. And a rest from driving would be nice.

Just thought you would like to know a few of my stats since turning Pro.

Of the 10 rounds I have played so far my Scoring Average is 69.9 (-12)

I average 4 birdies per round, 10 pars and 3 bogies.

Par 3 Average is 3.13

Par 4 Average is 4.03

Par 5 Average is 4.46

I have only been hitting 8 Fairways (62.12%)

13 Greens (71.67 %)

And Average 30 Putts per round.

Hope all is well with Everybody

Thomas

Minnesota State Open

Since my last tournament in Britton, South Dakota I have been very busy. On Wednesday I had a relaxing day I took the opportunity to spend some time at the range focusing mainly on my short game and wedges. It was nice to put in a quality practice session after all the traveling I have been doing. On Thursday I was back on the road. Since I was due to compete in the Minnesota State Open Friday through Sunday I would not have the opportunity to get a practice round before the beginning of my next tournament in Marshall so I decided to make the 3 hour drive to Marshall on Thursday to sneak in a practice round. I left at 6am, played a practice round in a cart by myself at 930, and was back on the road at 1230 to get back to Minneapolis at 330. I did not have a practice round at Bunker Hills before the State Open as I had played there before and felt I knew the course well enough. Instead when I got back to Minneapolis I had a light practice session mainly focusing on hitting shots I would in a tournament, and lots of putting.

My first round of the State Open was late in the afternoon. I went to the range and practiced for about an hour and a half in the morning to kill time. I struggled with my ball striking especially tee shots during the entire round but managed to shoot a scrappy 71 (1 under) thanks to my chipping and putting. Even though I did not take advantage of the easy conditions I was not to upset with my score.

My second round was in the morning. I was hoping to post a low number and hopefully make up some shots on the leaders. I once again struggled with my tee shots to get the ball in play. It is very hard to make birdies from the trees when you have to pitch out, and I as beginning to get frustrated that I was continuously trying to scramble for pars. I made a terrible bogie on my 9^th hole of the day an easy par 5. I was in the middle of the fairway with 230 yards left and walked off with 6. During the walk to the 10^th tee I managed to calm myself down (even though I bogied my 10^th hole) made a couple of good saves and birdies to shoot 72 (Even par). The scoring was low on the second day I ended up 8 shots behind the leader tied 13^th.

Later in the afternoon I went to the range to focus mainly on driving. After a good session I felt that my swing was where I need it to be to give myself an opportunity to make up some places and try and salvage a decent pay check on Sunday.

The final round was a mixture of great and bad ball striking. I struggled with my driving for the first seven holes and managed to still be 1 under for the day thanks to some good par saves. However I don’t know what happened from the 8^th hole My ball striking turned around and I couldn’t miss a shot, however I could not make a putt, well anything from 6-15 feet. I made 3 birdies and 8 pars on my last 11 holes. The 3 birdies were longer range putts, and the missed putts were from short range, burning the edge on every putt. I ended up shooting the weirdest 68 I have ever shot. I was also frustrated that I did not birdie a single par 5 in the last round. I had to remind myself that golf is not a game of perfect. As I perfectionist I struggle with this concept, as I expect to make everything, but it is simply not possible. I made plenty of those putts earlier when I wasn’t hitting the ball as well, so I guess it is a law of averages. I couldn’t be upset that I shot 68 and moved up a few places, but I am still left wondering what could had been.

In the end I made a decent pay check finishing tied 6^th at 5 under.

The results for the Minnesota State Open can be found here.

http://mnpga.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/mnpga10/event/mnpga1055/contest/1/leaderboard.htm

I received a useful tip from my coach Simon Thomas back home in New Zealand after reading a couple of my blogs. He explained “Remember to always look for the good in what you have done before looking at what could have been better”. As many of you that know me well enough I show characteristics of a perfectionist, which is great, but can hurt me at times as I get down when I do not hit the perfect shot of putt. The perfect shot does not always go where you want it to. After assessing my State Open performance, sure I wasn’t too pleased with my ball striking, but I am very pleased with my pitching chipping and putting. It is something that I have struggled with over the last several months, so rather than dwelling on the poor shots, I need to congratulate myself on my short game performance.

