CO Open Rounds 2/3

I've really struggled the last couple of days. 74 yesterday let me make the cut...barely. Today's 73 wasn't much better. My short game hasn't been very good, and I haven't been able to hit the shots I need to. Flashes of brilliance, yes, but nothing consistent. A good round tomorrow should move me up the leaderboard a bit. I may be out of the running to win, but I can still have a decent finish.

I'll play early tomorrow before flying back to Phoenix for the Gateway that starts Monday. No rest for the weary.

--Luke

Colorado Open Round 1

Today's first round went okay. On the first hole, I hit a good drive, but had a huge clump of mud on my ball. I thought my second shot was going into the hazard (mud balls are VERY hard to control), but it stayed out. I hit a great flop and was able to save par. After a good up and down on the third hole, I started to hit the ball better the rest of the round. I just wasn't able to get the ball close enough to make a lot of birdies, and I ended up with a -1 70. Not bad. The leaders are at -6, I'm in 17th.

My round left me with a very good chance to get into contention. A good round could vault me into one of the last groups heading into Saturday. With a few more chances for birdie, I should shoot a good score tomorrow.

After a good practice session this afternoon, I scored some good tickets to the Rockies game. What a game it was. They ended up beating the Padres in 10, after being down 6-0, then 8-3. Good times. Better times when I shoot myself into contention tomorrow.

Walking in to Coors Field

Mike Cameron at the dish:

--Luke Swilor

That's More Like It

Played good. 66. Heat was on down the stretch, but I kept making birdies. Also had no bogies today. Tied for 3rd.

More later.

Luke

It's Later:

The last round of this tournament was a blast. It has been awhile since I have had a chance to win a tournament of any significance, and I forgot how much fun it is. I played very solid golf all day long, and I thought I still had a chance if I got hot on the back nine. I felt a different kind of pressure the last day than I've been feeling lately, and it felt good to pull some shots off. I think that pressure to make the cut is a much tougher/different pressure to face than the pressure when trying to win. I like the latter a lot better. It's more fun, more of a rush. There isn't any scared feeling, more excitement. It makes me play better.

I got off to a good start, making birdie on the first two, and 3 of the first 5. A lot of pars followed. Getting to the last five holes, I needed a lot of birdies. I got three, and was close on the other two. Ended up with 6 birdies, no bogies, and a ton of extra confidence. I gave myself a chance to win, and gave myself a much needed good finish. Fun.

So it was a very good week. There is a lot of big golf left this summer, and getting on a roll now could do some great things.

This week is the Colorado Open in Denver. I've had some success at this tournament the last couple years (see the archives, JULY 05), so I'm really looking forward to it. Oh, and the winner gets into the International at Castle Pines. Could be a life changing month. We'll see.

Luke

Wigwam Round 3

Solid round today. Nothing special, but I moved up the leaderboard. A good round tomorrow will give me a good finish and an outside chance at winning. 69 left me at -9, tied for 10th. The leaders are at -13.

I played solid golf all day, but I wasn't making birdies. I kept giving myself chances, and got a few to go in towards the end of the round. 3 birdies in the last 5 gave me life.

I feel good heading into tomorrow. Gateway scores can always be found at thegatewaytour.com

Luke Swilor

Gateway - Wigwam

I'm off to a pretty good start at the Gateway Tour event at the Wigwam. 66 in the first round left me tied for 2nd. After a 72 in the second round I am tied for 15th, still in a good position to have a good finish.

The first round on the Red course seemed like a pretty easy 66. I was never in any real trouble, which is quite a bit different than the last couple weeks. I finally hit a lot of good shots. The greens were the slowest greens I have ever played on in a tournament. The course had just opened after some summer maintenence, so it was hard to make a lot of putts.

Today's round was on the longer Gold course. I got off to a trying start, hitting it into a greenside bunker on 5 of the first 6. After that, I started to hit some better shots. I made some birdies to get it back under par before making bogey on the last hole.

