North Carolina State University Athletics
A Dose of PGA Tour Reality (7/4/09)
7/4/2009 12:00:00 AM | Pack Athletics
Editor’s note: After shooting a second-round 69 on Friday to make the cut at the AT&T National at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Md., NC State rising junior Matt Hill shot a 75 in Saturday’s third-round. He is tied with Paul Goydos for 63rd among the 76 players remaining in the field.
BETHESDA, Md. After playing pretty well the first two days here at the AT&T National, Saturday was a little bit of a struggle. Those kinds of days are going to happen out here on the PGA Tour, so you just have to barge through them.
But, since it was so late when I finished my round Friday and some post-round practice, I didn’t get a chance to write about the second round. It was a pretty spectacular experience, especially since I put myself in a difficult position mid-way through my round.
I started Friday 1-over, and played the front nine at even-par 35. On the 11th hole, I did the same thing I did the day before hit my second shot in the hazard and made double bogey. I can probably count on one hand the number of double bogeys I had all spring, and that was the second one on that same hole.
That put me 3-over for the tournament, which was one shot below the projected cut line. I knew I had to bear down and do something if I was going to reach my goal of making the cut. Pretty much, I just got ticked off and made four pretty good putts in a row.
I had a 30-foot putt for par on No. 12, which I curled in. That gave me a lot of confidence and on the next hole, I stuck my tee shot within four feet. I made that putt to get one of the strokes back.
On the 14th hole, I made a 40-foot sliding putt for another birdie that put me 1-over for the tournament. That pretty much assured that I would make the cut, but I wanted to make sure. So on 15, I rolled in a 15-foot putt for my third consecutive birdie.
That was a great feeling. I played it smart on the final three holes and finished the day with a 1-under 69, my first sub-par round in a PGA Tour event.
The best thing about the second round was that I didn’t feel like I was playing my best, but I still scored pretty well. That gives me lots of confidence that I can play out here, even when I am not at my best. I feel like I am as good as a lot of these guys. But I also know I can improve my game in a lot of ways.
After two rounds, I was even par and tied with, among others, former NC State golfer Marc Turnesa, who is a really nice guy. He worked his way up through the Nationwide Tour to earn his PGA Tour card in 2007, then won as a rookie last year at the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in Las Vegas. So he has a two-year exemption on tour and I’ve been able to learn a lot from him about what life as a professional golfer is like.
Another guy I was able to meet and spend some time with was Rocco Mediate, who people remember from last year’s U.S. Open play-off with Tiger Woods. He came up to me and congratulated me on my college season. That was pretty nice. It was neat meeting him.
Saturday, I got a pretty good dose of reality, by shooting a 5-over 75. I struggled a good bit, but I know those kinds of days are going to happen out here. You just have to look forward to the next day.
On the front nine, I made three bogeys and another double. Then on No. 11, my nemesis hole, I made another double. This time, though, I didn’t hit the ball in the hazard on my second shot. I hit it in the hazard off the tee. There should be some way I can blame this on my caddie, NC State teammate Kent Copeland, but I can’t think of one right now.
That 11th hole is killing me. It’s an awesome hole, but it plays very tough. I am going to try to birdie it Sunday.
I managed to finish up with a couple of birdies and finish with a 75. I immediately went over to the range to hit some balls and left feeling pretty good about my game. I worked a little on my putting, because I struggled with that today. But, like I said, these kinds of days are going to happen out here.
I am just going to go have fun during Sunday’s final round and try to relax. That’s the most important thing out here. I think it will turn out to be a good day.
