We had another early morning as DJ was the second group off at 7:55AM playing with Don Rose. The round started poorly with DJ hitting a good shot to the green that ran around 3 feet over, just far enough to get into the deep rough. The pitch ran by and a missed putt produced a bogey to start the day.
Through 5 holes it was an up and down round until I realized my cell phone was missing. My friend Bob and I went back to one of the tee captains who has a walkie talkie connection to all other tee captains and to the main operations headquarters. He put out the word that my phone was missing and to report it if it was found. We learned the chairman of the Marshals volunteers had it and was heading out to find DJ's group, figuring I was there to give it to me. By the time my phone and I linked up DJ and Don Rose were at #11.
I will take time here to say a 'Big Thank You' to all the volunteers who work all the PGA, Nationwide, Champions and LPGA Tours. Without them there would be no tournament. They do it all and make it happen. It is a great way to see the inner workings of a tour event and in many stations, like the tees and greens or the range and putting green, you get up close and personal to the players. As the volunteers, who do it year after year, will tell you, it's a wonderful experience.
We caught up to DJ putting out on 11 green, the 231 yard par 3. The pin was back right center and he was around 15 feet left and just missed his birdie. He drove it dead center on 12 and hit a poor second shot that hit the rocks in front of the green and bounced into the hazard. A reload that hit the green around 50 feet above the hole left a speedy downhill putt that rolled around 8 feet by . A miss with that one was a three putt and he was writing down a triple bogey and was now 4 over for the day.
He then either got mad or got even because he birdied 14 with a hole out from the bunker, made par on 15 and then birdied 16, 17 and 18. He drove it dead center and long on 18 and hit a high 3 iron dead on the flag that ran out to the fringe around 18 feet away. After a first putt that scared the hole and ran by a couple of feet he putted out for birdie and a final round even par score.
He drove it really well, hitting all the fairways on the backside. He told me he slowed his backswing and his backswing was a PPGS ¾ length. DJ also putted well and made 3 good putts coming in, especially a 12 to 15 footer left to right on 17 that he center cut, pouring it right in. The best thing I liked was when he stepped up to hit that putt I saw his setup was different. This was the first time I got a good side view of him and he was standing taller and his hands were hanging more straight down and closer to his legs. He looked a lot like my brother Ken's stance and Ken can putt the dimples and paint off the ball.
After the round I told him I loved the new setup and that it looked like Kenny's setup (Ken is also 6'1'). He told me that he changed on the putting green that morning as well as he went to 1 slow and smooth practice stroke like the one he would make to putt the ball. I showed him my note book that had as my final entry made this morning after I got up that said that when we work in the next few weeks off, that I wanted to test standing taller with arms closer to see if that gives him a different look and feel that works better. It looks like he may have found it and we'll work on grooving it in our practice session during his next 3 weeks off.
Overall it was a disappointing weekend until he birdied 4 of the final five holes. Making the cut was great, as it gave him the chance to earn enough Fed Ex cup points to make it to next week. That didn't happen, but the great 4 birdie finish to get it back to even par was just what the doctor ordered. He left with a good feeling of good things to come when he plays in the fall series, likely starting with The Turning Stone Resort Championship in Verona, New York the first week of October.
His mother picked us up after the round and we headed up to his sister's home in New Hampshire, an hours ride away, for a Labor Day cookout. Then it is back to New Bedford/Dartmouth area to see his Grandmother and relatives. He'll fly back home Wednesday morning to Mt. Pleasant, SC. He will likely do a little hunting and fishing for a week or so and then I show up to start the grind of fine tuning his setup and swing and putting for the fall series.
The Surge!