I'm swinging much better, and my short game has continued to be pretty sharp. A better start tomorrow and I should be able to get back close to the top.

--Luke Swilor

Sedona Pics

Here are some pics of Sedona. Click to see full size.

Overlooking the town of Sedona:

The Cathedral of the Holy Cross:

Leaving the course. Nice view.

Gateway tour action starts back up tomorrow at the Wigwam Gold and Red courses. I had a good practice session today. I feel like I'm figuring some things out.

Luke

Rough

The smoke and mirrors that got me through the first two rounds couldn't get it done for a third time. I continued to hit the ball terribly bad and shot 75. My swing is not doing good. My short game is very solid, but it can't work miracles everyday. I hit a lot of good shots in each round, but I'm hitting some extremely bad shots that make my scores balloon. It's just not there. I'm working as hard as I can, and I get to work with my dad at the end of the week. Hopefully that will pay off.

One good thing today: I holed a 9-iron from 147 for a deuce. It was a thing of beauty.

Luke

Sedona Open (Rain Delay)

I finished my second round right before this. The picture isn't very good, but it is a downpour right now. One later tee time, and I would
have been playing the waiting game at the course.

I'm proud of my first two rounds. My ball striking was atrocious, but I hung, and hung, and hung on to shoot decent scores. 71-69, -4. I was three over after 6 today, so it was a helluva comeback.

I'm not sure exactly where I stand. A lot of players are still on the course.

Uh oh, power just went out.

I'm not sure if we'll be able to get the tourney in if they don't get back on the course soon.

Power is back on.

--Luke

Sedona Open Eve

Ah, classic golf. I didn't realize how tired I was of desert golf (wait, yeah I did). Once in a while it is okay. More than that? Seems like the same hole over and over.

This isn't the biggest of tournaments, but it already feels more like a tournament than I've been used to. I feel welcome. It has been nice.

Good feelings going into tomorrow. And Sedona is amazing. I'm not really a believer in the whole vortex phenomena (nutty?), but the scenery is still nice to look at. I'll have pics when I get back to an internet connection.

--Luke

My Gear

In a recent comment, the Kiwi Hacker asked for a post about what equipment I use. It is a very easy post:

TITLEIST

It is all I use, all I've ever used. I've had the chance to switch, but I don't ever find anything that compares. They make the best stuff out there for the serious golfer, and they are very loyal. From the 905 driver series, to the Vokey wedges, to the amazingly good Pro-V1 (mine's the X), you can't go wrong. They even make the best winter gear (toasty).

So...

Driver - Titleist 905s, maybe going to the 905r
Irons (2-9) - Titleist 990b, soon to be 695 MB
Wedges - Titleist 48 deg. oil can Vokey, 54 deg. raw Vokey, 60 deg. spin milled Vokey
Putter - Titleist Scotty Cameron Newport 2.5
Ball - Titleist Pro V1x
Bag - Titleist
Glove - Titleist Players
Shoe - Footjoys Dryjoy/Classic various types

Check out the gear at titleist.com

Luke Swilor

p.s. I was not paid for this post. I like their gear, so I use it.

OK

Today's score was a little better. Today, I played MUCH better. The score (73) won't always correlate, but my game is already in much better shape.

The little phone lesson I got from my dad seemed to do the trick with the long game. If I could have putted a bit better, I would have shot a good score. I was hitting good putts, but I was once again left feeling illiterate by the end of the round (very frustrating watching the label roll end over end, only to have the putt break too much or not enough).

Doom and gloom has left for the time being. I was at a loss during yesterdays round. I've been at a loss for the last couple months...But it feels like I am getting better. I just wish the scores would begin to show that.

I have a couple days to get ready for the Sedona Open. I need a good tournament. It has been WAY too long since a top 10, let alone a top 3 finish. Time to remedy that.

