After a solid start to the season here in Switzerland at the Omnium Suisse my tournament schedule was packed with national events. I played in four tournaments over the past three and a half weeks with the Championnat National, the Championnat Suisse Orientale, the Memorial Olivier Barras, and the Innerschweizer Meisterschaften. My golf has been very solid as I finished in the top ten on every occasion. First, I shot rounds of 73 and 71 at the National Championship in Hittnau before losing in the Matchplay. The following week I had a good showing at the tight course in Niederbuhren where I finished T9 in a field made up of professionals and amateurs. The highlight of the past few weeks came at the Memorial however, as I managed to finish T10 in a very good field of pros and amateurs. Another solid tournament just ended with the Innerschweizer Meisterschaft where I tied for fourth. As my long game got continually better and more consistent I started to struggle on the greens the last few rounds. Now it's time to take a few days off and then focus on getting the putter going for the upcoming tournaments.
I will be leaving for Belgium this Saturday and playing the Belgian and German International Amateur Championships the following two weeks. I'm very excited about my game and hopeful for some good finishes in some very strong fields. Thanks for all the support and stay tuned! -PW
0 Comments
Last weekend I played at Omnium Suisse in Montreux. The field consisted of 96 players, made up of amateurs and professionals. I had a difficult start as my game was not on point the first day. The narrow course in Montreux is extremely challenging off the tee which caused some problems. To make the cut of the top 40 players after two rounds, I was in need of a low round on the second day. As my long game started to improve, along with another solid performance on the greens, I was able to move up into 40th place with a round of 71. On the last day my game was even better than the second day and I had tons of birdie chances. However, my putter turned cold and I even missed a few short ones. Still, rounds of 72 and 73 propelled me up the leaderboard into a T22 finish. Not a bad tournament and some real improvement over the four rounds. My next event starts this Thursday with the Swiss National Match Play Championship in Hittnau, Zurich. Thanks for following!
-PW My journey to the Philippines was definitely the longest one I've ever taken. The more than one day travel time started with a drive to Chicago (5 hours) where I flew to Tokyo (13 hours) and then Manila (5 hours) from where we finally caught a ride to Lubao (3 hours). The World University Championships were held at the Pradera Verde Golf & Country Club. The event was massive and we were treated like celebrities. After two days of practice rounds and getting used to the hot and humid weather, it was time for the opening ceremony. The tournament itself did not quite go as planned as I struggled with my wedge game on the first day. This led to a disappointing day one score of 74 on a day that I played well. The following day my game was just as good except for three shots that ended up in the water hazard and cost me dearly. A round of 75 was the outcome. Day three was a struggle from the start. After almost losing a ball on the first hole and being forced to chip out into the fairway leading to a double, another double bogey followed on the second after being my ball plugged in the bunker with off the tee. The rest of the front nine was an up and down while my game started to turn for the better. However, one more hiccup was to come on the eleventh hole when I plugged in yet another bunker (the fifth time of the round!). Finishing the round with a birdie on 18 to shoot 79 was little consolation, but still my game felt close to being able to shoot a good round. The last day my game was on point as I made the turn in 2-under while still leaving some good birdie chances out there. On the back nine 4 bogeys and 2 birdies meant the round ended with an even par 72. While my long game and wedges were better than the first three days my putter stayed cold throughout the last round. I finished the tournament T25.
Overall it was a great experience to be able to play in Asia for the first time and in such a great event. Getting used to the heat and humidity as well as the twelve hour time difference were some challenges that I feel I dealt with fairly well. The difficulty was in bringing a consistent game over the 4-day tournament. As this was my first tournament of the year I felt a little rusty but am positive with the majority of the week. I posted three individual nine hole stretches at 34 (2-under) and some more good stretches of holes in between. I'm looking forward to the next few months of tournament golf and being able to contend for national and international titles and getting ready for the European Tour Q-School! Thank you for all the support! -PW After five years in the U.S. I'm finally done with my education and proud to have earned my Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree. It was a stressful last couple of weeks, but I'm happy to be graduated with a 3.87 GPA. I also completed my coaching job with the University of Findlay Golf team and am very proud of what we were able to achieve this year. Coaching some of the best D2 athletes has helped me understand the game even better than I did before, and I'm sure I can use what I have learned to improve my own game! It's been a great year here at Findlay, but I'm excited to move on to the next chapter, professional golf. I will be travelling to the Philippines this Friday to compete in the World University Championship where I will proudly represent Switzerland! To keep you updated I will take pictures, videos and will publish them regularly on my Facebook account. When I return to the U.S. on May 20th, I will also post a complete summary of my experience on my website. I cannot wait for it to start! Hopp Schwiiz!
-PW I'm very excited to announce my nomination to represent Switzerland in this year's World University Championships! Every country is entitled to send three players who are currently enrolled at a University to this event. The golf tournament is held in the Philippines and I will be travelling there May 11th and returning to the U.S. May 19th. The World University Championships are held every two years and are played over four days with players from all over the world participating for their country. I am excited to get this opportunity to represent Switzerland in such a prestigious event!
The top professional golfers plan their year around the four majors; the Masters, the Open, the U.S. Open and the PGA Championship. For me, trying to be a top amateur at this time, I plan my schedule around the international amateur championships. The five tournaments I will definitely be playing internationally are the World University Championship in May, followed by the “big three” between mid-July and early August, being the Belgian, German and Swiss International Championships. I will finish with the Liechtenstein Open Amateur in early September before shifting the main focus on the European Tour Qualifying school in early October. Additionally, I will be participating in a couple Pro events with the Memorial Olivier Barras in Crans Montana and the Omnium Suisse in Montreux. The rest of the schedule is filled with some national and regional championships to stay competitive. This season will be somewhat different for me, as I plan to turn professional in the fall and do my best to prepare to peak for Q-School. I’m very excited for the season and can’t wait to get the tournaments started!
- PW I know most of you already know that I have spent the past week in Orlando, Florida. I was fortunate to be able to travel with our team at the University of Findlay. While being there I got to practice and play a lot. It was great hitting and playing outside in nice temperatures. Now that I am back in Ohio, it's much colder but at least the golf courses are open. This week, I will spend most of my time working in the gym, on the simulator and the indoor putting green however. Why? Because I was able to learn a lot from my rounds outside and I know what to work on. Sometimes it is best to get that done inside. Our indoor putting green is superior to the greens outside right now and I'm mainly working on fundamentals and my stroke. When I'm outside I work on pace and confidence. To be successful a player needs both of these areas covered. Through my work at the gym and the new Callaway clubs I was also able to pick up some distance and I'm very pleased with that! I really wanted to use this post to let other players know that you don't need to be in Florida (or some other warm place) all year to get better. As long as you put the work in and have a balanced practice plan you will improve just as much I'm sure of it!
-PW |
My blogIn this section I post updates about my practice, tournaments, travelling and other thoughts. I hope to be able to bring you my journey a little closer and give you some insights into my life. ArchivE
July 2019
|