In my first round of the weekend I played a pretty good round - shooting just five over par - for my first time ever stepping foot on Pacific Ocean Links. It was a beautiful course but being in Oregon we battled the rain all day. I think the weather helped my performance as it kept the greens slow and the distance on everyone's shots shorter than normal. Mother Nature: the ultimate equalizer! The highlight of the round came when I chipped in from 34 yards out for birdie on the 12th hole! It was my first chip in as a professional and a moment I'll never forget!
At the end of the first round I was tied for 33rd and looking like I had a chance to play the weekend with another respectable round tomorrow.
Unfortunately, it just wasn't meant to be for me this weekend. The rain was replaced with some strong wind currents ripping through the course and I struggled mightily with it. I didn't have any hole where I just blew up but I consistently had the "blues" on my score card. With no rain, I saw that these greens were built for one thing and one thing only: speed! Man, did they play fast and furious. It was tough to get a read on some of the breaks as well but to find the right touch was even more difficult.
The tournament ended very anti-climatically with Spaniard Breno Ferreira finishing six-under and taking home the $112,500 purse for the tournament champion. He finished three shots ahead of American Jeremy Daniels as he was never challenged down the stretch. With only five golfers under par for the tournament it is clear to me that Pacific Ocean Links proves to be a much, much more difficult course than Wolverine Golf Course. Regardless, I'd love to find my way to some nice weather because playing in Michigan and Oregon in January and February is not what I signed up for!