Luke

WOW

I struggled today (translation: I was a complete hack). I've been working on my swing, and I just don't have it...yet. I really had no clue where the ball was going. I also made some very bad decisions. And...I got a couple bad breaks. My second shot on the fourth hole (-1 at the time, not that bad a shot) ended up in a rocky hazard. I had a shot (I thought) from the rocks, but it didn't come out. One drop and three shots later, and I was +2. I hit some good shots from there on in, but I hit some bad ones too. It was really an embarrassing round. I kept trying to make a comeback, but nothing worked. The 7 on the last hole was really painful. 78. Pathetic.

I've got some work. The game hasn't ever been this hard for me before, but I still want it. BAD. I'm in the "weeding out" process, and I'm not going to let it get to me. It's a small blip on the radar, trust me. I'll work it out (key word: WORK). Talked to my dad, sounds like I'm getting a little "stuck." Need to keep the club in front of my body. There is always something to work on, you just need to score when you don't "have it." That has been my main screw up. No matter what swing I bring, I need to get it in the hole. I definitely haven't been doing that. It stops now. I don't need to shoot over par anymore, especially not the scores I've been shooting.

The Derby's on. It's much better than the actual All-Star game, so I better watch.

Keep it on grass.

Luke

It's On

Hello Mr. Guru.

Yeah, I could probably be called a redneck, but only if you go by the literal meaning. Of course I've got a red neck. I spend 8 hours a day in the sun. The same sun that causes the 113 degree weather down here. I have the ultimate farmer's tan. They let us wear shorts down here, though, so at least my legs aren't as white anymore. When I get back to wearing pants everyday (like the last two years), I'll be back to having two O.B. stakes for legs. Daggum, Guru, the races are awesome. Watch a couple, you'll get hooked on that too.

The races last night were great. The dirt track is a totally different experience. A complete slide through the turn. Going to different tracks is like going to different ballparks. Each is unique, so it is a must see at every town you visit.

I played a practice round today for the Gateway starting Monday. I am hitting the ball good, I feel good over the putter, and my mind seems to be working right. This is a good combination, hopefully the good results will follow.

One day tourney tomorrow, followed by the Gateway, then the Sedona Open. Action packed.

Luke

A Little Racin'

I never thought it would happen, but this year I've become a race fan. I don't know how it happened. I think NASCAR in HD has something to do with it. Now I watch the races every week if I can, and I'm starting to go out to the local tracks to watch some short-track shoot-outs.

Here's the trucks at the Rocky Mountain Raceway in Salt Lake:

So as long as the dust-storm doesn't swallow me up, I'll be at the dirt track at Manzanita Speedway tonight to watch some racing.

Starting Sunday, I'll have 7 tournament rounds in 8 days. Time to get hot.

Luke

Still Learning (from the best)

Well, I got off to kinda a rough start to the 5th Gateway event of the year. An little 80 (yeah, I know) made it a little bit difficult to make any money this week. It was a strange round. The course was fairly tough, but if you can keep it out of the desert off the tee, there are scoring opportunities. I managed to do that, but my 2nd shots, well, not so much. NOT ONE GOOD IRON SHOT. Ugh. So, it was a tough round to take.

My dad pointed out that my scoring average after a long drive (car drive, people) is about 77 (a little off the mark, but he's on the right track). So from now on, if there is any option, I will make sure to get to the tournament site at least two days in advance if I have to drive for more than 5 hours. Even out my body, I guess. Find your center, people, find your center.

Anyways, I played very good in today's second round. I hit a lot of good putts that I watched burn the edge, but still managed a nice little -3 69. I was wracking my brain last night, trying to figure out what happened to my game. Seems that it got left behind in Utah, but it caught up.

For the next couple weeks, I'm down here. No excuses. Golf your ball, Luke. Use the force (at least that's what people tell me). I expect good things.

Luke

Back in Action

Had a few days off, got to go home and see the family. I'm burning to get back at it, though. The next Gateway starts on the 4th, so I'll have some relevant info to post in a couple days.

In the meantime, I think I figured out how to post a video, so here's my swing. Video courstesy the mediaguru at hookedongolfblog.com/thegolfspace.com

This work? Thanks MW


Heres the Link to the Video