Last night directly after the State Open I made the drive down to Marshall, Minnesota. I completed my first round in the morning shooting 69 (2 under) This put me in Tied 2^nd after the morning scores were posted with 2/3 of the field playing in the afternoon.

Results for Marshall can be followed here.

http://dakotastour.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/dakotastour10/event/dakotastour108/contest/1/leaderboard.htm

Sorry this blog is so long I had not updated in a few days.

Thomas

Britton Pro-AM

On Monday morning I drove 4 hours to Britton, South Dakota. Once I got off the main highway there was not much to see, apart from farms, plains and a few trees. Britton is a small town in South Dakota with a population of only 1000. When I arrived I realized that I had no coverage for my phone. However it was nice to relax and play a tournament at a country course. When I arrived I had a practice round, practiced for a while, and then found the place I was staying. The tournament was a one day Pro-AM format with 3 amateurs and 2 pros in teams. I got off to a great start birdying my first 3 holes, and was 4 under through 6. However I bogied my next two holes which were back to back par threes, which killed the momentum I had. I managed to get back to 4 under with 7 holes to play, however I did not play very well my last 7 missing two costly short putts, finishing with 3 under. I finished tied 6^th, which was good enough to at least get my money back, but left me wondering what could had been. I was annoyed that I could not keep my round going, and my only bogies were on three par 3s.

Up next for me is the Minnesota State Open. I am really looking forward to playing in this tournament as a Pro (I have played the last three years as an amateur). I love the golf course Bunker Hills, and can feel the progress in my game is leading me to a breakthrough very soon. The Minnesota State Open is Played over Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, and scoring can be found on this website.

http://mnpga.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/mnpga10/event/mnpga1055/index.htm

As soon as I complete my final round I will drive three hours to Marshall, MN for my next tournament beginning Monday till Wednesday.

I will keep you updated during these next couple of tournaments.

Thomas

Waterloo Open

Hi All.

I just got back from a disappointing tournament this weekend. Its never fun missing the cut in a golf tournament and this is my first missed cut in a professional event. Looking back on the tournament I have a lot to learn. I came into this tournament playing well and full of confidence in a good performance. However my expectations got in the way. The course the Waterloo Open was played on is a short 6200 Yard course providing plenty of birdie opportunities. And with my confidence in my game I gave myself too many expectations rather than just taking the tournament one shot at a time. I found it hard knowing not only did I need to go low, but I needed to go low in the first round as the event was only 36 holes with an 18 hole cut. I only managed one over 73 and the cut was 69. I hit my drives in play all day but just couldn’t get the birdies to drop. Not only was I frustrated that I hit good putts that didn’t drop the round took over 6 hours to complete in hot humid weather. I’m still happy with where my game is at. The putts don’t always drop, and it certainly was one of those days.

Up next for me is a one day event in Britton, South Dakota, which I leave for tomorrow morning. The golf course is only 9 holes, which I will play twice, and very short. It will be a real country feel in a small town. I am looking forward to the different experience, hopefully making plenty of experience a long the way. I will update you all on my results there.

After Britton, I have the Minnesota State Open on Friday through Sunday, I am very excited to play in this event. I really enjoy the golf course Bunker Hills, and feel good things will happen in the weekend.

Directly after the tournament I will be competing in another 3 day event in Marshall, MN about 2 and a half hours from Minneapolis.

For now this is all.

See you in Britton.

Bakker Crossing Pro-Am

On Friday morning I drove 4 hours from Minneapolis to Sioux Falls, South Dakota. I traveled with three other friends also competing in the tournament. I did not really know what to expect when I got to the golf course for the practice round, but once I arrived I felt very comfortable. I was surprised how many other players I knew. I played a practice round with Ben Patrick and Andy. We decided to play a little competition called Umbriago to decide who would cook dinner, luckily Andy and Myself managed to pull off a win, but Ben and Patrick cooked a great dinner of spaghetti. I felt pretty good with my preparation for the tournament and was excited to tee it up the following day.

