European Tour Q School

I have been very excited for my European Tour Q School experience in Portugal. I have given my preparation on and off the golf course my all. I felt like I was ready. 

The circumstances did not workout in my favor and it was not meant to be this year. After 20 hours of airport travel time (Salt Lake to Philadelphia and then to Lisbon) and a 3 hour adventure from the airport to my hotel in my rental car (which should have taken 30 min) my body had enough. I arrived Friday the 20th in the morning with the plan of playing practice rounds Saturday, Sunday and Monday before the tournament on Tuesday. During this time I would have been able to determine my yardages and get a good feel for how I would play the course. Well, my lower back locked up and I was in extreme pain. I spent Saturday and Sunday icing and resting my back. Monday, I was able to play a couple of holes. Needless to say, I did not feel prepared. 

Tournament time came along on Tuesday and I did not have a good warm up session and was on the verge of withdrawing because of my pain and lack of mobility. I ended up playing, I was 5 over thru my first 5 holes and fought my way back to one over thru 14. I finished the day at 74! 

Round 2, I felt a little better but not much. I had a hard time on the greens, they were a lot slower over here than in the states. I missed a lot of short birdie putts and finished the day at 75. 

I was in a position where if I had two good rounds I could qualify for second stage. Round three started off ok, the winds were a major factor for this round. I was 1 under through 5 holes, again missing short birdie putts on 1 and 2. Hole 6 is where I started making bogeys. I felt I needed to hit a lot of cut shots and that was hard for me to do because I would need to rotate my body more to change my path far enough left for ball to curve right. That rotation would cause my back to lock and I would hit pulls left. I then started thinking score instead of just playing the course. I ended up with an awful finish that would keep me from competing the last day. One bright side of the day was watching the short game of Manuel Quiros. It was very inspirational, he got up and down from everywhere on the course. One of the best short games I have seen! 

I am looking forward to getting home so I can rest. This trip has taken its toll on my body and it needs time to recover. After that you will find me at the short game practice facilities!!!! Thank you to everyone who has supported me and cheered me on!!! The journey continues, I will reach my goals!

Alexander