The tournament was a 36 hole event comprising of 91 professionals. My first round started off a bit slow, having two horseshoe lip outs from 6 feet on the 3^rd and 4^th holes. In the past I may have got frustrated that I hit a good putt that did not go in, but I managed to remind myself that patience is important because it will happen to everyone at some stage. The conditions were very windy which made the course challenging at times. I turned the front 9 one over par although I could easily had been 3 or 4 shots better I but still managed to stay patient. On the back nine I hit it close on a few holes and had three consecutive birdies on 12, 13 and 14 to post 2 a 2 under par 69 on my professional debut. I was happy with the performance but disappointed that I did not hole many putts considering how well I hit the ball. After day one I was tied 5^th 2 shots behind the leader.

Day two was the day where low scores were needed. The pin positions were slightly easier but there was hardly any wind. I turned the front 9 one under par with 8 pars and one birdie but once again missed a lot of chances. I knew if I had any chance of winning or a high finish in the tournament I would need a strong last 9 holes. I managed to make 4 birdies on the back 9 but also had 4 weak bogies, with only one par on my last hole. Shooting 70 cost me a lot of spots as people passed me in the easy conditions. One thing I learned from this week is bogies are costly. I had 10 birdies in two rounds, but also 7 bogies, to finish on 3 under 139. I finished tied 14^th 5 shots behind the winner.

The results can be found on this link.

http://dakotastour.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/dakotastour10/event/dakotastour102/contest/1/leaderboard.htm

I managed to pick up a small paycheck but I am left wondering what could have been. Considering this is my first pro tournament I have learned a lot from the weekend to take to my next tournament and know what I need to work on before the next tournament beginning Saturday. I am disappointed that I could not finish higher after putting myself into contention, but I know if I keep putting myself into contention I will break through.

I have three days back in Minneapolis to fine tune my game, working especially hard on my wedges and short game as this weekend I need to score low numbers to be in contention on a shorter golf course.

My next tournament is the Waterloo Open in Waterloo, Iowa beginning on the 17^th.

See you in Waterloo, Iowa.

Thomas

Professional Career Begins!

Hi All. I thought a great way for you all to keep up with my golf career would be to create a blog that you can keep track of my progress. It has been a while since I have given you all an update on my life living in The United States and goal to become a professional golfer on The PGA Tour.

In the beginning of May I played in my last college tournament representing The University of Minnesota, this was The Big Ten Men's Golf Championship. I finished 20th Individually and the team finished 8th. Unfortunately We needed to win Big Tens to extend my college career to Regionals, and Nationals. I was lucky enough to have my parents come watch me compete in the Big Ten Championship and attend my graduation ceremony at The University of Minnesota. In my four years of college in USA I managed to complete both an Undergraduate, and Graduate degree. I gained a Bachelors in Science in Sport Management, and a Masters in Education in Kinesiology with an emphasis in Sport and Exercise Science. Since then I have had two months to fine tune my golf game, and I feel I am ready to take the step to begin my golf career as a professional. Over the next couple of days I will continue to prepare for my first professional golf competition this Saturday and Sunday. I will begin my professional golf career playing mainly on the Dakotas Tour July through September. Bakker Crossing is my first tournament this weekend @ Bakker Crossing Golf Course in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The following weekend I will be competing in the Waterloo Open in Waterloo, Iowa.

Luckily I will not be traveling alone to most of these tournaments. I will be traveling with Ben Pisani, Patrick Datz and Andy Paulson, three other recent graduates from the University of Minnesota who have similar goals to become a successful professional golfer.

Below is my schedule of golf tournaments until September:

July 10-11 Bakker Crossing Sioux Falls, SD

July 17-18 Waterloo Open Waterloo, IA

July 20 Britton Pro-Am Britton, SD

July 23-25 Minnesota State Open, Bunker Hills, MN

July 26-28 Marshall GC Marshall, MN

Aug 2 Nationwide Tour Monday Qualifier for Preferred Health Systems Wichita, KS

August 5-8 Nationwide Tour Preferred Health Systems Wichita, KS

August 12-14 Arrowhead GC Rapid City, SD

August 19-21 Minot GC Minot, ND

August 27-29 Fargo GC Fargo, ND

August 30 Millbank Pro-Am, Millbank, SD

September 1-3 Dakota Tour Championship, TBA

I plan on updating my blog regularly while on the road, and will post pictures and stories during my process to become a successful professional golfer.

See you in Sioux Falls this weekend.

Thomas